My final regular season Apopka game

[DarterBlue2]

A journey that began in late 1998, a year before Rick Darlington became head coach, ends tonight. I will attend the Apopka vs Wekiva game at Wekiva this evening with a somewhat heavy but also happy heart. Heavy because, a chapter of my life that's lasted 26 years is about to end. Happy because despite a very bad season this year, I have been blessed to be a fan of a team that made the playoffs 24 consecutive years and in that time period won three state titles from seven tries. While there are teams that have done better over that period, I can honestly say that it gratifies me that my beloved Blue Darters did it the right way.

If we win tonight and make the playoffs I shall not attend if we draw Venice. I can't bring myself to make the long drive for a game that we would have, at best, a 5% chance of winning. If we make the playoffs and draw a Tampa Bay area team, most likely Plant City, I will attend game one of the playoffs as the commute would be significantly shorter and Apopka, while it would be an underdog, would at least have better odds of winning.

In my humble opinion, the school's brain trust (coaches and administration) need to take a hard look at this season. For I believe that for the future success of the program some bold, hard decisions will need to be made. Regardless, I will always have a special place in my heart for the Apopka football program and though I will be far away, I will watch my fair share of games online from a distance. 

Go Darters, so long and fare well!!

[nolebull813]

Where are you going and what are you doing? 

[Ray Icaza]

3 hours ago, DarterBlue2 said:

A journey that began in late 1998, a year before Rick Darlington became head coach, ends tonight. I will attend the Apopka vs Wekiva game at Wekiva this evening with a somewhat heavy but also happy heart. Heavy because, a chapter of my life that's lasted 26 years is about to end. Happy because despite a very bad season this year, I have been blessed to be a fan of a team that made the playoffs 24 consecutive years and in that time period won three state titles from seven tries. While there are teams that have done better over that period, I can honestly say that it gratifies me that my beloved Blue Darters did it the right way.

 

If we win tonight and make the playoffs I shall not attend if we draw Venice. I can't bring myself to make the long drive for a game that we would have, at best, a 5% chance of winning. If we make the playoffs and draw a Tampa Bay area team, most likely Plant City, I will attend game one of the playoffs as the commute would be significantly shorter and Apopka, while it would be an underdog, would at least have better odds of winning.

 

 

 

In my humble opinion, the school's brain trust (coaches and administration) need to take a hard look at this season. For I believe that for the future success of the program some bold, hard decisions will need to be made. Regardless, I will always have a special place in my heart for the Apopka football program and though I will be far away, I will watch my fair share of games online from a distance. 

Go Darters, so long and fare well!!

Boy, do we need more fans like you.  Good luck to you in the next chapter in your life and hope along the way our paths will cross again; I still owe you that beer.  As I have previously told you, my wife and I are currently looking at options for relocation which will end my involvement with Kowboy Athletics over the past 60+ years as a player, coach and fan.  I as well will certainly follow them from a distance, just won't be as plugged in as I am now.  The world keeps turning.  

[Jullian]

4 hours ago, DarterBlue2 said:

A journey that began in late 1998, a year before Rick Darlington became head coach, ends tonight. I will attend the Apopka vs Wekiva game at Wekiva this evening with a somewhat heavy but also happy heart. Heavy because, a chapter of my life that's lasted 26 years is about to end. Happy because despite a very bad season this year, I have been blessed to be a fan of a team that made the playoffs 24 consecutive years and in that time period won three state titles from seven tries. While there are teams that have done better over that period, I can honestly say that it gratifies me that my beloved Blue Darters did it the right way.

 

If we win tonight and make the playoffs I shall not attend if we draw Venice. I can't bring myself to make the long drive for a game that we would have, at best, a 5% chance of winning. If we make the playoffs and draw a Tampa Bay area team, most likely Plant City, I will attend game one of the playoffs as the commute would be significantly shorter and Apopka, while it would be an underdog, would at least have better odds of winning.

 

In my humble opinion, the school's brain trust (coaches and administration) need to take a hard look at this season. For I believe that for the future success of the program some bold, hard decisions will need to be made. Regardless, I will always have a special place in my heart for the Apopka football program and though I will be far away, I will watch my fair share of games online from a distance. 

Go Darters, so long and fare well!!

God bless you DarterBlue. You’re one of the good guys on this planet. 

[Perspective]

1 hour ago, Ray Icaza said:

Boy, do we need more fans like you.  Good luck to you in the next chapter in your life and hope along the way our paths will cross again; I still owe you that beer.  As I have previously told you, my wife and I are currently looking at options for relocation which will end my involvement with Kowboy Athletics over the past 60+ years as a player, coach and fan.  I as well will certainly follow them from a distance, just won't be as plugged in as I am now.  The world keeps turning.  

Darter, you and Ray can both stop attending high school football games, but neither of you can stop posting and contributing to the discussions on this board.  Nonnegotiable. 

[DarterBlue2]

8 hours ago, nolebull813 said:

Where are you going and what are you doing? 

I retired over 5 years ago. So, while I have worked on projects since then, I have been gloriously idle most of the time after having worked since I was thirteen as for me adulthood started in the small family business my mom ran in Jamaica. 

I am moving to Panama for the final chapters of my life. It reminds me of the Jamaica I lived in as a little boy before the island got dangerous in the mid to late 1970s. Sadly, I see some of the same flashing red lights here that I observed during my teenage years in Jamaica in the 1970s. 

