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Tonight I have a good story to tell. I have been trying to run as much as possible on our base, training for a half marathon on Sunday. It has been warming up and the time to run is either in the morning or at night. The afternoons are getting warm and the traffic is pretty bad. I am not a morning person, so the night time is the right time for me.
Tonight I was running with a guy from my unit. We noticed the wind was picking up and that some storm clouds were moving in. It seemed to be an ok time to run, my father-in-law runs when it is subzero temperatures, I felt that I could do this little run. We were heading out for our first mile, the wind was pretty strong so we decided to turn around and head back to our tents. It was the second mile that things seemed to change.
As we were running, we saw what looked like a huge cloud of thick black smoke. We knew it was sand, and thought that maybe we should stop to let it blow by. My previous Iraq experiences told me that most sand storms do not just “blow by”. We decided to run head first into it, hoping that it would not be that far until we were out of it. I could feel the sand starting to hit my face, not hard but I could feel it. Soon I felt like I was in the middle of a good old Minnesota fog. I could not see any lights in front of me, or my running partner behind me. I stopped a couple of times to flash my light on him, he flashed his light back. As we ran, trash was blowing all around us. I felt like I was in a horror movie, waiting to hear him or myself being sucked up by the huge storm cloud.
It only took us about five minutes, but felt longer, to make it through the cloud and back to the lighted streets. We laughed about how we saw it and decided to take it on. I took a picture of myself; it does not do justice to the amount of dust that is blowing around or what is in my lungs, but it makes my hair look almost white. I am sure I will be coughing it up for the next year.
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Okay now we get into the specific steps.
1. Restructure teacher positions. There should be 2-3 Master Teachers for each grade K-8, a Master Teacher would an exempt position that would be responsible for providing teaching, coordinating teachers, curriculum development and leadership. A master teacher would a track record of leadership, dedication and performance, accordingly they would be paid a premium salary. Each student in a grade would have a Master Teacher meaning that a Master Teacher would have 50-70 children in their stable. There would still be additional teachers that would be primary educators but they would be positioned under the Master Teacher. At this point an example might be helpful...
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According the Hartley website there are currently 5 Third Grade teachers and about 120 students (again I do not have specific numbers and this serves as an example), this would change to 2 Master Teachers and two standard teachers. The Master Teachers would develop tracks for students based on educational needs and assign them to proper teacher (Master or Standard). So instead of a teacher teaching a broad cross-section of 24 kids the same material that regardless of the students ability (Sally may learn the concept in 12 minutes while Dave needs 32 minutes) a teacher would teach 30 kids that are bunched a little more closely together. The end result is more efficient and individualized education for the children and the net saving of 1 teacher per grade. (Another alternative would be making teachers more vertical you would still have Master Teachers at the grade level but standard teachers might become Math teachers for grades K-3).
This change could net a reduction of 10-12 positions, the Master Teachers would absorb a portion of that savings in increased pay but would be worth the additional salary. The expectation is that these positions would be filled by superior teachers, because they are exempt employees they would not be bound by tenure or seniority. These Master Teachers would be tasked with, and supported in their efforts to, raise the overall level of Core subjects (math, reading and communication).
2. Special Education instructors will be stretched - Special education instructors perform a vital service and by no means do they have an easy job but as the budget is tightened they would be asked to help with mainline student education. This may mean grading papers, helping with curriculum development or other activities to ensure that quality is increasing.
3. Reduce athletic programs - Waseca School District does not have the resources to offer the full slate of sports, even moreso it cannot offer the depth and quality in the full slate as each sport fights each other for scarce resources. The District needs to make a conscious choice to specialize and excel in 3-5 sports. More resources would be available to those sports so that they could accommodate the level of interest and be fully supported. Students wanting to participate in other sports would be allowed the opportunity but they would have to bear the expense.
4. Reduce elective programs - Again the idea here would be to select a small number of programs and do them very well and move out of other areas. As with sports there is value in each of the activities but quantity is the enemy of quality given limited resources.
5. Use Community Education to support the core subjects as well as #3 and #4. Offer courses in Vedic Math, number puzzles, Harry Potter reading workshops, pen pal clubs, etc - take the commitment to excel as far as it can be taken. If the District decides Tennis is one of the sports that they will support Community Education can increase their tennis offerings at younger ages to build skills and interest. If French is the foreign language option that is chosen by the district this can be augmented with French Literature courses, French cooking, etc.
