2023 All-Districts Lists and Apology

Coaches, 

I believe that this year's meeting went as smooth as any the past. Again, I know that sometimes it is a hardship to attend, and many of you are traveling a great distance, but again, it is only one day a year. Our current voting system is not perfect, we know that, but it is the one we have. Many of you have offered opinions on how to make it better, but no one has really offered solutions. We are open to suggestions, but come with a plan, we can discuss, then look to implement. 

On a personal note, I am glad I get to see everyone, especially those from other leagues and conferences, I only wish I had more time to visit with you. As a coach, I envy a lot of you. The successes you have had, experiences you share, and the programs you have built, I want to do that. It has been difficult for my community, school, and teams, when our closest golf course is 35 minutes away. We are always looking for ways to adapt and overcome to make us better. So whatever little nugget of information I can get from you, I am very appreciative. 

The purpose of the nominations is to gather them on one master sheet, so that everyone can see them while they vote, it keeps from having to write on the board, and I believe it makes the voting process quicker. However, what you should know is, once your golfer is nominated does not guarantee anything. The vote will happen and if your nominated player does not make first or second team, it is up to you to make sure that they are on the honorable mention lists. We had coaches leave the meeting without putting their golfer on the honorable mention list.

Finally, as the association's secretary, I am going to take personal responsibility for the errant all-districts lists that went out. Misspellings happen, but the omissions and just blatant mistakes are inexcusable. I can only say in my defense that there was a lot of miscommunications that should never have happened. Furthermore, you should know that Terry Young at baumspage had nothing to do with the lists. He is simply a distributor of the information that was sent to him. And I want to take the time to apologize to him, and the rest of you, for this blunder after the meeting. Terry and I will discuss at a later date on how to better communicate in the future. 

I sincerely hope that everyone has a great off-season. See you soon.

Terry W. Hale                                                                                                                                          Vinton County Golf Coach                                                                                                                          SEOGCA Secretary