@AHSAAUpdates Former Executive Director Steve Savarese joins @ON THEDMARK1 May 9

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Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Broadcasting till you're from the Orthopedic ClinicStudio, Fox Sports thirteen ten on the
mark. As you get ready togo into your workplace, don't forget.
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(00:21):
You can use your your smart speakerby just saying play Fox Sports the Game
on iHeartRadio and we're glad to haveyou with us. Nineteen am thirteen ten
am d Mark Mitchell Coach Joe Wilsonwith you this morning in the Wilthopede Clinic
Studio, sixty three degrees outside ona beautiful Wednesday. Coach, you got
golf today? No, no golf? Okay, lad yesterday? All right.

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Well, we're going to the Hamilton'sheartline, ladies and gentlemen. Hamilton's
with two locations to serve you.They got a restaurant on Ogletree and Auburn
and Magnolia in albit Tree in Auburn, and they're good folks. Hamilton's.
We're going to the Bay where lifeis good, and we're bringing in the
former exec director of the Alabama HighSchool Athletic Association and our friend coach Steve
Salvare's Good morning, Coach, Goodmorning, d Mark, Good morning,

(01:08):
Coach Wilson, Good morning. Iwish I was down there on the base,
I Joe, I wish you were. We'd have a great time before
which we tell some stories. Yeah, my god, I'd love to have
the drop the mic right in themiddle of that. All be live this

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man. This man messed up aheadsetone night. We're gonna call what we
could discussed all right. I wouldn'thave thrown it if you didn't have that
clock operating, resting peace, Doc, That's all I can see. Oh

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man, how long did dot keepthe clock coaching? That's competitive, Coach
Wilson is he'd have a good comeback. You ain't. You know you're not
gonna get him, but you knowwhat, you didn't come back, So
that the coach. We appreciate youcalling this morning. And I heard the

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first lady in the background. She'sdoing well. Right, Oh well,
we're blessed, doing great. Ourgranddaughters twelve is going in national honor side
even nine, So it doesn't getany better than that. That's awesome,
is that? Lenny Leny? Wow? He goes in National honor side night

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at six o'clock. So we're excitedabout being with the family and enjoying that
event. And that's the blessing ofbeing retired. I don't miss anymore events.
Right now. I got to stopyour, coach, how old is
miss Lenny? Because I remember whenshe was the only grandchild and met Miss
America at Budoc Stadium. So whenshe was a young years ago? Wow,

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years ago, twelve, sixth grade, you're going to be a seventh
grader. She goes to to elementarynational honors and that's Wayne Newton did,
Coach, that's strong. I didnot know Lenny was twelve, beautiful young
lady. Wow, you remember thatnight. I'll never forget it. She
bore the crown mother. Good newsthis week, our daughters, the new

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principal of Fair Hope. He's tellingin congratulations, Coach, you didn't even
tell me that. Great. Yeah, she's doing Christina so Lenny Grace's mother.
So life is good. Am.Just enjoy all these events and our
love. How's Junior doing? Ihaven't sent him a text by mistaking a
while, You know how those lawyersare, just they're busy, ripty,

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he's doing great. Kids. We'retaking his so on this weekend to Master
Jam. That was his birthday present. He wanted to go Monster Jam with
Coachy and Daddy. I love it. I love it. Ben Son loves
that stuff too, And no,he loves the wrastling Ben Thomas. Who
yo, lunch partner yesterday? Yeah? Yeah, I want to know who

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paid for that lunch. You betterhad paid for that lunch of course,
even though I'm to fix income.Yeah, you don't really want me to
talk to you. But you knowwhere we went yesterday? Taco. We
gotta get taco Tuesday, baby,I know what that is, right,
So this is so bored already,but we went to yes, right yo,

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yo, taco two dollars tacos onTuesday. Can you go airy Tuesday?
Coach? Just about. We havea group of men that meet there
on Tuesdays at eleven thirty most weeks. We do, yes, sir,
Yeah, well talk a little Tuesday. I've heard that conversation before, Coach.
I'm glad life is good. I'mglad this is good, and everybody

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and your family is doing good.So well, yea, all right.
So one of the reasons that Iwanted you to come on. We have
the Alabama Legislature is in session,and we've got one of our legislators,
mister Chris Elliott, who has takena personal I guess vendetta or taking a

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personal disliking to the Alabama High SchoolAthletic Association and has filed seven one,
two, three, four or fivesix seven bills that are targeting at undermining
the Alabama High School Athletic Association.I'll let you comment on legislation in the

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Alabama Senate and House trying to runthe business of the HSA. First,
well, the first of all,and I even said this in Bens the
article everybody has their heart in theright place. Everybody always thinks they're doing
the right thing, and unfortunately theythink the Alabama High School Athletic Association is

