Tuesday was the first normal morning in a long time with the run and school. I would have loved to stay for lunch but that wasn't possible. I checked in with Doc. Johnson and got the information I wanted about our school and my class and drove home. I was working on this statement until 4:00 and would meet JJ at the gym and workout. Then it would be a very quick bite to eat and work until I had something I could show Megan and Tim.
I quickly reviewed the school information and decided that I would not put any of that in the statement as I would use it in answering questions. As with everything I write I started with a broad outline. The topics were; INTRODUCTIONS, TITLE IX, NON-PROFIT AND ACCOUNTABILITY AND OPENNESS. My aim was to keep it to 15 minutes and to keep it general enough to encourage questions and to make no conclusions or provide solutions to the concerns I had.
As soon as I started the Major called and he was quick and to the point. He had reminded the local media about Friday and had scheduled a press conference for Wednesday at 5:30. Then added JJ got a call from VT last night and you guys need to get down there. Mike, Maggie blew a gasket about her office being "invaded". Major, tell her I'll deal with her Thursday and remind her that security has keys to everything in my office as well. He laughed and said, actually I turned that over to Liam. I said, thanks Jim and hung up and turned my phone off.
Being totally focused I was moving along well, heck the introductions were easy with only a snide comment when I mentioned Cole. It would be my parents, brother and Tim and the Major. I decided to leave Liam out of the introductions, well for now. Title IX was a 20 year old federal law that essentially opened opportunity for sports for women. It would be an opportunity to indicate something that the PAAA did well, until it stopped short. That was remarkably easy and it was only 1:30 so I took a break and got some iced tea and turned on my phone. There were messages from Maggie, Liam and a New York number that I didn't recognize. I called Liam and he was laughing and asked I do you deal with that bitch in HR? Liam, she is all wind and bluster, just reminder her about the keys and that only Kyle and I can authorize security using a master key. Mike, Amy very quickly put her in her place and it's fine. I said thanks and hung up. I set the phone aside and went back to work.
The non-profit part was complicated as while the PAAA was a non-profit they didn't raise money and they had more than enough in the bank. They also didn't share well with their members. Each school paid a membership fee and I wondered if that was possible for a non-profit to have a membership fee. I was readily everything I could find on non-profits and finally decided not to get into the weeds. So it would be a general discussion of the responsibilities. Just then a horned blared and looked at the time, grabbed my bag for gym and a jacket then jumped in JJ's truck and we were off to workout. The workout was intense with very little talking and when we finished neither of had a dry spot on our tees. Even our gym shorts were wet. It was a quick trip to the sauna and a longish shower. Then JJ drove to the Tavern and when I protested he said MJ, I know you have had that damn statement written in your head for weeks. We are having a decent meal. At the Tavern JJ said that we would both have Arnold Palmers and Rubens and I would have a small salad and he would have fries. I shook my head and told JJ that I was capable of ordering my own food. JJ changed the subject and said that he had told Coach B that he would visit next weekend. I shrugged and said, have a nice trip. So you and you dad flying down? JJ was now mad and said well I was hoping you would fly down with me. Well you said you were going and I didn't hear an invite. Ok MJ, what the fuck is your problem? JJ you mean problems as Winnie's rents are pissed at her school choice and so am I, her uncle wants something, I have this meeting on Friday and next week I have to deal with Riley and tell her I don't have another position for her and now you are acting like I'm unable to order food. So MJ, you are in your game day mood? I laughed and said I guess. The rest of the meal was normal and I was driven home.
I sat down at my desk and just kept at it and just before 11:00 I had a rough draft. It wasn't long and it wasn't nasty but would result in a ton of questions. I sent emails and attached the rough draft and sent it to Tim, the Major and Megan. With that done, I waited for the comments and knew that there was still a lot of work to do and that there would be many changes. It was now past midnight and I jumped into bed.
Up with the alarm and in a great mood, I dressed for the run and turned on the coffee, so that it would be ready when I got back. At the driveway and Cole appeared and said MJ, mom is working on tour paper and is laughing and that's usually a good sign. Well Cole I'll have 24 hours to fix it so it will be what it becomes. As we got to JJ's house he appeared and we were off on our new and longer run. As it took a bit longer I was glad that I had started the coffee. There was no chatting as if by design we pushed it hard. At my place I took a cup of coffee and sat it on the sink in the bathroom and took a shower. Dress was work clothes and I finished the coffee as I dried off and dressed. At school it was the usual with everyone reviewing for final exams. They would be the end of next week, Thursday and Friday. They were of no concern for me but I wanted to do better in physics than Winnie but would never let her know about that. I stayed for lunch with Winnie and drove to the office.
