One last Central job to do!

If you've been around Barrie in the last little while, and the urge to happen along Dunlop Street past the remnants of Ol' Barrie Central, you may have found yourself turning at the new firehall and cruising along Innisfil Street ... like I did recently, on my way for some tasty treats from Fox's Bakery + Deli. As I cleared the firehall, my dear old Red Storey Field came into view, and my heart bottomed out into the seat of my bike. The state of the site where so much of Central's athletic reputation was earned was a sorry affair, overgrown with weeds and waist-high grass. The sight affected me so deeply, I had to pull off the road as a wispy tear formed in the corner of my eye.

Look, I know that I have written a lot of things about Central during the formulation of this blog, and I feel that I've accomplished the desired effect of explaining WHY those of us who spent any significant amount of time there feel a tug on our soul at the present state of things. Having stated that, if you've read the various posts in my blog, you're already aware of the place that coaching takes in my personal Central experience. Viewing what amounts to a derelict lot with my eyes, as my brain dusts off the crystal clear images of so many incredible experiences, was akin to being at the center of a Highland Games tug o' war, my core being pulled in to completely opposite directions. 

I will readily admit that BCC's time has come and gone, and that "progress" will take its toll on all of the physical aspects in the name of development. 

I was moved to the point where I felt that a photo post to Social Media was warranted. Little did I know that in the depths of my despair, a little shaft of sunlight was soon to illuminate the darkness gripping my soul. 

When I posted the photo, I got a few comments in short order from some BCC old boys. Most of them were not from my era (1977-1982) and one of them came from Sean Rawlings, a good friend of my younger brother Rob, having been a part of the prolific Sr Football teams of the late 80's. The "Red Army" as Central was know back then defeated all comers over a span of the 4 or 5 years that Sean and Rob were big parts of. Sean voiced a curiosity about the posts, expressing a desire to own a piece. The resulting conversation between Sean, Harv Garraway and myself dovetailed into a plan to investigate a rescue mission of military proportions since we assumed we might have to pull off some midnight recon.

Sean took it upon himself to reach out to the owners of the property, HIP Developments (Waterloo, ON), to see if they would be willing to allow the removal of the posts. I am pleased to tell all that the end result was not only permission, but Joel Doherty of HIP Dev would also like to use the mission as a positive spin for their image in the city. The plan has slowly begun to take shape. Harv's son-in-law has a business that would assist with the dismantling, Harv will store the posts at his local farm, and I would initiate a mini-campaign to reach out to Central alumni to garner input on who would like a piece of Central history. You should be aware that if you haven't already spoken up, you only have until September 30th to do so. We got the posts down and transported to chez Garraway and we are in the process of creating said pieces. If you're interested, click here (https://bit.ly/BCCgoalpost) to access the Google form to request a piece.

I have a sneaking suspicion that there will be a demand for the pieces. Sean, Harv and I will take some measurements, do some math, and determine the maximum number that can be salvaged. After we remove a few that will be earmarked for some VIP's like the coaches responsible for the legacy, we'll send out the word for pick up at a central Barrie location. The fine printing on what that will look like, and how we go about distributing the spoken-for pieces, will be decided once we have created all of the pieces. Right now it is scheduled for the week after Thanksgiving. Harv even got the local media to do a story on it ... https://www.barrietoday.com/rooted/red-storey-field-goal-posts-coming-down-as-barrie-central-keepsakes-2686170 ... to give everyone that would like a piece time to fill out the request.

Sadly, this final action will signal the end of my Central duties, relegating my future to the musings of my memory. You should know that the memories that are sticking are mostly positive ones. 

Go Barrie Central! Go, Fight, Win!

Update: Barrie Today's article ... https://barrie360.com/barrie-central-alumni-fragment-schools-goalposts-to-create-lasting-mementos/