6. Actively recruit involvement and volunteerism - give people the opportunity to help in the school, but more importantly let them know that they are welcomed there and critical to the success of education. Talk with area employers about establishing Blue Jay Booster programs that would allow for flexible scheduling to accommodate for volunteering at the school (for parents and non parents!!!). Commercial property owners pay an amazing amount of any levy that is passed, allowing for flex time that reduces district costs is good for the bottom line.
7. Stretch the non-teaching staff - set aggressive goals for administration and support. There is no doubt that the workload is hard and has gotten tougher over the past few years but that is true in every position out there. We are all running lean but we must be leaner. Reduce non-teaching head count by 3 positions district wide.
8. Resist mandates - if you are not being funded start sending communication to St. Paul and Washington stating that you will no longer be able to comply with specific requirements. Tell them what the costs of those requirements are and a deadline by which you will stop complying. Let them respond with waivers or potential sources for additional funding. Squeak loud and often, copy all elected officials.
If, after considering these cuts and others identified elsewhere, there is a need for an additional levy I offer up the following:
1. Do not ask me to support a levy on election day. I do not know if the levy will pass and I do not know who will be spending it. My vote for school board is dependent on the levy, my vote for the levy is dependent on the school board. I realize that there is an additional cost to running the levy referendum separate from the general election but unknowns lead to conservative votes.
2. Talk with the City and County about their plans for tax increases. If you are asking for $400 per student levy, the City is boosting the tax rate by 3% and the County by 4% guess what the vote will be. Figure out what you need, speak with the City and County and all three entities present their needs together. I would offer this to the Council and County Commissioners - shaving your budgets to offset a levy increase would be a great investment in this community.
3. Do not promise cuts if the referendum fails - deliver cuts and allow taxpayers to invest in additions. To put it another way, plan for the referendum to fail. There should be no reacting after the fact, the voters are not taking money away they are just choosing not to add more. Having a business model that can exist without the levy shows that you are doing what is required.
4. Marketing the levy - make they levy short (3 years max), let the public know that if it fails you are committed to the working without it, let others do the talking for you. The economic climate is too uncertain for long term levy, State and Federal priorities and abilities (both on funding and policy) are in flux, committing to a 6 year levy is unreasonable. Let the voters know that you respect their decision on the referendum and that if they vote no that you will not be coming back in 6 months or a year. Most importantly keep the School Board members out of the marketing. If the taxpayers of this community see value in the referendum they will step forward and market the plan, they have the passion and commitment to sell the levy and the School Board doesn't get mired in the politics.
So there it is, my humble solution. It is not offered lightly, advocating for cutting teachers, staff and programming is not something I just toss out there. I have never met a
teacher that wasn't worth more than what they are paid. Sports do so much to build character, leadership and teach life lessons. I am an administrative person and work with administrative people all day - I understand what they do to provide for the success of an organization. I have 5 children that will be in the Waseca School district, one is hearing impaired and requires additional resources. But at the same time there are printers, waitresses, mechanics, machinists and every other occupation that are being squeezed during this time. That doesn't make it right, or make it better, it is just the times we live in.
I do look at these options as providing a step towards leaner more efficient education, there is a lot of technology that can and should be applied to take it from efficient to robust and first class.
And of course something shiny. And a bonus historical shiny .
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“The Ice Harvest of 2010 was a glorious day on Clear Lake, cutting 20-inch blocks of ice, playing in the snow, breathing fresh air, and getting a sleigh ride to boot! Thanks to Waseca Central Intermediate School sixth graders and the TEAM Academy sixth graders for attending. Don’t forget to come to Chautauqua next July 3 and see if the ice in the little Ice House survives!
Now, here is a photograph c.1925 of an unidentified man cutting ice on Clear Lake with a rotary ice harvester! If anyone can identify the gentleman, please leave that comment; OR, if anyone knows where we could locate one of these rotary ice harvesters, please let WCHS know!
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Thanks to all the volunteers, you’re great!”
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The best word I can use to describe Owatonna native Mark Cameron's album "Life of Illusion" is this:
Solid.
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First of all, let me address the vocals. As the lead vocalist, Cameron's voice is clear and spot on. Though he may reach towards the top, he never goes over it, which I appreciate. The back-up vocals that support his voice mingle nicely, creating a nice choral effect without over harmonizing.
