To the editor:

Recently I witnessed a flag football game between two teams (nine to ten year olds) from a local school district. I was saddened and mad at what I saw. It started with seeing the cheerleaders removing rocks from the area that they were to perform in. I wonder if they have to do that every time they perform. When the teams started their game, I took a closer look at the field and I noticed that the entire field was covered with rocks. I wonder how many accidents the children have experienced and for how long a time these conditions have prevailed. Such conditions insult, degrade, and injure children. The field, other than from an aesthetic viewpoint, is merely a sandlot. The field is located adjacent to other similar sandlots at the old airbase between Calton and Sandman and another at the corner of Cherry Hill and Daugherty. I believe the sandlots are owned by the City of Laredo but are made available to the school districts. The children of Laredo deserve better. They need more and better recreational facilities.
On a related note, I read an article in the November 2002 of Golf Digest that asks, "What makes a place the best or worse golf town in America?"
Golf Digest surveyed, using intensive criteria, the 314 Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the U.S.A. Laredo ranked 310, with 1 being the best and 314 being the worst. It also received a rating of 1.5 out of a possible 5, with 1 being very low and 5 being very high. The survey is obviously telling Laredo that it needs more and better golf courses.
If a survey such as the one conducted by Golf Digest were to be made on the best and worst cities in the nation based on the conditions and availability of recreational facilities for the children, I would not be surprised if Laredo would rank among the worst.
Laredo deserves and needs more and better fields for football, soccer, baseball, etc., for the children where they can play without cutting or injuring themselves in other ways.
More and better recreational facilities in Laredo can be realized if Parent Teacher Associations, coaches, golf associations, and other concerned citizens demand that of the city councilmen, the county commissioners, school administrators, and school board members. This letter is my individual input to such a goal.
I invite anyone, especially the news reporters, to witness the facilities mentioned and communicate their findings.

Alejandro Perez

LareDOS,
Just a short note to tell you I really appreciate getting your newspaper. It is always very interesting and very informative.
After I read it, I put it in the office waiting area so that others may also reap the benefits of your labor.
Keep up the good work.

God bless you all!
Diana Palacios