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Press Talk: Covering 'kids' is just joy

Saturday, June 6 | 12:00 a.m.

Lou Brancaccio

Kids!

I don't know what's wrong with these kids today!

Kids!

Who can understand anything they say?

Kids!

They are so ridiculous and immature!

I don't see why anybody wants 'em!

Just you wait and see

What's the matter with kids today?

The song "Kids" came from the 1963 movie "Bye, Bye, Birdie" and was a lament from a mom who just couldn't understand her son.

Earlier this week, I attended a High School Athletic Awards dinner put on by the T.O.D.A.Y Foundation and — of course — none of the "kids" receiving awards were born when the movie came out. Heck, some of their parents might not have been born.

I thought of this song as the award winners came up on stage because there is an emphatic answer to the song's question "What's the matter with kids today?"

From the looks of this banquet … nothing!

How proud the parents and coaches must be of these outstanding young women and men. Clearly they deserve the recognition they received.

T.O.D.A.Y (The Organization Dedicated to Athletics & Youth) has given more than $600,000 in grants and scholarships benefitting more than 500 individuals, groups, and clubs. Its president is Randy Myers.

Yes, that Randy Myers!

Myers pitched in four All-Star games and played for seven major league teams. He was born in Vancouver and attended Clark College. Like many elite baseball players, he has made millions. And Myers is giving back to the community. This is one neat guy.

The Columbian was a part of the program. We were inducted into T.O.D.A.Y.'s Hall of Fame. The Reflector newspaper and Mark Doar, the owner of eight Round Table Pizza restaurants, also were honored.

The Columbian was honored, in part, for our coverage of youth sports and youth community activities.

Covering high school sports is one of our most rewarding jobs. It's also one of our most challenging jobs.

It's rewarding to us because we believe that local sports help define the quality and fabric of life in a community. Sports reflect the overall community: going through ups and downs; heartbreaks and joy; struggles and accomplishments; competitiveness and camaraderie.

It's challenging to us because parents look at newspaper sports coverage through a different set of lenses. Their children and the sports they compete in and the school their children attend are (and should be) the most important things to them. They see little logic in our coverage decision-making, unless we're covering their child, their sports, and their school.

And there's usually an untoward reason attached to our decisions when they are criticized: We have a child at another school; some big shot has a child at another school; we all have room temperature IQs down here.

But hey, that's part of life for those who work in the newspaper business. And — for us — the reward far outweighs the complaints. Frankly, we grow from it. Just as the kids grow from the sports they compete in.

So, congrats all! Especially to T.O.D.A.Y.'s athletes of the year:

-- Amanda Alvarez, Columbia River track.

-- Garrett Grayson, Heritage football.

If I were a betting man, I'd bet these kids have a much better chance at improving the world than my generation.

Lou Brancaccio is The Columbian's editor. Reach him at 360-735-4505 or lou.brancaccio@columbian.com.

by K Gero : 6/6/09 6:34am - Report Abuse

Lou: The Columbian does a great job in covering youth sports. I would love to see more on the fantastic students with their other school activities, merit achievements and their community efforts. This provides a great service in children responding to their peers in a productive manner. I have seen when you make note of school plays, concerts and so forth; but what about a headliner section similar to youth sports for youth activities and achievements that shines a brighter light on our kids? You have in the past spotlighted the youths who have delivered papers, why not spotlight a student each week? We know they are fantastic! Just a thought!!!

by Craig Sayre : 6/6/09 8:00am - Report Abuse

I'm not much of a sports fan, so don't spend much time in that section, but have noticed when you cover a particular student athlete. You did a wonderful job of following the story of the young football athlete who had cancer.

by Lou Brancaccio : 6/6/09 11:12am - Report Abuse

Thanks K. And Gero. There are lots of great students out there and we do quite a bit on them, not just athletes. We feel we have plenty of "sections" in the paper and you'll often find student stories on our front page, in the Clark County Section and in the Life Section. We like them all over the place.

by K Gero : 6/6/09 11:27am - Report Abuse

Lou: It just seemed to be mostly athletics covered regularly, but you are right. I'll just keep on enjoying the paper!

