Another summer is upon us here at the Record Publishing Co. sports department -- but not before another brutal state track meet.
Now, "brutal" doesn't refer to the performance of local RPC athletes. In fact, this may have been the area's best state meet in recent memory with 69 athletes making it to state,s and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy winning the Division II girls title.
However, why is it every time this editor attends the state track meet, the weather gods have the heat set somewhere between "charbroil" and "incinerate?"
I don't even want to know what it was like for the distance runners that weekend in Columbus.
But weather complaints aside, the meet was a fitting end to another banner school year for the RPC area schools.
The total haul from the 2007-08 school year included five team state championships (Walsh Jesuit girls golf, Woodridge boys cross country, CVCA boys soccer, Walsh baseball and CVCA girls track).
It also included two team state runner-up finishes in cross country, one state final four berth in boys basketball, several handfuls of regional, district and league titles and more individual honors than can be noted in a couple of pages.
As always, congratulations to all our local athletes and thank you for keeping this department hopping.
As good as things have been this past season, any coach worth his salt will tell you there's always room for improvement.
I tend to agree and I have a few ideas that would make the local high school sports scene even better.
They include the following:
* Better stadiums for Nordonia, Tallmadge, Maple Heights and Streetsboro: I've advocated this before and I'll do it again -- and, yes, I realize funding is an enormous obstacle.
Boliantz Stadium in Macedonia is a great place to watch a football game, but the stands, track and press box in particular are need of an overhaul. I know Nordonia has put the issue to the voters twice in recent years. I hope the third time is a charm.
I call Tallmadge's Rossiaky Stadium "a nostalgic, rustic place" -- which is politically correct terminology for "an aging dump." The district needs to take a long look at an upgrade once the new high school is finished, particularly considering the support the football team gets from the community.
Maple Heights' Stafford Stadium is a decent place for football, but my big complaint here is the track -- or lack thereof. Maple's been putting together some very good track teams recently, but I believe Mustangs haven't had a home track meet this decade.
Finally, Streetsboro's Glinatsis Stadium might be the one in most desperate need of an upgrade. Excellent community support -- and a great band -- make for a good Friday Night Lights experience; poor lighting, a tiny press box, a questionable field and a track not sufficient to host home meets do not.
I'm not saying every district needs to have a palace like Bearcat Stadium, but making upgrades akin to what Woodridge did at Lahoski Field would do several local schools -- and their fans -- good.
* The Cuyahoga Falls City Baseball Championship ... moved to a later date: Some of the best baseball I saw this spring happened during this inaugural tournament. The Woodridge vs. Walsh Jesuit final may have been the best game of the season.
If only the weather would have cooperated. Intermittent rain and temperatures in the low 40s are not exactly ideal baseball conditions.
I realize spring weather in Northeast Ohio is a crap shoot, but if the organizers could consider moving this tournament to the last weekend in April, I think it would help.
* An RPC wrestling tournament: This is a personal dream of mine.
It would be a chance for all 15 schools in our coverage area to go at it for local supremacy. Given the excellence up and down the RPC coverage area on the mats, it would be a tremendous amount of fun to watch.
To all my wrestling coaches, I know the logistics of adding another tournament to an already squeezed schedule would be formidable. It may just be the musing of an editor who enjoys the world's oldest sport.
* An ice hockey rink in Northern Summit County: I know it's kind of silly to think about the most uniquely winter sport in June, but consider the need.
Varsity ice hockey programs have popped up at Twinsburg, Aurora, CVCA and Walsh Jesuit since 2000. Nordonia plans to join the fun in the near future, along with long-established programs at Hudson and Western Reserve Academy.
These squads all go to places like as Auburn, Strongsville, Garfield Heights and Kent to find ice time.
I realize the cost of operating an ice rink is substantial, but with gas prices sky high, I'm sure all these school would appreciate a closer home rink.
E-mail: mleonard@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-686-3913