It’s the year 2012 and little Johnny Sprinklefritz is having a conversation with his mom.

Little Johnny: I can’t wait to play high school football someday.

Mom: That sure will be exciting.

Little Johnny: I’ll get to play in front of the hundreds of Oak Harbor people cheering for me.

Mom: Well Johnny that might not be so true. You see, Oak Harbor High School doesn’t have a home football field anymore. The Wildcats have to play all their games on the road.

Little Johnny: Why’s that mom?

Mom: Oak Harbor’s Memorial Stadium has been condemned.

Little Johnny: What’s that mean?

Mom: Well, where do I start?

After 10 years of renting bleachers the school district decided it was a waste of money. With no stands fans had to bring lawn chairs to sit in.

Field drainage became so bad the field’s name was officially changed to Memorial Swamp.

A number of other things like a single toilet in the sardine-can locker rooms, lack of parking and an unreliable sound system were also big factors.

But I think what really did it was the gust of wind.

Little Johnny: The gust of wind?

Mom: Yeah, assistant coaches used to be perched on 20-foot, makeshift platforms to call plays down to the sideline. A strong enough gust of wind came along one night and the tipped both teams’ coaches right into their respective benches. Because you’re so young I won’t get into gory detail, but it wasn’t a pretty sight.

Little Johnny: How did it get that bad mom?

Mom: The school district tried to pass a bond for a new stadium for years. It seemed no matter what they proposed, the community continued to turn it down.

Little Johnny: Why’s that mom?

Mom: It’s hard to say Johnny, I guess the youth in this community weren’t valued by people who never had kids or whose kids were long gone from Oak Harbor. Quite simply if it didn’t effect them directly, it wasn’t worth paying a little extra to help kids and better the community.

Then there were those who had their own ideas of where the stadium should be and unless everyone else magically conformed to their beliefs, they would never say yes.

Little Johnny: That really stinks mom.

Back to reality.

OK, so the potential for a major disaster at Memorial Stadium is exaggerated, but the potential for a mother having the rest of this conversation with her son is not.

As a 1997 graduate of Oak Harbor High School, I know first hand that there needs to be a drastic change. The situation at Memorial Stadium was bad when I played on the field 10 years ago and things certainly aren’t getting better with time.

Athletics aren’t one-dimensional. Not every kid that steps foot on the field is going to be a college recruit or a champion, but every kid will gain something — character.

The ability to work in a group and drive oneself beyond what they thought they could do is an extension of the classroom.

A new stadium not only benefits the football and soccer teams. With the bond comes a new track, improved baseball fields and tennis courts. Having the stadium and track and the high school will open new doors to physical education classes along with NJROTC.

Let’s not make Mrs. Sprinklefritz or any other parents have to have a similar conversation with their kids in the future. Vote yes for the Stadium Bond on Nov. 8.