41The Lovell Chronicle I February 18, 2010 www.LovellChronicle.com
Guest Opinion
Jo!n the Ride!
Practme good sportsmanship
at our local and state
sporting events
Shon Hocker
Superintendent Big Horn #1
Dan Coe
Superintendent Big Horn #2
Extracurricular activities are great opportunities for
additional student education outside the classroom.
Wyoming high schools and middle schools sponsor a
number of activities and sports.
In the Big Horn Basin middle school extracurricular
activities are sanctioned by member schools in the Big
Horn Basin Middle School Association. High school ex-
tracurricular activities are sanctioned by the Wyoming
High School Activities Association (WHSAA). You can
get a complete list of WHSAA sanctioned activities and
sports from their website http://www.whsaa.org.
Each member school in these sanctioning bodies is
required to follow the rules and regulations of these or-
ganizations. The WHSAA Join the Ride Program (http://
www.whsaa.org/sportsmanship/jointheride.asp) pro-
motes good sportsmanship for participants and spec-
tators. We expect our participants to display good
sportsmanship as they represent their schools and
communities. We are thankful and proud of our spon-
sors, coaches, and students for doing this.
As spectators we need to hold ourselves account-
able for these same good sportsmanship behaviors.
Adults especially have the responsibility to model and
regulate the good sportsmanship we want our children
and students to emulate. WHSAA rules specify school
district authorities are responsible for managing partici-
pant and spectator behaviors at home and on the road
at WHSAA events.
Unsportsmanlike behaviors at WHSAA events by
participants or spectators whether in the local gym or
the Casper Events Center can lead to disciplinary ac-
tions by the WHSAA toward that school including for-
feiture of an event.
,- r
We are proud of our qommuties, programs and
students. Let this pride show to others through our
good sportsmanship at home and on the road. Join the
Ride!
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9 5
Ma was a 'Golden Ruler'
Ma was the most unique woman I've
ever known. She was incredibly naive -
if you remember Gracie Allen then you've
spent a little time in Ma's world. Ma
wasn't dumb. It's just that things were
usually black and white to her, and she
interpreted things quite literally. Even
puns could confuse her, although she had
her own brand of humor. She had no time
for complications and no patience for con-
voluted explanations.
She felt the same way about religion.
In her family alcoholism and abuse was
rampant, but by golly they were all in
church dressed in their Sunday best once
a week. She learned the Bible inside out,
trying to find within its pages a way to
make sense of her life.
At barely 16 she married my father, and when
he died a few years and two little girls later, her
faith in anything was just about gone. She could
have become cynical and empty, but she didn't have
the time or patience for that, either.
She tried a couple of other churches, searching
for some peace, but she didn't find what she was
looking for. At one point she turned to alcohol, prob-
ably because it seemed like the coping skill most fa-
miliar to her. But at last she found it within herself
-- and in the family she was raising.
That is not to say that Ma ever gave up on her
faith in God. Hospital admission forms always ask
for a religious preference and Ma filled out plenty
of those. She'd simply tell the admissions clerk fill-
ing out the form, "I'm a Golden Ruler." In a town
made up primarily of Presbyterians, Methodists and
Lutherans that raised eyebrows, the inevitable re-
sponse was, "A what?"
Ma would sigh softly and explain.
"The way I see it," she'd reply patiently, "every
sermon and every lesson in the Bible can be boiled
down to 'do unto others as you would have them do
unto you'. I believe that. So ifI have to be called any-
thing on your form I guess I'm a Golden Ruler."
We talked about it once. I asked her what she
had against church.
She thought for few minutes and then she said,
"Well, Diane, church never helped me much when I
was a kid. I guess they were too busy singing. Maybe
I was too scared or didn't know what to ask to get
me out. Me and God working together had to do it.
That's when I figured out that sticking a label on
something doesn't make it a good product. My fam-
ily was called a good, church going family, but that
label didn't make them good people."
She took a big drink of her coffee and stared
deep into the cup. Then she looked up at me and her
bright blue eyes were intense as she counseled, "You
have to live what you know because labels never tell
Diane
Badget
View from the
soapbox
the whole truth." I guess being a Golden
Ruler was as close to being labeled as Ma
would allow.
I remember that conversation in such
amazing detail because it was one of the
few times I ever remember Ma explain-
ing anything so thoroughly. It was at that
moment I truly understood that labeling
based on beliefs, affiliations or personali-
ties was unacceptable.
