May 14 2005, 01:00 PM
Little Shitz at Lola Valley
My parents used to take our family to Lola Valley way back in the 1950’s when I was a little shitz. But back then we would never think of stealing, littering, harassing and injuring animals, and vandalizing our own playground. That’s what I’m seeing from the little shitz around Lola now; a group of kids who play disc golf, as well as several that don’t, relentlessly destroy the beautiful valley that is now a wonderful disc golf course.
I guess there isn’t much I can do about the non-disc golfers, but I have tried over the last 2 years to help bring the disc golfers into the fold by playing with them and teaching etiquette and course appreciation. Most of these kids can throw the disc a good 275 feet, and have come around. But there are a few that will never learn.
Over the past 2 years-
· I had all my discs stolen on two occasions
· I have had discs picked up and stolen while I was playing
· I have seen several occurrences of animals being harassed, tortured and killed
· I have seen major pollution of the creek (including hypodermic needles)
· I have seen major trashing of the area with glass and destruction of the disc holes and tees signs
Over the past 2 weeks-
· I caught a group of kids stealing 5 of my discs, and they removed my $3 lamps from 4 of them (gone).
· I was selling discs to a nearby party store, but they returned them all because the local kids were trying to shoplift them.
· I had a disc picked up and stolen by a gang right in front of me – they waited until I teed off, and then took it. The police we called and the disc was recovered.
· I caught a kid named Mark stealing a disc from my stock, but this was one of the kids that I’ve been playing with for 2 years, and I had just finished playing a partners round with him! I had also just offered him and his pals each a new disc if they clean up the area, and I had just traded him a brand new disc for a used one.
This really bothers me. I guess I really have to worry about parking my car there and stocking discs for sale. I guess its just another nail in the coffin of my innocence and assumed trust in strangers, even disc golfers. Mark is about 15 years old now, and has been playing about 3 days a week. Now that his pals know he is a thief, will they play with him or allow him in their houses any more? I will certainly never speak to him again. Yea, its only that one bad rat in the bunch, but is it worth reducing one’s self to a low-life thief for a stupid piece of plastic?
My parents used to take our family to Lola Valley way back in the 1950’s when I was a little shitz. But back then we would never think of stealing, littering, harassing and injuring animals, and vandalizing our own playground. That’s what I’m seeing from the little shitz around Lola now; a group of kids who play disc golf, as well as several that don’t, relentlessly destroy the beautiful valley that is now a wonderful disc golf course.
I guess there isn’t much I can do about the non-disc golfers, but I have tried over the last 2 years to help bring the disc golfers into the fold by playing with them and teaching etiquette and course appreciation. Most of these kids can throw the disc a good 275 feet, and have come around. But there are a few that will never learn.
Over the past 2 years-
· I had all my discs stolen on two occasions
· I have had discs picked up and stolen while I was playing
· I have seen several occurrences of animals being harassed, tortured and killed
· I have seen major pollution of the creek (including hypodermic needles)
· I have seen major trashing of the area with glass and destruction of the disc holes and tees signs
Over the past 2 weeks-
· I caught a group of kids stealing 5 of my discs, and they removed my $3 lamps from 4 of them (gone).
· I was selling discs to a nearby party store, but they returned them all because the local kids were trying to shoplift them.
· I had a disc picked up and stolen by a gang right in front of me – they waited until I teed off, and then took it. The police we called and the disc was recovered.
· I caught a kid named Mark stealing a disc from my stock, but this was one of the kids that I’ve been playing with for 2 years, and I had just finished playing a partners round with him! I had also just offered him and his pals each a new disc if they clean up the area, and I had just traded him a brand new disc for a used one.
This really bothers me. I guess I really have to worry about parking my car there and stocking discs for sale. I guess its just another nail in the coffin of my innocence and assumed trust in strangers, even disc golfers. Mark is about 15 years old now, and has been playing about 3 days a week. Now that his pals know he is a thief, will they play with him or allow him in their houses any more? I will certainly never speak to him again. Yea, its only that one bad rat in the bunch, but is it worth reducing one’s self to a low-life thief for a stupid piece of plastic?