Opinion Section

Stop being a pussy.

Second off, 25 million hits a year is nothing. The number of hits, in fact, doesn't matter. How much bandwidth and space consumed is the matter, and you must know nothing about web hosting if you're complaining about expenses. You can find hundreds of cheap hosts who could support your website with less than $8 a month. And, after inspection of your web host, you're probably paying $10 a month for the standard web hosting package on networksolutions.com, which has enough space and bandwidth to hold your website for two months without a hitch. Then again, if you get SO many hits, you must earn a relevant amount of money from your google ads, yes? And that should counteract any other fees. Now about your other problems, like not recieving results after advertising for the meet. Did you ask them to send you the results? If so, then you should be complaining to them, not the random visitors who benefit YOU by visiting your website.

That's all I can muster about your pathetic advertising attempt, shame on you.

-Chris Wilson (chriswiscool@gmail.com)

Thanks for your kind words and for taking the time to research my site, Chris. It's interesting that someone who wants everyone to know just how much he knows about the internet and his ability to locate information wrote a message filled with so many falsehoods and assumptions about the website and about me.

First of all, 25 million hits a year represents a HUGE amount of bandwidth, especially in the busiest fall and spring months. If you know so much about the internet then you must know that each of those hits represents a specific amount of bandwidth used. Extremely high bandwidth usage requires a higher percentage of the bandwidth available for any host provider. Consequently, they charge more. For the amount of bandwidth that TexasTrack uses, it is a LOT more.

Second, I do not use and never have used Network Solutions as a web host. The website domain name is only registered through Network Solutions. I have changed hosting services several times over the last decade in search of cheaper, reliable solutions. The problem has always been finding someone who can handle the the bandwidth for a price that is not out of my budget. Since you have no idea how much bandwidth TexasTrack uses, your statements about how many hosts could handle for less than $8 a month is based on complete ignorance.

Your implications that I'm lying about the cost of hosting TexasTrack is truly sad since you know absolutely nothing about the website and apparently don't even have the knowledge to find out simple, publicly available information about it. I won't make judgments about your character for doing that, Chris. I'll let you conscience deal with that.

You do come close to making one true comment when you mention that the amount of hits should result in a significant amount of income from the small ads that are on the site. That would be true if people actually clicked on them and used them to at least look at the products and services they offer. Last month, they were used less than 0.3% of the time by visitors. That's not much.

And finally, yes, I do ask people to send in results. Every week. Should I even have to ask, though? Are the kind of person who believes that it's okay to ignore the request of someone to do something very simple after that person has helped you? In truth, I'm not the one who would really benefit. All it gets me is more work. The athletes in particular and also their coaches who work so hard every day are the ones who deserve this help.

I won't call you obscene names as you did me. Somehow, I have a feeling you're not the kind of person who realizes that is is a person's actions that say far more than any name calling from someone who doesn't know anything.

I almost gave up the website when I read your message. As has been clear on here, I am a pretty thin-skinned when it comes to the people who make mean-spirit attacks on someone who's only trying to help out others. I believe strongly in being a good human-being and I'm pretty naive when it comes to understanding how someone can act that way. It's a way of thinking that I hope I never understand. I'd much rather go to sleep tonight knowing perhaps I did something to make the world a better place. Can you do that, Chris?

October 4 -

HEY PHIL, IN RESPONSE TO YOUR POSTING OF MY OPINION ON OCT 3RD. YOU MISSED THE WHOLE POINT. MY POINT WAS TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO CHANGE YOU'R APROACH IN GETTING RESULTS AND REVENUE.ALSO TO ADVISE YOU TO STOP COMPLAINING IS PART OF THAT PROCESS. I SPOKE NO HARSH WORDS IN MY EMAIL.MY POINT TO THE WHOLE OPINION THING WAS TO SERVR OUT OF LOVE,REMEMBER. I WISH I HADNT SAID ANYTHING AT ALL. AFTER ALL IT'S YOU'R WEBSITE.YOU ENJOY IT PHIL.SEE YA, BRIAN BRITTON

