“Giving Peace a Chance” at the RE-2 School District
Rick Langenberg
Well, so much for the grand “Gentleman’s Game” and golf serving as a unifying force.
Unfortunately, the playing of the 45th Ryder Cup in lovely Long Island, New York in late Sept. turned into a compete debacle, both from the losing links result for the Americans; and more importantly, in the country’s declining reputation. We now have our heads stuck in the sleazy mud, and unless U.S. Captain Keegan Bradley finally decides to shut up, the plunge into the political swamps will get worse.
President Donald Trump made some stern remarks at a recent United Nations appearance regarding the dysfunctional state of Europe, a continent that he inferred is hitting rock bottom and lingering on an economic and moral crisis. Only one problem: His message apparently wasn’t received by the European Ryder Cup Golf Team.
But as the saying goes, amazing grit, good preparations and hard work and patience will win over talent. The Europeans definitely were better prepared for this pre-eminent golf event, according to insiders. They took their practice rounds seriously and just displayed the best side of team golf and unity. The Americans: We just got a bunch of overly spoiled players with great talent but lacking on the determination and practice side of the equation. Our boys, though, did stage a great comeback in the final day of the event, but it was just too little and too late. The Ryder Cup was a done deal by the end of the Saturday team competitions.
Here are some of the Best and Worst Moments of the 2025 Ryder Cup that definitely turned into great sports entertainment, especially during a weekend with no Denver Broncos football. But if wasn’t great if you favor sportsmanship, unity and sports etiquette. A message to the great kids on the Woodland Park High School Golf Team, who are a definite class act. Don’t follow the U.S. team’s example, and don’t act like New York City fans.
*Player fist fights. How many golf tournaments do you witness an all-out fist fight between the star players? On the second day of the matches, this is what occurred with Justin Rose of the Euros and Bryson DeChambeau of the US ready to exchange punches and not backing down. If it wasn’t for the cool, collective heads of their respective caddies, the links of Bethpage Black may have featured a definite black moment, peppered with a little red blood. The TV commentators loved it. The skirmish started over questions of gamesmanship with one of the caddies supposedly repeatedly standing in the line of Rose, when he was lining up a putt. It then expanded into a fight for national dignity.
*The Bizarre Comedy Show. PGA of America is still peeling off mud from its face for their involvement in the hiring of a female, comedian, Heather McMahan, who acted as the emcee for the 2025 Ryder Cup. Heather, who knew nothing about golf, then played a key role in leading a wild round of expletive-filled chants aimed at golfer Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, the winner of the 2025 Masters. This led to a chorus of abuse not experienced by any player before in a Ryder Cup match, culminating with a fan throwing beer at Rory’s wife. Heather eventually stepped down from her role and apologized.
*The New York City Crowds. Yes, NY Fans definitely stole the show and displayed horrific, ugly behavior that has now been severely criticized by every sports pundit in America, along with former Ryder Cup top players and captains, such as Tom Watson. “We are better than this” has become the theme of these comments. McIlroy said it clearly following the event, in describing golf as a great unifying force, and a great way to learn about integrity and respect.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time for New York’s plunge into fan-related outrageous, despicable behavior at major events. The fans once berated former Australian golf star and CEO of the rival LIV golf tour, Greg Norman, (with the abuse so bad that Greg actually challenged the drunken abuser to a fist fight) along with Spanish star Sergio Garcia. Golf isn’t the only event that the NY fans have shown absolutely no respect for certain participants. These are the same idiots who once booed the late Irish singer Sinead O’Connor off the stage during a tribute concert for Bob Dylan. What is really bad is that in follow-up interviews, these crazy NY fans still speak with pride of their antics.
A number of the fans, who partook in the recent Ryder Cup verbal bashing even maintained that they actually liked Rory McIlroy as a person, but they claimed that despicable behavior is part of the competition, as you are supposed to hate the opposing team.
*Time for Action. A complete banning of any more Ryder Cups or major championships in the New York City area. Or maybe the pause button needs to be applied to the Ryder Cup competition, unless both sides agree to a better working relationship. Plus, quite frankly, Americans need a new attitude toward golf’s favorite team event. Sportsmanship has always been a key part of the Ryder Cup.
Since we are talking about unity here and not just golf, kudos goes out to the organizers and members of the WPSDForward Taskforce in Woodland Park, as part of an effort for more collaboration in the dealings at the RE-2 School District, with more focus on the kids themselves.
A Vision Forward Rally, held on Oct. 1, attracted a huge crowd and some definite positive vibes. Despite another slate of competitive candidates, showcasing a variety of backgrounds, the one point everyone agreed with was a need to bring people together more in the district and to get away from the division that has crippled the district for several years. It was a good start.
The Task Force members themselves, along with Interim Superintendent Ginger Slocum, outlined some good and practical temporary solutions. We will see what pans out, as many of these unifying ideas will take a strong level of commitment, such as compiling a strategic plan and having regular town halls. But it seems that most candidates want to get away from the political noise that infiltrated the district and led to some pretty entertaining meetings for the last several years, landing Woodland Park on the national stage.
Yes, if you get too much entertainment, then you are stuck with the grand Ryder Cup phenomenon. That is one conclusion no one wants. For more details on the Vision Forward Rally event, see mountainjackpot.com or our Facebook page.
