For Fun...

Does anyone remember this controversial and quickly banned ad?

Boulder Bike Paths

There's been talk in the local blogosphere not too long ago about putting money toward bike lanes (here, here, and here). This seems like a better idea than most or all of the other public projects... maybe not as cool as traveling up and down the river by speed boat, but it seems like Libertarians even ought to be ok with the idea that infrastructure is involved here... if not for previous ideas like this.

Local bike enthusiasts would have enjoyed the People's Republic of Boulder... especially on Broadway and around the University of Colorado. Here's a few random shots I took a couple weeks ago:


The first snowfall of the year out there was on approximately October 16th. Someone told me the first skiing available anywhere in the U.S. this year wasn't too far away.



Incidentally, I didn't make up the reference to the "People's Republic of Boulder." That's how the woman who cut my hair there referred to it, and also by one of the beach volleyballers I found in Aurora. "We have our own little hippie community," she said.

I noticed a couple stores near the University of Colorado advertising hookahs. This might explain when two of the three times I went into the Quickie Mart on 13th and Broadway in the middle of the day I literally walked in as someone was walking out the door and both times I was immediately greeted inside flatly by an Indian girl near the door with the message "Stores closed!" It seemed like three or four people working the store was overkill but I guess it makes a neat little pot-smoking circle... when the mood strikes.


I took the bus most of my time there but I had to break down and get a car by the end... especially to drive down into Denver to check out the beach volleyball situation. It felt good to drive. The world opened up.

Stadium in a Neighborhood

I went to see the Colts lose to the Packers on Sunday...my first trip to Wisconsin. I told the guy next to me that I thought it sounded cool that the "people" owned the team. He said he hasn't seen any money from them yet. I asked the guy to the other side of my friend if they missed Favre and he said that they like Rodgers at QB because he doesn't force the ball so much. I heard no criticism from the crowd of their quarterback who had a good game. I heard several complaints about their place kicker however. This was before reports of Favre conspiring against his former team when they played the Lions.

The Colts lost this game badly 34-14. I hate the word "karma" but maybe this balances out for getting to see the Colts beat the Patriots for the AFC Championship a couple years ago in one of the first games I went to see.

Here's a fresh poll from SI.com calling Lambeau the #1 stadium in the country to see a game. It cost only $10 to park in someone's front yard a few blocks away from the stadium right in front of the their bushes and front window.


It seemed to be a bit of a surprise to some of the locals that a large group of Colts fans were having a party stretching for three houses directly across from the stadium...


The University of Wisconsin band played at halftime and parts of them would show up in the aisles at odd moments playing during the intermissions...

No, Spiece is Not Building an Ice Rink...

My first day for the Fair Play Volleyball indoor season at the Spiece Fieldhouse was October 15th. I thought it was amusing to hear that the Fieldhouse has been getting calls about the new ice rink they are building. That's a misconception due to the new ice rink being promoted as "Spiece on Ice".


I continue to think about what I could do with $250000 to improve the sports complex at River City. Ok, I understand a lot of private money is going along with the $250000 and more that the ice rink will get. But the historic property of River City has been worth at least a half a million in property taxes back when it changed back for awhile into the "success" department, as well as a very slow but steady improvement in how it looks. No property taxes will come out of the Old Dimension Ford property once it's absorbed.

Come! You will be absorbed!

But forget about River City for a moment, Spiece can't even get the city to put up a few sidewalks... which is all they have ever asked for. Both Spiece and River City have to battle for survival and success, or success and survival, against the wind... Both in their biggest years drew, or will draw, more people than Parkview Field will... unless there is an expansion. The fact that River City drew such big numbers to a somewhat blighted location near downtown should give downtown enthusiasts hope... (psst... It was done initially by word-of-mouth... i.e. Fort Wayne is a small town and what the common Joe or Jane thinks, and really feel about it, is important).

Don't mess with the powers that be is what I've heard... so that tempers any criticism I have of downtown projects/ideas that don't seem to have the inner willpower within them to succeed. So for me I'm going to continue to check out beach volleyball operations in other cities to learn how they succeed with what they do. And maybe if somehow I end up getting squashed under a big boot in Fort Wayne, or one or both of my rentlords go under, then maybe I'll have a soft place to land...

"The Island" in Denver - Oct. 13th, 08

Seminary Floor is Spiffy

Concordia Seminary did more than resurface their floor. It's brighter and better this season.


The Mad Ants practice here now, so maybe they were part of the deal on improvements. Actually, I think they have had grander plans to improve things in the gym, and this managed to make it to fruition.