The day was totally taken with Tim educating me on non-profits. Apparently he deleted the entire section and told me it was not about money but service and accountability. He felt that there was enough material there for me to concentrate on. He also suggested that I tie their actions with their mission statement. He liked the way I started with something they almost did well. Tim stayed until we were both satisfied with that section of the statement. It took 3 hours and I hadn't looked at Megan's comments.
Megan's comments were two. See Tim about the non-profits and address using their proper and formal titles and she outlined how I should introduce her asking that I include her JD. I laughed when she didn't mention George Washington Law School. Tim and I had reworked the Major part and I could easily correct the other items as per Megan's suggestions.
It was about 5:00 and I called the airport and asked that the twin engine Cessna be ready for 6:00 Thursday. Then I realized that even though I had eaten lunch I was hungry. I called Winnie and asked if her rents would let me take you for a casual bite to eat. She laughed and said Mick, they don't have a say about you and Uncle Bill took care of that. I laughed and said well I have a few things to do here, how about I get you at 6:00. She said fine and we hung up. I grabbed a bunch of folders and my papers and notes and headed to my place. There wasn't a lot of time but I organized the papers on my desk and left to get Winnie.
Winnie was ready when I pulled in the driveway, eliminating any meeting with her parents. She asked if I would please take her to the Tavern and agreed. When we went in, there were people there and she laughed as there was no greeting. I laughed and said well what do you expect, I'm a has been. We chatted with the owner and I ordered a bacon cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato and an Arnold Palmer. Winnie was still looking at the menus and finally said a Cobb salad and what he is drinking. Once we were alone she told me that she was not going to Harrisburg on Friday as it would be on TV as PNC was covering it. Besides she had a lot more finals to study for than I did. Well babe I on,y need to study for Physics. She smiled and said, well I've covered you ass all semester it time you earned your way. The conversation was good and we were in a good place with each other. I was wondering about her parents. I told her I had a chat with her uncle and she smiled and said, I know. The food was good and as usual there was no bill but I left a 20 and we made out a bit in her driveway and I headed home.
At my place I type up a final draft and hit print with 10 copies and I laughed anticipating dad's reaction as they would print on his printer as I had never bothered to get one. Megan was playing with Ashley and I sat down and we were talking. Dad appeared and handed me the copies and said since you used my ink and paper I took a copy. That's actually a great job but you know the questions will be brutal. Dad, dealing with that shit will be easier than that statement. Megan was reading and remained silent. Mike, that was a good job and you really nailed them using their own mission statement against then with no comment. We chatted about the trip and Megan thanked me for letting Cole fly up. The way he was acting I thought I would need another car seat, he can be such a baby. I laughed and said goodnight.
At my place I packed for the trip and selected the suit that fit me the best. It was the navy blue one and my favorite. It was a white shirt and I debated about a power red tie or one with a pattern. I decide on the tie with the pattern as they would find out soon enough who I was and what I was about. All that was left now was copies for the material and to organize the file folders and to end the statement a couple of times. I grabbed an iced tea and red the document a couple of times. I was mentally tired and simply stripped, opened a window a crack and piled on the covers and was done for the day.
Thursday was a great weather day as the high would be around 40 degrees and the weather would be perfect for the trip. Again it was the longer run and Cole was there as was JJ. When we got back to JJ's place I stopped at the driveway and we chatted. I asked him to pilot on the way up and that I would fly home. I was anticipating a very long day and would make dinner reservations but I wanted to fly back Friday night. He said, fine and let's keep my dad in the back. I laughed and thought that would be easier said than done. School was school and I stayed for the lunch periods and people kept coming up to me wishing me good luck and don't take any of their crap and knock them dead. It was non stop and I was wishing I had skipped lunch. Winnie actually gave me a kiss as lunch was ending. Doc Johnson saw the kiss and stopped me and laughed as he said a suspension wouldn't look good for tomorrow, I'll let that go. I smiled and said damn, it was her not me and we both laughed.
