Please! Let the old guys have a little fun, too

I got an email this past week from a friend that left me somewhat dumbfounded.

It seems that 15 or 20 men indulge in a sport called Ultimate Frisbee.

They have been playing this insane game every Sunday morning for about eight years now, and for the last four years they have been getting together to toss their Frisbees in the park at Pinecrest Gardens.

Now, these guys aren’t kids; they are adults – grown men – who, for some reason, enjoy running up and down a grass field chasing the guy who has the Frisbee. It’s a strenuous, athletic sport and they exert a lot of energy, and the sounds they emit are not unlike those that we hear during a women’s tennis tournament. Yeah, grunts and groans, and maybe a few screams of agony when someone misses catching a Frisbee. Now, these old guys — don’t get me wrong when I say “old” because they are in my age bracket — are having some fun on a Sunday morning, getting some much needed exercise and utilizing a public park that their tax dollars have helped pay for.

So, it comes as a huge surprise to me when my friend tells me in his email that our Village of Pinecrest is asking them to move the start of their games from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. (when it is much hotter) because they are making too much noise. It seems that some of the neighbors who live in houses immediately adjacent to the park are upset that these old geezers are making too much noise and just having too much fun. So, they have asked the Village Parks Department to put an end to the early Sunday morning game of Ultimate Frisbee.

Come on! For crying out loud, don’t the people who run things in our Village have better things to do than tell a bunch of older men who are enjoying themselves and getting some exercise that they are making too much noise, and they have to stop doing what they are doing because a few crotchety old neighbors don’t like the fact that they are having so much fun?

Please, people, if the sound of laughter and grunting and a few shrieks of pain are bothering you so much that you have to call the director of the Village Parks Department to complain, then maybe you should ask your doctor for a few more nerve calming meds. Or maybe you should simply close your windows a little tighter and turn up the AC.

Besides, our Village is facing much bigger issues today, such as balancing a budget that is projected to be about $1 million short in the next fiscal year. So, why don’t you complainers just roll out of bed on Sunday morning and go join those guys for a game of Ultimate Frisbee. You might enjoy it. But, for the sake of whatever you believe in, this is not an issue that warrants involving Village policy makers or our police department.

I’m tempted to say “get a life!” or get your butt out there and join them!


Connect To Your Customers & Grow Your Business

Click Here

8 COMMENTS

  1. To the Ultimate Frisbee players. Can anyone play with you all? Even if I do not live in Pinecrest. Please let me know. Dr. Bauer

  2. As one of the few women who played with the guys for almost 5 years, I am so glad that the comments about the old men didn't menstion an occasional old lady. I agree with Christine, MDM. Well said. Don't give up guys. Stand your ground…

  3. To me there is nothing better than going outside or even being inside and hearing adults or children at play in the neighborhood. Here in Miami, you don't hear it enough because of the hot weather keeping us shut inside with the AC on. I hope these "Old Guys" continue with their playing. It's such a shame to have these bitter people as neighbors.

  4. I am a participant in the Sunday game. While our group fully believes that it is our right to use the park for Ultimate Frisbee and any "noise" that happens is something that the nearby residents just have to deal with, we have made a concerted effort to keep our "noise" to a minimum (no more yelling across the field, etc…). Last Sunday, we brought a "Noise" meter to measure the actual level of "noise" our group was making. The results showed that the "noise" levels were well below the standards listed in the City rules providing guidance on noise violations. Our group truly wants to cooperate with everyone effected by the use of the fields at Pinecrest Community center but within reason. I welcome anyone to come out to our game on Sunday morning to observe (or even participate!!) and see/hear first hand the "noise" we are creating.

  5. Sad but not a big surprise. Remember what a bunch of jerks the neighbors were and how they complained about the old Parrot Jungle? Incidentally, it was there long before any of those crybabies moved there.
    Won't say her name but this one nasty hag led a major crusade and eventually made life so difficult that the original landmark attraction fled. I truly miss the beautiful gardens, however I no longer patronize the place. My best wish for those selfish whining neighbors is that the site becomes a recycling plant, a garbage dump, or perhaps a new prison! It would serve them right!!!

Comments are closed.