OAK RIDGE WILDCAT FOOTBALL 2018

[catswild]

On 11/21/2017 at 0:47 PM, ORcats said:

I'm not totally sold on the turf.  My son used to like to play in the sloppy mud of a wet field, and it was fun to watch.  But that's just me.  I'll be happy with whatever.  Would like a Jumbotron though.  And they need to save a little grass for the kids that like to roll down the hill during the game lol .

I wouldn’t think they plan to turf the hill...

[catswild]

On 11/21/2017 at 1:37 PM, WilleTheWildcat said:

What do you mean "kids that like to roll down,"?  I still roll down the hill but it is because I lost my footing and went wee wee wee down the hill  

If I remember right, last year David Clary asked the players what they wanted to be done at Blankenship and Jumbotron was top of the list. I do remember # 30 saying Jumbotron. I thought he would say field turf.

My biggest concern is the current population in Oak Ridge does not support the High School's athletics like in the past. Last season, every girls and boys basketball games should have been packed. The players on both teams played at a very high level. With a 5 Star Player like Tee, the city should turned out better  for football. This past football season should have been better supported in the playoffs. The kids/players deserved the support.

I hate to say it but the money spent on Blankenship will not be appreciated by the population. One thing I do know is the kids growing up in OR deserve it.

I doubt anyone asks players at any level what type of surface they want to play on, before they install turf. What’s Clary thinking? He must be against the turf, and that doesn’t matter either. They’ve been talking about turf for years and I haven’t seen a hint of it. I’ll bet we are still talking about it this time next year while we play on grass!

[catswild]

On 11/21/2017 at 3:44 PM, osunut2 said:

Any idea how much money is being sought for the legacy project? 60% of the total is supposed to be publicly funded, so I'm just curious to know what the public burden will ultimately be. Right or wrong, some folks would rather donate to other worthy causes.

They apparently aren’t donating because it isn’t happening, so you have nothing to worry about. 

[catswild]

On 11/21/2017 at 5:46 PM, bounder said:

From what I have heard the whole project would run over $6 million. And so far we can't even get  much over half a million. I think the schools gave control of the property to the city to  get the grant. The city is planning concerts and all sorts of public use of the property. But it will probably end up just being a walking track. Both the middle schools use the football field for their games. With both of them and the high school freshman, JV and varsity that's about 25 games a year. Pretty pricey for that few games, hard to justify to the masses! However I'm all for it and will help any way I can 

The masses aren’t supporting it so no need for justification. Probably football fans are supporting it so again, no need for justification. Our fundraising capabilities around here are like our crowds...a joke. How does DB, Rhea, Sevier, etc get theirs?

[catswild]

On 11/21/2017 at 5:57 PM, IanMackaye said:

In some ways this does seem like a forward thinking project since the goal is a multi-use stadium that would be used for more than just a few home football games per year. The area has quite a few restaurants and can be very pleasant, since it’s undergone a cleanup in recent years. I ate at Deans not long ago and was impressed and surprised at how nice the area is. I like the project except for a few things:

Its a long way from the school. The team will practice on grass but then play home games on turf. I’m no expert but that seems like a disadvantage for OR.

Parking is limited to a few small lots plus a lot of places a walk from the field. There’s no way to fix that.

That big hill is always going to be a problem for OR’s aging population.

Does OR even care about football or other sports like it used to? Except for caring about Higgins I’m not so sure. I’ve been to an empty basketball game or two while OR basketball is riding high. The school has a nice soccer stadium but the track and football practice field on campus look kind of old. It’s the same with baseball and softball fields over behind the bowling alley.

It seems like a pipe dream to me. I could be wrong, though. The shopping area that replaced that old mall is coming along well and took quite a while to get going.

 

If the field is ever turfed, why can’t the team practice on it? Will the state not allow it?

[catswild]

On 11/21/2017 at 11:32 PM, bounder said:

I don't think the coaches will want the players driving up to "The Ship" everyday after school. Maybe in the summer but I doubt it. If I were coaching I would rather have the players in one place and not have to move them around to practice. Don't think Mike Mullins the AD would want to pay for school buses to take them from the high school to "The Ship".  Just my feelings.

How much can it possibly cost to take a one mile bus trip?

[catswild]

On 12/1/2017 at 3:28 AM, froshpop said:

I know Beech, Fulton,...could make the same argument, but I , too, feel like this woulda/coulda/shoulda been OR’s year. At least, it should have been a public school’s year.  Yes, Catholic was the best private school in a public school championship. The Catholic poster who said they couldn’t win even when they won was right. They could only really win playing in private school division where they should have been.  Except for Catholic fans, this championship is a joke. Talk is that TSSAA will move them to private as they should have been in the first place. That doesn’t right things for the public schools this year.  

With all that said: Congratulations Catholic on your public school championship!

Lol...well said!

[atrisk]

Donations are accepted, but very little info. is shared with the general public as to any developments concerning the project. Kinda need to know mind set. Some drainage work, some grading and maybe a new hybrid type of grass. Two of the above will have to be done with turf. Any money saved (if the is any saved money) could be used to upgrade facilities.  Just any official info. would be helpful.

[catswild]

18 minutes ago, atrisk said:

Donations are accepted, but very little info. is shared with the general public as to any developments concerning the project. Kinda need to know mind set. Some drainage work, some grading and maybe a new hybrid type of grass. Two of the above will have to be done with turf. Any money saved (if the is any saved money) could be used to upgrade facilities.  Just any official info. would be helpful.

I’m in the dark too. I read the article in the Ridger the other day and didn’t like what I read

[ORcats]

2 hours ago, catswild said:

I wouldn’t think they plan to turf the hill...

I was referring to new stands being built, and wasn't being serious anyway.

[ORcats]

On ‎12‎/‎1‎/‎2017 at 3:28 AM, froshpop said:

I know Beech, Fulton,...could make the same argument, but I , too, feel like this woulda/coulda/shoulda been OR’s year. At least, it should have been a public school’s year.  Yes, Catholic was the best private school in a public school championship. The Catholic poster who said they couldn’t win even when they won was right. They could only really win playing in private school division where they should have been.  Except for Catholic fans, this championship is a joke. Talk is that TSSAA will move them to private as they should have been in the first place. That doesn’t right things for the public schools this year.  

With all that said: Congratulations Catholic on your public school championship!

Yes, we would have had a good chance. 

[OR nole]

On 12/2/2017 at 4:45 PM, catswild said:

The masses aren’t supporting it so no need for justification. Probably football fans are supporting it so again, no need for justification. Our fundraising capabilities around here are like our crowds...a joke. How does DB, Rhea, Sevier, etc get theirs?

I believe Miss Dolly has helped Sevier Co