Thomas Rubino<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
NT, I come to you today with questions rather than answers. Sometimes a journalist is so defied against his inquisitive duties that he must cast off the shackles of his
\nself-perceived omniscience and embrace his own ignorance, however seldom it may
\nsurface. I am dumbfounded, bewildered, and flabbergasted by our school\u2019s policy
\nof keeping captive those hulking, magnificent beasts of iron that can be found
\nchained to the western wall of NT\u2019s field. Perhaps they were once free to roam
\nthe field, free to be dragged by aspiring athletes who would use them in order
\nto kick balls. But now they are confined to a life of misery, staring at the
\nwalls of a magnificent field where they would prefer nothing more than to
\nsimply move and experience the lovely artificial field.<\/p>\n
If you haven\u2019t realized by now that I\u2019m referring to the school\u2019s soccer and field hockey nets, don\u2019t feel bad. That was a pretty outlandish exercise in personification and I do apologize for any stress it might\u2019ve caused my dear readers. Getting closer to the point,
\nI\u2019ve begged the question for the entire year, now: Why must the nets be chained
\nup for the majority of the time? I personally have no idea whether this is a
\nboard-wide mandate, meant to be strictly abided by every public school in the
\nGTA, or simply the judgment of our school\u2019s own administration. Given my
\nimpressive lack of knowledge on this issue, we unfortunately cannot play the
\nblame game here, as fun as it is. All I can do is relay my frustrating
\nexperiences and put together an argument in favour of a change of policy; a
\nchange which would allow the public, as well as the NT student body, to enjoy
\nthe wonderful facility we are so privileged to own.<\/p>\n
I play soccer with friends fairly frequently and it really has become a problem to find a field worth playing on. At the time I\u2019m writing this article, Toronto FC is 0 and 8. That means 0 wins and 8 losses to start the season \u2013 the worst start to a season ever seen in the MLS. I can\u2019t help but think that our poor parks department is partly to blame
\nfor this embarrassing record, in that the geography of our city itself is not
\nconducive for the incubation of homegrown talent. Every time I visit New York (which is
\nfrequent since I have family there), I\u2019m always struck by the wealth of proper
\nfields and basketball courts visible outside the windows of the downtown train.
\nOur school is very lucky to have one such facility in the form of the
\nmagnificent turf field outside our school \u2013 a venue much less prone to
\nenvironmental degradation without requiring much maintenance. All I\u2019m saying is
\nwe should be able to take advantage of it.<\/p>\n
If the nets were to be unchained, more people could come and enjoy the field on the weekend, barring any permit-backed reservations of course. Why should we care about other people\u2019s recreation, though? Well, first off, it\u2019s not just the surrounding community
\nbut us as well. There\u2019s a huge amount of highschoolers who would benefit from
\nsome much needed physical release away from our constant busy-ness. But more importantly, our home field, complete with our very own nets, would be an amazing way to showcase our school and all the wonderful things it has to offer. Think of it
\nas a tourist attraction. More people visiting means more people interested in
\nNT which would result in the further growth of our amazing school and more
\nmoney flowing into it.<\/p>\n
Now I\u2019m no rocket scientist, but even I can recognize some of the reasons we might chain up the gates and nets. The main rationale I can think of is the possible threat of vandalism \u2013 delinquents loitering on the field, tossing beer bottles and whatnot, as well
\nas damaging the pristine soccer nets. But there are problems with this logic.
\nFirst and foremost, your average hoodlum is not deterred by fences unless they
\nhave barbed wire on the top. Second, the fences we do have are easily traversed
\nby your average 7-year old. Third, who is going to try and destroy or steal one
\nof the massive soccer nets? I doubt even the most determined drunkard would be
\nwilling to spend all night chipping away at one of the nets, never mind
\nattempting to steal it. Even the worst people out there recognize that a field
\nis a good thing that is entitled to a modicum of respect. I think we are all
\nunderestimating human morals when we remain in fear over the possible
\ndestruction that may be visited upon our beloved facilities.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d like to see a North Toronto where our field becomes a destination for people to be
\nactive and enjoy what is truly an amazing place. I hope the field begins to
\nserve those who it was made for \u2013 the students of NTCI.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Thomas Rubino NT, I come to you today with questions rather than answers. Sometimes a journalist is so defied against his inquisitive duties that he must cast off the shackles of his self-perceived omniscience and embrace his own ignorance, … Continue reading