Is this column about criticizing orga-
nized religion? Absolutely not! It's about
having the courage to live your convic-
tions. She chose her path, and then she
and God walked it together. She found
the strength to put one foot in front of the
other and the courage to put her past be-
hind her and begin a new life.
And it's about labeling. Since I started this col-
umn I have had occasion to talk with quite a few
readers who seem to need to find a place to "put" me.
A very sweet lady once asked meifI"was always so
negative.
Not too long ago another woman asked me about
my "deep conservatism" and the very same day a
gentleman at the post office said, "You don't make
any bones about being a Republican, do you?" None
of that offends me one bit. Whether people under-
stand me or not they are at least thinking about
something I've written.
I am an American. When I see our flag snapping
smartly in a stiff breeze, glorious against a clear
blue sky, I'm a proud American. When things are be-
ing done that I think will hurt my family or my fel-
low citizens, I become a protective American. When
I see the Constitution being referred to as an archaic
document that is out of touch with today's world I
become an angry American. And despite the feeling
that many in Washington don't seem to be listening,
I will continue to remain an outspoken American.
If I could vote in a primary election as an Inde-
pendent, I guess that's how I'd register. I am not a
Republican, nor am I a Democrat. I don't hold much
store in being called a liberal or a conservative. I
have no tolerance for anyone hanging on so stub-
bornly to a political label that nothing constructive
gets done. If a candidate wants my vote then that
candidate will have to earn it and then be prepared
to hear from me frequently after the election. After
thinking long and hard about what label I would
choose ifI was being pressed for an answer, I settled
on one.
I've done some stupid things in my life and had
times when I didn't do the right thing, but the ex-
ample Ma set usually helped steer me back on track.
So if anyone needs to label me, I'd be proud to be
simply known as LaVonne's daughter. I don't think
she'd mind.
Rural Living Conference Saturday
This is a good time of the year to men-
tion the University of Wyoming's Soil
Testing Program. Farmers, homeown-
ers and gardeners wanting to get a bet-
ter handle on their soil profile are encour-
aged to go to their local Extension Office
to get the necessary paperwork to send in
a soil sample.
A general soil analysis costs $20. The
lab analyzes the soil for the three major
soil fertility elements: nitrogen, phos-
phate, and phosphorus. The Ph of the
soil is determined along with the organic
matter content. Salty soils can be a prob-
lem for us and this is looked at, too. Soil.
texture is determined like sandy, clay,
sandy-loam, etc. I don't recommend soil testing a
site every year, but whether it is a farmer's field,
garden or lawn, a soil sample can give some great
base line information for enhancing the productiv-
ity when problems are suspected.
How do we collect a proper sample, you ask?
The lab will need a good quart of soil to run the
needed tests. I like to take an empty bucket and
collect soil from three or four different spots in the
garden or more in a large field. Dig down at least a
foot and collect a little ribbon of soil from the bot-
tom, six-inch profile and a ribbon of soil from the
top and put it in the bucket. After doing this at
all the sites, mix the soil in the bucket and place
Jim Gill
Ag Chat
a good quart full in a zip lock bag. An-
other point: don't sent the lab wet soil.
Make sure it is dried out before sealing
the bag to mail it in.
The Extension Office will provide
the field history forms and payment in-
formation you will need to send the sam-
ple in to the soils lab in the College of
Agriculture at Laramie.
***
The Park County Extension Office,
Conservation District and Weed & Pest
are sponsoring a Rural Living Confer-
ence this Saturday at the Park County
Fair Grounds. Registration begins at
8:30 a.m. with the program beginning
at 9 a.m. Concurrent sessions will be offered each
hour through mid-afternoon.
I will be speaking at 9 a.m. on native plant ma-
terials. Tree care, pollinating insects, cover crops,
septic systems, noxious weed control and much
more will be offered at the day-long program. A free
noon lunch will be provided, as well
The Hot Springs Extension Office, Conservation
District and Weed and Pest will be conducting a Ru-
ral Living Conference in Thermopolis on Thursday,
March 18. The program will begin at 5 p.m. at the
Big Horn Federal Bank Conference Room. Contact
Barton Stam, Northwest Area Extension Educator,
for more information at 307-864-3421.