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doing the wrong thing. Politicians loveto say yes, and that's why they
took that position their servants to thepeople. They love to say yes.
They want to help people, andso does the Alabama High School Athletic Association,
all of their not politicians. Theassociation has to say no in accordance

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with the by laws, the rules, the regulations, and processes that are
made by the membership of the AlabamaHigh School Athletic Association. We have a
true democracy in the association. It'snot a dictatorship as many people think.
The association the executive director makes therules. No, not. All we

(07:03):
do is government. Central board governsthem and we uphold even though we sometimes
disagree with the rule. We upholdthat rule to the highest level of integrity.
Well, sometimes because of negligence.And you know, I used to

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do data that would show what causedto show this to the choos in professional
development all the time, what causedthe incident to occur, And of the
time it was negligence on the partof an adult, and that negligence in

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accordance with the rule causes a childto be inautible. So the association takes
a big hit when that happens.And because they don't make exceptions, because
once they make one, they makeit for everyone. And Alvin, he
can't do that. He can't makean exception. The board can't make an

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exception. But if it's bad,they'll go through the processes and try to
get it fixed. Now, astime changes, some rules need to change.
And I remember pleading with our membershipand telling them you know y'all aren't
the one that has to make thischild ineligible. You have to really look

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at all the unintended consequences. Sothey go now because our legislature in the
past has somewhat gotten involved in therules. They have in the past,
they have initiated legislation, but we'venever had on the miss Washmuran as the

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Shativa or my time, we neverhad one that passed, but they tried
to influence by initiating legislation. Butwe've always been able to reason with those
politicians and explain our side, andthey've been great folks. And d Markuler

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involved with one with Senator Tom Wattley, and we went to lunch with him
and what he understood, he changedhis perspective of that. He was very
fair with it. And so that'swhat we would try to do because we
know they care first of all,and they think they're doing the right thing

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in this case. And Senator Eliget us from downa in Malin County where
I live. He's my senator.He's a good person, is not a
bad person. But we've had someeligibility issues recently with the association where a
child was ruled in eligible or watermay have been made eligible they thought should

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have been an elsible and so on, but the associated did. I pressed
that association and its board to makethe right decision, not the popular decision,
the right decision. The Senator Eliotat that time, he went on
the media and said he was goingto fire legislation back at the association.

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I just wish all parties could sitdown and discuss things because as again as
I said, Bevin's artic will becareful to unintended consequences, because you could
get to a point where you literallydestroy the association, which has happened.

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And I will say this in Florida. In Florida, it is so bad
that now Governor de Santis and thatgroup, the bill is on his desk
to sign into law in Florida wherethe state of Florida will take over this
association. Florida all governors to statusand he's going to sign it. And

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when they do, they're going toa sign a board. And that you're
putting the association in hands of politicians. Well, the reason it got to
where it got in Florida is becauseprevious legislation had taken all the rights away
from the member schools. And whenyou do that, I mean Florida had

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kids playing football at one school,basketball and another baseball and another. Kids
transfer and going where they wanted to. They had very little structure, and
he had all star teams. Youhad to haves and the have nots.
Kids would all migrate to where thegood players were. They'd all get together
and play. And so now becauseit's so out of control in Florida because

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of legislation by the government, they'recoming into take it over and literally that
executive director and staff will all losetheir jobs and they're going to start over
in Florida. So I just youknow, we study history not to make
the same mistakes in the future.And I just would say the Senator Eliot

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or anyone study the history of theunintended consequences that occurred after you initiated legislation,
you know one of his. Iwould really caution any legislature about getting
involved in playing rules because but oncethat starts, you're gonna have playing rules

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made by every and so one ofthem is a child if not ruled in
elgible in twenty one days, iseligible as the whole season. Well,
I hate to say this, butif you think about it, just hold
him out. But well, theydon't even have to do part because they

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don't even play for twenty one practicethree weeks, So nobody knows if you're
even having an ineligible player on yourteam. How were they discovered? They're
discovered when most of the time youplay an opposing school in opposing school says
wait a minute, I think he'sin eligible, and that starts the whole

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process. So in saying that,no one, I mean you could be
playing a twenty two year old player. You think about this now, if
he's not ineligible after twenty one days, you could be twenty two to be
playing football out there because you justexceeded the age row and you could not

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make them in hell, can't makeit a And so that's why I think
everyone needs to sit down talk.That's going to there's two committee meetings today
at twelve and three, and itcould be voted out of the committing and
I just look, you know therebe more gives sign them. Office say

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you know, we're in the businessof making kids eligible. Say that all
the time. You've heard me sayit five hundred times. We're not in
the business of making kids ineligible.That's the worst day of the association.
And so we make a hundred andfifty seventy thousand kids eligible. And so

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don't let those situations that occur fundamentallychange the association. And that's where you
could be at the start of anunprecedented time if these bills would pass,
which prayerfully and hopefully that levelheads willprevail. But if they weren't a pass,

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it would fundamentally change the Alabama HighSchool Athletic Association forever. And you
know how passionate athletics is, andhow would caution any legislator about passing any
rules because that rule could then makea kid in Elsborne he could be up
for reelection and it could be hisrule. Nobody wants any part of that.

