HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1996-01-31, Page 13r:.:4:tt211111
LN]i
Sports compete withstwlents' priorities
Chris Skaltlkos TA staff
EXETER - High school sports are considered an integral
part of.a teenager's education.
They provide students with the opportunity to stay
physically fit while learning the value of teamwork, self-
motivation and leadership.
Many students discover their
athletic potential during high
school years and go on to
compete, coach or teach.
Others harness work ethics
they have learned and
successfully apply them to
non -sport careers.
South Huron District High
School has enjoyed a long
history of successful athletic
programs driven by dedicated
student athletes. But teenagers
are changing with today's
world; and when the school
bell rings at the end of the day,
many students are marching
off to a part-time job rather
than a team practice.
The many social pressures students face today force
them to seek part-time employment to fund their lifestyles
while sports are put on the back -burner or eliminated
completely.
Students are sacrificing the value of sports as they bow to
the value of the mighty dollar, draining
high schools of many potential athletes.
And as more and more students chose
to work, shifting their priorities away
from team sports; high school athletic
programs face an uncertain future.
Pat Rowe has been teaching and
coaching at South Huron since 1971
.and is currently athletic director. She
said the school experienced its "golden
years" in athletics during the mid '80s
but students have been gradually shifting
their focus away from sports over the years.
"The calibre we see today doesn't compare
with the quality we had 10 years ago, but the
as many things to do."
Rowe said South Huron is not as competitive with
London area high schools as they were 10 years ago,
however, SHDHS ins not an isolatedcase. The same thing is
happening at high everywhr+e.
Physical education teacher and senior girls basketball
conch "Any O'Rourke agrees
wgth Rowe, noting a change
itt students' attitude over
the -last 10 years.
"Kids used to seldom
miss a practice or an,
• away tournament but
that's not the case
anymore...the level of
commitment has
decreased," he said.
O'Rourke doesn't blame
students but says the
rising costs of post . .
secondary education and
the fact more parents are
asking their children to
be financially
accountable is
responsible for the
change.
"Students need to
make a choice [between
working and playing
sports] but sometimes
the choices are made
for them and it's
l getting harder and
'"girder to question their
motives," he said, adding
he tries to' accommodate
students' work
schedules as best as he
can.
O'Rourke said the number of
students participating in sports has
not decreased but the quality of
student athletes in
\--general is down and this
is a direct result of poor
attendance at team
practices and away
potential is still there," said Rowe. "Back
then kids were willing to work hard and they
were more committed because they didn't have
games.
"You're always going to have some naturally talented
athletes but the average kid needs that practice time," he said.
Part of the problem is the students' changing attitude
toward high school sports. O'Rourke said more students take
sports for granted and don't view them as a privilege.
`The ones who play still think it's important and still enjoy
it but some take the mentality that it's just a high school
game and it will go on without them," he said.
Cara Gardner is a 17 -year-old student at SHDHS. She has
always participated in a number of sports, however, now in
her senior year, she found she needs a job to help pay for the
cost of playing. So last summer she began working part-time
at McDonald's restaurant.
Gardner said she is fortunate because her employer
accommodates her athletic schedule giving her time off
whenever she needs it but others are not so lucky and are
forced to chose between the two.
Gardner said a lot of her work money goes into equipment
and other costs, but she admits she is also saving for a March
Break trip and the cost of maintaining an active social life
with friends can be expensive.
Adam Jean, student council president, said teenagers want
compact discs, loud stereos in their cars and fashionable
clothing but all of these things require a disposable income.
"Students spend a lot of money on clothes. I tlipk a lot of
them won't admit it but the pressure to be in fashion is
there," said Jean.
Dating has also become more expensive with an average
price for the traditional dinner and a movie in London costing
upto$50.
Between working and pursuing an active social life, Jean
said students often don't have the time to play sports. Some
students work full time through the summer holidays and
coast financially thi g 'ate aca&Yii c year while some
attempt to work and play sports arthc 9anie` erne
For now, high school coaches will have to get used to
working around students work schedules and try to improve
their athletic ability using what little time they have left.
O'Rourke feels it is difficult for athletes to realize their
potential if they can't commit themselves 100 per cent,
however, today's student seems to be content,with the way
things are going.
"I think kids assume they can do both and as a result the
school athletic program is often the loser," said O'Rourke.
Where Are They Now? is an extended series on South Huron
District High School graduates and their career choices
Kate Gielen: making designs
LONDON - It was while attending a 4-H teacher retreat in Toronto that interior designer
Kate Oielen decided which career path to choose.
"That sounds like so much fun," she said, referring to her discussion of the industry with a
designing firm at the time. "I was really keen on it"
Now her interior design business, Oielen Design, is in its 16th year of operation.
Raised on a farm just outside of Crediton, Gielen used to dream of becoming a veterinarian.
She went to public school at Mount Carmel and attended South Huron District High School.
She then enrolled in a three-year design course at Fanshawe College. After four years of
experience as an assistant to John Robbie, an interior designer known for his work with the
Holiday Inn, she was recommended by him for Parson's School of Design in New York.
dielenbegan to design in a hone studio before taking her creations to an older house in
Leaden. •
• " I Wok one room and I kept expanding it," she said.
In' 1990 the moved shop to Richmond Street where she renovated a warehouse into an
interi�ordgsign rieaOtube place. Het designing style, which she describes as "eclectic" rather
dray tr, rig, Consists of conimercial and residential interior design.
"L buy kr my client* twiny floor changes as my clients change," she explained. "I know
became deal with them...We sort of have our niche...We make
design
Pour times a year die travels to purchase art, lighting, upholstery and one -of -a -kind
aooessoties in Canada, Italy, India, the , Mexico and the United States. Mist of her
farthings is shipped from Quebec and t Carolina.
"Yon really hose to love it," she said of designing, adding she's not afraid to travel
alone on buying trips.
She prides herself on knowing exactly what items to
purchase, many of which are discovered in markets.
University of Western Ontario MBA
students finished conducting a
•
project on the Oielen company last year and discovered a strength of the business was its
selective buying.
According to Oielen, interior designers should be creative, determined and have strong
interpersonal skills. For her, creativity comes naturally while "dealing with today's buying
patterns" presents more of a challenge.
"People don't have the dollar amount to spend," she admitted, adding personal customer
service, which has always been a priority in her business, is more important than ever.
Oielen, who lives in London with ber husband and three children, employs 13 people
including five designers, one of which is her sister, Pauline.
•
•