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