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It's a very tough job. Andwhether you're playing eighth grade baseball,
tenth grade baseball, whatever it is, there's a set of rules for that
organization. And somebody asked the governor, and you got the best athletic association
in the country in Alabama, barnone. We are as highly esteemed as

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any I mean, when you thinkof the leadership abob A. Scott and
Day and Washburn, that we've hadin thee and well, I just was
hanging on with those days and nowCalvin, I'm just I'm just saying this.
We've had a great association. Everyleader has been on the board at

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the National Federation, has been incharge of various committees that have led this
country. And Alabama is well expected. And I just hate now because I
was on the phone with the NationalFederation yesterday. Now they're talking about Alabama

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being like other states now that aregoing through this issue, not being the
national leaders we've been. And Ijust hope that. I just hope levelheads
prevailed, you know. I wantto say this also, I was real
disappointed and you cut me off atany time. I was real disappointed in

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the digital ticketing bill that came out. Understand that someone couldn't get in the
game. I've never known that thatsomebody wouldn't get that. Birth of me
no common sense that I'm gonna movepast that. But Chris Blackshear, who
is the representative from over in PhoenixCity, even added an amendment for the

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playoffs. Well, what Chris justdid by adding that amendment to the playoffs
and what it does by forcing schoolsto take cash I'm all for it,
given schools the choice, but theadministrator at the school beside the association doesn't
force you to use digital ticketing.That's their choice. But here's why they

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did it. They did it,number one, for security purposes that they
don't have to ask that seventh gradeteacher. They don't have to ask that
eighth grade math teacher to go outand take a gate and take cash.
And you know, society is thesecurity is a big issue. So can

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someone take a cash gate at abasketball game, a JV game, a
seventh grade game, a soccer game, along with digital ticketing will cause nightmares
too bookkeepers in the schools. Andthen by Chris's amendment that he put in
the digital the association has only takendigital tickets since COVID. Well, we

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develop when I was there, asoftware that is so transparent. It literally
takes all the digital ticketing money anddeposits it to the schools. It fills
out all the necessary forms. It'sall automated now. So now they've got
to go back and start counting thecash tickets again, and they got to

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be accountable for that, and theyhave to turn it into the association.
They have to have a cash ledger. They have to have a digital ticketing
ledger. They've just caused the schoolso much more work and leave it up
to the school, don't. Theydon't force Alabama and over to take digital

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tick of in cash now. Theydidn't mess with the university's coach. They
worried about the high schools, butleave it up Why I don't understand the
legislators. Why are they you know, it's almost because they can I guess,
coach, is that what they think? Because they can't. I just

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wish that they would talk about theunintended consequences of what they occurred, what
they're doing, and what they occurred. I just pray now if that I
think it's going to pass that everyschool has take cash at everything that's already
passed. I think coach that's alreadygone through hadn't it. I don't think
so, not all the way yet, but I just hope if it doesn't,

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we don't have a serious incident ata school with a cash box,
and you know it's you know,I really think we have the safest,
safest and best ticketing system in thecountry, and I just hate that.
I hate that for a member schoolsand that's why I say, sit down,

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talk about it. At what ifAlabama and Alburt say no, we're
only taking digital ticketing at our eventswhen we host the playoffs there or Birmingham?
Well, can we not hold achampionship now an Alabama and albur or
Birmingham because we have to take cashin the universities refuse to do that.

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I just you know in Birma thatthey're folks. They do they do all
the ticketing. And you know atthe b JCC, I don't think anybody's
thought of this. You know theBJCC, it's in the contract. It's
not our digital ticketing, it's thebj Ticketmaster. Yeah, Ticketmaster, they

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require that. So we not holdhosting the basketball championships last year next year
there. And that's all because ofchrismas amendment that he put in. And
I don't think he thought about whatwon't happen. Coach not to interrupted,
Steve Salvareese, he's on the Hamblet'soutline. D Mark and coach Joe Wilson,
you're on the mark sixty five degrees. We're talking about legislation that is

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being injured. Introduced seven bills targetingthe HSA by mister Chris Elliott from District
thirty two in the two five onearea code and down in South Alabama.
I want to read through this firstthing, Coach Chris Elliott or Chris blacks
year, did they ever go tothe association and sit down and discuss this?

