Athletics at all levels are great because of the numbers accumulated during the course of the season. Batting averages in baseball, rushing yards in football, pins in wrestling – they’re all glorious statistics.

And numbers don’t lie.

Still, there can be some exceptions. Even the .300 hitter strikes out and, sometimes, the .200 hitter knocks home the game-winning run.

Whether student athletes should be drug tested is debatable. Whether student athletes use drugs is not.

The numbers presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Department of Health and Human Services may be off the mark. If anything, it’s our guess they’re too low.

Yet even if they’re too high, the numbers indicate a problem. Too many teens involved in New Hampshire high school athletics – minors, mind you – are abusing alcohol and any array of illegal substances.

No question that’s a serious problem. But it’s the result of something far more disturbing. School administrators, coaches, parents and student-athletes themselves – nobody is willing to take the lead and make sure the crisis surrounding substance abuse strikes out.

In baseball, it’s called “stepping up to the plate.”

State officials say this is a local issue. Local officials say this is a parent’s concern. Parents say their children know better and the children don’t seem overly concerned at all.

Providing random drug tests should be part of every school’s athletic policy. In fact, athletes should be tested several times a season. Forget arguing the issue of privacy.

The reason is simple.

Athletes who aren’t drinking booze or smoking dope don’t have anything to hide.

Allowing this issue to fester in the shadows – because the buck continues to be passed – doesn’t do anybody any good.

All the parties involved in this problem are playing with fire. Here’s the chance to douse the flame.

Otherwise, it’s only a matter of time before the magic sports can produce turns tragic.

Drug testing as a deterrent worked in one Oregon case. In the Granite State, an ongoing, open discussion is needed to address this many-layered problem.

On the field, overcoming obstacles isn’t easy. It isn’t supposed to be. Nobody expects this case to be any different.

When you watch your 12-year-old child’s ball game this summer, realize that about one out of every two to three players on the team will – at the very least – experiment with drugs before their 18th birthday. Will it be your child? Or a neighbor’s?

Remember, numbers don’t lie.

— Editorials published by Neighborhood News Inc. are written by an editorial board. The board is composed of Publisher and President Amy J. Vellucci, Executive Editor Ginger Kozlowski, Managing Editor Christine Heiser and News Editor Susan Clark.

To the Editor:
I wish to thank everyone who supported my candidacy for Goffstown selectman. My pledge to all is to work for a more open and participative process and to find ways to make our town government more effective, being sensitive to the need for services and the tax burden. To do so requires citizen input, so I hope to hear from you.

John A. Caprio
Goffstown

To the Editor:
I will make this short and to the point. I believe the Goffstown Fire Department and the people of Goffstown have lost an important member of their department. Not only was this man very dedicated to the town, but also a very respected resident of Goffstown and still is.

Plain and simple, he cares. He is a family man and may I remind the Department he was always there, holidays and weekends, anytime of the day and night, no matter what was going on in his personal life. Not only does he care, he is very smart and knows the department in every aspect.

In case you are wondering who I am talking about, I am speaking about Denis Pinard Jr., the former captain and as I remember, sometimes and quite often, covering chief, of the Goffstown Fire Department.

I sincerely hope to hear response to this letter from residents of Goffstown!

Norma Pinard
Weare

To the Editor:
It is a shame that one can’t oppose another’s political stand without repercussions like swearing, finger gestures and hate statements.

Everyone can have opinions of their own. They don’t have to be the same as yours. We found the tormenting of others during and after the Medvil election to be ridiculous. There will never be peace in the valley with that mentality. This whole process has always been a vendetta against the owners. Park ownership is number one without concern for the residents or the cost.

The residents in our committee fought an honest and truthful battle. We did not threaten others or tell them half-truths to persuade their vote. We know Medvil sent their little soldiers around to persuade many of the older residents, especially the single women, to vote in favor of the coop.

Sometimes they visited them a couple of times, using statements like, “You’ll pay more if you don’t vote for Medvil now.”

This is only a half-truth because the court order states there is a rent cap for the first four years. Remember a Medvil member is an owner of the park and subject to sharing in the cost. A nonmember is only a tenant and will pay rent under contract and the rent cap. They even joined the Social Club all at once to gather more votes. We might have been born at night but not last night.

Before the election results were to be announced, one of the board of directors’ wives told the residents she thought voted against the acquisition to go over in the corner with the Buxtons.

Uncalled for to say the least. After the results were announced some of the residents got into their cars and raced around the park with horns blaring. They even went to park manager Bob Loiselle’s home and blew the horn for several minutes. Ridiculous!

We do not care what you think of some people but Bob has been very good to a lot of residents in the communities. Without someone strong at the helm this place will be the proverbial “Trailer Park.” The secretary of the Medvil board and I had an agreement about not doing such stuff for the benefit of healing the rift between the residents.

Aren’t we supposed to be setting an example for our youth? Is this any way to act as responsible adults? They really should be ashamed of themselves.

Also have you heard the latest and greatest? The Medvil board has scared residents saying that Hometown would put in water meters. What do you suppose the Medvil board of directors are planning even before they take over? Yup! They have been to the Grasmere Water Department and told them they want meters installed and that they, the board, would set the rates, not the Grasmere Water Dept. Well that didn’t take long now did it? What is next? They have no money and had to borrow an extra couple of hundred thousand dollars just to buy the first couple of months. What are we doing? This is really scary.