Musically, the instruments are all played well, with mastery on the harmonica and organ/piano. The guitars are perfect, and the drumming never falters. This album is also not "over produced," meaning it stands on its own feet without the life being mixed and compressed out of it. There is a nice feeling of live recording, particularly on the song "Boxcar Blues."
The style of music is not one that I particularly care for, however, I am sure that it has commercial appeal to people who enjoy a nice bluesy-mixed-with-80's-kitch sort of sound. It reminds me a bit of "Texas Flood" mixed with "Money for Nothing." Does that make any sense?
Anyhow, my biggest issue is the songwriting itself. There is nothing particularly interesting about the arrangements, and perhaps that can be forgiven because of the blues 12 bar aspect, but even the guitar solos feel a little too familiar. I can only listen to three chords over and over again without getting bored for so long. While listening to the album I kept expecting a song to hook me in, but it never really happened. None of the songs made me want to move around, and none of them made me want to learn the lyrics and sing along.
The lyrics are also problematic. I know that music and poetry are not exactly the same, but there is too much "telling" and not enough "showing." The words take themselves a bit too seriously, and they feel forced, like they're trying too hard to be relevant. For example, from the song "Sometimes":
Love is a light that shines in a place you'll never be/ love is a picture in colors you know you cannot see/ love is a wandering soul that knows it will never find a home/ love is a crowd of people, every one of them is all alone.
Apart from the fact that none of these sentiments are very original, I am incredibly tired of being told what "Love" is.
But despite my qualms, I could never call "Life of Illusion" a bad album. It is a bit too down beat for my taste, but I can see how the relaxed or brooding individual would appreciate adding this to their collection. I get the impression that Mark Cameron is best served on the live stage, and you can see him at Katie O'Leary's on Saturday, February 27th, according to my information.
If you see the live show and like what you hear, then definitely pick up "Life of Illusion" to relive the experience.
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Turnovers! I like them with fruit , Apple may be the best! Turnovers and basketball give you a bad taste in your mouth, YUK! I enjoy HS basketball, but I am weary of the lack of respect for the game by the locals. You better be able to count past your toes and fingers at a Waseca HS game, the girls are well into the 20s if not the 30s each game, the boys lost to Waterville with 28 TOs.
Think about it: that would be the number of times your favorite team did not get to shoot the ball! PLUS, the frustration , it can't add to the enjoyment of the player or the fan! Please take care of the ball, throw good passes, catch the ball, slow down just a bit and learn to make your team better by playing the game correctly! Basketball is the ultimate team game, you need the other players , it even takes two to throw the ball in play! Leave the turnovers in the bakery, start respecting the game! It is almost tournament time, now is the time to play your best.
Contact Steve Conway at steveconway47@yahoo.com
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The Mcloone boys were part of the Waseca athletic scene in the late 50s, 60s and early 70s. Like many other Waseca kids they honed their skills in the parks and athletic fields, their main field was across the street in Trowbridge park!
Johnny McLoone graduated in 1957; lettered in three sports at Sacred Heart. Excelled in football and track (state champ in 100 yd dash): After law school, resided in Waseca and practiced law the entire time. IV has six children is retired.
Jerry: class of 1959 was the QB on a SH undefeated in football team in 1958 under coach Bill Marton. Jerry was the undefeated state champion in the mile his junior and senior years.. He was a college psychology teacher, and practiced as a psychotherapis. He is married, with two daughters.
Mike, another Sacred Heart grad, lives in Mankato is married to Nancy: (thank God she said yes!) they have six children. Many of you know Mike as a softball player and baseball ump years ago: just a great guy!
Steve has 4 kids he lives in cities and is in sales and of course still in rock and roll! Steve is a member of MN R&R Hall of Fame with the band: Judd! Steve was a runner, football, and basketball player: a 1971 grad of Sacred Heart. Currently CEO of ULTIMASONGS Records.
The McLoone boys made an imprint on the Waseca sports scene, who do you remember in your HS days?
Contact Steve Conway at steveconway47@yahoo.com
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I am happy to be writing this blog for one reason, another month has gone by! I was hoping to write about watching the Vikings win the Super Bowl and how great it was to celebrate with the fan over here. I was also hoping to write you about running a half marathon in Afghanistan, neither of which happened. I do however want to send an update about what has been going on.
