Basketball

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Jim O'Bryan
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Postby Jim O'Bryan » Wed Jun 13, 2007 2:18 pm

Joe Whisman wrote:It is really sad. What is the reason? Is Lakewood afraid of being sued? Maybe it is because non-white kids may play hoops? Or they are too costly to maintain? If that is the case, I can work buying new hoops into the Kid's Cove project. I personally challenge any mayoral candidate to a game of horse.


Joe

I would think it is best to keep Kid's Cove a separate project as you have that moving pretty well right now.

The rumor is because of tagging at Harrison they took them down. I personally find it odd that they take down hoops then tell us there is a problem with curfew. I agree with Beejay, we have to channel kids energies.

As for taking on any mayoral candidate. You might want to be careful. Was at the YMCA with Mayor Tom George. With hard shoes, and his left hand filled he proceeded to make 3 out of 5, all outside the key, one of the two that missed stopped on the back of the rim.

It was pretty impressive.


.


Jim O'Bryan
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Beajay Michaud
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Postby Beajay Michaud » Wed Jun 13, 2007 2:41 pm

Jim O'Bryan wrote:
Joe Whisman wrote:It is really sad. What is the reason? Is Lakewood afraid of being sued? Maybe it is because non-white kids may play hoops? Or they are too costly to maintain?




The rumor is because of tagging at Harrison they took them down. I personally find it odd that they take down hoops then tell us there is a problem with curfew.


.


I have a brand new hoop at my house, our yard is too small for the kids to play in. I would be willing to donate it to the city if cost is the issue. I find it hard to believe that removing the hoops will stop kids from tagging. Tagging has always been a problem.


Joe Whisman
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Postby Joe Whisman » Wed Jun 13, 2007 3:40 pm

I stand by my challenge. I am not afraid to lose. Think of the photo opportunity. If we could get all of the candidates, it would be more fun than a debate! Thanks for the tip, Jim. I will work on my outside shot.


Beajay Michaud
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Postby Beajay Michaud » Wed Jun 13, 2007 3:44 pm

Joe Whisman wrote:I stand by my challenge. I am not afraid to lose. Think of the photo opportunity. If we could get all of the candidates, it would be more fun than a debate! Thanks for the tip, Jim. I will work on my outside shot.


Joe, who is going to supply the hoops.


Joe Ott
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Postby Joe Ott » Wed Jun 13, 2007 3:57 pm

Beajay Michaud wrote:I have a brand new hoop at my house, our yard is too small for the kids to play in. I would be willing to donate it to the city if cost is the issue. I find it hard to believe that removing the hoops will stop kids from tagging. Tagging has always been a problem.


I have one laying in my garage. One of those things with the base filled with sand. It's going in a garage sale.
Last edited by Joe Ott on Fri Jun 15, 2007 7:50 am, edited 1 time in total.


Jeff Endress
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Postby Jeff Endress » Wed Jun 13, 2007 4:13 pm

Remember in "Hoosiers"? Kids playing in the barnyard, using a bushel basket and a hunk of pylywood? Maybe we could bum a few bushel baskets from the Farmer's market?

Jeff


To wander this country and this world looking for the best barbecue â€â€
Stephanie Toole
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Postby Stephanie Toole » Wed Jun 13, 2007 9:07 pm

There is not a public basketball hoop left in the City of Lakewood. It truly is a shame. Where do we go from here? I haven't had much luck. Biggest problem seems to be N.I.M.B.Y.(not in my back yard!)

My two oldest boys drive to Cleveland Hts., North Olmsted, and Westlake, to name just a few cities for courts to play on with all of their other Lakewood friends. They are 06 and 07 LHS graduates who played basketball for LHS. They spent many hours at the courts at Harding. What a shame they won't be replacing those courts. They were filled morning till night with kids and adults of ALL ages.

The removal of the outside courts is hurting the basketball programs at both the middle schools and the high school.

Removing all the courts has sent the message to other cities that Lakewood is no longer safe enough to play outside basketball on city or school board owned courts. This is a fact and what people have said to my kids. People are asking what is going on with Lakewood? Why are there no basketball courts? Drug activity? Crime?

I'm first on board to help lead the way for 'hoops' back in Lakewood!