I stopped at Office Depot and had copies made and it was 10 sets of 23 pages and it cost $25.00 and tax and I paid with cash and got a receipt. At the office when I got off the elevator there was this more than sharp woman sitting where Amy usually sat and she said hi Mike, I'm Carla and I'll be taking Amy's place for a while. I smiled and said well enjoy the experience and went to my office. All I had to do was to sort and fill the folders. There were visits from Tim, Major Jim and Liam nd while they were not important and were designed to occupy my time. While I appreciated that I wanted my time as I wanted to review the statement. Finally, I went to Tim's office and handed him all the folders but one and reminded him that wheels up were at 6:00. Tim laughed as he assured me every one was aware. I drove to my place and made a sandwich and read and reread the statement and finally put it in my backpack. I made sure it was with my clothes. Was tired but not risking a nap. The perfect situation was the pending CMU programming project. I worked on that and at 4:30 I loaded the Wrangler and drove to the airport.
When I arrived I saw JJ coming out of the terminal. So you filed a flight plan? MJ, flying with dad is a bitch and he checked it over. I can do the damn thing, just hate to do them. Besides I am technically an excellent pilot. I had no problem with that statement as I have never seen him anything but precise. We were doing the flight check as people arrived and baggage was stowed. Cole was the last one there with no baggage as his dress clothes were with mom and dad. We were in the air on time and it was a great clear night for flying and the stars were fantastic. At Harrisburg International airport we were put in the pattern and 16 minutes later were cleared to land. By the time we got on the shuttle and to the hotel it was after 8:00. We all had private room and Cole was in our hotel and dad and Megan had checked in and his room was ready. We all agreed to meet at 9:00 in the lounge. We spent a great two hours in the lounge and at 11:00 having had 3 iced teas we all agreed to meet here at 8:15 and walk the two blocks to the Capital. Then the Major said 8:00 and everyone agreed. In my room I set the alarm for 6:00 and simply went to sleep.
I was in the lounge having coffee and reading the USA Today and was ready and relaxed. We cleared security easily and found the hearing room with little difficulty. The issue was that we were 25 minutes early and Tim wanted no part of us being in the room that early. He walked me down the hall and we sat on a bench. At 8:50 he said let's go. I took two steps in the room and the room erupted with hey Mike. I looked and there was the state championship football team in shirts and ties. Then I saw Coach Weston and Doc Johnson. Tim was saying get in your seat. Once seated he told me that when I wasn't talking to turn the microphone off and he indicated the switch.
At 9:00 Senator Costa led 2 other Senators and 2 Representatives. Very quickly he gaveled the committee to order. He looked around and said the Committee had planned something different today. Usually the PAAA makes a report and we ask questions and are finished by lunch. Today we will start with a witness and I see from the crowd here this morning and the media there are a lot of people interested in this approach. The Committee requests that this unusual amount of spectators act responsibly so that we may accomplish the the thing we need to accomplish. There was a pause as the Senator sorted papers.
Then the Senator said our guest today is Mike Simmons. Mike is a very uniques Senior athlete and a member of the class 4A state champions. Mike is currently #1 academically in his class. The 5 star recruit is headed for Virginia Tech next year. Before we continue Mike is here willingly and at his own expense.
Mike, would you please stand and raise your right hand and I swore to tell the whole truth. When I sat down the Senator said Mike, we understand you have some opening remarks.
Good morning and Senator Costa thanks for the very kind words. It is an honor to be here today and to represent the tens of thousands of young men and woman who participate in sports at their schools in the Commonwealth. Copies of my statement and supporting documents are contained in the folder which my attorney placed at each of your seats. The PAAA Executive Director was handed three copies when he entered earlier. I brought with me this morning a few guests; my dad Michael James Simmons, Sr., my stepmom the Honorable Megan Simmons, JD of the Federal Court of Appeals for the Western District of Pennsylvania and my stepbrother Cole, I'm sure the gentlemen here today representing the PAAA remember him. Also I have my Attorney Tim and Major James Messer, Retired and a former astronaut.
This year we celebrate or should be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1972 as it was signed into law on June 23, 1972 by then President Richard Nixon. It was due largely to the efforts Representative Patsy T. Mink of Hawaii. The PAAA and their leaders at the time did a great job in quickly implementing those sports programs for women on the High School level. The current PAAA leaders have continued the development of those programs in the Commonwealth. Championships are played in the same or equal venues as the boys'. However, I wonder if Representative Mink, would be completely satisfied with how those programs are administered in the Commonwealth as she might be concerned about actual representation.
