Posted by livinginthorsby (anonymous) on May 22, 2009 at 9:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)

It's about time! Maybe now everyone that signs their child up will pay the registration fees.

Posted by happygirl1 (anonymous) on May 22, 2009 at 10:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Way to go Mayor Hilyer, if this had been done before now we would not be in the negative this year. It was a mess last year and thank you for finally standing up for the parents and kids and listening to the complaints of how some members did not need control over anything, espically that kind of money. I know that it takes alot of money but I also know that it was mis managed. You had cheerleaders that paid 150.00 for a cheap made uniform that fell apart, and I do mean cheap the uniforms listed for 45.00. i looked it up off of the tags, along with bags that i personally had to cut the zipper out the very first time we used it and for a pair of shoes that they decided not to purchase, but did we get the money back for them? Let's see NO!!!!!!!! They informed us they upgraded the pom-poms that were over priced, so i can speak for myself and probably alot of the parents that has had the pleasure of working with some of the members,Thank You. Do not get me wrong, there were some great members on the board, it was just that the ones with all the control were the ones who made such a mess. Again thanks Mayor Hilyer !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and the town council.All we ever wanted was for our kids to be able to participate in these sports and not have to worry about the money being mismanaged. Thank you to the town counsil

Posted by gardenkeeper7 (anonymous) on May 22, 2009 at 11:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Whatever happened to paying $40 for registration fees, buying uniforms from local businesses that cost no more than $60 (mind you they were very basic..no whistles and bells), and the parents signing up with the Team Mom to work the concession stand rather than paying this as part of the registration fee? And....at our team party, all the parents paid $15 to cover the cost of the trophy, coaches' gifts, and the hot dogs! This worked extremely well back in the day.......when Tim & Darlene Carter, Gary & Judy Cleckler, and Wade & Vanessa Langston were highly successful managers of the Park and Recreation Board???? Boy.......those were the days!

Posted by mom223 (anonymous) on May 22, 2009 at 2:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I am so proud of Mayor Hilyer for taking a stand for our kids. It's hard enough to come up with money in the first place for our children to play sports to have someone mismanage our money is really discouraging. I see this mess going in the right direction now and I know Mr. Hilyer is going to do what's best for our children. Good Job Mayor!!!!

Posted by me (anonymous) on May 22, 2009 at 2:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I would like to say that cheerleading was not a mess last year. We had great uniforms (though some were a little ill-fitting, but we worked through it) and all the bills were paid, in addition to having a very nice recognition program at the end of the season for football and cheerleading. We will get to use the same uniforms for several years, like we used to in the past.
Let's please remember that everyone volunteers for these posts, and it is open to anyone who meets the criteria set forth by the town. Granted, there is no application process, as you would if applying for a job. You can't find out what a person's strengths or weaknesses are until they have already gotten in knee deep, and sometimes that becomes a problem. Everyone who volunteers wants to do a good job, they just don't always have the talents to do it. Let's not bash these people too much.If this kind of thing keeps up, pretty soon there won't be anybody volunteering to do anything. Do you think the City Council is going to show up and work in the concession stand? I highly doubt it.And if they did show up that one time, I promise you they would not be there for 40-60 games of baseball or even the 16-18 games of football(all ages).I just don't want to see good, civic minded people thrown under the bus. Re-vamp it if you feel the need, but eventually you will need volunteers.There is not a town in this county that will be able to pay for the amount of work that is needed to run these sports programs.If we are not careful, we will be saying "remember the days when we had Little League sports, and it was relatively affordable for anyone?" The only thing left will be travel teams that cost an arm and leg and are only for the most talented elite. You'll be wishing for some of those volunteers then, even if they didn't make the best uniform decisions or had really lame fundraising ideas. I applaud the people who try, even when I don't agree with their choices. Next year, I could always volunteer!

Posted by THORSBYishome (anonymous) on May 22, 2009 at 9:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

KW: Thorsby is a great place to live and a great place to play sports. In my opinion it certainly isn't a place to avoid.

I would have to disagree with the cheerleading program as they had a good program and did some things differently but I personally thought they were touching and made for some great memories they also had some very high numbers of players and cheerleaders. Cheering is just expensive that's just a fact, and that's anywhere you go.

Thorsby has some really good members on this board, they care about the kids, their hearts are in it and they take time away from their families to make this program as good as it can be.

The positive things aren't mentioned in the story but there are positive things that some of these board members have done. PLEASE DO NOT JUDGE ALL OF THESE PEOPLE ON THIS BOARD. Because some of these board members have put their blood, sweat, tears, heart and soul into these programs and they do not deserve to be look down upon.

Together they can be better and stronger than before, and I pray that everyone on the outside looking in will not judge and I pray for the park & recreation board members, the town council, and the mayor as they go through this.