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I know the answer is no.Would I be correct to say that
now? I don't think. Idon't think, Chris says I did talk
to Alvin. Alvin came to seeme last Friday, and he did say
that Senator Elliott came, I wantto say months ago. Yes, this

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was after the incident. I rememberthat, yes, sir, not since
this was not since its occurred.Now that's what I meant. All right,
let me go through the twelve billsthat he's introduced. Okay, relating
to K through twelve athletics to acquireK through twelve public school, to determine
the students eligibility, to determ theschool, to determine the students eligibility to

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participate in a sport at least twentyone days prior to the first event for
that sport. To provide that anathletic association's eligibility determination is final, and
to prohibit public K through twelve schoolsfrom membership and athletic associations under certain circumstances.
S B two fifty relating to PublicK through twelve School Athletics, to

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provide for the payment of fines leviedon a student for a violation of athletic
Association's eligibility policy by a school.S B two five one relating to K
through twelve School Athletics, to prohibitprohibit certain entities from restricting a student,
athlete or coaches eligibility due to hisor her participation on a team or in

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an event outside of the school team, and to prohibit public K through twelve
schools from membership and athletic associations undercertain circumstances. S B two fifty two
relating to state retirement, to amendthe Section sixteen das twenty five days,
seventh Code of Alabama, nineteen seventyfive to prohibit future hires of the Alabama

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High School Athletic Association from participating inthe Teacher's Retirement System of Alabama and public
education employees health insurers plan based onthat employment, and to prohibit public K
through twelve schools from membership and athleticassociations under certain circumstances. S B two
fifty three relating to K through twelveSchool Athletics to prohibit certain entities from restricting

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a I went through that excuse me. S B two five four relating to
Athletic Association to require the Department ofExaminers of Public Accounts to audit an athletic
association in the same manner as anagency of the state. To prohibit public
K through twelve schools from membership inthe Athletic Association of under certain circumstances.

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S B two a three relating toAthletic Association to require an athletic association's contracts
by reviewed by the Contract Review ofPermanent Legislative Oversight Committee, and to prohibit
public K through twelve schools from membershipand athletic associations under certain circumstances he wants
to take it over. Coach werebasically I mean got four minutes coach slut

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contracts. Contracts are reviewed by ourlawyers and central Boards of Control. Approved
by the Board of Control. Weare a true representation of the state of
Alabama, with fifteen board members fromeach district in our state and the State
Board of Education. You know,it's just like the public audit. It's

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just vengeful legislation from the fact thatthe association doesn't take any public money.
No audit. And now, Coach, you do have an audit, make
sure we throw that in. Now, well, we have where we have
two audits, really where we auditevery campionship event along with the entire association.

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Each year, every event has anaudit, its individual audit, and
you're approved. It's a central boardmeeting there you go as a central board
and then we're audited every year.That is correct, just like any other
and the contracts, Coach, notto interrupt you. We had to get
city city attorneys to sign off onall of those. But all the above,
but in the in a few minutesI have I just want to say,

(26:11):
you know that I really almost seeI'm getting old, Joe. I'm
alreadys to getting what I'm saying,but he understanding all of this. What
you're doing is you're taking away theownership of the association, vice member schools,
the superintendents of Alabama who also arein the retirement system. They're association

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and they're not targeted. Ada,who's in the retirement system. They're not
targeted the Principles Association. They're nottargeted. It's just a targeted attack at
one organization to take us out ofthe retirement system. Which what people don't
realize. If you take them out, the association will just hire people who

(27:02):
have twenty five years experience, andthen the poor retirement system has to pay
their retirement for the next twenty yearsthey worked. It's it's it will cost
them more money. That wake usthe association and just hire people that have
retired and then they get to doubledip and it's probably better for them,

(27:23):
but it's it's just not good business. And that's why the common sense prevail.
Let everyone sit down and talk,and I really believe everybody's hearts in
the right place and they'll come upwith the right solution. Just like on

(27:44):
the ticketing bill, I think Chrishe thought, why I don't want anybody
coming to the state championship not beable to get in. We have a
there's a system for that, andthere's a place you can go to buy
a digital if you don't if youonly have cash, and that can easy.

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But to require bookkeepers to have twoledgers, two forms of payment all
and the security is just not wellthought out. And I hope everybody will.
I know Alvin's working hard at itand I just told and his staff
yeah they are, that they'll beable to get this result. I hope

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today's here and goes well. Coach, say thank you so much for your
time. I appreciate you being onthe markets morn. Thank y'all. Joe.
I love you, Joe. I'lltell you what. I go to
church for the Senator Randy Price.I will have a conversation being there.
You go, you can bank itcoaching. You can bank it well,
I know I can bank that.Than love you, coach, Thank you,

(28:51):
buddy, give miss Beth. Ilove all right. That's coach Steve