BrandonInfo.com

Brandon Valley has been asked to help found a Metro high school sports conference. It would consist of the Sioux Falls schools, plus Brandon Valley. If our school decides to join, we still would belong to the ESD Conference. Most Brandon Valley sports play Sioux Falls schools anyway, so dual conference membership wouldn’t add too many games to the schedule, according to school officials.

What do you think? Some might think that dual membership might just further crowd the schedules of students who are over committed in the first place. Some might think the extra conference might cost the school too much more money.

Others might say that eventually Brandon Valley will get too big for the ESD Conference and will have to join the Metro one anyway. They might say that playing Sioux Falls schools might actually save the district travel expenses.

What are your thoughts?

If the school district does sanction soccer, the school teams would play on city fields. The golf teams already golf at the city course, the cross country runners have their meets at McHardy Park, which is a city park, and the tennis teams play on city courts.

As far as I know, the school doesn’t pay rent to the city for using the city facilities for school sports. Some people might say the city gets the short end of that stick by not getting reimbursed for the cost of maintenance that school sports cause. Others might say the city and school should work together and it’s all for the kids anyway, so what’s the difference.

What are your thoughts?

The South Dakota High School Activities Association says soccer can be a sanctioned school sport starting in 2011, but individual school districts will decide whether their schools will offer it. Brandon Valley hasn’t decided yet and probably won’t decide until next year.

Brandon Valley already sponsors soccer even though it isn’t sanctioned. And Brandon has a very active club soccer program, with fields the city has built over the last couple of years.

School officials have said it would cost the district about $40,000. That doesn’t seem like much in a budget that tops $10 million. On the other hand, these are hard times. Do you think sanctioning soccer is a good idea? Do you think Brandon Valley should do it?

Brandon Valley football will play Washington in Sioux Falls this Saturday. If we win, we go to the Dome to play the winner of the O’Gorman-Aberdeen game.

What are your predictions for the outcome of Saturday’s games? Of course we predict the Lynx will beat the Warriors, so who do you think we’ll end up playing in the finals?

The annual Pigskin Classic is this Saturday as the Lynx take on the Sturgis Scoopers. What is your prediction for the game’outcome?
How do you think the Lynx will do this year? Will we have a chance at the state title this year?

Do you plan to attend the game Saturday? How about the many activities lined up during the day?

When I was a kid, there weren’t organized sports for girls. Not that I knew of, anyway. Not around here. It wouldn’t have mattered. As an asthmatic, I wouldn’t have participated anyway. I remember that my brother was in softball, or baseball, when he was a boy. I think he was in the upper grades when he played.

Both my children participated in sports, but not until they were old enough to play in school sports. My son wrestled for six years and played football for two. My daughter was a volleyball statistician for two years in high school.
These days, there are organized sports for both girls and boys, starting at very young ages. There is the Mat Cats wrestling, where kids as young as preschoolers can participate. The Brandon Tennis Association now offers Grand Slam Tennis for Kids as young as 5 years old.

Some people would say offering these sports to younger kids is great. It teaches them teamwork and discipline at a young age. Others might say it teaches them competition at a young age also. Some might say it conditions children so they are more competent by the time they are in, say, high school. Others might say that concentrating on one sport so young might prohibit kids from trying a variety of activities.

Some might say that club sports gives families a chance to spend time together. Others might say it turns parents into chauffers.

What do you say? Does enrolling young children in sports give them that athletic edge, or does it burn them out early? Does it give them a lifelong love for their chosen sport, or does it prevent them from becoming well rounded?

The Brandon Valley girls basketball team has earned a spot at the state tournament, which will be held this weekend in Brookings.

Have you been following the team this season? What do you consider the team’s strengths? Coach Mark Stadem thinks they are hard work and unselfish play.

The No. 3-seeded Lynx (19-4) open the tournament against the No. 6-ranked Rapid City Central Cobblers (14-8) in Thursday’s nightcap at 8:45 p.m. Will you be in the stands?

What advice or words of encouragement do you have for the girls as they go into state competition?

The Brandon Valley athletic boosters recently gave the Brandon Area Soccer Association $10,000. Are you happy about this or not so much?

Does anyone in your family play soccer? If not, do you enjoy the sport as a spectator?

What are the benefits of soccer? For those of you who participate, why have you chosen soccer over another sport?

Do you support the athletic booster club? Why or why not? Are their contributions to sports in the Brandon Valley Area significant, do you think?

In a poll on wwwbrandoninfo.com, people are split on whether the school board should pay for back rests on the bleachers in the new high school gym. They cost about $30,000 more than standard ones. Forty-nine percent of those responding to the poll say yes, give us back rests. Fifty-one percent say no, don’t do it.
The school board will discuss back rests at tonight’s school board meeting. Is the issue important enough to you to attend the meeting? If not, would you call a school board member to let them know how you feel? If you wouldn’t make a special call to a school board member, would you at least tell them how you feel if you happen to see one of them at, say, a public event?

I suspect the board members will hear from very few people with opinions on bleacher back rests. So they will have to use their own judgment when deciding whether to spend the $30,000. Are you comfortable with that?

Brandon Valley baseball players will compete in Little League in 2009, the Brandon Valley Baseball Association board has decided.

Board members say the affiliation won’t change how the season play is handled, except that 5 year olds will be able to play. The big change is the tournament opportunity at the end of the season. Brandon Valley will be able to compete in the state Little League tournament, with the chance of advancing to district or national play.

The part that still needs to be ironed out is how to select the tournament teams. Should the coaches decide who they think are the best players? Should the players vote on who they want to send? Should there be open tryouts to put together the tournament teams? Or should it be a combination of various processes?