As a retiree, I want to live out my final years in relative peace and quiet. I have never been a huge political guy though I have fairly strong opinions. I have not because I ultimately don't think that most politicians have the best interest of the electorate at heart anymore than CEOs of large corporations have the best interests of those that use their products or services do. Now in the case of CEOs, they don't represent us, so there's no particular fiduciary duty on their part aside from not selling us harmful products or services without fair warning that using them in the wrong way may be hazardous. In the case of politicians there is a fiduciary duty to at least, as far as is possible, reflect the will of those that put them in power. When the latter is not so, things tend to fall apart. 

I will have spent 41 years and 7 months in the USA before I depart. So, it will more likely than not represent the county where I have spent the greater part of my life. In my time here, I have found that I have been treated fairly by the great majority of those that I worked with, as well as those that I had personal relationships with. While I was not native born, I can say that this county has been an integral part of who I am as a person. 

I will miss all of the friends and acquaintances I have made over the 26 seasons I have been an avid high school football fan. 

[Jullian]

9 hours ago, DarterBlue2 said:

I retired over 5 years ago. So, while I have worked on projects since then, I have been gloriously idle most of the time after having worked since I was thirteen as for me adulthood started in the small family business my mom ran in Jamaica. 

I am moving to Panama for the final chapters of my life. It reminds me of the Jamaica I lived in as a little boy before the island got dangerous in the mid to late 1970s. Sadly, I see some of the same flashing red lights here that I observed during my teenage years in Jamaica in the 1970s. 

As a retiree, I want to live out my final years in relative peace and quiet. I have never been a huge political guy though I have fairly strong opinions. I have not because I ultimately don't think that most politicians have the best interest of the electorate at heart anymore than CEOs of large corporations have the best interests of those that use their products or services do. Now in the case of CEOs, they don't represent us, so there's no particular fiduciary duty on their part aside from not selling us harmful products or services without fair warning that using them in the wrong way may be hazardous. In the case of politicians there is a fiduciary duty to at least, as far as is possible, reflect the will of those that put them in power. When the latter is not so, things tend to fall apart. 

I will have spent 41 years and 7 months in the USA before I depart. So, it will more likely than not represent the county where I have spent the greater part of my life. In my time here, I have found that I have been treated fairly by the great majority of those that I worked with, as well as those that I had personal relationships with. While I was not native born, I can say that this county has been an integral part of who I am as a person. 

I will miss all of the friends and acquaintances I have made over the 26 seasons I have been an avid high school football fan. 

My wife of 41 years is from Kingston 6 Jamaica. When the kids were young we would go over a couple times a year. Her mom lived on Wellington Dr (St Andrews) which runs parallel with Old Hope (Liganeau)Road. 

[DarterBlue2]

11 minutes ago, Jullian said:

My wife of 41 years is from Kingston 6 Jamaica. When the kids were young we would go over a couple times a year. Her mom lived on Wellington Dr (St Andrews) which runs parallel with Old Hope (Liganeau)Road. 

I am very familiar with that part of Kingston which is middle to upper middle class. During my undergraduate years, I taught at The Priory School in that neighborhood and which was then an elite private school in Kingston sort of akin to a Trinity Prep in Orlando or one of the fancier private schools in Tampa Bay. It was easy to do so, since it was a straight route from UWI's main campus to the school. 

I remember my first time on that campus. It was somewhat of a culture shock as I saw motor vehicles parked in the lot there that I had never seen on the Jamaican roads. I continued teaching there after graduation in the evening program in addition to doing my regular day job. I did it not so much for the income that drove my decision as an undergraduate, but because I found I enjoyed it. 

[Wavebb]

DarterBlue2... You will be sorely missed by our shrinking group of friends who meet yearly at the state championships.  Wishing you the best in your new endeavor.  For old time's sake... Wave Out!

 

 

[topnotch305]

Nice meeting you Darter, never would've known you were of Jamaican decent. I'm not but my significant other is and I've been over there plenty of times with her and her family. May blessings be upon you as you enjoy your retirement. 

[DarterBlue2]

2 hours ago, topnotch305 said:

Nice meeting you Darter, never would've known you were of Jamaican decent. I'm not but my significant other is and I've been over there plenty of times with her and her family. May blessings be upon you as you enjoy your retirement. 

Yes, I am Jamaican born and raised. Had it not been for my wife who didn't like South Florida even though she has more relatives there than I do, I would likely have ended up in Miami Dade or South Broward county when I decided to move to Florida from New York.  Why? My sister whom I love dearly lives in North Dade. 

That's the reason why I know a bit about south Florida football and have been to Traz, as well as Dillard's and South Ridge's stadiums. I have frequently visited my sister each year as she mothered 10 kids 6 of whom were born in Miami and one of whom attended Jackson and two of whom attended Norland and another Turner.

Back in 2001  am not going to lie to you, Apopka was a bit intimidated when we played your Bulls. But as the game progressed and especially after we took the lead our confidence grew. While I have a lot of respect for ICE Harris as a coach, I think he made a mistake trying to run the ball down the heart of our defense's strength. Had he chosen to throw the ball more early, the result may have been different. For while our secondary was very good (Brandon Merriweather) it had some weaknesses. But instead, MNW did not try to pass with any consistency till the middle of the third quarter which by that time, the game had probably gotten away from your team. 

I, too, was looking forward to a rematch in 2007. No, I don't think we could have beaten that Bulls team whose only weakness was the lack of a solid kicker. But we would have scored a few TDs and would not have folded the way Boone did.