October 3 -

HEY PHIL, I HAVE REALLY ENJOYED YOUR WEB SITE OVER THE YEARS, HOWEVER YOUR CONSTANT COMPLAINING AND LACK OF SPORTMANSHIP IS DRIVING PEOPLE AWAY. BE HONEST YOU STARTED THIS WEB SITE TO MAKE MONEY BY SELLING PRODUCTSAND WANT ADVERTISEMENT ENDORSEMENT. YOUR APPROACH TO PEOPLE IS WRONG. YOU CANNOT BLAME ALL YOU READERS FOR THE LACK OF RESULTS YOU RECEIVE OR PRODUCTS YOU SELL. IT'S YOUR FAULT. PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO BUY OUT OF GUILT .ALL YOU DO WHEN YOU COMPLAIN AND ACCUSE PEOPLE IS DRIVE THEM AWAY. YOU HAVE TO SERVE OUT OF LOVE ,WHEATER YOU RECEIVE OR NOT. LEARN TO SERVE WITHOUT EXPECTATION. IF YOUR SITE TAKES ALL YOUR TIME AND YOU CANT SURVIVE ,THEN MAYBE YOU NEED TO CHANGE. BUT FOR ALL OF OUR SAKES QUIT WHINNING

PS. I HAVE GIVEN YOU PHOTOS AND RESULTS BEFORE FOR YOU TO USE AS YOUR OWN AND NOY ONLY DID YOU DO NOTHING WITH THEM YOU NEVER SAID BOO!!!!!!!! SO STOP WHINNING

Thanks for taking so much time out of your busy to day to write, Brian. I'm sure you feel a lot better getting that off your chest. For your information, I started the website nearly ten years ago while I was a teacher and long before I began working for M-F Athletic. It had absolutely nothing to do with selling anything or "advertisement endorsement"...whatever that means. When I started working for M-F, it took two years of pushing from my boss before I would put anything about my job on the website because I wanted it to be about the sport and not about selling anything. While I do have my company's banner at the top and once a year post information about our annual sale, the rest of it has nothing to do with my job. If that little bit which I do because it helps my job a little and helps me to eat and have a roof over my head is too much, then I'm sorry.

If you're right, I apologize to everyone out there if it is my fault that many people do not send in results. I apologize if it bothers you that I give up my free time so that these young athletes get a little recognition. And I also apologize if I ask for help and a chance to earn the business of the coaches in our sport and it sounds like whining. It probably is a little whining, but getting up at 5 am and finding so many meets are missing gets a bit discouraging. If working hard to do things for free and asking for a little help is whining, then I'm guilty.

Frankly, I don't plan to end the website just because of your harsh words or to stop working on it because there are thousands and thousands of amazing and wonderful people involved in the sport and it is for them that I do it. I'd suggest that you stop visiting TexasTrack.com.

April 13 -

"I read your opinion board today and saw the post from the father and your response. I'm curious why you will take time to post that so everyone can see and respond to him. Maybe it is because it is a hit on you, I don't know. Myself and another coach e-mailed you during CC season in regards to your hateful comments about the Elk Run that you put on your blog. You never mentioned it to the public or responded to us. I guess we just needed to attack you and then we would have gotten a response. I don't think it is right to attack a coach and their program but yet get upset when someone does it to you."

Ms. Hilton, your original message was not posted because it was sent anonymously. I never pay much attention to messages from people who, for whatever reason, do not sign their name. Here is your message from last fall and my response:

The meet was contracted out to IRS racing. Any flaws with the meet came from their mistakes. They didn't have the chutes running well, they couldn't download the software they needed, and the results were messed up because of them. I am very offended that you would make an accusation implying the director was only out for the money. That is not the case at all. He is in it because he loves the kids and the sport. That is not right to make that kind of accusation when you don't know the person or the situation. I hope that you will correct that quickly."

I attended the meet and took lots of photos of the athletes and talked to a lot of coaches who attended. I agree that the meet went really well. Still, the results were a disaster and that's a big part of any competition. Certainly the problem was caused by IRS who also made major mistakes a meet the following week, too. However, there was no backup system in place in case of a problem. If IRS forced meet officials to not use a backup system, then I am truly shocked. Otherwise, a backup system should have been in place. I'd be willing to bet Coach King won't let that happen again next year. He works too hard to make sure the meet is a success.

