Fall Traditions

When your youngest child is a high school senior you quickly realize that as a parent you are experiencing things that had become routine for the final time. Take for example last night’s Back to School Night at Toms River High School South. When it was over I said to my wife that this was the 26th and last one we would attend….13 for each of our children. We thought about it and concluded that I had missed two of the 26 for work-related reasons while my wife made each and every September visit. By the way I don’t really know what other high schools do but I can’t imagine there are too many that can duplicate the atmosphere that comes with Back to School Night at TR South. During the entire evening the cafeteria is jammed as many school-related organizations sell everything from clothing to tote bags with slogans and themes. It’s not only a great fundraising tool but is a terrific show of school spirit and helps set a tone for the new year.

As we embark on another year of high school sports it’s a good time to draw attention to someone who is often an unsung hero and vital to coaches, athletes and even parents. When I was in high school you did not have Athletic Trainers and most of the routine stuff like taping ankles and handing out bandages was left to coaches. Today the Athletic Trainer is often as important to a team’s success as their leading scorer. Not only do they treat the injured but they help prevent them from happening in the first place and they work closely with all parties involved, including doctors. We have some truly great ones in Ocean County as many of our schools were way ahead of the curve when it came to hiring full-time Athletic Trainers….I stress the word “athletic” because these trainers are not to be confused with the ones at your gym.

One of those who has been around for a long time is Southern Regional’s Joe Caucino and to Amy Johnson he is a savoir. She has twin sophomore sons who play football for the Rams and during a scrimmage two weeks ago one of them suffered a Grade 3 laceration of his spleen. In a letter written to Superintendent Craig Henry, Johnson praises Caucino for not only his quick actions in treating her son but the calm manner in which he explained everything to her before Alex Scherzer was transported to the hospital. The appreciative Mom also went out of her way to praise the Southern coaching staff for their concern and support. Alex by the way is home and doing better although his football season is over. However because of Athletic Trainers like Joe Caucino his future is bright.

Summer Seems Like An Eternity Ago

Did you ever wonder if what you are thinking is shared by others or simply your own thoughts? The day after Labor Day needs a special name because maybe more than any other single day of the year it signifies this great transformation. We call Labor Day the end of the summer season because officially there is still two more weeks of summer before autumn arrives. However for the masses all traces of summer have pretty much ended and this is especially true if you have school-age children.

As I get older I seem to spend more time on this subject but it just amazes me how in that one day you go from what might be your summer routine to one that is all together different. Let’s say Monday had been a really nice day. Many would have gotten up in the morning and prepared for a day on the beach. Packed a cooler, loaded up the car with chairs, an umbrella, the kid’s accessories, etc. You spent several hours on the beach sitting with friends, swimming in the ocean, reading a book…all the things you had done many times over the previous couple of months. Then BAM you get up Tuesday morning and that all seems like an eternity ago because now you are in completely different mode. You’re getting the kids ready for a school day that includes soccer practice afterwards and you’re wondering how you can squeeze dinner into the equation. This is now the routine that dominates your life for weeks and months to come. That beach stuff which was in your car the day before is now packed away because regardless of how nice the weather is the weekends are filled with activities of a different kind.

There’s also the other side. On Monday you needed a beach badge to step onto the sand and there were lifeguards to protect you if you swam in what’s been a turbulent ocean. That badge checker is back in school so you don’t have to worry about paying to get on the beach but that lifeguard is a school teacher so he or she is not there to help if someone gets in trouble.

Another tell tale sign of this great transformation is the change in traffic patterns. Driving down Route 35 from Seaside Park to Point Pleasant Beach today is quite a bit easier and quicker than it was a week ago. However if you get behind school buses on some local road then your commute to work took twice as long as it did last week.

Welcome to the great transformation….am I the only one consumed with this?

