GL_101118

42 | October 11, 2018 | The glenview lantern sports
glenviewlantern.com
Warriors Update
Coach Talk
Change is in the air
Peter Pujals addresses the Our Lady of Perpetual Help football program at practice
on Sept. 12 at Flick Park in Glenview. Photo submitted
OLPH alumnus Peter Pujals gives back
Submitted by Our Lady of
Perpetual Help School
gold wave
From Page 46
she said. “They were eager
to help, but they didn’t
want to just look the part,
they really wanted to support
the cause.”
That responsibility
rested with Girls Letter
Club, a group of female
GBS athletes who meet
every Tuesday before
school to give back to
Our Lady of Perpetual
Help School alumnus Peter
Pujals recently spent
some time with the current
crop of football players at
OLPH.
Pujals, who also played
at Loyola Academy and
later starred at Holy Cross,
recently spent time with
the Minnesota Vikings before
being released at the
end of August.
While staying prepared
to be picked up by another
NFL team, the former
quarterback stopped by
practice at Flick Park to offer
some words of encouragement
and to share some
of the knowledge gleaned
from playing football at
the highest levels.
According to coach Jim
O’Gara, the players were
their community through
events like Gym Jam and
Turnabout.
Although the four lead
organizers will graduate
this spring, they hope the
campaign will continue
to grow in year No. 3 and
beyond.
“I think they will continue
with this next year,”
Gates said. “We’ve made
such a positive impact and
brought about so much
inspired after hearing from
Pujals, a player who was
standing in their exact
footsteps and on the same
field as them just a short
time ago.
Pujals reinforced some
of the tenets of OLPH athletics
by encouraging the
boys to work hard, listen
to their coaches and find
ways to overcome adversity
by developing resiliency.
awareness. Sometimes
[high school students]
get too involved around
schoolwork and our own
lives that we need to
take a step back, and this
has been such a positive
for all of us. I think it’ll
be going on for a long
time.”
For more information
about Cal’s Angels or to
donate to the cause, visit
calsangels.org.
visit us online at GLENVIEWLANTERN.com
Jon ‘Coach’ Cohn
Contributing Columnist
Glenview Resident
It’s interesting to contemplate
what could
be changing in the
near future in our Glenview
sports scene.
Change is a fascinating,
if not hard to get a handle
on, phenomenon. Many
have spoke to it.
“Progress is impossible
without change,”
renowned author George
Bernard Shaw said.
OK, but he never knew
outdoor beach volleyball
and 5K runs would get so
popular.
“Ch... Ch... Ch...
changes” go the words of
the classic song by David
Bowie. Now we’re getting
closer.
Or if you prefer your
literacy on the lighter side,
how about, “Whoever said
change is inevitable, never
tried using a vending
machine.”
Whatever the case,
“change“ becomes an
interesting contemplation.
So let’s take a look
at our local sports and
recreation scene and see
how “change” could be
upcoming amongst the
possibilities.
Football: Change is
definitely in the air here.
Many schools experienced
significant drops this year
in participation. At Glenbrook
South, for instance,
just over 20 boys signed
up for freshman football.
Meanwhile, 65 came out
for freshman soccer. A
near reversal of numbers
you may have seen 10
years ago.
The change? The low
sign-up rates could mean
we see Glenbrook South
and Glenbrook North
combine programs in the
near future. Ditto for,
say, Highland Park and
Deerfield, Maine East and
Maine West, and Niles
North and Niles West. Not
right away, mind you, but
change is in the air — no
doubt — for our community
football programs.
How about all the highlevel,
elite travel teams?
Like a sudden strong gust
of wind, I feel a change
a-comin’.
Many young parents
now were the first generation
of kids who grew
up with the travel and
club-team experience. As
youngsters, they may have
experienced long hours
of traveling to different
cities, specialized training
and intense competition.
Is it possible we could
see a little pushback
now from these younger
parents? They may resist
some of the same “ high
intensity” for their own
kids.
The change? More participation
in local houseleague
programs and a
drop in number of elitelevel
travel programs.
Another change:
Glenview tennis players
beware, your courts may
soon be taken over. The
pickleball generation is
coming and they want
your surface. Pickleball is
hotter than a piston at the
Indy 500. Pickleball Nation
is old, they are angry
and they are determined
to get more space. Pity to
those who get in the way.
Outdoor swimming pool
season, you have heard
me say this before: The
warm weather now doesn’t
really hit until around July
4. Most pools close in
mid-August when college
lifeguards head back to
school. But September, and
even October, can be some
of our warmest months.
This is a problem.
The solution? Keep our
pools open longer. Who
will fill in as lifeguards?
As I have said before,
we have plenty of senior
citizens in the community
looking for part-time
work. My vision of a
strong, if not slightly
aged, senior lifeguard staff
for late-in-season swimming
has fallen on deaf
ears before. And I have
no doubt that will happen
again. But I love the concept,
if not the visual.
Finally, what about
community runs? The
5Ks, triathlons, 10Ks,
walks, etc. Is it time for
something different?
The dreaded sameness
of routine may have set
in. My creative juices are
percolating — always
a scary moment — so I
may throw something out
through this column in the
near future.
Other changes coming?
Who knows, but let’s
welcome them all with
open arms.
Cohn has been a coach,
physical education teacher,
sports announcer and
athletic supervisor in the
community for over 35 years.
He can be reached at jcsportsandtees@aol.com.