Argus letter from Roger V. Holtzmann

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Here's an obnoxious letter in today's Argus. The author is a Roger V. Holtzmann. Does anybody know if that's the Roger Holtzmann who writes for South Dakota Magazine? If so, I'm going to call up my old friend Bernie Hunhoff and cancel my subscription.

Roger V. Holtzmann
Yankton
published: 1/2/2005

South Dakota State University Athletic Director Fred Oien's capacity for positive thinking must be nearly limitless. Being rejected by the Big Sky Conference twice is not a completely bad thing for the school, according to Dr. Fred Oien, because at least the conference is considering expansion.

Of the three conferences mentioned in a recent Argus Leader editorial as possible homes for the Jackrabbits, only the Mid-Continent was called an option at this point - which is curious because earlier news stories reported they weren't interested in expanding, either. Let us consider Mid-Continent in terms of what Carr Sports Associates, the firm which did the original Division I study for SDSU, called the makeup of an acceptable athletic conference: "respected peer institutions located within a reasonable distance of each other."

Mid-Continent stretches from Utah to Indiana to Louisiana. Its enrollments run from less than a thousand to nearly 17,000. There are small, church schools and large, urban, state-supported institutions in the conference. These are peers? Those are reasonable distances?

SDSU wanted to move to Division I in the worst possible way. That is exactly what it's doing.

[filbert]

Re: Argus letter from Roger V. Holtzmann

Brings up visions of King Canute in his throne at the sea coast, ordering the tide to not come in . . .

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Argus letter from Roger V. Holtzmann

Thanks Ok Rabbit for reminding me who Roger was and yes a few issues back maybe a year ago, he wrote a very cutting and critical article about SDSU and its move to D1. The South Dakota Magazine later carred a response letter from Keith Jenson, who is a former Alumni Association Director and also served on the steering committee that considered the issues of going D1

The bright side is that we are making progress and people like Roger have to dig deeper to continue their cynical dialogue.

[Texas_Jacks_Fan]

Re: Argus letter from Roger V. Holtzmann

Yep, This whole D I thing is a bust, We've been DI 5 whole months now, we dont have a conference commitment yet, there are no basketball championship banners hanging from Frost, our football team didnt win the National Championship!! Our womens VB team wasnt in the national tournament, and our wrestlers have not yet defeated Iowa for the national championship- what were we thinking moving to D1
Pardon me, but Roger Holtzmann is an a## h###!!!

In the major sports...

Football- 6-5 (sorry we didnt beat Southern worse but they had 25 more scholarships than us)

Womens VB- 13-6 agains DI competition. Runners up in the Independant National Tournament- Wins over Boston College, and UTEP to name a couple.

Mens BB- one DI win (rebuilding year-those happen) we would'nt have done any betten if we were still in the NCC. the future looks great with good recruits next year and a couple of red shirts that will start next year, and a great schedule next season of home games & DI teams finally coming to Frost.

Womens BB- 4-4 against the DI teams. Losses of 7pts.(USC) 7pts.(Purdue) 3pts. (Oregon St) and 16 pts. (Rutgers) We've only beaten NIU, Texas St, Oklahoma State and Kentucky. I mean come on... shouldnt we be pounding some of these DI teams by 50 or 60 points insted of the paltry 20-30 point wins were currently getting??

We helped form a pretty damn good football conf. (GWFC) our first year.

We cant go to the big dance in BB for 4 more years, If we play an independant schedule until then thats fine with me!!

Forgive me for the heavy sarcasm in this post- some people just dont have the mental capacity to grasp this move yet, and many who are loyal to the red and white never will.

[JackJD]

Re: Argus letter from Roger V. Holtzmann

Consider the source.

[SoDak]

Re: Argus letter from Roger V. Holtzmann

Here's an obnoxious letter in today's Argus. The author is a Roger V. Holtzmann. Does anybody know if that's the Roger Holtzmann who writes for South Dakota Magazine? If so, I'm going to call up my old friend Bernie Hunhoff and cancel my subscription.

Roger V. Holtzmann
Yankton
published: 1/2/2005

South Dakota State University Athletic Director Fred Oien's capacity for positive thinking must be nearly limitless. Being rejected by the Big Sky Conference twice is not a completely bad thing for the school, according to Dr. Fred Oien, because at least the conference is considering expansion.

Of the three conferences mentioned in a recent Argus Leader editorial as possible homes for the Jackrabbits, only the Mid-Continent was called an option at this point - which is curious because earlier news stories reported they weren't interested in expanding, either. Let us consider Mid-Continent in terms of what Carr Sports Associates, the firm which did the original Division I study for SDSU, called the makeup of an acceptable athletic conference: "respected peer institutions located within a reasonable distance of each other."

Mid-Continent stretches from Utah to Indiana to Louisiana. Its enrollments run from less than a thousand to nearly 17,000. There are small, church schools and large, urban, state-supported institutions in the conference. These are peers? Those are reasonable distances?

SDSU wanted to move to Division I in the worst possible way. That is exactly what it's doing.

I doubt seriously the existence of two Roger V. Holtzmann's in Yankton. I'm pretty darned sure it's him.

[jackmd]

Re: Argus letter from Roger V. Holtzmann

Consider the source.  

Please appreciate the signifigance of this observation.

I suspect just as many people will read the statement here as will those reading the publication it inhabits.

Consider the (non)source.

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Re: Argus letter from Roger V. Holtzmann

I'm considering the source and thinking maybe I don't want to subscribe to a magazine that includes him as a contributing editor.

