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Short takes

Locals on SMSU fields/courts

THUMBS UP:

Whenever it is that Taylor Reiss suits up for a Mustang volleyball match, rest assured she will make SMSU a better team. But above that, it’s great to have another local ex-high school athlete playing at the next level so close to home. The Mustang volleyball team has a number of local products on this year’s team, which is looking to stay on the national radar after its impressive run to a runner-up finish in last year’s Division II championship. Reiss, a Minneota High School product who transferred from nearby South Dakota State University, will be the third player on the roster from the immediate area (in all 12 are from Minnesota). But even more, win or lose, the more local student-athletes SMSU can pull in, the better for everyone. To date, there are 20 student-athletes on SMSU sports rosters who went to school within a 40-mile radius of Marshall, plus six more who went to a school inside 50 miles from Marshall. That’s big – not only for the university, which is always looking to boost its take at the gate and fill seats, but for the community of Marshall as well – one would believe the city welcomes more people to town on game nights if a student-athlete’s family lives closer.

Adding to Memorial Park

THUMBS UP:

We think it is time to add to Marshall’s downtown Memorial Park – which is exactly what a group of people in Lyon County want to do. On Tuesday, supporters of a Lyon County Veterans’ Memorial spoke in front of the county board, expressing their desire to add to the park a memorial for veterans of all branches of service. This is a great and special park already, and draws a fair number of visitors, but we think there’s room to do even more to honor our fallen heroes.

TV personalities don’t belong on any pedestal

THUMBS DOWN:

Jared Fogle, the former Subway pitchman, is another example of why we shouldn’t allow ourselves to look at anyone we see on TV as role models, or put them on some sort of pedestal (see the Duggar family). Yes, we applaud the man for his weight loss and he likely was an inspiration to any number of overweight people throughout his many years pushing subs. However, in the end, he’s just another person who has flaws – major ones in this case. There was nothing special about him, save his weight loss, and if you put any more stock into who he is other than that, well, that’s a lesson learned for you. The idea of companies using celebrities to push product is nothing new, but Subway pulled a PR twist and benefitted in a different way – as did Fogle – as it took an unknown man off the street and turned him into a celebrity. Too bad the giant sub chain didn’t know what it was getting into.

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