There are five main issues I'd like to discuss with you. If you question the word discuss, you shouldn't. I love feedback. If you ever disagree with what I think, or want to help me delve deeper into a subject, I need to hear from you. That will start an exchange of ideas that can benefit us and my readers in general.

Here are today's subjects in relative importance to ME. In ME I mean Coach Estey - not Maine.

#1. Massachusetts State XC Finals

#2. The Hockomock in general and the ST awards specifically.

#3. The NCAA finals and chasingtradition.

#4. The looming indoor track season.

#5. My impending rant about the state of education.

Let's start with #1. Go Jenna Banks! NA has gone eight consecutive years without a representative in the state finals. I never would have thought it. It is a humbling experience for a coach that is used to a high level of success. It's not like things fell apart. I love the athletes who put their hearts and soul into XC during those years. I still hear from them and think fondly of them. But darn it, we just never put it together to the level needed for this meet. So for eight years I either took this weekend off (a trip to the Cape for the weekend), or some years I went to watch anyway - just because it is such a great meet.

But tomorrow Jenna signals a re-emergence of XC representation. She doesn't have to worry about making me or NA proud. She already has.

I'll also be cheering for Franklin, Mansfield and Oliver Ames. Those programs have created dominant teams. They deserve everything they get.

Of all seasons, I consider XC the most sportmanship oriented. Every single athlete goes through the same conditions. It becomes easier to respect your opponent because you completely understand what they do. So I'll also be cheering for the athletes from D-Y, Marshfield, Westford Academy, etal. If you are running in this meet - I gotta tell you - you're special!

#2. I've heard from a lot of Hockomock athletes and coaches relative to the ST Awards. What a great league in which to coach! Not only are there great athletes, but everyone I've heard from is willing to recognize excellence in other teams - not just their own. Caitlin Lawrence of Franklin even went so far as to apologize for picking mostly Franklin athletes. She shouldn't - apologize that is. Loyalty is also a good trait. Dan Darcy was another of the many athletes that gave me a detailed list of award nominees. Injuries limited his success this season, but I'd recruit him for my team anyday just based on character! Lastly, almost everyone of my respondees wished Jenna good luck this weekend. Is that awesome or what!

#3. This is also a big NCAA weekend. I'm sure you know my connection to chasingtradition.com, the web-site that has been detailing eleven teams headed for NCAA finals - eight of those in DI. Last Saturday I ran into Jackie Oates (OA) who is headed for DIII nationals. She is excited and I wish her good luck. Two other female alumni have a connection to the DI finals. Kailin Collins is running for Georgetown and may have been competing this weekend if not for injury. Meredith Leenhouts teammate Lindsay Donaldson is there as an individual. If the Elis can avoid injury next year she may be there representing the blue and white. Later next week I'll have a lot more to say about Terre Haute.

#4. Excitement around indoor track is growing. Every day athletes walk up to me to tell me how many more days until we start. They are out running, lifting and planning out their season. On Wednesday we had the preseason meeting for coaches. Everything went smoothly. It seems that all coaches are on the same page. As soon as I get confirmation that the schedule changes have been adopted, I'll post the new schedule for everyone.

#5. I don't even know if I should go here. But I feel like going on a major rant.

Arlene spends hours a month correcting mistakes that businesses make in the simplest of tasks. Just this week, we were double-billed for a newspaper delivery. It took twenty minutes before they would agree they had done so. The next day we didn't get the paper, and it took twenty minutes to convince them to check. Lo and behold - they finally admitted to double-cancelling us. It isn't like this is extrodinary - or just in the newspaper industry. It happens every week. Billing errors, errant deliveries and mistakes - followed by an inability to accept the fact that they could have made an error.

This has just provided me the impetus to sound off on a subject that has been gnawing at me for a few years.

So I'm going to address a sore topic. Is public education failing? Check back in early December for one man's opinion.