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The Times Advocate, 2008-10-29, Page 44 Times -Advocate Wednesday, October 29, 2008 CGNA f Editorial Opinion TIMES-ADVOCATE PUBLICATION MAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER 07511 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing costs. Canada 0 lift Metroland Media Group Ltd. Deb Lord — Manager Scott Nixon — Editor ENA 2007 BLUE RIBBON The Times -Advocate is owned by Metroland Media Group Ltd. 424 Main Street South, P.O. Box 850 Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 • 519-235-1331 Doug Rowe - General Manager, Southwestern Ontario Division EDITORIAL Remember the kids Here we go again those who remember the emotional upheaval the community of Huron Park went through during the closure of McCurdy Public School several years ago are no doubt hoping that can be avoided this time around as Usborne Central School is under review for pos- sible closure. Put simply, there aren t enough kids anymore and the Avon Maitland District School Board is grappling with half -empty schools and not enough money to keep them open while ensuring all the necessary programs are kept alive. And unfortunately for the local area, Usborne is one of those schools not being used to its full capac- ity; in fact it s not even close. At only 55.5 per cent capacity, the school has 128 students, numbers that have resulted in the board wanting to take a look at the school to see if it should stay open. As reported on page two in this week s T -A, an Ac- commodation Review Committee has been formed with local representation to look at the school s situation and make recommendations to the board towards the end of the school year. The board will then decide the school s fate. Obviously we all hope the school stays open. Origi- nally constructed in 1964, the building is still in good shape and the students, parents and staff love their school. Closing a school is tough on a community and the buildings left behind can become a neglected eye sore. Look what happened to McCurdy, which suffered both vandalism and a devastating fire. Most importantly, a school closure can be tough for the students who have to move to a new school. At McCurdy, friends were split up and some students had a tough time in their new schools. The board needs to ensure this doesn t happen this time around if Usborne closes. Everyone can understand the financial constraints school boards have been put un- der and life will go on if Usborne closes, but should that happen the transition needs to be made as easy and smooth for the students as possible. In the meantime, those concerned about the school s future are encouraged to stay involved by attending the public meetings that will be held dur- ing the year. The Accommodation Review Commit- tee s next meeting is scheduled for Nov 12 at 7 p.m. at the school. All meetings are public. Our national pastime is growing on me again For many years, I did not understand the hubbub about hockey in this country. The main reason is that I never really played the sport, and my attempts at shinny or ball hockey were relatively pathetic and unsuccessful. Unlike many Canadian kids, I never mastered the art of skating well, and I did not spend many of my idle hours slapping a puck or tennis ball into a net. I became enamoured of baseball, then basketball, then food and sleep. Though I do have a favourite team (the Habs) and followed them closely during their most recent glory days (about 15 years ago), I never fully under- stood why hockey has a place in the national culture that is almost religious in nature. In fact, for many years I dismissed this no- tion as a clich that was somewhat untrue. There are many for whom hockey is irrel- evant, I reasoned, citing my own apathy as the main bit of evidence. To find another view, all I needed to do was journey to a small-town rink on a Fri- day evening or weekend afternoon. This was not something I did regularly until I started covering sports for the Times -Advocate. This past Sunday, I attended two games at the South Huron Recreation Centre: a charity fund- raiser between two local elementary schools, and a subsequent match between the Exeter Hawks and North Middlesex Stars. The pace and intensity of play in the second match of course outstripped that of the first the Hawks are somewhat more serious about the outcome of their games than are 10 -year-olds. But neither game lacked passion or enthusiasm. A tyke barrelling toward the goal and deicing through defenders has much in common with a 6 2 ox lay- ing his opponent into the boards. There is something about hockey that grasps many a Canadian early in life and never really lets go. Of course, hockey is also a thoroughly social activ- ity, and not only for the players. Many games are legitimate community events, the stands populated not only by the parents and friends of players, but those who simply love to watch the game and gab with other fans. This is, of course, true of most sports. The brotherhood of soccer fans in Europe and passion of football fans in the United States is equally strong. Perhaps it is mainly our frigid winter cli- mate that has caused hockey to become so abundant an ingredient in Canada s cultur- al stew. I do not pretend to understand hockey as deeply as most Canadians, or to love it as passionately, but that may change with ■r 1 iiMrF . BEN FORR EST time. Like any sport, hockey is more than a game: it is a lifestyle. To be appreciated, it must be lived. You will not likely catch me in a helmet and shoul- der pads in the near future, but you can expect to see me at the rink regularly in the days ahead. That, I suppose, is the next best thing. 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The classified ad deadline on Monday at 10:00 a.m. Display Advertising To place a display ad, 519-235-1331 weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or evenings 519-235-1336 (leave message) or toll free at 1-888-270-1602. Deadline: Friday @ 2:00 p.m. Website: www.southhuron.com E-mail Us TA e-mail addresses consist of the person's first initial and last name followed by @southhuron.com. For example, Deb Lord's e-mail address is dlord@southhuron.com Our general e-mail address is ads@southhuron.com. The Times -Advocate Team MANAGER Deb Lord ext. 103 ADVERTISING Deborah Schillemore ext. 112 CUSTOMER SERVICE Jennifer Skonieczny ext. 101 COMPOSITION Nikki Cyr ext.101 Kelly Gackstetter ext. 102 EDITOR Scott Nixon ext. 105 REPORTERS Pat Bolen ext. 113 Ben Forrest ext. 114 ACCOUNTING STAFF Anita McDonald ext. 104 Ruth Slaght ext. 106 Marg Pertschy ext. 108 Heather Clarke ext. 111