Keith Edmonds is a 32-year veteran of teaching and school administration from Fort Wayne. He coached boys high school basketball as an assistant at Snider High School, North Side High School and was the head boys basketball coach at Elmhurst High School for 12 years, advancing to the Class 3A State championship in 2003.
Welcome to 2020 Courtside fans. Hopefully your holidays gifts were special, the Christmas trees are taken down, you’ve drank the last of the egg nog and the fruitcake well, you know what to do with that…yuck!
During the holidays, I started thinking about what I wanted to share in my first column coming back off of watching great holiday basketball during that latter part of December. I was reminded of a discussion that I had with a great group of friends talking hoops recently about how much more enjoyable watching a game is when you have great concessions.
Now if you’re asking yourself the question “What is he talking about, who cares if the food at the concession stand is good or not?” My friends, let me be the first to say that I do.
If I can watch two great teams play hard and compete to the final buzzer, then my “game experience” is only enhanced more by what I can purchase (or if I’m lucky, receive from the hospitality room) during the contest. The game just feels better to me.
A hot steamy bag of popcorn, garnished with some peanut M&M’s, a cold Pepsi or Gatorade, and an occasional hot dog adds to my enjoyment of the contest. It keeps me focused on my conversations with students, fans and anyone that wants to hear my opinions during the game.
Or during a halftime concession stand run.
Our area schools have some outstanding concessions stands, and the people that run them are dedicated folks that more often than not are here to serve you with the utmost patience as you try to get the most of your $2 purchases.
I could name several schools that have quality food and prices at concession stands as well as schools that “leave something to be desired” at their concession stand, but for fear of overlooking schools, I will say this: the key to a great concession stand visit is to get there right before halftime when food items are being refreshed after the early visits from fans and find the ones run by adults as they are more patient and actually serve you instead of throwing it at you like some schools I have visited.
Have some idea of what you want before you get there as to not hold up the line so we can get back into the gym, enjoy the remainder of the game and not hear the roar of the crowd from the hallways as the 2nd half has begun.
Enjoy the second half of the season hoops fans, these kids are getting it done. The conference races have heated up and are going to be interesting to see and discuss over a great bag of popcorn and a cold drink as you sit Courtside for the balance of this season.
Courtside with Coach Edmonds will appear every Monday during the prep basketball season at Outside the Huddle. These opinions represent those of the writer. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers.
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