It was also stated that they hope residents will move out as the new people moving in will not be under the rent control part of the court order. Be prepared to be harassed. The board plans to move the responsibilities of oil tanks and water cost from them to you. Just like one of the residents stated, “This way I know no one can sell my land out from under my house.”

You’re not going to lose what you never had.

Check out the article in the Cooperator Spring 2006 that the NHCLF just sent out to members.

See how long Paige Hill has been needing a grant that they never got. They had to settle for a loan. Very interesting and a lot like the needs here.

We want to thank all the committee members and The Goffstown News for their support.

We might have lost the election but we have honesty, truthfulness and integrity.

Roger and Marilyn Buxton
Goffstown

To the Editor:
Would you enjoy holding a newborn lamb, or finding medicinal plants in the woods? What about telling ancient folk tales around a campfire and identifying the constellations? Helping heal Mother Earth by pitching in at an ocean shore clean-up or animal shelter? These are some of the things Silverling Circle is doing!

We are looking for adult or teen volunteers to join our group. Specifically, we are looking for an adult male adventurous enough to join us as co-leader (SpiralScouts Circles are led by a male and a female leader in order to exemplify the balance of gender that is part of the SpiralScouts philosophy).

Check us out! Aside from a love of the outdoors and working with kids, no previous experience is necessary!

Leaders are asked to complete youth protection training, an online program that takes less than one hour. There is a registration fee of $13 per year for Circle Leaders or $11 per year for volunteers, which helps cover the cost of badges, materials, and operations.

As with any youth group, leaders and volunteers must pass a background check to ensure the safety of our children.

For more information, to join or just attend a meeting and check it out, contact Jess Baribault, Granite Tribe coordinator, at 603-588-4219 or SpiralScoutsJess@yahoo.com.

More information about SpiralScouts International is at www.SpiralScouts.org.

Jess Baribault
Granite Tribe Coordinator
New Hampshire Circle Leader
Silverling Circle No. 58
SpiralScouts International

To the Editor:
In the first few weeks of March, the Goffstown Fire Department responded to more than 16 home fires. Fortunately, no one has died in these fires.

Nationally, nearly 140 people died in home fires during this time, and a startling one-third of those fires happened over a three-day period. Fires that kill are a sad reality of each and every day.

There is no single more important item in any household than a working smoke alarm. Nearly one third of residential fires and two-fifths of residential fatalities occur in homes with no smoke alarms.

Put another way, having a working smoke alarm in the home reduces your chances of dying in a fire by nearly half.

Place a smoke alarm on every level of your home and outside bedrooms. If you keep your bedroom doors closed, place a smoke alarm in each bedroom. Check the batteries once a month to make sure it works.

Have a family plan to evacuate your home in an emergency and pick a meeting place for everyone to go to when they evacuate. Practice regular home fire drills so that everyone knows what to do.

Get more information on smoke alarms and fire safety from the U.S. Fire Administration by visiting www.usfa.fema.gov or call Lt. Bill Connor at the Goffstown Fire Department 603-497-3619.

Lt. Bill Connor
Goffstown

To the Editor:
From the latest New Hampshire Magazine came some interesting facts about Goffstown, not at all flattering. Of the 34 cities and towns listed, Goffstown is 13th in population. So, we are big and still growing.

We are in 15th place for youngest median age, with 19 communities with older populations.

So, whey did we wait so long to get kindergarten under construction? They didn’t tell how many children our young (median age 35.4 years) community has, but is logically more than the older communities do.

We are 19th place in two categories, average home selling price, at $258,958, and median household income, at $55,833.

Yet we live next door to Bedford, which is second highest with $84,392, with homes selling for $449,817. No wonder their tax rate is so much lower than ours, with home values so high and all that commercial property.

Education-wise, what we have and what we produce are not too great. We are 25th, with only nine communities having a lower level of education among the populace. That is an educational achievement from a bachelor’s degree on up. It doesn’t sound so bad when you consider what we are doing financially with that education.

But, what are we passing on to your children when we fall into 31st place, tied with Dunbarton, on the level of achievement show on SAT scores? Only two communities have lower scores on SATs than our children! This is alarming, and calls for action, but what action, on whose part? Can it have anything to do with the level of education of the parents?

Are less advanced parents less willing and/or able to aid and assist their children? Where is that spirit of having the young compensate for the shortcomings of their parents, succeeding where the previous generation failed? Does all the fault lie in the schools? No; failure or success resides in the cooperation, or lack of it, between parents and schools, from bottom to top.

We can hardly match the SAT scores of Hanover (601/602) but our 483/492 scores are far from where they should be.

Yes they have been climbing in recent years, but not nearly fast enough, nor far enough. Let’s get on the stick here! Coordinate; cooperate; compete!

Charles W. Carr
Goffstown

To the Editor:
Hi! My name is Chris H. and I’m a fifth-grade student from West Ridge Elementary School in Harlem, Iowa. My class is studying geography and history of the United States.

I would appreciate it if you would send me some postcards, souvenirs and other cool stuff so we can learn more about our country.

Our teacher would love to have a car license plate, if possible.

I most appreciate your time! Thank you very much.

Chris H.
Mrs. Newlin’s class
West Ridge Elementary School
1401 19th St.
Harlem, IA, 51537