Posted by happygirl1 (anonymous) on May 23, 2009 at 1:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Well me, we did have the opportunity to use a local person who does a great job and makes alot of the softball uniforms that you see the kids wearing, and are better made and was offered at almost 1/2 the price we paid. But we were not asked. Yes I know that it was hard on you and you did the best you could as far as parents working, but some things you did have control over. I do have one more question, who pays for the football players jersey? Alot of things could have been better if we wanted them to be, so i am not sorry about this change at all. I had no problem with paying for my childs fees instead of doing fundraiser, but I am thankful we could, but alot of parents are not. We started the fundraiser and it got stopped half way thru, so what were the parents to do. I only got upset one time and that was because at the isabella game you showed your true colors by tell one of the sponsors that there better be cheerleaders on that field because you had to be there and you tuffed it out. You were very ugly and I did not care if it did count against her as you threatened. I came and I help put ponchos on the kids that you told needed to stay and I went home. Those kids had no business being on that field with it raining so hard. You can not tell me that is safe. The only thing that was said by you was if the boys are doing it so are the cheerleaders. I still wonder were large amount of money went cause it sure was not used to benefit the kids.

Posted by travlr423 (anonymous) on May 23, 2009 at 8:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)

from the suggestions of happygirl1's comments it sounds like its more about the adults and who can feel important and in charge than about the children.

Posted by steve42 (anonymous) on May 23, 2009 at 9:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

travlr, how long do you think it has been since youth athletics has been truly about the kids? Adults get out there and embarrass their kids on a daily basis.

"anonymous me", I don't know every council member, but I do know the Mayor and one council member, and I have no problem imagining them out there working the concession stand.

There is truth in the idea that you can't expect every volunteer to be great in every situation, but if in fact parents were paying $150 for uniforms that could be had for $45 with just a little bit of effort, that's a level of incompetence that can't be allowed to continue. Folks work too hard for their money to be expected to stand for that kind of waste.

Posted by notnalC (anonymous) on May 23, 2009 at 3:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)

So 1 out of 14 park and rec board members actually went to the council meeting after being invited?

Posted by travlr423 (anonymous) on May 23, 2009 at 11:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)

steve42, you are correct. its not really about the kids having fun and most certainly the kids are not learning very good social skills from the adults involved whether they have a duty or whether they are just sitting on the bleachers to support the children. there's so much drama and ignorance from the adults they spend more time embarrassing the children than supporting them. my wife and daughter used to go watch her niece play softball at jemison and there was so much drama between the adults, coaches and umpires and when i say drama i'm referring to threats, profanity, arguing and even adults being disrespectful to the little children playing my wife and daughter just quit going.

Posted by travlr423 (anonymous) on May 23, 2009 at 11:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I did play football one year in shcool and i did not enjoy it really at all. but all the kids i grew up with we played in a big field on the farm all the time. base ball, soft ball, football , and basket ball and we loved it, but it was just us kids being kids and having fun, no adults to ruin it for us. now I'm 43 and those are the fun times i remember just me and all my great friends being kids and having the time of our life.

Posted by happygirl1 (anonymous) on May 24, 2009 at 12:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I think that every park and rec has the same issues. I support my child and I will always encourge her to play sports, but I also want her to learn that with a little effort things can be better, this is not just one or two people who got together on a witch hunt, I really think they had every right to be upset. I grew up in thorsby and I always played sports. Park and rec had issues then just like now and it is every town. Parents need to teach there children to help others and respect leaders, but at the same time stand up for what you believe in. But when you do not have the leaders in place it hurts. Please do not get me wrong there are great people on the board but I think it needs alot of work and I am glad to see it coming. Parents need to get out and support there kids and the other kids on the team as well. We wanted to sell things at the candy fundraiser and I was to help a certain child that is close with my daughter, but I was told no we can only use it for our child. we were able to pay for her and we wanted to help this family out. We were told we had no say so and it would go in the group fund, and that is wrong I wanted to help my friend. think with the right leaders and town co. it will get better.

Posted by ThorsbyMoma2 (anonymous) on May 24, 2009 at 11:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I just want to say that the whole problem with the Park and Rec board started when Tom Bentley became mayor of Thorsby. He came in and "fired"{Remember, these people were never even paid} the park and rec board members that had as far back as I can remember worked to build this program up. These people were Gary and Judy Cleckler,Wade and Vanessa Langston and Tim and Darlene Carter just to name a few. The program back then was outstanding, this was when the New Parks in Thorsby were built and if it hadn't been for these people those parks would not be there. Anyways, in my opinion things would still going great if Tom had left things alone!!!

