Soccer players, senior citizens face off

Das, What is the matter with you? What were you hoping to gain by calling children that you don't even know "brats". The childrens behavior was superior to your own, it seems they know the meaning of the word respect far better than you.

It seems as if the the complaints about the protesters have originated primarily from the seniors who were surprised that their project would be protested. In reality, the kids were primarily respectful and quiet; it was by no means a loud or angry protest. The seniors who have complained need to realize that the protest was not about their new senior center, it was about the poor planning and deceptive practices from our county administrators. Remember that this country was founded on the right of citizens to protest against unfair government practices. The seniors should know this better than anybody. I'm sure they are all members of AARP, one of the 'kings' of protest organization and political activism. The seniors of the Southport area deserve a new center, but no more and no less than the kids of the Southport area deserve soccer fields.

As a person who was present at the "protest" I feel the need to speak out regarding the image being portrayed of the youth who also attended. Unfortunately some of the comments cited are true. 2 soccer balls were kicked from the bleachers to the area behind the podium (approx. 15 feet behind it). What appeared to be the girls' varsity soccer team did form a circle (approx. 70+ feet behind the tent area) and began to run thru a drill-type activity where they passed the ball across the circle to a teammate. And yes, a ball was kicked from this circle to the meals-on-wheels bus which was located directly beside the tent. What has NOT been revealed is the fact that EACH of these disrespectful acts were either instigated by or actually carried-out by a female ADULT who I've been told is the girls' assistant coach. She conducted herself in a shameful manner and set a poor example for the youth. Hopefully they will see how the negative actions of one person can reflect negativity on a whole group and learn a valuable lesson from her mistakes. John Goelz (President of the Southport-Oak Island Youth Soccer Assoc.) thankfully intervened with this individual and the disrespectful actions seemed to come to a halt. The younger children in-attendance sat quietly in the bleachers and simply held their signs. They certainly do not deserve to be labeled "spoiled brats". Thank the Lord that the vast majority of senior citizens in our area enjoy being around children, unlike the many of those posting messages here! I will have to take my own advice and remember that a few bitter, grumpy old people do not reflect the opinions of everyone!

You need a vacation. On a lighter note.... you do deserve respect and special consideration. If we do not look out for your interests IE: a nice up to date center, who will? I am sure you are active (well, your fingers are) but not all older folks have the same luxuries as you. A lot of them are alone, poor and shut in. They need a place to interact and stay active mentally and physically. Most of them get their first PC experiences at senior centers and they get to do super-duper fun things like read your comments online. Laughter keeps you young, ya know?

old people need to get a life and let the yougn people enjoy life.....

As a resident of St. James AND one of the parents who brought their children to the "protest" yesterday, I feel the need to clarify a point made. The residents of St. James are very active in the community of Southport and Brunswick County. Many volunteer in the public schools as tutors, mentors, and in youth recreational activities. They volunteer at area hospitals, churches and skilled nursing facilities. The service clubs of St. James provide support (financial and otherwise) to MANY organizations throughout Southport and Brunswick County. Yes, they pay their taxes. Yes, they vote in elections. They should not be criticized for those acts. I sincerely doubt the events that have taken place leading to the construction of a senior citizen center on the site of the soccer fields are the result of the county commissioners "pandering" to the St. James residents. The residents I have the privilege of knowing would never support taking any organized programs from the area youth. At the heart of this problem is the fact that our elected, local officials are seemingly unable (unwilling) to develop a comprehensive plan to meet the needs of both populations involved. A plan for alternate soccer facilities to replace those being destroyed for the new center should have been developed months ago. The president of the soccer association should have been informed so the information could have been effectively communicated to the children/families involved. Instead, our county commissioners minimized the importance of organized youth activities by suggesting the baseball fields be converted into soccer fields. (Perhaps they'd prefer to see children in baseball uniforms protesting next time!) Have these individuals done any research on the correlation between crime rates and lack of organized/supervised programs for the youth of a community? Obviously they are capable of doing a better job. Hopefully they will get to work on a solution.

As a resident of St. James AND one of the parents who brought their children to the "protest" yesterday, I feel the need to clarify a point made. The residents of St. James are very active in the community of Southport and Brunswick County. Many volunteer in the public schools as tutors, mentors, and in youth recreational activities. They volunteer at area hospitals, churches and skilled nursing facilities. The service clubs of St. James provide support (financial and otherwise) to MANY organizations throughout Southport and Brunswick County. Yes, they pay their taxes. Yes, they vote in elections. They should not be criticized for those acts. I sincerely doubt the events that have taken place leading to the construction of a senior citizen center on the site of the soccer fields are the result of the county commissioners "pandering" to the St. James residents. The residents I have the privilege of knowing would never support taking any organized programs from the area youth. At the heart of this problem is the fact that our elected, local officials are seemingly unable (unwilling) to develop a comprehensive plan to meet the needs of both populations involved. A plan for alternate soccer facilities to replace those being destroyed for the new center should have been developed months ago. The president of the soccer association should have been informed so the information could have been effectively communicated to the children/families involved. Instead, our county commissioners minimized the importance of organized youth activities by suggesting the baseball fields be converted into soccer fields. (Perhaps they'd prefer to see children in baseball uniforms protesting next time!) Have these individuals done any research on the correlation between crime rates and lack of organized/supervised programs for the youth of a community? Obviously they are capable of doing a better job. Hopefully they will get to work on a solution.

It's important to understand that 10 soccer fields does not mean they are all regulation size fields. There is only 1 full size field at Smithville Park, the other nine are modified fields for the younger age groups. The Ogden/Eaton soccer complex you refer to is lined for 17 fields: 3 regulation and 14 modified. The Ogden/Eaton complex also has twice as many acres as Smithville Park in Southport. No one in the Southport Soccer community objects to building a new senior center. It is needed. But we do object to being blindsided by the county with the loss of fields and no plan or funding in place to replace them. Kids are people, too, and THEY deserve THE USE OF COUNTY PROPERTY just as much as anybody else. Finally, regarding the protest...consider reversing the situation. The county goes to the senior center and says, "we need your building for a new day care center. You will lose your building in less than 90 days. And by the way, we have no plans or funding to give you another one." How long would it take for the seniors to be protesting on Howe Street?

Why take away soccer fields when there are several other useful places to build a center. I could understand your point if there were no other places to build this center, but there are...and several ones. Why take away a soccer field just to try and get money in next year's budget to build them back up. Sounds like a waste of money to me