by Lou Brancaccio : 6/6/09 5:45pm - Report Abuse

Thanks. It's coming up on summer so there will be fewer school stories (both of athletes and non athletes) but come next Sept. -- for fun -- jot down every time you see a non athlete student in the paper. I'm not saying there aren't more athlete stories -- there are -- but I think we hit them pretty regularly. Check it out next Sept. and let me know.

by judy francis : 6/6/09 11:28pm - Report Abuse

I really enjoyed your column, Lou. I believe you are at your best when you let go of defensive posturing and focus on stories and those involved in those stories. At times, you can be quite attacking and negative. It is not the better part of your work and it's refreshing to see the focus where it belongs - on the accomplishment of our young people. Kudos, Lou.

by Lisa Henry : 6/10/09 8:35am - Report Abuse

Thank you for this wonderful celebration. There are countless fantastic young people in our county, not just athletes who we see featured regularly, but many outstanding musicians thanks to our Clark County music education culture(take that Portland!), Speech/Debate competitors, actors, scouts, Science competitors, leaders, and scholars. I'm grateful to be a part of our extraordinary youth culture here in Clark County and to raise my children here.

by Lou Brancaccio : 6/10/09 8:52am - Report Abuse

Thanks Lisa for the comment. Many, many young people are doing many, many good things. We try to feature some of them but we realize it's only the tip of the iceberg. I believe the next generation will do better than previous generations.

by Omahkohkiaayo I'poyi : 6/11/09 8:20am - Report Abuse

Lou says: "I believe the next generation will do better than previous generations."

The next generation, my children, will inherit a mess like no other generation has been handed to work with and build upon. They will have to have a lot more education and even formal schooling (not the same thing) than is reflected in some B.A. in Journalism, Ethnic/Gender/LGBT "Studies", Sociology, or some of the other soft and self-indulgent degree programs for those who need some paper but do not want to put in any serious sweat equity or rigorous training. They will not be able to count on being the "right" color, gender, religion or nationality for the kind of understood but often not open "affirmative action" (for propertied white, male, "Christian" types) that was institutionalized in the founding of the Republic. They will have to be multi-lingual and capable of changing careers at least 7 times in their lives (see "Shift Happens" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U) I often ask people if you were not doing your present job in your present industry, what else would you be qualified and competitive to do? It is amazing how many talk show hosts, journalists, managers, politicians etc are utterly unqualified to do anything else and not assuming what they are presently doing is worth writing home about.

The young of today will not be able to count on networking, dressing for success, connections in the Rotary or Kiwanis or the like to get them jobs for which they would otherwise not be competitive. They will not be able to count on covert networks of political patronage, meaningless awards embellishing meager resumes, inherited wealth, cronyism, nepotism and the like because the world and businesses in general, cannot afford these style-over-substance types that need such methods to score and hold a job for which they are manifestly unqualified. They will not be able to say "I don't like math and science so why do I have to study subjects I don't like, let me do a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and design my own degree". They will not be able to avoid substance, substantive issues and questions with folksy cliches and they will not be able to get job security by being a shill or lap dog for the privileged few with they inherited wealth that they also cannot take for granted as so many inherited fortunes are being lost. And they cannot count on being "God's Chosen"--born Americans--and doctrines like American triumphalism, exclusivism, preemption and nationalism to make them safe and comfortable in this world.

The "old days and ways" are gone or going--good riddance on the one hand, but a world full of unprecedented dangers and opportunitites on the other hand.

Day 5 of this column (infomercial): 9 comments--with mine--out of which 3 are from Lou.

Any message here?

by Ham Chuck : 6/15/09 3:13am - Report Abuse

Omah... Such a killjoy man. Children will find a way. When you did your time in school, there was no Wikipedia, no internets, no Twitter or other distractions, good or bad. But they get their own means of social networking. And they will move the country forward.

What the heck is a rotary of Kiwanis and why is it important is beyond me, or my keystrokes to Google it. But if it works, I'm sure they will find it.

The kids will find a way, as you did after WW2.