Posted by travlr423 (anonymous) on May 25, 2009 at 11:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)

well thorsbymoma2, the iron curtain has been taken down and Bentley ville can once again be called thorsby. my mother and stepfather live in thorsby she thinks there is no where else. there is thorsby, down below and up above.
she has always lived in thorsby in fact i think she is considered a historical landmark in thorsby. i think thorsby is headed in a positive direction now. with the new mayor and the new chief and a wise council things are definitely looking up. its almost like it took a half century for the residents of thorsby to figure out they had a voice and the right to exercise it. VOTE, VOTE, VOTE. IT MATTERS.

Posted by travlr423 (anonymous) on May 25, 2009 at 11:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)

BY THE WAY, just for the record i have nothing against the Bentley family personally. i just know a change in leadership for thorsby has been a long time coming.

Posted by happygirl1 (anonymous) on May 25, 2009 at 9:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)

AMEN TRAVLR423 about the previous board and the new mayor. There were times when park and rec had issues back then but back then it was with each other or parents you never saw the children suffering from what they were fussing over, last year it really did not matter who was there children or not. Again I know some of them worked very hard, but if you can not handle the lead role be nice enough to step down when you are having so many people complaining about you! Looking foward to more changes, I had already told my child she could not cheer this year but I might just change my mind.

Posted by ObieEvans (anonymous) on May 26, 2009 at 6:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Dixie Softball stands by ready to do whatever it can to help girls softball in the Thorsby and North Chilton County areas. Thorsby was always one of the places I tried to visit every year. There were good people and good softball played there. The hospitality at Thorsby was number one in by book. The girls deserve to play in a program that is dedicated to all of the girls and not just those who have better playing ability. Thorsby was once at the top of the heap and they can do it again.

Softball in the Chilton County and Shelby County areas used to be for all of the girls but I understand that tournament/travel and even school ball is the main interest in old Dixie Softball programs like Columbiana, Clanton, Montevallo, Alabaster, Helena, Calera and Pelham. If any of these areas, along with the Thorsby area, would like to once again be a part of the Dixie Softball family and bring back community ball as it should be.

Remember when there were no tournament fees? All girls got to play in every game they attended regardless of playing ability? Well it can once again be that way. Contact Dixie Softball at: 1101 Skelton Dr., Birmingham, AL 35224 or call 205-785-2255.

Obie Evans
National President

Posted by TeamStrikeZone (anonymous) on June 4, 2009 at 9:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I was on the board for 5 years on 2 different occasions. In those 5 years it was the same 7-8 people that were at work-days laying base paths, mound placement, field dragging, building maintenance and so forth. There was 2 years ago when myself and 1 other P&R member laid 6 pallets of sod paid from our own pockets to make the parks appearance shine. With the guidelines set forth of having to be within the city limits and so forth....there were fewer and fewer people willing to sacrifice the time that had to be spent on P&R stuff. The ones that have served knew that for the most part they werent coming back on board just to do all the work again without the support of the parents that for the most part thought the park fairies came in one night and sprinkled the fields with chalk, picked up trash, cleaned the nasty toilets, ran the concession stands.

The concession stand is a horrific chore for anyone. By prepaying it allows families to spend their time in there and get that money back. Prior to charging that fee....parents were given scheduled times to work and 50% of the time they never showed and a board member had to be called in to help them out just so the kids wouldnt stand in line for 20-30 mnutes each time with the 1 board member in there by themselves.

Mr. Dixie Softball,
Maybe you should realize that in the first year speaking for Thorsby/Jemison alone - Softball registration went from 69 girls to 113, this past spring in a dying economy the numbers were only down to 97 - so basically they lost a team. Furthermore, you have coaches that have been there and players as well - atleast willing to participate in softball all-stars where they have a format that is beneficial to every team instead of playing 2 n out because a pitcher can only pitch 2 innings. Dixie had its day - they were memorable moments but with all other assocations out there trully showing that by getting better gets you ahead and not that money can can by you field time it makes kids work harder.

Robert McManus

Posted by tellmeitaintso (anonymous) on July 5, 2009 at 8:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Please remember that the kids should come first. I worked hard along with a few others for nearly 25 years to get this program where it was and it is going down each year since. I am not patting myself on the back but it can be the best again. I think if you will go back and look at the rosters you will see where Thorsby and Jemison fielded over 150 girls each year while playing Dixie..

I think the new Mayor and Council is headed in the right direction and I am grateful to them.

I am not going to get into a shoving match in the paper but I feel Dixie is a very good program for all the good players nd weak . I also know that the girls can play both. Some people just can not afford to play travel ball and the weaker players are left behind.

Enough said. Now lets get these adult problems out of the way and let the kids play (number one to have fun and number two to win games). That is the way they should be treated on the field. Fun first, winning second. Let them have fun and the winning will take place.I know this from 25 yearsa of coaching.