PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

Salem-Keizer School District Superintendent Christy Perry took just the right action this week when she appealed the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) decision to force Salem school athletic teams to travel over the Santiam Pass to play Bend area schools.

I report this as a follow-up to a post I wrote earlier decrying the decision to force students and coaches to make the often hazardous trip over the pass.

It just makes no sense.

In her appeal, Ms. Perry wrote that schools had inadequate time to prepare for the athletic realigning decision, would lose instructional time, and would lose money.

And, according to a story in the Salem Statesman-Journal, Perry did not cite what, for me, is the most telling reason to oppose the realignment – safety, or better put, the lack of it.

Imagine buses traversing the difficult pass in the dead of winter. Even cars with appropriate snow tires have a difficult time.

The OSAA should be ashamed of its realignment decision. Ms. Perry is right to appeal it, but the OSAA is not clear on what the route will be to consider the appeal.

If it is not approved immediately on the face of its solid rationale, I would advise Ms. Perry and the School Board to ignore the ham-handed directive and play sports within Salem-Keizer Schools, perhaps adding Albany area schools to the mix.

That would serve students far better and that, after all, should be the basic purpose of athletics in the first place.