The PAAA is a a non-profit corporation and a voluntary member organization. It is indeed a unique not-for-profit organization as it's voluntary members pay dues and there is a substantial amount of reserves. The Board or Directors consist of members of the various districts which were set up by the PAAA. Those members are appointed and not elected. The membership pay those dues with money generated from tax dollars as well as state and federal dollars. While I am sure there are legal ways around that the key aspects of nonprofits are accountability, trustworthiness, honesty, and openness to every person who has invested time, money, and faith into the organization. Gentlemen, basically that is you and me and every citizen of the Commonwealth. As I sit here I wonder where is my input and where is yours. We, however, shouldn't feel slighted as one of the non-profits major source of income are the men and woman who officiate our games. Every year the PAAA adopts the rule books for each sport. Those rule books provide a series of options for official dress? The PAAA after approving all that issues a very restrictive dress code for officials, requires them to attend 7 meetings and pay dues to the PIAA. Then every member school is required to use only registered PAAA officials for every game from junior high through varsity. According to their past two budgets that generates over $400,000 per year. Yet do the men and woman who generate that income have input or representation on the Board?
Then we look at the revenue generated by the teams in the PAAA playoffs and you see a massive amount of income. I am not a rookie when it comes to income versus expenses and I realize there are some sports that do not show a profit. While I can only speak for my team and my school district I can tell you that if we had only brought our team to the game in Hershey and the other playoff games, we would have not had our expenses met by the PAAA. We actually paid in full for lodgings, meals and even tickets for our band and cheerleaders. Those groups play an important part in the atmosphere around high school football. On the District level we were fully compensated and the band and cheerleaders were admitted and they didn't need a ticket.
AS I WAS GETTING A BIT EXCITED I REACHED FOR THE WATER AND TOOK A DRINK COUNTED TO 10 THEN CONTINUED, CALMLY.
Gentlemen I have limited experience with any sports or games outside our district but in our district Friday Night Lights are a big deal. There are 146 schools playing football in our district and 99% of them are played Friday evenings and that involves 438 contest officials. Sure our school makes money on games and like the PAAA not everything makes money and yet we have great coaches and facilities and reasonable taxes. The PAAA only rents facilities and have no upkeep costs. You should ask our AD what the maintenance budget is for our facilities (that was off the written copies). If we only played PAAA games our balance sheet would look like crap and in 3 years we would have a 14 or 15 mill increase. The alternative would be no sports in high school.
After reviewing their past two budgets and the most recent financial statement contained in their minutes from last month's meeting, I see a non-profit that is very much a profit making corporation. It has well paid employees with company cars and a volunteer board who receives compensation in the form of gifts, meals, travel expenses, game tickets and lodgings. By accessing their reserves they could operate for 3 years with no income. They run the athletic programs for almost 500 school districts with no representation from major stake holders like; principals, school directors, athletic directors, parents and women, to mention a few. However, what bothers me the most is when they schedule us for a 7:00 kickoff on a Friday night in State College requiring 3 hours travel or when you do the same thing to our basketball team on a Tuesday evening, totally ignoring the last sentence in your mission statement. "THE STUDENTS ARE IN HIGH SCHOOL PRIMARILY TO OBTAIN AN EDUCATION."
Thank you Mr. Chairman.
There was silence in the room and I noticed that members on the committee were looking at each other and I was paying attention to who was looking at who, trying to determine the sides. I knew that someone had requested an advanced copy of my statement. Then the Chairman said Mike, thanks for a very interesting opening statement. It certainly set the tone for the rest of the day, as you can imagine there will be a number of questions. Representative Lee as we have previously agreed you have 15 minutes for questions. Please note that we will reserve the right to ask more questions after this round. Representative Lee asked Son, in your introduction the Chairman indicated that you were #1 in your class academically, how many students are in your class. Tim immediately turned off my microphone and said ignore the son thing, for now. I replied, ok but once. I turned on the microphone and said 926. Then Representative Lee asked son, have you ever been drug tested? There was another conversation with Tim. When I turned the microphone back on and looked up I was asked if I would need to consult with my attorney about every question? Sir there will be no need for that. However I am not your son and the only person in this room who can call me son is sitting there and I pointed to dad. I consider you calling me son to be demeaning, condescending and rude. You question about drug testing puts me in a tough place. It is private medical information that is so far from the scope of this hearing that I didn't consider it. If I don't answer the question it appears I have something to hide. The people with the cameras and those taking notes will simply drive me nuts getting to that answer. I have been tested 4 times for illegal drugs, alcohol and PED's. All of those tests were random and each one was negative. Going forward I will not be answering any questions about my health or medical history. I'm not hiding anything and there should be no assumptions made regarding my non answers. Then Mr. Lee said Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time and yield back.
