Friday Night “Black” Out!
October 17th, 2010 | By Sonnie Johnson
My favorite times at Huguenot High School happened every Friday Night. Especially when I became a Flag Girl in the band. We were the cream of the crop in the inner city of Richmond, Va. We even gave the County boys a run for their money. I remember one night we were playing L. C. Byrd, a Chesterfield County School. Their football players got off the bus and we went into shock. Those were some of the biggest men I had ever seen gathered in one place.
We instantly started making jokes about their size. We said our players would get run over by freight trucks. We said those country white boys were going to crush us into black pancakes. We laughed and we joked but our football team didn’t find it very funny. They pounded their chest, huddled in prayer, and came out with the intention of proving us wrong. And they did.
They had no fear. The didn’t care about skin color, size, or county lines. They said to themselves they were the best, they had a coach that demanded the best from them and they delivered. When L.C. Byrd left our not-so state of the art school, after playing against our semi-disadvantaged squad, they left in defeat.
Things aren’t so pretty these days at Huguenot High. With a 1-5 record, they suck. There is no other nice way to put it. What was once a dominate force in High School football is now a mere shell of its former self. The games arent’ even close and don’t even ask about their away record.
What could cause this? A big answer is the loss of our coach Bo Jones but that is a simple answer. In our winning days, we were the exception to the rule. All the other city schools were horrible. I remember one game, we scored so many touchdowns, at half-time we started coming up with new had gestures for the second half. We didn’t want to keep repeating the same routines. Then instead of marching back to the bus playing our music and showing our steps, the coaches and parents demanded we run to the bus because the crowd was VERY upset about the outcome of the game.
Friday Nights are supposed to be fun and filled with lasting memories for members of the team, the school, and the community. How crucial is fixing our desire to compete in our overall mission to save our community?
What’s wrong with inner-city sports?
Prayer
Of course I’m going to start with prayer. Most inner cities are run by Democrats/Liberals/Progressives, so they are usually the first to restrict worship. No God for you. They are the first to say “Winter Break” instead of “Christmas”. They are the first to make a big deal out of moments of silence because someone might be thanking God for their school and teachers. (Doesn’t that kid know the Government gave them that school and pays those teachers? But I digress) The ones who like to assume the role of God but take no credit when their decisions turn to ruin.
God is an integral part of most Americans lives, no matter the color, size, or county lines. Removing him from the picture doesn’t give our youth the ability to humble themselves before a greater power. It doesn’t give them the opportunity to take their worries to God and leave them there, allowing them to focus on the field. It removes the blessing God heaps upon us when we gather in a group and praise his name. If we want zero-cost solution to fixing our schools, bring back prayer.
Parental Involvement
After God, the next most important people are the parents. When did we stop becoming parents? Even in my childhood, I don’t remember my parents ever showing up, for anything. Why do we refuse to be there to shape our children? Well, yet again, Democrats/Liberals/Progressives run our inner cities; so they are the first to decide they can raise a child better than the parents. They are the people who spend Hundred of Millions of Dollars in Social Services, Early Childhood Development, and every other program to help the disadvantaged. But what they actually do is take the responsibility away from the parents.
The Family unit is an integral part of all Americans lives, no matter the color, size, or county lines. If we think we can turn our children over to a beaucracry and let them raise the next generation, we deserve everything we get. Our kids are not running wild because of a politician, a government program, or any other red herring. We learned hard lessons but we don’t share them with our children. We stake our faith in schools, counselors, or anybody else tasked with the responsibility and then we look dumbfounded when our children can’t read, write, or have the stamina to compete in-game.
The Coaches
The leader of the unit, next up at bat. This is so easy. If the coach doesn’t think the team can win, then the team probably won’t win. One thing I learned about football from my older brothers’ was how mean a coaches are. They went to County schools and the coaches called them all kinds of names, made them run extra laps for little in fractures, and flew into a rage after a team loss. They were taught discipline, humility, respect and they loved their coaches for it. Do I even need to remind you D/L/P run the inner cities, so they are the first to frown upon an adult being an adult and a child staying in a child’s place?
A line of Authority is an integral part of all Americans lives, no matter the color, size or county lines. Our children need people who demand respect of them, if not, how will they ever learn how to be respectful? Our children need people who demand greatness from them, if not, how will they ever learn what great feats they are capable of? Our children need to be praised for their accomplishments and called out for their mistakes, if not, how will they ever know the difference?
Where are the Fathers’
The role model has to come next. How can a mother teach a boy how to tackle? Now, this is not a knock on women. I love football and can teach a boy a lot about all aspects of the game, but I can’t teach him the mechanics of receiving a snap without fondling the Centers’……well you know what I mean. A boy, especially a football player, needs a father or at least, a father figure. He needs that affirmation that he is moving up on the food chain of manhood that only another man he respects can give him. D/L/P run the inner city and they are the first ensure there is no man in the house by giving food stamps and housing to the women, with the simple intent of keeping the man away.
A two Parent household is an integral part of all Americans lives, no matter the color, size, or county lines. A mother can sit on the sidelines and say “they better not hurt my baby”, while the father is yelling “hit’em harder”. I don’t really mean that, because I would be in the stands yelling “not another yard”, but you get what I’m saying. Dads punch the sore spots, while Moms get the ice packs. While there is always a story of a child who made it through tough circumstances, he is usually surrounded by a team that had normal home lives.
A Respect of School
Under the lights should be a sanctuary. (Yes, that is a direct reference to Remember the Titans) Today, our kids use a difference in schools as another reason to separate themselves. I rep this school, you rep that school, so we have a problem. What? They have no respect for the building that houses their school. They have no respect for the Principals, Teachers, or any other authority in that school. They have no respect for the materials provided to them by that school. Yet, they can fight with other students because the rep that school. D/L/P run the inner cities, check your local school board, and they are constantly pointing out how inferior the schools are in their districts. You think the kids don’t hear?
A belief in the Institutions of Education is an integral part of all Americans lives, no matter the color, size, or county lines. How can you expect a 13 year-old to care about a school he attends, when he constantly hears news reports about how the school is falling apart? How can you expect him to care about an education when he knows there is a 43% chance he will drop out? With unions running the school boards, instead of focusing on the kids, the talk is always about getting more money. No amount of money will help a child who has zero respect for his institution of learning.
Calling All Boosters
The support team, WE NEED YOU! With State budgets shrinking, extra-curricular activities are the first to go. D/L/P makes sure of it, then they throw it back in our faces as a reason to raise taxes. Yet again, this can’t all be placed at the feet of Government. It should be our jobs as parents to know what our children, their schools, and their sports teams need. We need to take our place back as boosters, fundraisers, and Sponsors.
A support system is integral in all Americans’, no matter color, size, or county lines. Nothing can give a team more confidence than the support our their entire community. When people show up, the kids have a reason to believe their victory, or defeat, won’t only affect them but everyone around them. They get the chance to prove to that negative neighbor, all those nights in the back yard running drills was worth it. They get to show their little brothers what they can accomplish with hard work. They get a chance to shine in front of the people that most influence their lives. There is no replacement for that feeling.
With all that said, what are we left with? A generation of children who have no desire to compete. They don’t care if they’re the best or if they get beaten 38-8. They don’t care about anything and we leave them in a system that doesn’t truly care about them. It’s sad there isn’t more of a reason to celebrate on Friday Nights.
