This column referred to Park University as Park College last week. My apologies. If I had a press secretary like Kayleigh McEnany, I would have made her admit to my mistake and this would have been simpler for me. Sadly, I do not have a press secretary or a good excuse. Carry on.
Park University dropped the Park College name some 20 years ago, so I was within a couple of decades. Glad we got that worked out. Group hug as soon as the pandemic is over or as soon as we get some hydroxychloroquine doses.
In case you were curious. The last pandemic lasted from February of 1918 to April of 1920. If you believe in history repeating and such nonsense, that means we could be looking at May of 2021 or so on this current predicament. I am not a doctor, so do not plan your vacations around this prediction.
In case you think history does not repeat itself, I give you this little tidbit. Mask wearing in 1918 and 1919 became a political issue. To some, the masks were a symbol of government overreach, inspiring protests and petitions. San Francisco was the first place to have a mask ordinance and it was also the location of a shooting between the rivaling opinions on masks.
Any of this sound familiar? Yeah, just when we thought we were making history, turns out not so much. The good news is we have advanced technologically. The bad news is we have advanced technologically in terms of worldwide travel. Battle of technologies against history at this point.
Give or take, approximately 90 days until we elect a president of the United States. The process would lead you to believe that we have vetted through our 300 +/- million people and selected the two most qualified humans possible to choose between.
Common sense will probably tell you otherwise as the next 90 days play out. If you’re into ironic humor, I think we will get a fair dose from this election. If you’re worried about the future, I would suggest looking the other way for 100 days or so.
Technically there are only about 120 million people that would need to be vetted. The rest are not age-worthy of being president of the United States per federal law. This seems like a good time to remind you that age and maturity are two different metrics.
Seriously. I want badly for schools to be able to safely open. I want teachers, students and administrators to be safe, but I also want young people to get to experience their senior years. Football, volleyball, softball, cheer, and the rest have worked hard to make it to this point. Band members, performing arts and all the rest have often waited for years for the final curtain call. For fall sports, that starts Monday in Missouri.
I am into comps and Iowa may be our best look at what could be. Iowa baseball season ended last week. Per my understanding, it is the only state where high school sports have taken place since the pandemic. Iowa news media report 94% of teams were unaffected and 96% of the teams finished the season. All infections that were detected were reportedly mild and fans were allowed all season.
That is some promising information. A deep dive reveals it was not simple. In fact, it was a troubled road for the season that started on June 1. A top ranked school in West Des Moines had to shut down on July 8 after a positive test for someone “close to the team.” They were 16-2 and were coming off a state semi-final appearance in 2019.
Here is hoping for successful sport and activity seasons for all area schools.
(Guy Speckman can be reached at gspeckman@me.com or trying to hire a press secretary)