[91rabbit]

Re: Argus letter from Roger V. Holtzmann

Some thoughts on South Dakota Magazine (a publication to which I subscribe and enjoy very much, BTW):

I read another magazine (political/cultural, therefore it shall remain nameless here ) that frequently contains work from those who might never get a hearing in such a venue (i.e. the opposite side of the cultural divide). As such, one is exposed to ideas that he might not otherwise read or seek out. Kind of like keep your friends close and your enemies closer...

I believe SD magazine has approximately 40,000 subscribers (many of which seem to be out-of-staters with SD roots based upon the letters to the editor). I don't know its in-state circulation. I believe that Roger Holtzmann wrote an earlier piece very critical of the D1 move and Keith Jenson responded with a letter to the editor (which, IMO, was very snotty and sarcastic in tone) and, therefore, will very likely be rather ineffective in drawing converts to the D1 endeavor. Given that so much of the rancor on this board is directed at the so-called naysayers and FESers, preaching to the masses should be high on the to do lists of those fully behind the move. As such, reading publications like SD Magazine (and other media that may have the ear of South Dakotans and also could be their voice(s) as well, would help to spread the word and get the pulse of what D1 opponents are thinking. Responding in a charitable and informative manner to Holtzmann's piece in the Argus, describing the current D2 landscape and relating other pertinent facts, will do wonders to enlighten and inform the state.

[jackmd]

Re: Argus letter from Roger V. Holtzmann

I believe SD magazine has approximately 40,000 subscribers (many of which seem to be out-of-staters with SD roots based upon the letters to the editor).  I don't know its in-state circulation.  I believe that Roger Holtzmann wrote an earlier piece very critical of the D1 move and Keith Jenson responded with a letter to the editor (which, IMO, was very snotty and sarcastic in tone) and, therefore, will very likely be rather ineffective in drawing converts to the D1 endeavor.   Given that so much of the rancor on this board is directed at the so-called naysayers and FESers, preaching to the masses should be high on the to do lists of those fully behind the move.  As such, reading publications like SD Magazine (and other media that may have the ear of South Dakotans and also could be their voice(s) as well, would help to spread the word and get the pulse of what D1 opponents are thinking.  Responding in a charitable and informative manner to Holtzmann's piece in the Argus, describing the current D2 landscape and relating other pertinent facts, will do wonders to enlighten and inform the state.

Didn't say the source was a bad one (my family also subscribes), just asking everyone to consider that its his magazine and his opinion. There is no benefit to converting Mr. Holtzmann, at least none that I can clearly see. Tincture of time with a sprinkling of success will do wonders for those "opposed" to progress in the form of a DI university in the state of SD. The emotions currently involved are just that.

Lastly, my charities are extended at this time. Someone else please reply in "a charitable and informative manner to Holtzmann's piece in the Argus, describing the current D2 landscape and relating other pertinent facts".

It might do wonders to enlighten and inform those in the state and out interested and intelligent enough to understand the magnitude of the move to DI. Or, like so many, they might just say what they do now and point to the current struggles, while opining about the past and not looking to the future. That said, its probably a good idea. Any volunteers? I vote for OK_Jack.

[JackJD]

Re: Argus letter from Roger V. Holtzmann

I love South Dakota Magazine. I've subscribed for many years.

I do not read Holtzman's columns. I had read the one critical of SDSU because someone told me about it first.

Holtzman's column is out of character for that magazine. Bernie Hunhoff has done a superb job of producing an magazine which gives its readers a nice, warm fuzzy feeling. And why not! We deserve that once in a while.

I even read all the ads!

But not Holtzman.

[JackJD]

Re: Argus letter from Roger V. Holtzmann

(geez, think I'd proof-read before hitting the send...) meant to write "...producing a magazine...." not "an magazine".

I had one other thought on Holtzman: Many of us are familiar with the short but essential writing book, "Elements of Style" by Strunk and White. In that little gem, there is a section on writing style. Once piece of advise offered by the authors is: don't effect a breezy style.

Holtzman has not read "Elements of Style."

There was a time years ago when I purchased numerous copies of Elements of Style and mailed them out to those who appeared to have not had the benefit of the wisdom of Strunk and White. Holtzman can buy his own.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Argus letter from Roger V. Holtzmann

Keith Jensen has replied in todays letter to the editor section.

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...501220321/1053


SDSU Division I
published: 01/22/05

Roger Holtzmann's letter regarding South Dakota State University's move to Division I is laughable.

Two big points:

1) He knocks the Mid-Continent conference because of its disparate locations. Did he think the Big Sky is made up of schools a "reasonable distance from each other" (the Big Sky stretches from Montana to Oregon to California to Arizona). His utopian view of an acceptable Division I conference doesn't exist in the sparsely-settled states of the Upper Plains.

2) Critics ignore the good news. When SDSU's football team did better than expected, and when SDSU's volleyball team finished ranked 84th in the nation out of 300-plus teams in Division I, where were the upbeat letters?

When SDSU's women hoopsters are 6-4 against D-I teams, why not rejoice a bit? And even though the men's team is admittedly having a down year, USA Today's Sagarin ratings put them ahead of 87 Division I teams, and rank SDSU's schedule as the fourth toughest in the nation.

Not a bad start for the first five months of competition in D-I. Face it, we're in this for the long haul. Nobody said finding a conference or competing in D-I would be easy.

Save your judgments for 10 years from now.

Keith M. Jensen Brookings

Looks like Keith has spoken for most of us on the board.