Stephanie Toole
"To give anything less than your best is to sacrafice the gift." PRE
Mike Deneen
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Postby Mike Deneen » Wed Jun 13, 2007 9:48 pm

When the courts were removed at Harding, I had heard that there would be open gym hours at the school for kids. However, I do not know when these hours are or when the open gym is supposed to start.

I was at the LHS gym this afternoon. I spoke to the new boys varsity coach, and he expressed concerns very similar to Stehpanie's. He is a native Lakewoodite who played on these courts as a kid.


Jeff Endress
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Postby Jeff Endress » Thu Jun 14, 2007 7:06 am

so....what is it about basketball? I mean the softball fields are mowed, lined, ready to go. The tennis nets are up. Golf courses in the metroparks are up and running. I think that Winterhurst is hosting figure skating and hockey practices. The pools are staffed, C'mon in the water's fine.

Why is it that this sport and the facilities, are verboten?

Does basketball attract an element that we wish to discourage? Does a basketball court attract kids that are somehow less acceptable than a tennis court? I don't know the rational. Maybe someone on the deck does.

Any ideas?

Jeff


To wander this country and this world looking for the best barbecue â€â€
Joe Whisman
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Postby Joe Whisman » Thu Jun 14, 2007 7:39 am

Jeff,
I said it at the top of the post, non-white kids. I know this is only a guess, but until the city steps forward and makes their case.....


Rick Uldricks

Postby Rick Uldricks » Thu Jun 14, 2007 7:56 am

This is ridiculous.

Two years ago I walked with my daughter to Madison Park to shoot baskets because she had just joined the Jr. High Basketball team. We got there only to discover that there were no hoops! She asked why, and I didn't have an answer for her. I still don't. Sadly, she no longer plays basketball so the lack of a nearby hoop is no longer needed.

If the problem is kids gathering together and a few of them causing trouble, send a cruiser out at regular intervals to monitor what's going on. Have a city employee with a radio on site. There are better ways to handle this than taking down the hoops.

I would much rather see the kids playing basketball than walking in the middle of the street.


Todd Shapiro
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Postby Todd Shapiro » Thu Jun 14, 2007 8:13 am

While we are at it. How about fixing the tennis courts too!! I play tennis almost daily in the summer and the courts, in Rocky River, Bay, Strongsville, and even Cleveland ( at Impitt, Jefferson and Gunning Parks) have better maintained UNCRACKED tennis courts. Unfortunately the recreational facilities in Lakewood are no longer at par with those in neighboring communities.


Ivor Karabatkovic
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Postby Ivor Karabatkovic » Thu Jun 14, 2007 8:44 am

Rick,

Although I share your frustration, what you are suggesting needs funding and lots of it. To keep a city worker on site at one or more of the courts to monitor things would mean you have to pay him/her to watch kids play basketball all day when they could be cleaning parks or the graffiti everyone is complaining about.

Police, same thing. One police officer at the court, one less serving and catching those criminals you despise.

And if you think "well, hire more!", that opens up a new can of worms as we can see by the police levy thread.


It's a lose-lose here. If only there could be a medium where kids could play basketball and they wouldn't have to be watched all the time. That's why I liked the harding courts, because they were in the middle of traffic so that everyone could see. Madison is in the back of the park, by the factory, where no one really walks.


"Hey Kiddo....this topic is much more important than your football photos, so deal with it." - Mike Deneen
Mike Deneen
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Postby Mike Deneen » Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:09 am

I didn't realize anyone still played tennis.

Tennis is a dying sport like Indy Car racing, horse racing and boxing.
Golf has replaced tennis on the US food chain.

Whenever I see a tennis court around here, whether it be at Impett park, LHS or Lakewood Park, it's empty.

When I was a kid in the 1970s, tennis was still extremely popular....Billie Jean King, battle of the sexes, Mcenroe and Connors, etc. They even had tennis courts in my crapppy old neighborhood by Max Hayes High, and they were always full. The sport has slowly died away, and I'm not sure why.

The tennis courts in my old neighborhood have been replaced by the soap box derby track that is visible from the shoreway.

I think a couple of the tennis courts at Lakewood Park were sacrificed for the skate park...it was a good trade.

The only part of tennis that is still widely popular is Anna Kournakova calendars.



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