Can community go #039;all in#039; and support event?
Published 12:00 am Sunday, November 14, 2004
I’ll admit it. I’m hooked. I’m "all in." Normally, my erratic work schedule sort of precludes me from becoming hooked on most prime time TV fads.
I can proudly attest that I’ve never watched a full episode of Fear Factor or any number of a bunch of reality shows that lure in watchers.
But nonetheless, I’ve become hooked on watching poker. Yes, poker, played on TV. I’d have been the first to say "What a ludicrous idea" a year ago.
But apparently I’m not alone. Poker, particularly a go-for-broke style known as No-limit Texas Hold ‘Em, has become quite the rage in the country.
The key to the game appears to be a unique combination of patience, fearlessness and a little luck.
With all due respect to Kenny Rogers, basically a successful player has to know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em. Those skills take a lot of patience.
The fearlessness comes from the very nature of the game – no limits. At any time during the game a player can go "all in." That means he or she pushes everything they have into the pot and gambles everything. It takes guts, but the move can intimidate anyone else who is bluffing a good hand.
As for the luck, that’s why they call it gambling, right?
Using a little of each of those key points, a player with only a little money can quickly amass the lead.
Some of those same lessons apply to our community, too.
Too often the naysayers in the community will do what they do best, down play everything. Rather than keeping their minds straight and focusing on the game at hand, they’ll start to complain about how few "chips" they have and how many their opponents have.
As anyone who has watched a round of professionals playing poker will tell you, that behavior will get them knocked out of a tournament quicker than you can say, "raise."
Think about it. With a little patience, our area can make some big things happen. Remember the old saying, "How do you eat an elephant? One small bite at a time."
The same applies to turning this community around.
We can worry about what we don’t have or we can do something about it.
Many people have been impressed by the get-up-and-do-it attitude of the Friends of Ironton group.
These people are "can-doers."
You won’t find them looking enviously at their opponent’s chip stack.
Nope, they’ll just keep plugging away, patiently playing their cards, waiting for an opportunity to happen.
On Wednesday one of those opportunities might happen, as the Friends of Ironton will be meeting with a representative of the Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournaments.
The Friends group is interested in hosting a tournament in the spring in Ironton. The event could raise significant amounts of money to be used for the group’s civic improvement work. The group’s main concern is having enough volunteer support.
If you’ve ever wanted to see something good come to the area, but were not sure what you could do to help, now is your time. Come out to the Friends of Ironton meeting at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday at the City Center on Third Street.
The basketball tournament sounds promising, but the community has to take a look at the cards and decide if it wants to go "all in" and help. Your help could be the difference in making the event become a winning hand for the community.
— On a completely separate note, a story I wrote in Thursday’s Salute to Veterans section omitted some crucial names. Ironton native Jack Geswein, who was killed in a World War II era airplane crash, was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Geswein. Jack’s brother, Tom Geswein still lives here in Ironton and Jack’s sister, Connie Lanham, lives in Florida. I regret the omission and thank the Geswein family for letting me share their story.
Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Ironton Tribune. He may be reached by calling (740) 532-1445 ext. 12 or by e-mail to kevin.cooper@irontontribune.com.