Dear Barbarians:
We know that in life there are some things better left unsaid. If there is nothing more I have learned it is why it can prove difficult to not speak. For some I know speak only to hear the sound of their own voice and their relevancy is given by how much news they have to captivate their audience whether or not it is fact or fiction. It sounds good so let’s spin it. No matter the harm, the hurt; they and theirs come before all others: and stir the pot they will until common sense prevails.
I am not one given to much thought of how many players we have helped develop, irrespective of those who come to only help themselves. Even in a society which has evolved to where many look for accusatorial under pinning’s as to why things are the way they are rather than lifting a hand to uplift another and the only help we give is by enjoining the clamor or what we receive in return (what’s in it for me) until common sense prevails.
It is true that I am writing less than in years past even if I have more to say. When I think back on our early years and sending out the newsletter via the United States Postal Service to each player of our then U10 team and when we grew to 3-4 age groups, to hear parents relate how their children anxiously awaited the newsletter, to where we are today, when a majority of the players and parents give very little time to reading them, it has stifled my effort ever so slightly. I hold firm to the belief that even in your growth you must hold to the core values that gave rise to the natural and inevitable growth and all that is encumbered. For it is from the foundation that the edifice arises and not the other way round. So, in light of all that could have or has happened common sense prevails.
Our effort has remained consistent and constant: to make simple a style of play that enables players in our system to develop a greater understanding of how to play the game anywhere and with anyone. While there is something to be said about that often misused term ‘chemistry’ most fail to comprehend that everyone does not develop at the same rate. Even fewer recognize the distinction when teams win with certain players being grouped and others used only to fill in or only in certain positions they are suited for, or not. Totally unaware of the stage of development they are in.
Development demands that we make certain each player is given the opportunity, over time, to elevate their level of play as well as elevating the team: individually and collectively. As human beings we are at our best when we include others rather than exclude anyone. This is why we are who we are and they can never be. The whole dynamic of being is being human. Common sense!
We have no animosity toward anyone who wants more than we have to offer or does not recognize the growth in the player’s abilities who remain. It is important that those who are here accept that we are and do what we have been doing for the development of the individual, the team, this club and the sport or eventually find their way elsewhere and in the process take with them their weakness and strengthen our resolve. The past is something you learn by not where you dwell. The future is not promised to anyone. It is in the here and now that our present is born. We are not in doubt. We are Barbarians where common sense and common courtesy have long prevailed! If given the opportunity more news will follow but in the interim we will move forward and wish success to all who are playing with their outdoor teams in the PA WEST State Cup.
As usual, I will see you on the pitch!
dws