Too much athletic direction
Our house phone rarely rings. Between the ease of texting someone a brief question and our schedule often being the opposite of everyone else’s, the number of times a day it rings dwindled to next to nothing. We wouldn’t even keep the thing on, but the cellphone service is still so sketchy that, if there were ever a fire or burglar, I would have to try to perch myself in the window of the living room to call for help.
That window is the only place in the house there is enough service – if it isn’t too cloudy, mind you – to make a call. And even then, I have to use speaker phone because I can’t move the phone an inch or risk dropping the connection.
Regardless, it was with some surprise that the phone began ringing more frequently over the summer and into fall. For a while, I ran to the phone with the excitement of a teenager expecting it to be a long-lost friend, a favorite family member or someone calling to tell me a bag of money with my name on it was found and where I could collect it.
But alas, the majority of the time, it was none of those people. It wasn’t even a telemarketer, surveyor, bill collector or politician. It wasn’t a neighbor telling me we had loose livestock, and it wasn’t the doctor confirming an appointment.
It was Ed Dalton.
Not the man, himself, but a recorded, robo-dialed version of him. As athletic director of our McGuffey High School, he takes an active interest in the students and sports activities available to them. And, he has apparently made it his personal mission to ensure every person in the district is aware these opportunities exist.
Utilizing the school’s system for notifying parents of early dismissals, delays and emergencies in the district, Mr. Dalton keeps us informed of when booster meetings, sign-ups and important games/matches will take place. And he does so for every sport. Every single one of them.
I have enough to keep track of with the practice and game schedules for the two sports my oldest daughter plays. Add to that my middle daughter’s activities, and don’t forget I have a son coming to the age of wanting to participate, and I think my life is pretty full. I really can’t concern myself with the schedules of every other sport offered in our district.
Now, please understand, I have no issue with Mr. Dalton outside of this. The handful of times I spoke with him, he seemed like a nice man. Every student interaction I have glimpsed has shown him to be a kind person who truly cares about the welfare of each child he encounters. These are excellent traits to have in our teachers and coaches.
I just don’t want to hear from him every day. So, until there is an option to opt out of these calls – or at least the ones that don’t pertain to my children – I’m going to admit that when I hear his voice, I hang up.
And I usually save that response for telemarketers.
Laura Zoeller can be reached at zoeller5@verizon.net.