Summer's Unofficial End

Memorial Day is at the beginning…..Fourth of July marks the height and Labor Day closes the summer season at the Jersey Shore. The final holiday weekend was a bit of a disappointment for those with beach plans…a spectacular Saturday followed by a pair of so-so days. Seems somewhat fitting for a summer that started and ended on a bit of a downer. Businesses that were even close to 2008 have to be very happy with most reporting double digit losses from a year ago. While the weather is not expected to be very nice the next few days September is a great time of year for those who can take advantage of it. While beach towns will be quiet today the next few weekends feature off-season promotions like Mardi Gras and the Seafood Festival in Seaside Heights which are sure to bring people down to the shore if the weather cooperates.

You talk about a great big letdown. Expanded Rutgers Stadium is packed with a record 53,700 fans for the season opener on national TV and the Scarlet Knights flame out on the banks of the old Raritan. Defending Big East champion Cincinnati cruises to a 47-15 victory that sent fans home early and I’m sure had viewers switching off from ESPN. The good news for the Knights is the next two weeks they play Howard and Florida International.

Former Manchester Township High School and Rutgers standout Kevin Malast was cut by the Chicago Bears over the weekend. The free-agent rookie linebacker played very well during the pre-season but was a long shot to make the team.

The shore area has more than its share of veteran Field Hockey coaches…as a matter of fact there are five who have been at it more than 30 years. Heading up that group is Toms River North’s Becky Miller, who begins her 41st season this week with a promising Mariner squad. Right behind her is Shore Regional’s record-breaking Nancy Williams, whose 720 wins include ten state titles. Wall’s Nancy Gross is getting ready for her 39th season, Madeline Dutton is back at Central for her 34th year and Southern’s Kathy Snyder is set for her 32nd season with the Rams with what could be one of her best teams.

Happy 30th Anniversary Topic A

Simply saying it’s been an Ocean County tradition for 30 years does not do
it justice. Many schedule their mornings around it, have altered the time they go to church or have breakfast and simply feel it’s part of their routine.
It’s been controversial but has also been instrumental in helping causes and
charities and been a great source of information. Not to be overlooked it’s been very successful in all the ways a radio station would judge success.

Its Bob Levy’s “Topic A” which will celebrate its 30th anniversary as a Sunday morning staple on 92.7 WOBM this Sunday from 7-11am. When Bob came up with the idea of hosting his own talk show neither he nor anyone else knew what to expect. He had been with the radio station since before it went on the air in 1968 and was well known in the community.
A real character with a flair for the dramatic, Bob had been on the air mostly as a sportscaster in the early years of WOBM. By his own admission he did and does not have a great voice but was well-read and highly opinionated and thus “Topic A” was born on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend in 1979. Originally a three-hour show from 8-11 it was later expanded to four hours because the phone lines were jammed and advertisers clamored to have their messages heard when most of Ocean County was listening…and they were listening.

Since its inception “Topic A” has been a ratings bonanza, achieving numbers almost unheard of. That’s all because of Bob, who rarely misses a week and has always tried to schedule vacations and trips around the show.
As for taking a day off when he was not feeling well….basically never!
The best way to sum up how listeners feel about the at-times gruff sounding host is to remember a tee-shirt promotion that was done years ago. There
were three different shirts with Bob’s caricature on the front….one said
“I love Bob Levy”, another said “I hate Bob Levy”, and a third said “I’m
ambivalent about Bob Levy.”

Of course there is also Bob’s take on himself when it comes to the show.
“I don’t really care if they love me or hate me…as long as they don’t ignore me.” That has never been the case and I don’t expect it ever will be.
Happy Anniversary Bob…..NOBODY DOES IT BETTER!

Lifeguards & Baseball

Perfection is such a rarity that it stands out. An example would be a pitcher throwing a perfect game in baseball or a team going through a season without a loss or tie. In real life perfection is even more noteworthy which made the track record of the Seaside Heights Beach Patrol truly something to marvel at. Each summer the lifeguards who watch the water carry the burden of not only protecting swimmers but looking to extend a streak that goes back to previous generations…it appears tragically that the streak of perfection has ended. Until Wednesday there had never been a drowning in Seaside Heights while lifeguards were on duty, a record that was just days away from extending into another summer. However around lunchtime two teen-agers from Camden County got knocked over by a wave and caught in a rip. A lifeguard went out in the water and was able to rescue one but could not get the other and this morning the search continues for a 16-year old who it appears will be the first swimmer to lose his life on guarded beaches in the borough. What has made this record of perfection so noteworthy is more than maybe any other beach at the shore Seaside Heights deals with people who are daily visitors and not very familiar with the ocean. It has made the task of protecting those swimmers an even bigger challenge and on a beautiful September afternoon a streak that you hoped would never end finally did. Alas perfection is truly hard to find.