Remotely Running Leagues

I'm leaving for Colorado early this morning but anyone needing league info can email me at fairplaybeach@yahoo.com or call me at (260) 402-3999. Fall indoor leagues start next Wednesday, October 15th and I'll be back that morning. If you need start times go to www.fairplayvolleyball.com and click on the right corner and find your schedule... I'll be working on them.



My business coach is speaking at a leadership conference in Boulder. Hopefully, I'll be able to check out some volleyball places in Colorado as it is as hot spot for indoor beach volleyball, and also check out the scenery. The only other time I have been West is in what seems like another life when I was flown out to Seattle to shoot video for a parrot training video. I guess I'm one of those Fort Wayners who has never hardly been anywhere...

Octoberfest Volleyball Tourney

Thanks to Amy Welborn, former Fort Wayne resident and Catholic writer, for inspiring the idea for this tournament. In her post here she basically blames the Amish, and peoples of German heritage, for Fort Wayne problems. Actually, she has changed the wording but Leo Morris has what she wrote in it's original form here.

Related posts here and here.

Skydive Fort Wayne

Those looking for something to do in the area might find skydiving as an option. I went with some friends in the league last Sunday and some pictures are below:





These were tandem jumps so it didn't require a lot of training to go. In fact, it took very little training, but what was given was professionally offered. For more info on going skydiving click here: Skydive Fort Wayne

Basically you fill out some paperwork, get some instruction, wait awhile, get in the plane accompanied by instruction, climb to 10000 feet, free fall 5000 feet, fall and get instructions on spinning and landing your floating kite, and then you hit the ground. To me it was like jumping down into a Google Earth map even up until the last few feet...

Spiece on Ice?

Press release: here

"A local development group, 3 Sheets Development, LLC, submitted plans today to develop 22 acres of land on Lima and Wells Streets, across from Glenbrook Commons. The first parcel to be developed will be a facility with three sheets of ice that the group calls “Spiece on Ice,” a reference to the successful basketball center located just a mile north on Lima, to indicate the sort of regional draw they expect to bring to the facility, as hockey leagues from several states will hold tournaments and events there."

People have asked me about a full indoor/outdoor volleyball facility for Fort Wayne but they just don't understand what is involved... One reason I can make volleyball succeed in Fort Wayne is that I'm hoisting a lot of things on to myself that are normally delegated to multiple people. And we already have a summer facility (River City), which is the backbone of our success. I'm more of the belief that Fair Play Volleyball is better in a supporting role at this time... helping River City, Spiece or the Plex in their mission. Check back with me in 6 to 12 years.

We are working on following the Spiece model for volleyball. We now have 7 beach courts (including the 2 at the Plex) for a big beach invitational. Since volleyball is so portable a tourney could always be had on a big patch of grass or in the Coliseum.

Related Links here: here and here

"Spiece on Ice" isn't totally accurate as Spiece didn't use any public funds to get going, or have business handed to them.

Rent for Space

There is space for rent at River City. Call 422-0233 for more info...


There are more current renters than indicated on the sign. Besides River City Bar & Grill, C & M Auto, Vend Pro and Chem Tech, there is also Green and Growing Landscapes, Paul Miller Auto Repair, Fair Play Volleyball, Neukin Motor Development, River City Links and Lentz Trucking... Also Misener Electronics has moved out to the former grocery store location on Coombs.

USA Wins Gold

The second best story of the Olympics is the U.S.A. winning men's volleyball in the Beijing Olympics. Woodburn native and starting setter, Lloy Ball, playing in his fourth Olympiad, gets his first medal.

For those in the leagues who are used to playing indoor and have struggled playing beach volleyball Ball hasn't really been that great out on the beach courts at River City when he has had a chance to come out and play. But obviously his priorities are different and if he had taken it up it probably would have been a different story. But still, I'm hoping that gives some encouragement to players who don't give the beach enough of a chance...

Two Fair Play players and Lloy Ball in downtown Fort Wayne.

Bobby Knight once tried to recruit Ball to play basketball at I.U.

Periphery

The Fort Wayne Blogosphere isn't the only webspot with discussion re: local issues. On the periphery are some of the local news sites: Fox's Homepage.net, WANE's Fort Wayne Forum, Fort Wayne.com Discussion Board ESPN-IPFW

WPTA has a "Give us your 2¢" but doesn't seem to have anything discussion oriented. I guess that also means your viewpoint is only worth 2 cents...

You can find my links to the local blogosphere under link to the left: Local blogs and boards

SaveMaumee.Org Flyer - August 9th, 2008 Event