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First is about the Super Bowl party we did have. It was a dreary day here, about the second day of off and on rain. We did manage to get some horseshoe pits installed, two sets of ladder golf, and a set of bean bag boards up. There were mini competitions going and grills burning. We had a great social hour or two and then most of us headed to our rooms, some stayed up and watched the Super Bowl at 4 am our time.
I would also like to tell you about the crazy weather we have. Many think that in the desert it is always HOT, not the case here. We have been having cold, not Minnesota cold, but cold weather here. I would guess it gets into lows of 30 and highs of 50. One day we had hail and the next sun the day after that is rain. In the mornings, the water puddles are frozen solid and many wear fleece hats and jackets with their long johns underneath. It may be a good thing that we are from Minnesota and we are kind of used to the extreme weather changes. I also find it funny that the one thing that most Minnesota’s can talk about is the weather, no matter what the conversation may be; it begins or ends about the weather.
We will be hitting another critical point in our deployment, double digits. It is a great feeling and many of us have some sort of countdown. It is great to see that the time here is coming to an end and that all of our hard work will start to wind down. It is a great feeling to know that soon we will be back in the USA, where the grass, we hope is green, the water is good enough to drink out of the sink, and we will not have to take a shower with flip flops. I know that my wife and kids are VERY excited to have me home, I am just as excited.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. Please continue to pray for all of the troops. Thank you to the ones that have served and especially the ones that gave their lives.
Until next time……
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Good Day Panicked Persons,
Below, herein and forthwith is the Widespread Panic solution to the Waseca School District financial woes.
A couple of caveats as I go through my recommendations:
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I am not a school board member, I do not have a source in the district offices so I am piecing this together with the information that I am able to gather on the web.
These recommendations may offend teachers, taxpayers, elected officials, and small children but they do reflect what I see as the best solution from my current perspective. I am very willing to debate and extremely willing to adjust my position based on additional information. I am going with what I know.
This is a recommended solution based on getting through the current financial situation and does not equal long term reform - I do plan to address that in the future, if you would like a sense of my long term feelings try here.
It may be painful to some but this will be a two part series with the structure being outlined here and specific steps being laid out in the next post, if you just want that part you will have to wait. I do recommend reading both posts and considering the steps and the structure together to get the most out of the discussion.
My approach on this is to position the Waseca School District to restructure operations and financial position to provide for stability, a value proposition for all stakeholders (District, Teachers, Students, Taxpayers), and provide the best education possible. This is multiple step approach to fixing the problem, while any of the steps can be taken by themselves in my view this does a disservice to the stakeholders. Making a tactical cut today that is not consistent with a longer term strategy inevitably leads to that cut being replaced in the future. Nobody needs those headaches...if the District is not confident that they will have Styrofoam trays for at least 5-7 years the cut is simply a poorly executed accounting shift that undermines their credibility.
So now we start getting into the good stuff - the core principles that will allow the Waseca Public Schools to deliver quality education at a reasonable price while being viewed as a premium choice for teachers and asset to that enhances the City and County of Waseca.
Quality Education - there is a reason we choose Campbell's Soup over the Hy-Vee store brand - it is consistently higher quality. Quality does not always equate to higher costs - "bed and breakfasts" in many cases provide a higher quality sleep/stay experience than the 5 star hotel. Quality is also subjective and depends on which attributes you are looking at - core curriculum, college prep, athletics, school atmosphere etc. My proposal requires that the district focus on the core educational components of Reading, Communication and Math. Everything else is subordinated to those three disciplines. Everything.
Reasonable Price - another gray term, reasonable to me, you, and the State of Minnesota are all very different things. So as I define it here reasonable price is: state funding = per pupil education costs + facilities and administration + cushion. Additionally there is: transition costs = additional levy. So while I do see a need for an additional levy to get the district from where it is to where it needs to be that number should be well defined and of limited duration. While the levy request will be the center of conversation the crux of the strategy lies in getting the per pupil education and facilities and administrative costs low enough that state funding covers them without a need for a levy - this will have an up front cost.
Premium Choice for Teachers - If you are committed to #1 and want to accomplish #2 you must create a district where teachers are viewed as talent. Not coddled, not handed the keys to the kingdom but recognize they are to education what Brett Favre and Joe Mauer are to their respective sports. If the district shows a commitment to quality education we will attract talented teachers. The flip side of that coin is that teachers of lesser quality will be passed by. This is a critical point and none too simple to manage.
