Horror story: AC not working

Published 5:00 am Thursday, August 10, 2006

“The air conditioner isn’t working.”

In mid-August, that statement sends a shiver up the spine ofevery human living south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Cheek to cheek,it sends sweat running down the spine.

The current heatwave is setting records in Mississippi andsurrounding states. This is no fun.

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Pity the poor football and softball players who are practicingand playing in this weather. Don’t forget the soccer folks who runnonstop for 60-plus minutes.

The only relief available comes after sundown, but the air stillresembles the interior of a sauna when you step outside.

Folks who wear eye glasses struggle with fogged up lenses whenthey venture outside their air-conditioned vehicles and homes.Perspiration often puddles at a person’s feet if they stand in oneplace long enough.

Yes, it’s hot. There’s plenty of humidity for everyone.

Over in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex, temperatures have beensurpassing the 100-degree mark for two weeks. The Dixie Boys WorldSeries sweats along, with game-time temperatures pushing 105 in theshade.

Football coaches fuss about their team’s inability toconcentrate because of the heat. Priority is just being able tobreathe comfortably.

This heat situation makes me want to jump on a soap box andproclaim to the world. Hey! Let’s turn back the clock several yearsand start over.

Why not begin school about the second week in September?

Consider the thousands of dollars which would be saved inelectricity. It costs lots of money to air condition a schoolbuilding. Constantly, children are either exiting or entering thefacilities.

Let school last through the middle of June like the neighbors upnorth. It’s not nearly as hot in June as it is in August.

Athletes need a break, too. Fall sports shouldn’t begin the endof July and conclude in October. Push the seasons intoDecember.

By contrast, area baseball teams begin practice in January whenit’s either freezing or raining outside. The season starts inFebruary. One of my most miserable sports memories is sitting at anight baseball game in March, with the temperature hovering at 40degrees and a northerly wind numbing my ears and toes.

Nowadays, most baseball teams are finished by the end of April.It’s graduation time, when it should be prime time forbaseball.

Go figure.

If the energy crunch continues, look for the Mississippi HighSchool Activities Association to realign its divisions for sportscompetition. Presently, it’s not unusual for a team to make a2-hour bus ride for a district football or basketball game.

Folks, that’s known as your tax dollars being burned up indiesel fuel or gasoline.

Consider the plight of the Mississippi Private SchoolAssociation members. Schools are spread farther apart. Their traveltimes are much longer than many public schools.

Some MPSA members have expressed a sincere interest in joiningthe MHSAA because competition would be closer to home. That’s alsoknown as basic economics.

Natchez-based sports teams find themselves in a travelingnightmare. For example, Natchez High School belongs to Region 3-5A.The Bulldogs have some long-distance driving to locations likeBrandon, Meridian, Oak Grove, Hattiesburg and three Jacksonschools: Wingfield, Jim Hill and Forest Hill.

Trinity Episcopal, Adams County Christian School and Cathedralof Natchez face similar travel challenges. Cathedral has a minimumtravel distance of 60 miles to play West Lincoln, Enterprise andBogue Chitto in Region 4-1A football.

Add Stringer, Mount Olive, Salem, Dexter, Biloxi Mercy Cross andGulfport St. John to the region menu and it boggles the mind.That’s a lot of wear and tear on the tires, too, not to mention theathletic budget.

The Brookhaven Panthers also have some major football tripsahead this season, including a 3-hour haul to Kosciusko for anon-division game. Division foes like Port Gibson, Mendenhall andFlorence average an hour and a half driving time.

Basketball usually is a home-and-away format. That includes moretravel time, often on Tuesdays.

Certainly, sports schedules need to be kept closer to home.

Write to sports editor Tom Goetz, c/o The DAILY LEADER, P.O.BOX 551, Brookhaven, MS 39602 or e-mailsports@dailyleader.com