Oak Ridge 2014

[bladerunner]

Here's my take on it. Basketball got the new gym and the school got a multi million dollar overhaul but football (Blankenship) got nothing. Who's fault is that? Is the fans fault? Is it the coach's fault? Is the player's fault? Is it the city's fault? Is it the school administration's fault? I honsetly don't know but I see MANY schools in East TN getting millions of dollars for scoreboards with video, turf fields, new bleachers, etc.

I see a lot of schools in the city that I live in getting "Jack" who's fault is it? I don't know

[bounder]

I didn't know any of this, guess I'm not in the lop anymore. But it all sounds good to me.

 

 

 

ROLL WILDCATS ROLL

[GIJoe]

JMO. Didn't school just go through budget crunch in which teachers were laid off.  I'm pretty sure that if the money is there they would keep quiet until time to start digging.  Just doesn't look right for teachers to lose jobs but team gets new field turf and scoreboard. I hope they do.  I always known Oak Ridge to have the best of everything. They always had that air of arrogance. Not growing up here, it was kind of much. But I respect it after living here a while.

[bounder]

Well usually scoreboards are donated by Coke and if the turf is donated it didn't cost the school anything.

From past personal experience I wouldn't give the school system a penny. I would get all the work done by outside people. Or hopefully donated labor if at all possible.

 

 

ROLL WILDCATS ROLL

[wingman10]

Go Cats

[catswild]

It seems like many of us, bladerunner, Bounder, and a few others are content with mediocre facilities. Why is our system the only one broke? Did our system pay for the gym and school or was it donations? Where is the Oak Ridge that would've demanded to have the best?

[ridgerunner91]

It seems like many of us, bladerunner, Bounder, and a few others are content with mediocre facilities. Why is our system the only one broke? Did our system pay for the gym and school or was it donations? Where is the Oak Ridge that would've demanded to have the best?

My understanding is that the city along with private donations paid for it all. Upgrading the facilities has nothing to do with letting teachers go. Get on the website. We are trying to hire teachers now. We were hiring teachers after we supposedly let some go. I don't think our system is broke at all. We spend money on priorities. Football hasn't been a priority in many many years and we allow it with our silence. The only time we've been vocal in years was to get Gaddis hired and look what happened. We need to do the same with Blankenship if enough of us are interested.

[bounder]

I'm not content with the facilities, just don't trust the school administration with donated money. Get as much labor donated and pay for the rest from a fund completely separate from the school. But first , you do have to get the schools permission to do anything up to "The Ship". They get real fussy and threaten all kinds of stuff. But they don't tear anything down if you don't get permission first. And always ask for forgiveness and claim ignorance of the law. HAHA Been there, done that and I think I bought a t shirt.

 

 

ROLL WILDCATS ROLL

[catswild]

I'm not content with the facilities, just don't trust the school administration with donated money. Get as much labor donated and pay for the rest from a fund completely separate from the school. But first , you do have to get the schools permission to do anything up to "The Ship". They get real fussy and threaten all kinds of stuff. But they don't tear anything down if you don't get permission first. And always ask for forgiveness and claim ignorance of the law. HAHA Been there, done that and I think I bought a t shirt.

 

 

ROLL WILDCATS ROLL

I'm glad you aren't content with the facilities and I'm sorry I said you seemed to be. Why is it so hard to do something here? How do the other systems get things done? What t shirt are you talking about?

[bladerunner]

It seems like many of us, bladerunner, Bounder, and a few others are content with mediocre facilities. Why is our system the only one broke? Did our system pay for the gym and school or was it donations? Where is the Oak Ridge that would've demanded to have the best?

Yeah --why are we the only school syst that is broke? All of the  Knox county Schools have turf......And..... All of Knox co schools have a Basketball arena like ours.. So why are we broke?  

[bounder]

BR I hope all of that is "tongue in cheek" cause you outta know better than that. Knox county cares less about their athletics than Oak Ridge.

I speak from past experience from dealing with the school board.

 

 

ROLL WILDCATS ROLL

[catswild]

Yeah --why are we the only school syst that is broke? All of the  Knox county Schools have turf......And..... All of Knox co schools have a Basketball arena like ours.. So why are we broke?  

I believe that the following schools either have turf fields or are getting them. Maryville, Alcoa, D-B, Sevier County, Gatlinburg Pitman, Science Hill, Farragut, The private schools have it but they are in a different financial situation than we are so I won't list them. I'm sure there are other public schools but I can't think of them. While I read in the paper about our visitors bleachers being unsafe and wrangling about who will replace them or if we will, other systems are putting in video scoreboards and turf. Knox County will likely not do this at all but separate and independent systems like ours are the ones doing it, because they care about football. Maybe the school system isn't but somebody is doing it. Why can't we? I'll ask again, why are we broke? Answer....we aren't. We are still hiring teachers and my guess is that we will hire many more before next school year. Why can't the school system, the city, and private donations replace the unsafe bleachers, get a score board video board, and put down turf before we get behind every meaningful program in East TN?