Be an asset to the City and County of Waseca - the Waseca School District is not only responsible for educating our children but it also Waseca's second largest employer and in many cases the Waseca Blue Jay stands as our community's ambassador. The district needs to leverage and enhance these qualities. Improving our schools improves economic development and attracts new families. While there is no doubt that the City and County already realize this there is a need for the three to come together on common purpose.
So that is the vision I see for the Waseca School District, you may see a different vision that will lead you to other recommendations for dealing with the budget - I welcome your thoughts and suggestions. In the end however the School District needs to decide what it wants to be and communicate that to its students, teachers, taxpayers and the community. While the district excels in many ways it has failed in this respect and the end result is failed referendums, fiscal distress and a diminished reputation.
I know a gentleman that was opposed to the last referendum (he also doesn't care for my Converse sneakers - so his judgment may be suspect) that seems to be more open to a referendum this fall. What is the district's sales pitch? What is their plan? I would wager that if you can offer him the right value proposition his vote can be won, along with many more.
Non education related notes:
Coming into Waseca Saturday afternoon I spotted Council Member Clemons digging a stuck motorist out - thanks for being a good person John. I enjoyed serving with you.
Steve Conway - it was nice to meet you on Sunday, I enjoy your blog and your passion for local sports!!
Made the final table of an online poker tourney last night and exited in 5th when my pocket Aces fell to an improbable flush.
And of course something shiny .
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Gene is the Dad: all 6'8'' of him, nice guy who had a great 12' shot which served him through HS and Mankato State (Now Minnesota State- Mankato).; Geno has the Waseca HS record of 26 rebounds in one game vs. St. Peter in 1969.
Eric is the son: Eric played for Waseca HS 1997-2000 and is the all time leading scorer in Waseca basketball with 1467 total! I watched Eric a lot ; I still think he could have scored a bunch more if he posted up more often, he was a talent!
The Wood boys: Gene and Eric: played on teams which never made it to the State tourney: Genes 1969 team was upset in the sections and Eric's teams never quite put it together to beat the teams from Marshall HS. What is the measurement of a great team is your eyes? Winning State, making the tourney, or a great regular season? What do you think?
Contact Steve Conway at steveconway47@yahoo.com
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Somebody stole my shiny from my last post...actually it was prudently censored by the editor, it probably crossed the line of good taste, but if you are really interested search for Dayjoborchestra on youtube.
All right - I got this in the mail yesterday - Waseca's own, and fellow WCN blogger is going to be at Center for the American Experiment luncheon in St. Paul to discuss trimming the budget. I definitely will be going and am wondering if anybody else would like to carpool/caravan. I am thinking it would be even better if we could maybe swing by the Capitol and visit our new Senator and Representative Kath to get their thoughts on trimming the budget as well. Shoot me an email at matthew.johansen@gmail.com if you are interested.
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The best band to ever come out of Minnesota is playing at Busters in Mankato tomorrow night (sorry Schmojoes).
Thoughts on the Greek monetary crisis from Mises.org:
"For the member states in the eurozone, the costs of reckless fiscal behavior can also, to some extent, be externalized. Any government whose bonds are accepted as collateral by the ECB can use this printing press to finance its expenditures.[2] money bids up prices throughout the monetary union.
Each government has an incentive to accumulate higher deficits than the rest of the eurozone, because its costs can be externalized. Consequently, in the Eurosystem there is an inbuilt tendency toward continual losses in purchasing power. This overexploitation may finally result in the collapse of the euro.
Any tragedy of the commons can be solved by privatizing the specific resource. But instead of privatization, governments generally prefer regulation.
Such a regulation was installed for the European Monetary Union. It is called the Stability and Growth Pact, and it requires that each country's annual budget deficit is below 3% and its gross public debt not higher than 60% of its GDP. Sanctions were defined to enforce these rules.
Yet the sanctions have never been enacted and the pact is generally ignored. For 2010, all but one member state is expected to have a budget deficit higher than 3%; the general European debt ratio is 88%. Germany, the main country that urged these requirements, was among the first to refuse to fulfill them."
Now consider the US fiscal situation - deficit and debt - along with two failed US Treasury auctions in the last week and there is plenty of reason to get worried. Bernanke will surely inflate his way out of any large scale mess (a tool not available to Greece). In the end the common pays the price for inflation. There is a reason that you are seeing so many commercials for people who want to buy your gold...
