Rural Water - Quarter 2, 2014 - (Page 40) The ESPYs BY SHANNON RASMUSSEN, RURAL WATER ASSOCIATION OF UTAH THE ESPYS. What are those about? (Don't worry, Dad. I know you don't know the answer to this. Nor does any man who thinks that baseball has a kick off. You are exempt from answering the question. And for those of you in the old farmer boat with my father, here is a short synopsis: the ESPYs are the sports equivalent of the Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, VMAs and numerous other award shows in which very wealthy and famous people gather to congratulate themselves on their good-looking wealth and famousness. You guys have probably never heard of these award shows because none of them are aired on the Western Channel or directly after M-A-S-H. Try not to let it keep you up at night. That's what your prostate is for. Back to our regularly scheduled article.) So I know ESPN itself is like a big deal (at least according to my husband), and they make a gazillion dollars every year and have a mega fandom out there so who am I to judge, but really? Sports awards? What is the meaning of that? I guess I am just ridiculous enough to think that as far as sports go, that's what a little thing called a "championship" is for. Or are those just a consolation prize if you don't win "Best Boxer Shorts" or "Most Sportsman-Like Appearance" from ESPN? (Disclaimer: If you can't tell, I have never actually watched the ESPYs as, apparently, I am morally opposed to them. Hence, the previous may or may not be real award categories.) Honestly, it can't be a huge shocker to these pro-athletes that they are the best of the best. Jogging into a stadium full of middle-aged men who have willingly painted their hard-earned beer-bellies a violent shade of royal blue just to show their support of you ought to be clue 40 * Second Quarter 2014 enough that you've arrived. And if that doesn't work, try driving your Delorean to the bank to cash that million-dollar paycheck and see if any of that success sinks in then. But, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there are a few insecure pros out there who just need that one more little "something" to seal the deal. In fact, I bet ESPN takes a page out of the local little league play book and gives everyone a "participant" trophy to take home just in case. I bet Michael Jordan had to add a room on his house just to display all of his participant trophies. He participated a lot. Seems like a solid plan, I'm just not from the generation that got the participation trophy. We did have sports award night, though, and I wasn't opposed to them - back then I didn't even think about it as being odd. Of course I didn't think about a lot of things then. Growing up I was more "book smart" than "street smart." AKA, I had no common sense. (I believe the term now is "clueless," then you follow it up with a "bless her heart" so no one can get mad.) But back then the whole team got together, ate spaghetti with our parents in the school cafeteria at seven p.m. on a Tuesday night, and When we give an award to someone who deserves it (and probably rarely gets recognized otherwise), or participate in the national awards process for our associations, not only do our award winners benefit, but we benefit as well. Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Water - Quarter 2, 2014 From the President Adjusting to the New Normal Facts About North Dakota Fracking and Water Use Meeting the Goal of Sustainable, Efficient, Affordable Rural Water Systems Let's Be Clear - The Fire Chief Project A Regular Job a Long Way Away The ESPYs Regulatory Update Throwing My Loop NRWA’s First CEO, Raymond Keith (RK) Johnson, Passes Away Index to Advertisers/ Advertisers.com From the CEO Rural Water - Quarter 2, 2014 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0218 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0118 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0417 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWA0016 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0317 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0217 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0117 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0416 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0316 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWA0015 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0216 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0116 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0415 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0315 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0215 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0115 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0414 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0314 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0214 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0114 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0413 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0313 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0213 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0113 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0412 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0312 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0212 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0112 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0411 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0311 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0211 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0111 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0410 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0310 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0210 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0110 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0409 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0309 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0209 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0109 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0408 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0308 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0208 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0108 http://www.nxtbookMEDIA.com