I can't remember exactly what I wrote and have no copy of it , but I remember well the feeling of frustration because I go through every single week in the fall and spring. Coaches rely on the TexasTrack as a major source for promoting their meet and as the best source for finding meets for their own teams. It saves them a great deal of time and makes a lot of money for those teams whose meets are promoted here. It is a very simple thing to drop the results in a fax machine or email a file so the competing athletes can be recognized. It is also a simple thing to write a quick email to let me know if there is a problem and the results will be coming. Nothing came from Burleson for three days. (The Burleson track meet was last week, by the way, and I still haven't received any results from them.) That is what I wrote about last fall.

You're right. It was a mistake for me to make any implications about Coach King. I really don't know him except through email, but everyone -- and I mean everyone -- has always had good things to say about him as a coach and as a person since long before last fall. I certainly didn't mean for anything for sound "hateful" and if Coach King, you, or anyone else took it that way, I truly apologize. I don't think I attacked Coach King, only the lack of response I got after the meet and I certainly did not attack the Burleson program.

I just ask coaches to help me promote the sport and the hard-working athletes in a very simple way that takes very little time. Ms. Hilton, I would encourage you to try getting up very early in the morning and staying up late week after week, year after year, to promote ALL meets, ALL athletes, and ALL programs (not just Burleson) with an absolutely free service. (In case you were wondering, nothing is ever asked for or expected for any event I promote on the website including all the meets ads, camp and clinic ads, etc. Even then, there are occasionally people who are angry because I don't promote their event -- for free! -- as quickly as they'd like.)

I found this message waiting when I awoke at 6:00 am yesterday (Saturday, April 8) to work on posting results:

"Phil, my name is Calvin Ray Davis. My son is Colt Davis. I check your site daily. I appreciate the work you do. We live in Aubrey TX. As far as I know Colt is the fastest sprinter in the state. When I look at your site you are always crying about how much work you do. Do you need help??? You have a great website, but People do not want to hear how tired you are or your crybaby excuses. If you love what you do, do it and Quit crying about it. Track only comes around every 12 months. Report and enjoy. If It is so much you can't handle it, do something else. You make it sound like you are on your last leg and it is all over..
suck it up
C.R.D."

Thank you for taking the time out of your night to send me your thoughts. I apologize for not writing back on Friday night, but I was taking spending some time with friends. It was the first time I had relaxed on a weekend with friends in over 2 months because I usually spend weekends working on the website so people like you will have something to see when they visit the website. I could just copy other people's work as do some other websites and claim it for my own, but I do not believe that is right. I'm not "whining" or making "crybaby excuses", just stating facts.

I'm sorry you feel I should not ask coaches to spend a few minutes after the meet to send results. All athletes, like your son, work hard and deserve a few minutes of coaches' time to be recognized for their efforts. Maybe it is whining to ask for a few minutes of help from those I help all season long.

I came very close to giving it up Saturday morning and ending the website that morning thanks to your letter. There's nothing like getting into the busiest and most stressful part of the year and receiving a message like yours.

But then I thought about all the people who do support the website with their help and or just with a kind word of thanks every once in awhile.

I thought about the thousands of kids all over the state who may never see their name in print anywhere else and the athletes whose hard work is never appreciated or recognized enough.

I thought about the high school coaches who depend on it for information on planning, who use it for saving time when promoting their meets and planning their schedule.

I thought about the college coaches all across the country who depend on it in recruiting Texas athletes which results in more Texas kids getting scholarships and going to college.

And I thought about all the strong friendships I've made with so many parents, athletes, coaches, and fans of the sport — friendships with truly amazing people who bless my life every day.

While I sometimes make mistakes, especially in the stressful month of April, and write things on the website that I probably shouldn't write, I truly appreciate it when someone like you can remind why I chose to do this in the first place. It's all about the people I mentioned above. Thank you very much for sharing your opinion with me and for motivating me to continue.

P.S. Please tell your son, Colt, I said good luck the rest of the season and I hope to see him competing at the state meet in a few weeks. I'm sure he must be very proud to have a Dad like you.

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