And here is something shiny.
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Greetings all! I am glad to be back after a brief hiatus and hope to offer a number of posts over the next couple of weeks on all thats going on in Waseca and the nation. We live in exciting times!
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To ease us back into the battle of common sense vs conventional wisdom I offer a few random bullets:
President Obama's 2011 budget calls for a deficit equal to 8.3% of GDP. Think about that for a second. The president is proposing that we borrow 8.3% of the nations total economy. Total spending is $3.8 Trillion while income is a $2.5 trillion...now the US has not had its financial house in order for quite sometime so I am not expecting modesty but this is absurd. How can Obama confront the evil risk taking banks for financial skullduggery from this position?
Highway 14 pothole repairs lasted all of 2 weeks. I somewhat understand the dynamics of deteriorating roadbeds and the impact of weather but this is Minnesota we must have something better than that.
Senate 26 campaign was definitely interesting and well contested by all three. I will devote a post in the next couple of weeks based on my view as the treasurer for Mike.
I did attend Mike's swearing in ceremony in St. Paul a very wonderful time, plenty of wonderful Waseca folks there supporting Mike.
I look forward to a new birth at the Old Town Eatery. I have enjoyed that restaraunt for many years - was easily my favorite lunch spot - I am going there on Friday for lunch and you should too - pass it on.
I love the snow this year- city and county have done great jobs on keeping up with snowplowing.
The Letterman, Oprah & Leno was by far the highlight of the Superbowl - other than knowing that the Vikings would have won by at least 3 touchdowns is that idiot Chlildress just would have went for 2 on the last Viking touchdown in the NFC Championship game.
The Citizens United case will unleash a ton of money into politics and will push the American electorate to that amazing point where politicians are elected/relected/unelected based on performance rather than soundbites, party affiliation and incumbency.
I have much more coming in the next few weeks, we shall tackle enviornmentalism as religon, my previously promised education solution, campaign finance and sharpen our focus on local politics.
As a final note I would like to say thank you to the city of Waseca. A little over a year ago my three adopted boys arrived here from Texas, they have been made to feel welcome by so many of you and it is greatly appreciated. The boys have become Wasecans and they love it.
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Do you remember the ice harvests? Do you remember the Johnston Ice Co.? Do you remember having a block of ice delivered once a week to your “ice box” to keep your butter and milk cold? Waseca was lucky to have a large lake here in town as a source for ice! How did they keep the ice into the warm months of spring and summer? What do you remember!
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I was a little girl in the late 1940s on the east side of St. Paul. And I remember when the iceman came. He was a burly man with a swatch of black rubber caped across his shoulders to protect him from the block of ice he hoisted there with a pair of large tongs. He’d bring it right into our kitchen and dropped it in our ice box. The ice box was insulated and was kept cold with that one block of ice! Very gradually the ice melted and water filled a tray below. Sometimes my brother and I would help mom empty that tray when it got full. And every week we received another ice delivery. By the 1950s most people had an electric refrigerator, and we did, too. But for years, many people held onto their icebox until ice was no longer delivered.
The Waseca County Museum will be presenting the Annual Ice Harvest on WED, FEBRUARY 17, 10-3 at Clear Lake Park. Come and learn about the Ice Harvest! Watch then score, cut and haul the ice to the little Ice House. Then come to Chautauqua at Maplewood Park next July 3 and look in the little Ice House and see if the ice is still there! What do you think?
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In Waseca it is known as WBA or Waseca Basketball Association! Boys tourney was held last Saturday and I am sure provided a lot of great action and thrills for the kids and families without going out of town for a change!
You haven't lived till you experienced the thrill of seeing your kid step on the court and soon be transformed into a superstar! We all want the best for our kid, some want it without the work/effort of time and practice: others spend lots of time and money to provide the best in court time and coaching for THE KID! We lived the season and had fun with it! Sure there were times of anguish but....... We also enjoyed the weekly open gym times and it became a unwritten rule that that 2-3 hours on Saturday was a must for all the kids! We had fun!
I did coach one year but my main job was to holler at the refs and befriend other parents from towns which Waseca played against. I mastered each job! I had fun and still see the friends I made those WBA years! Many of the refs are still friends of mine, not all but many! WBA a great experience, how about you? Is it or was it a positive for your family?
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