Sure, half of all Bedford Middle and Staples High School students are not on campus, at any given time.
But with most parents opting to drive and pick up their youngsters — some buses reportedly carry only 1 or 2 kids — traffic on North Avenue and nearby streets has been heavy, at the start and finish of the school days.
It may take a few days to sort out what works. Until then: Avoid those areas at those times if you can.
Bedford Middle School traffic, yesterday afternoon. (Photo/Adam Vengrow)
It’s a win-win: The Westport Library and the Ruden Report.
Ruden — a Staples High School graduate whose website, Instagram and Facebook platforms are the go-to sources for coverage of Fairfield County high school sports — are collaborating on a new project: The Ruden Report Live at the Library.
The show debuts today (Thursday, September 10, 7 p.m.) from the Library’s Forum. Tonight’s topic: the recent decision to cancel this year’s high school football season. Guests include noted New Canaan High coach Lou Marinelli, St. Joseph’s Jack Wallace (2019 Gatorade Connecticut Player of the Year), and Jeff Jacobs, sports columnist at GameTime CT and Hearst Media CT.
Upcoming Ruden Reports will be recorded in the libary’s media studios. Some shows will be streamed live.
Ruden has been a sportswriter for over 35 years. He has written for the New York Times, and worked at ESPN and CBS Sports.
Dave Ruden at work.
Speaking of sports: Staples football players joined hundreds of others from around the state yesterday in Hartford. They protested the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference and state Department of Public Health decision to cancel this fall’s high school football season.
Tonight at 7 p.m., former CNN, NBC Sports and Fox News anchor (and Westport resident) Dave Briggs interviews Wrecker head football coach Adam Behrends on Instagram Live. You can hear the discussion @WestportMagazine.
A small part of the large crowd in Hartford yesterday. (Photo/Dave Briggs)
This Saturday is Local Yarn Store Day. And Westport’s local yarn store — called, appropriately enough, Westport Yarns — is celebrating big time.
The shop across from Fresh Market offers free 45-minute lessons at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. Three people (12 years old and over) will get yarn and needles, and learn how to knit. At 12 and 2 p.m., there are free crochet lessons. To register, call 203-454-4300.
In addition, there are hand-dyed yarns for purchase. Earlier this year, a similar trunk show sold out quickly.
Rumor has it that Westport’s yarn bomber may stop by. No promises, but hey. You never know.
One of the yarn bomber’s first works, at fire headquarters. Westport Yarns is just a few yards away. (Photo/Molly Alger)
Speaking of cars: After a careful look at COVID requirements and a review with town officials, organizers have canceled the Concours and “Cars & Coffee” events set for October 4, in downtown Westport.
However, the “Tour d’Caffeine” is still on. The socially distanced ride through Fairfield County’s back roads ends with lunch at the Redding Roadhouse. It is limited to the first 25 who sign up. Click here to register.
And finally … in honor of Local Yarn Store Day:
Why is it so important that high school students play football during this pandemic? How can the players self-distance and still play the game? A contact sport with no contact?
Joyce, you do know the NFL ‘kicks’ their season off tonight right? HS football is very important to not only the players, but the communities they reside in. I’m with the Staples and other area schools, they should be playing.
James Waldron – Why is HS football very important? Why should they be playing? I am genuinely curious.
Of course…my views only Joyce. Many HS football players and for that matter other HS sports athletes were/are being recruited by colleges. Jr year, and to some degree Sr. yr, is an important period from a recruiting/potential scholarship standpoint. And of course in this area, its as important, if not more important to the parents from a bragging perspective :-). Many boys have been playing football since they were 8 yrs old, perhaps younger. To many of those same boys HS is their last opportunity. It’s emotional. You look forward to something and its taken away. Now I understand you may not get that.
What’s your take on soccer? Field hockey? Contact happens in those sports as well albeit not as much.
Take KC tonite, money line.
You would not understand………..kinda like explaining motherhood to a bull.
Why are they called bombs?
Just a few random thoughts regarding the football Comments above.
First, I 100% understand that it is tearing the kids apart that they are being told that they cannot play Football, BUT there are so many issues here:
1) the fact that the NFL season kicks off tonight is so irrelevant to this discussion. The NHL and NBA have been incredibly successful due to the fact that they have been isolated in a bubble for months now.
As you all know, the NFL season will not be held in a bubble. They are testing constantly but the teams will going from city to city, which could cause
problems soon enough, but most importantly it remains to be seen whether
the NFL will get in 16 games, 8 games, 6 games….who knows whether it goes successfully or implodes? But the nature of the sport itself, unlike ANY other, leads the Health professionals to say that it is too risky for high school kids who may end up with the virus—-as a direct result of playing games— and then asymptomatically possibly bring it home to a parent or grandparent.
So please don’t use the NFL as a barometer of whether High School football should be occurring. Also, “JW” comments above that it’s imperative for college recruiting purposes. Please check the statistics on how many kids go on to play college ball at any level….it’s miniscule.
Also, “bragging rights”….. really? I know that statement was genuinely made by “JW”, but —in my opinion —it’s a sad commentary of how parents get ridiculously wrapped up in living vicariously through their athlete children, with the parents SO OFTEN caring more than the kids in fact do.
Again, the players are brokenhearted…..I get that completely, and it sucks, but this isn’t a punishment being doled out by those that oversee……if only feels that way.
To the parents that are bouncing off the walls at home since their child won’t be competing, please understand that your player is taking cues on how to react to this situation not only from his teammates, but from you too.
Finally, if you believe that your team would almost certainly be playing right now IF the US leadership had handled the Virus outbreak with honesty and proper precautions, then do what you can when early November rolls around.
Thank you B.T…but I never used the word, ‘imperative’, please reread my post. I am more than aware how many boys go on to play college ball. Not all earn scholarships. They play for fun.From D1-D3 there are quite a few schools that offer college football, I believe that number approaches if not exceeds 1,000+ (pre-covid). Because you’re not being featured on ESPN doesn’t mean you’re not participating.
Sad commentary, spot on. Many kids, across many sports, are playing school sports, travel teams, etc., simply because a parent wants to say at the next cocktail party, ‘My son is a 2030 and he/she has verbally accepted to the Duke lax program..’. Happens here…trust me. All b.s.
And please stop with the political rhetoric which had nothing to do with the original post, there’s more to life than CNN.
Not a fan of ‘initial’ names, please use James when addressing me.
Thanks B.T.
It seems to boil down to the kids should play football because they really, really want to and there are many adults who really, really want to watch them play. Not good enough reasons for me when it could actually mean life or death.