To The Editor:

Talk about demagaugery. Yeah, sure, we should build the athletic field. Why not? Give kids what they want. Again. And again. And again. Ad nauseum. If you dare take an opposing viewpoint to this issue, how much of an outcast are you (am I)? "What's the matter? Don't you care about our youth?" Yeah, I care about our youth. But their learning should be done in classrooms and in real-life events, not out on the athletic field.

Yeah, I wish my four kids who went through the Tewksbury Public School system were now ready for the pros, but guess what? It didn't happen. Big whoop. How many parents out there thought that athletics were their (the parents) ticket to fame and fortune? A show of hands please. Sorry, can't see the forest through the trees. Look, I did my time volunteering for different youth organizations. I never once expected anything in return. Youth sports was an affordable way of ensuring that each player, male or female, skilled or unskilled, serious or recreational, enjoyed his/her time with his/her friends, while learning something about the game in which they were participating. Isn't THAT what it's about?

For anyone to come out and say, "We need a new, state of the art athletic field because, well, because we want our kids playing on the very best" is short sighted at best and greedy at the least. You want your kid to "make it" in the real world? Have him/her volunteer at the Tewksbury Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, or any other worthwhile organization in town. There, they will learn a valuable life lesson: you don't need the best to be the best you can be. A new field? I think not!

Thank you,

Ray Gondola