Opinion Corner: Keep an eye on Post 14
August 9, 2012 at 2:20 am in The Jamestown Sun
Jamestown Legion baseball coach Shane Schoeneberg said he likes what’s in his team’s future.
The team’s season ended with a bottom of the ninth rally from Minot at the state tournament last Thursday. Continue Reading

What’s with all the excitement with Legion baseball? This team finished 16-20 and needed a so called play in game to get the 8th seed in the state in which they won 1 game at the tourney and you are all excited for them? This is what is exactly wrong with Jamestown athletics, They have a losing season and we call it a success? When are we going to stop accepting losing and start expecting winning in this town? “Post 14 is likely sitting OK for next season. Something to look forward to, that’s for sure”. Man I sure hope the fall sports programs have a better season than OK!!!!! I sure new head Blue Jay football coach Tim Fletcher did not tell his kids at their first day of practise we are hoping for an OK season.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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This year’s legion season was seen as a step in the right direction considering that many of the kids that played were underclassmen. They lost two kids for next years team and get two back from college. They also played very well at the state tournament and won a game. There aren’t saying that a losing record as seen as a success but a stepping stone in which these younger kids went to the state tournament and played 3 of their best games all year an this should only benefit them in the future. Also things to think about. 1. Dickinson is playing in the Central Plains Regional which they are hosting and are in the final four (#9 seed at state), Fargo hasn’t won a state legion title since 2005, Bismarck since 1997, so if anyone is having okay seasons at best it is teams like them that get to choose from 3-4 different high schools and can’t win when it matters.
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Thanks coach.
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I don’t recall anyone saying it was a success, the article was a tribute to the players that were done with their career and it was looking forward to the future… pretty hard to get excited about the future when you have folks like you dogging on them .. do you think that your attitude helps or hurts the kids Gary? I encourage you to read and take the positives and build on what they have come from and where they are looking to be , things do not happen overnight. With each year things progress and change and that takes effort on EVERYONE’s part.
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According to Gary’s way of thinking, why bother with a tournament. Just name the team in the state with the best record the state champ. The fact that Jamestown had an average regular season, earned a spot in the tournament and then won their first game is what tournament play and peaking at the right time are all about. Get out there and help coach or find some other way to positively contribute to the youth in the community……….. but please quit putting down kids.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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I will take a quote from Coach Mora.”The negativity in this town sucks”. Oh and how true is tha in our town. Ya think the kids that play sports here don’t hear that and it doesn’t effect them in some way? Ya gotta believe it does at some point. I do like the direction things are going though. These kids in all sports are working hard to improve and I’ve seen it first hand.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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There is a reason. You are always negative. Always.
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Jamestown fans are very thin skinned. They get extremely defensive if anything realistic and truthful is said about their teams. It’s always duckies and bunnies. There’s nothing wrong with being positive but you have to be realistic at the same time. The kids, and most fans for that matter, can see through false praise.
I don’t think it’s a problem with the kids playing the sports. They try hard and do their best. It’s just that there aren’t enough of them to consistently compete with the bigger schools. Jamestown offers a lot of sports for the kids to play and while I think giving them them many options is great, it might also be detrimental to the success of the teams.
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Thin skinned? When you hear the same crap over and over it does get a little old.
I do agree with you on the lack of the number of athletes and having to many sports for the number of kids this area has. I know when I was in sports years ago there was not as many sports an atlete had to choose from. Plus I graduated with a class of over 300 kids. Now it’s lucky to have a class of 200 and add to that more sports to choose from it makes it tough to compete with the bigger schools. Not making excuses but it is reality.
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Where were you when that girls high school hockey team took 5th at state in last years state tourney? Oh yeah you said it was no big deal since there are only 11 teams in the state yet they beat the BIG schools of Bismarck and Minot only to lose to North in the opening round by 1 goal. This they did with 10 skaters. The heart of that team was unbelievable yet the only comments you read on here are negative. Give me a break. terry nelson you are the most negative person I have ever come across. If you ever said something positive I would acknowledge it. I may be waiting for a long time.
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That was one heck of a feat by that girls team. This terry nelson guy really seems to dislike Jamestown for some reason. Every town has it’s faults and they all have their positives.
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I am in NO way putting down the kids. I am just trying to say that we seem to be accepting to being an OK sports team. Why? Should’nt we want more out of our kids and teams? Why can’t we go to a state tournament and want to win more than just 1 game. We need to get rid of the old saying “Poor little Jamestown”. Do you think the newspapers in Fargo or Bismarck would be talking there teams being OK? Let’s set the bar a little higher and see if the kids will react to that better than always being a team on the bottom of standings and accepting it!
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Where have you been? The over a YEAR that some of Jamestown’s residents spent to implement ideas for the athlete’s was in no way saying that we are HAPPY about being OK. We want to win, the kids want to win and that is the truth. The other teams want to win too. In what way do you see Jamestown accepting being OK? WE GO TO THE STATE TOURNAMENT IS TO WIN…. I suggest Gary that you take a few minutes and follow around some of the student athletes and ask them how they feel about getting up way before I do and lifting and working out to improve themselves and the sports that they are in.
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My son was there lifting too. The dedication and effort is there. Hopefully that translates to wins down the road.
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The hate towards the young athletes in this town is unbelievable. I would love meet all you folks who put thumbs down on this post and see you face to face and see what you got got athleticly. I bet none of you could beat yourselves out of a wet paper bag.
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This thread was started by someone who put down the young athletes in Jamestown. Should teams and communities want to win, of course. But athletes play first because they enjoy the event or activity. They don’t decide to participate based on how many games they expect to win. And they are not recruited athletes or professionals who are paid to win.
Give the Jamestown athletes the tools and facilities they need to be successful and support the kids you have participating. If some of the people writing to this thread base their own self esteem on weather local team win or lose, then the community has a bigger problem than how many games the legion baseball team wins.
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Sorry Fred Brown. I meant whether.
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Kids join sports because they like to play those sports. Now if those young athletes held themselves accountable once and awhile. They’d probably win more. Parents need to stop holding their child’s hand and stop blaming officials, coaches, other teams, teammates, etc. for not being successful. Plus, next time I see events passing out Participation Awards, I’m going to puke! Make athletes earn awards, not show up for them.
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