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Show Viewpoint nda Him A4 CLIPPER TODAY A THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1999 &w uftstzi 'Golden Guy' needs others MEEMnniB wasnt asking much for my footdidnt expect to be Gale Sayers or Bart Starr or Jim Brown. I just wanted to be Kim Nelson. Kim was one of the stars of my e league football team. He could do anything. He was quick. He was fast. He was strong. He could run the ball, or he could throw it He had that knack for making the big defensive play, and whenever we needed a touchdown, Kim was just the guy to do it And he did it often enough that we won the league championship. I ball career. I Conference center and hotel greatly needed in Davis County Pee-We- Several years ago. Davis County officials conducted a thorough study to determine if there was a need for a conference center in the county. All of their findings pointed to such a need and also indicated an accompanying. nearby hotel would be a necessity to make a conference center successful. Well, it would appear as though the need for such a facility is now. One example readily points that out. A regional barbershop quartet group, which actually includes members from about 10 states, was looking for a place to hold its convention. d About of their members reside in Davis County. For that reason, many in the group hoped to hold the convention here. They believed that the auditoriums at local high schools could accommodate the anticipated audience. They estimated that about 450 hotel rooms would be needed in the North Davis area, where they wanted to concentrate their efforts. However, they came up about 200 rooms shy. That 200 number seems about the amount of rooms that were planned for the Radisson-styl- e hotel that was supposed to accompany the conference center. Surely, this group's example, which happened to come to our attention, is not an isolated case. As the county grows in population, as more businesses move into the area, there is more of a need for such facilities. And there are those groups who do not wish to fight the higher prices or traffic jams that have become a part of the daily fabric in Salt Lake City and surrounding area. In fact, it was the lower cost of hotel rooms in Davis County that helped at least that was their hope. sway the group here Now we know full well that the county is still committed to a conference center. We also know how much Layton City officials would like to host it here. And there are those in the private sector who have been working diligently to that end. as well. In fact, we have been told by several key officials that an announcement about the conference center they assure us a positive one may be forthcoming within three weeks, or maybe a month, at the outside. Surely, that news would make no one happier than those who have been working so hard to get everything into place. Let's hope the pieces can finally fall into place. The contractor. Big D, will certainly be happy, as will MHTN Architects, N&S Development, and the many public officials who have worked so laboriously to make this dream a reality. As more and more other areas develop conference centers or related facilities, from Sandy to West Valley to Ogden, it appears as though this county of 231. (XX) residents also is primed for such a venue. As in the past, we heartily support this proposal and hope that, within a month or two, we can be helping announce those solidified plans to our readers. It's all part of a maturing, grown up Davis County. And, as the mayor of Layton said more than a year ago, there will finally be a place big enough in Layton for him to host a city Christmas party! one-thir- Contest changes are reflections of our own standards, values Recently, the Miss America Pageant has changed its policies .that banned contestants from having been previously married or from having .had an abortion. The contest is the organization's and it can do as it pleases, but a message has been sent. long-standi- The message is that another institution is willing to bend its principles to meet real or perceived changes in public attitudes and values. Often, thats a good thing. But in this case, one possible conclusion is that the Miss America contest's rule has been wrong all along. Another is that if the rule has been correct for decades that something in the nature of America has changed. The latter is likely to be the case. What it says is possibly not so much about contest organizers as it says about us especially when there is little public outcry about the change. It says that so many of us are getting divorces these days that we can't in good conscience uphold the standards that were once considered normal. It also says that abortion is so prevalent that what was once considered unthinkable is now not only tolerated but honored. A talented person who is d by the time shes 21 and who has had three abortions may deserve our admiration for having come through the school of hard knocks. But that individual doesnt seem the kind of person we'd feel comfortable honoring as a role model. As as this example sounds, it appears it could be possible under the new scenario. Without passing judgment on the validity of the contest in general or on the people who would be affected by the change for those are entirely different it seems clear is that what we are questions really seeing is that the contest is mirroring the reality of life today. The image is only a reflection of ourselves and our national fabric. The question we must ask is, are we proud of what we see? long-standi- twice-divorce- rw TCVT PUN 15 AND GOMPASSIONLESS!... MOW, Q1VE US YOUR MONEY BEFORE IW FRIEND HERE GETS UPSET.'