Switching gears…. the Lakewood BlueClaws played their final regular season home game last night but FirstEnergy Park could host as many as four more games before this season is over. That’s because the BlueClaws are headed to the playoffs and will likely face the Kannapolis Intimidators next week in a best-of-3 first round series. That series will start on the road Wednesday night before coming to Lakewood on Friday night. On a related note tonight will be a special evening for BlueClaws General Manager Geoff Brown. He and his wife Susan will not only be the guests of the Phillies for their game against the Giants but Brown will receive a 2008 World Series championship ring made even more special by the fact that ex-BlueClaws Ryan Howard & Cole Hamels fueled Philly’s success. It’s a well deserved honor for an outstanding General Manager and an individual who has made a real impact in the community.

Back To School

In some towns today there may be a noticeable difference in traffic patterns because for the first time in more than two months school busses will be on the road. Yes for some parents today begins the most wonderful time of the year because their children are headed off to school. The area’s largest district, Toms River Regional opens with half-day sessions today, Thursday and Friday and then like most schools will start their regular schedule next Tuesday, the day after Labor Day.

This also means that motorists need to be aware of the fact that kids will be gathered at bus stops and more importantly walking and riding bicycles to schools. Ultimately it is the responsibility of drivers to watch out for the kids who often leave sidewalks and paths and don’t realize they may be in the middle of a road. You need to be especially careful in local neighborhoods
when kids are headed off or coming home from school and expect to find police seeking out drivers who don’t obey the speed limit. Also remember to look carefully before turning right on red because some traffic lights will have signs that limit the hours you can make that right turn when school is in session.

Today is a bittersweet reminder for me of just how fast time does go. I remember well the excitement of walking my son and then my daughter to school on the first day of kindergarten. Later there would be the first day of Intermediate School and before long High School. My son just turned 24 last week so his school days are over and today my daughter will drive to high school to begin her senior year. I may not be holding her hand like 12 years ago but she is very much on my mind. Plus she better drive carefully and look for the little ones on their way to school…do you hear me Alex?

Becoming A Season Allergy Sufferer

For years and years I would listen to people with allergies complain about what they had to deal with and think “thank goodness it’s not me.” I really didn’t have much sympathy for them because I couldn’t relate at all to what it was they were experiencing. I would hear stories on the news about pollen and ragweed season and ignore them….after all it was all pretty much foreign to me. Then last spring I had what I thought was a cold for several weeks and when I finally went to the doctor I was told that it was probably allergies that were causing my symptoms. My initial reaction was, “that’s impossible…I don’t have allergies” because I assumed it was not something you all of sudden could develop at age 53. As usual I assumed wrong but again I did not think much of it when my allergy symptoms went away a short time later.

It appears I have joined the ranks of the millions who suffer from seasonal allergies because all of a sudden over the weekend I started with sneezing, a bit of a runny nose, post-nasal drip, congestion….you get the picture. My first reaction was to think I had a cold but then I remember watching a news story just the other day in which they said this would be a rough season in New Jersey for ragweed because of all the rain we had during the summer.

Then just yesterday I talked with a few people who felt pretty much the same as I did and said it was their allergies and now I have to accept the fact that I’m one of them. It’s expected to be a rough few weeks for us allergy sufferers with ragweed pollen season to last until the first frost which seems like a long way off. I guess I’ll start experimenting with the many over-the-counter medications that can help curb the symptoms because this is not a good time for me to feel under the weather with the start of high school football season next week.

The only positive to come out of this is I am now very sympathetic to those of you who have been living with this for years. However I’m hopeful this is not something that I’ll have for the rest of my life as apparently some people who develop allergies in their later years say they may go away as fast as they arrive. I’d like to end up in that category sooner than later.