Do you think the Brandon Valley Baseball Association made a good decision to go with Little League? Do you think it provides more opportunities for kids, or do you think it pushes them even more to be competitive children?

The school board last week said no to gym seats that would have more leg room and more head clearance than standard bleachers. These fancier bleachers would have cost $30,000 more than the standard ones.

Some board members said they promised no frills when they advocated for the $23 million they needed to build the new gym, new grade school and to make improvements at the high school and Valley Springs Elementary. And they’re sticking to that promise, they say. At least one board member said that since some costs have come in under estimates, the district could spring for the nicer bleachers and still not exceed the $23 million overall.

Do you attend events in the Brandon Valley High School gym? Would you like more leg room? Would you like to be able to see over people’s heads easier? If so, is it worth $30,000 to you?

Brandon Valley remains undefeated with a 49-26 win over Rapid City Stevens at Brandon Tuesday night. What a game.

On Monday, Brandon Valley (10-0) will host Watertown (6-4) in the quarterfinals. How do you think the Lynx will do against the Arrows?

Do you think the Lynx will go all the way to the DakotaDome? Who do you think will make it to the championship game?

Homecoming is this weekend. If you are one of Brandon Valley High School’s alumni, do you come back to watch your team?

The Lynx will be playing Worthington, Minn., at 7 p.m. What are your predictions for the game?

For fun on Friday, high school students will compete in their own Olympics, with games such as text messaging, musical chairs and pillow fights. All this week, the students have come to school dressed according to themes. Today’s theme is Wild West Day.

Earlier this season, the Lynx played O’Gorman in the Pigskin Classic. That was a huge event. Do you think it overshadows Homecoming? If so, should it? Maybe the Pigskin Classic is more of a big deal for the community and Homecoming is more of a big deal for the students.

The first annual Brandon Valley Hardwood Challenge will tip off Nov. 21 and 22 in Brandon. Parents of the students involved say the event will help raise money for after prom and after graduation parties for the students who are currently in the eighth grade.

Is this good advance planning, or is this taking fundraising one step too far?

Does this mean families with middle school kids plan to stay in Brandon for another half dozen years or so, or does it mean that some people will do all the fundraising and then move away, leaving others to enjoy the benefits of their hard work?

They city council decided not to move the skateboard park and ice skating rink after all. Do you agree with that decision, or no? Skating is on school land, which the city leases.
School officials say they won’t renew the lease when it expires in 2011. They want skating to move so they can reroute traffic in the high school parking lot. But because skating isn’t moving right away, the school already has modified the parking lot plan. Does that mean moving skating is no longer necessary?

A lot could happen between now and 2011. Different people with different opinions might be on the school board by then.

By not moving skating in 2009, the city can spend roughly $50,000 on something else. The council has asked the city administrator to come up with a recommendation for next Monday’s council meeting. A few ideas the council mentioned at last Monday’s budget hearing were a front end loader, a drainage study, a sewer study or more money for soccer.

Did you attend any of the Pigskin Classic activities Saturday? Which one(s), and how did you like them? To see some pictures of the day’s events, check out the photo gallery at www.brandoninfo.com.
Brandon Valley scored a great win over O’Gorman 24-21 Saturday night, putting the Lynx at No. 3 in Class 11AA. Go lynx!

Do you think the Pigskin Classic is a great event, too much work, or somewhere in between? Do you like being able to reserve your seats early in the day, or do you think that prevents some people from seeing the game?

How do you think the Lynx will do throughout the football season?

School doesn’t start for a couple of weeks yet and I’ve already seen band and football practices on school grounds. I know they’ve been practicing many days already.

Should school start so early for kids? Students who are in certain activities get a very short summer.

What do you think?

The four soccer fields at McHardy Park will be named Alliance Communications Field, Taco John’s Field, Home Federal Bank Field and First Premier Bank Field. Each of the businesses donated $20,000 to the Brandon Area Soccer Association.

How do you feel about naming rights? Will donors get their money’s worth of advertising for their $20,000 gift? Are there any names you would pass on even if the gift were great? How big would the gift have to be to name a field “Acme XXX Video Field,” for example?

Nearly one-third of Brandon Valley students at Brandon Elementary, Robert Bennis Elementary and Brandon Valley Middle School are considered overweight or obese. Yet, that’s a lower percentage than the state as a whole.

Does that mean the parents and schools in Brandon are doing a good job of feeding the kids balanced diets and making sure they get exercise? Or is there still a lot of room for improvement?

Brandon Valley requires one semester of physical education for graduation. That is the minimum required by state law. Sioux Falls School District recently reduced their requirement from three semesters down to one. Is one enough? If you don’t think so, take into consideration all the extracurricular opportunities Brandon Valley students have to keep fit. There are school and league sports, open gyms, recess and other programs. Even with all these opportunities, is it enough?

Who should have the main responsibility for keeping our children fit? The school system? The parents? The children themselves?

What have you done at your house to ensure healthy eating for your family. At our house, we make sure every meal includes a vegetable. One problem is that we don’t eat many meals at home. My husband and I both take vitamin supplements. I know it would be better to get our nutrients through food, though, instead of vitamin pills. At our house, we are making some effort, but there is room for improvement.

What are your thoughts?

The Argus Leader recently printed a story about high school bowling (”Teamwork sparks surge in bowling”, Jan. 6). The South Dakota High School Bowling Association has seven teams, and Brandon Valley is one of them. How do you think the team is doing this year?

What do you think about high school kids being able to earn a letter in bowling? How does it compare to other sports?

I remember taking bowling as one of my physical education credits in college. I always enjoyed bowling.

Do you bowl?