! Not that I was jealous or Salt Lake principal needs more work The views expressed in this column are the opinion of the writer and not nec- warning to Davis School County essarily those of the ownership or man- Davis High and the school district could be fined if Amy Leo walks on the football field or bas- District Superintendent Darrell agement of this newspaper. As a grimacing Office hours: 8:30 a.m. Phone: 547-980- Fax: 0 Clipper Today residents of is - Ronald Reagan would say, Here we go again... This weeks commentary would have been about the atrociously ugly BYU football uniforms. (The new uniforms look like a skeletal or a bad TV test pattern.) This week's commentary could also have been about the Don Quixote-lik- e presidential tomfoolery of Sen. Orrin Hatch. (Anyone who sends $36 to Orrin and really thinks he has a chance to win the Republican nomination probably believes the Los Angeles Clippers will win the upcoming NBA Championship.) Or this weeks commentary could have featured the four-lettwords the financial misgivings or the FBI skullduggery surrounding Rep. Merrill Cook. (Folks havent heard that, type of cussing since the screening of Fargo.) But a Salt Lake high school principal has taken all of these important topics off the front burner, forcing us to return to that issue that has all taxpayers mightily concerned: Should a Downs syndrome child be able to strut her stuff at a high school footer ball game? You may remember the controold Amy versy surrounding Leo. Despite her disability, her parents have attempted to structure a relatively normal childhood for her. ar 547-137- This year when you make your United Way pledge, I encourage those who work outside Davis County to designate their donation to the United Way of Davis County on their pledge form. Our United Way will continue to honor designations to other United Ways from those who work here, but live outside the coun- 4 Monday thru Friday eztalkclippertoday.com published every Thursday and distributed to Kaysville, Fruit Heights, Layton, Clearfield, Clinton, ty Syracuse, Sunset, West Point and South Weber. The views expressed in the letters and columns on this page are those of their authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the ownership, management or staff of Clipper Today. The needs in Davis County continue to grow, and this year we are striving to raise $1,050,000 to provide funding for 37 agencies. It is estimated that some 70,000 people in our communities will utilize services provided by United Way of Total circulation in excess of 38,000 copies. Publisher: Davis R. Gail Stable Display advertising deadline: Friday, 5 p.m. Camera-read- y ad deadline: County-funde- d agencies this year. Editors: RolfD. Koecher, Tom Busselberg Sales: Martin Ehman, Aaron Glauser, Judy Hammerschmidt Monday, 5 p.m. Classified advertising deadline: Tuesday, 10 a.m. J Several years ago they enrolled Amy in a dance program, and one Halloween she showed up at a high school football game wearing a cheerleading outfit. The Davis High cheerleaders subsequently invited her to join them on the field, and since then she has been recognized as an honorary cheerleader, spinning, twirling, doing splits and taking high-fivfrom the schools fans. Amy became a fan favorite; at times, parents from other schools would even come out of the stands to hug her. But one Salt Lake principal is not a fan. After a woman principal complained about Amys dancing last year, a male principal joined in this year by asking the Utah High School Activities Association to enforce the rule that forbids non-hig- h school students from participating in a sporting event. Under that provision, the sons of teachers or coaches could not appear on the sidelines or sit next to dad on a basketball bench. Under that provision, a junior high school student es couldnt offer water to a football player during a time out. And under that provision, a Downs syndrome youngster cannot smile at the crowd and toss a pom pom during a football game. The Salt Lake principal got his way. The UHSAA sent an official year. When an honorable school administrator should be worrying about gang activity or athletic team recruiting or increasing SAT scores, why would he direct his attention to Amy? The official answer would be liability, although that's a ruse since Amys parents would gladly sign an injury waiver. I think it goes further. d! believe ,fhe .mans, actions; demonstrate that he has too much time on his hands. Therefore, I propose Davis County residents ask the Granite School District to do a time management study on their school administrators. Maybe the study would show that the Granite District could save money (and reduce its 1999 property tax increase) by reducing administrative staff and giving its principals more work to do. Maybe the principals could be asked to increase academic learning rather than losing sleep over a disabled kids leg kick. In the meantime, one Davis County businessman has already offered to pay any fine that comes down from the Utah High School Activities Association. So if you watch a Davis High football or basketball game this season, cheer for Amy. Shes a heckuva lot more inspiring than one bored high school principal. Well, OK. Maybe I was a little jealous. The way I saw it, the only I advantage Kim had over me mean, besides athleticism, looks, perwas size. He sonality and talent was smaller and lighter, which of course meant that he would be quicker and faster, right? But since I was taller and heavier, I figured that meant