Next up was Representative Paul Miller and he said that he had two questions and hoped that my answers would fit into his allotted time. Mike, in you statement you mentioned your District, how is that operated differently than the PAAA? Well Mr. Miller District 7 is older that the PAAA and in many ways the two groups operate the same. Our District is a PAAA member and is subject to the PAAA constitution and bylaws. However it was started by Principals of a number of schools. It is run by an Executive Director and a board that is elected by the Principals of member schools. There are over 150 member schools making it one of the largest leagues in the country. Unlike other Districts each school in every sport is provided a schedule. The Executive Director rules with a bit of a heavy hand and he grumbles a lot and takes hard stands but if approached with reasonable ideas, he adapts. While the reserves are excessive they spend money on the student athletes. There are some of the best championship venues in the country and there are scholarships awarded to scholar athletes.
Mike what are some of your championship venues? Well, Football is at Three Rivers, Basketball at the AJ Plumbo Center at Duquesne University, softball at California University, Baseball at the Wildthings Park and golf movs around local country clubs which include Oakmont, The Field Club and others, swimming is at Pitt. The only sports and that is by committee choice played at high schools is wrestling and track and field.
Mike you indicated a number of things that bother you about the PAAA, what is your biggest gripe? Well Mr. Miller, gripe is not the word I would use but I do wonder how interscholastic athletics in a state this size can be run by a group of men who are old and white and removed from the classroom. There isn't anyone in that organization that has been in a classroom as a teacher or an administrator. As soon as I said that I heard Tim say "shit" and I was bathed in flashes of lights from cameras. Mr. Miller said thanks Mike and I yield to the chairman. Tim turned off my microphone and said Mike, a lack of diversity would have been better than "white". Tim, there is no walking that back now.
Next it was Senator Leiper and he was from the Beaver County area. He got right to it asking Mike, did you just call the PAAA a racist organization? Senator, you and apparently everyone in this room rushed to a very quick interpretation of old and white. If you were sitting here as an 18 year old and I asked you to briefly describe that group over there chances as excellent that you would say old and white. Heck, I was describing them not making judgements. The Senator laughed and asked so how would you describe the PAAA's diversity. I replied, lacking. Senator, I would say the same of your committee. Before everyone gets upset, I would also describe MJS Enterprises and lacking and Technologies as adequate. Senator I would also describe my neighborhood as upper middle class and white. We are simply describing organizations and places. Senator my point is that the PAAA needs to be more inclusive and have representation in a lot more areas than they currently have now. Mike, would that include your current district? Yes, it's would. Mike, that was most helpful and Mr. Chairman I yield back.
The next guy was a Senator from the Scranton area, Wally Schran. So son, I have sat here for the past two hours amused and disgusted. Most of the time wondering who this ungrateful kid is and why he is here wasting our time. I just sat there and Senator Schran asked is there a reply? Well Senator I was waiting for you son or a kid to come in from the street to reply but most likely they are waiting for a question. The entire room burst out laughing. Ok, so what qualifies you to be here? Well Senator, I have played football in every level of this league and in the last 4 years I have played in 50 varsity games, won championships and been team captain. Sir, how many games have you seen in the last 4 years? Look, I'm asking the questions here. I sat quietly and waited. So how did your team come from nowhere to District and PAAA champs. Well, I would say hard work, good coaching, lots of talent and a special bond that unites us and now our school. Ok, what is this bond? I shrugged and said ONE FOR ALL all and the team responded ALL FOR ONE. It's from a Dumas book published in 1844. Mike, how does this slogan apply at school. Senator, our class has been different since 5th grade, we are smart and require a lot of adjustments. As sophomores we were the party class and then Dr. Johnson and explained who we are and what we could accomplish and most importantly what was expected. Heck the athletics surprised even us. We are expected to be a cut above and we expect that of our coaches, administrators and teachers. I have heard more than once teacher say to another teacher, "I GOT ONED TODAY". Then have us earn us a spot in your tournament you need to be a cut above. As it turned ought we found you lacking, sir.
The Chairman said, Senator what you are lacking now is additional time, thank you. Again there was general laughter. Mike at this point Representative Lee has 10 minutes remaining and I have questions. We need you back this afternoon and we are adjourned till 12:45.
I went up to Dr. Johnson and said thanks for doing this. Mike, it's a Civics lesson and we will be back and can stay till 3:00. I asked about lunch and he said ell we have a place. I opened my wallet and counted out 5 twenties and said, make it a bit special. With that my group found a place to eat and relax until the afternoon onslaught.
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