I would be tougher to bring down. I dominated neighborhood football games because it always took three or four little guys to tackle me. But I never got the chance in Pee-Wleague. I was a big guy, which meant only one thing to my coach: offensive line. So I spent the entire season blocking for Kim on his gallops to glory. Oh. I did have one sweet moment when the ball actually touched my hands. We were running a sweep to my side of the field, and I was out in front of Kim blocking. All of a sud- ee I heard everyone yelling Fumble! at about the same time I felt the ball hit me in the back of my legs., I turned around to look for the ball just as it took one of those weird den, football bounces right up into my arms. I was so stunned and excited that I just sort of stood there. Run! someone shouted from the sideline. Run! Of course Well, duh! I knew I was supposed to run. I wasnt stupid. I just didnt know which direction I was supposed to go. By the time I finally decided, a couple of players from the other team crashed into me, knocking the ball loose. Thankfully, someone from my team was in just the right place to pounce on the fumble and recover it for us. Youll never guess who that someone was. Way to be alert out there, Kim! the coach shouted. Oh, and he had a few choice words for me, too: Fall on the ball. ..whats his name again? Walker? Fall on the ball, Walker! Dont try to pick it up! You're not a ball carrier! It was at about that point that I the community where they live. 5:30 p.m. White. ketball court this and exasperated of the most generous United Way contributors in the state. Most contributors who give to United Way would like their donations to help in Published by Clipper Publishing Co. 197 North Main Layton, Utah 84041 any- thing. Editor: Davis County residents are some Complete North Davis coverage from Kaysville to Sunset Everyone on the team received a championship trophy. I couldnt help but notice that the little golden guy on top of the trophy looks a lot like Kim. Generosity of public is making a difference Clipper Today MEW-SPIRITE- It is imperative that donors who work outside the county make sure their donation is designated to help their neighbors in Davis County. As the volunteer Campaign Chairman, I can attest to the wise use of funding in Davis County. Each year, a Fund Distribution Committee, consisting of 26 volunteers, assesses the needs of the com v munity and decides what services are most needed. They review financial and statisti- cal information, visit each agency, and then allocate the funding. This citizen review process assures contributors the agencies are legitimate and the contributions will be used to make the greatest impact I would like to thank the Cornerstone Companies who have underwritten the total overhead costs for United Way of Davis County, which allows every penny of employee contributions to help people in need. Further, I would like to thank all the people who will make contributions and to assure them their generosity is making a difference. Wendell Wild West Bountiful City Administrator United Way of Davis County Campaign Chairman decided to leave the glory stuff to Kim. He was better at it than I was. Besides, I figured I could block for him better than he could block for me. And blocking is important if not especially glamorous. The way I saw it, the face on the trophy may have been Kims, but the ankles were problem. During WWII I was stationed in China where the sanitary measures were poor to Because amoeba cannot live in treated water we in the United States do not suffer non-existe- with this curse. If you are wondering how much of a problem that is, I will tell you, I went from 240 pounds to 160 pounds in three months. While weight loss is a good thing most programs do not advocate such a loss in that time period. It was several years before I recovered from the effects of the bug. Because preventive medicine is ignored by most people I would like to see our youth growing up with healthy teeth which fluoride insures. Jack E. Binkerd SMSGT USAFRET Bountiful Lack of chemical in the Appreciates the news water was the problem twice each week Editor I read the letters regarding fluoride with a lot of interest It took me back to earlier campaigns regarding additives to water. There used to be a similar dustup about chlorine in the water. My experience with this chemical was devastating. Actually it was the lack of the chemical that was the Editor I appreciate the news that I get from our local area twice a week. I especially like it when you have cool sports stuff. I like the coupons that give discounts on food. David Hintze Centerville definitely mine. Ever since then, affinity for the Ive felt a special - and not just in athletics. among us In eveiy walk of life there are those who do the dirty work for those who get the glory. Homemakers, laborers, secretaries, paralegals, nurses, tellers and all manner of assistants may not be the first people you think of during any discussion of societys movers and shakers. But without these folks behind the scenes, there is no moving, and precious little shaking. No matter whose face is on the little golden guy. eztalliZatters policy f" KWWJW Clipper Today welcomes letters to the editor and will do its best to include as many as possible each week Please mail or fax your letter to the address or fax number at the far left on this page. Or simply us at eztalkclippertoday.com We reserve the right to reject letters for any reason and to edit letters for length or content AH letters must be signed and should list the writer's name and city of residence. |