It’s not whether one wins, but how the game is played. That, basically, is the gist of good sportsmanship. And so it should remain, regardless of what level or type of sport — from T-ball to varsity baseball, from roller-skating to Olympic speed-skating. Genuine effort, team camaraderie, execution and grace are, and should remain, paramount.That said, there should also be a certain amount of respect for the sport itself. If someone is on the rowing team, he or she should know how to paddle. If someone is on the soccer team, he or she should know how to kick. Having a certain proficiency for a sport is a reasonable expectation for any coach or athletic director to have when organizing a team or running a drill. To do any differently is actually disrespectful to those who have spent hours trying to perfect their skills and to master the sport. Is it fair to place someone who has a keen sense of serving a tennis ball on the same team as someone who can’t even hit the ball with the racket? Honestly, it’s not. Now, this is not to say that the novice should not be given a chance to participate. Nor is it to say that the beginner should be treated disrespectfully, inhumanely or cruelly. After all, everyone has to start somewhere. But there should be, especially in our schools, a safe and encouraging place for those just learning a sport to begin from.That’s where North East (Webutuck) Central School District Athletic Director Jon Zenz’s idea of creating an intramural program starts to make sense. Zenz made the suggestion to the Webutuck Board of Education at its meeting on Monday, Feb. 13, to some apprehension regarding his thoughts on cutting students from teams.“I look at this as a way to expose kids to sports at a younger age,” he said. “It also provides the opportunity for a student who is cut [from a modified, junior varsity or varsity team] to go to the intramural program and improve their skills before trying out again.”He makes good sense. It might sound harsh to some parents concerned about their children having hurt feelings when potentially not being accepted to the middle or high school teams. But children, like adults, should learn that it takes practice, time, dedication and talent to make it to the top. And until one gets there it’s OK to work your way up from the bottom. That’s how people learn, how they improve, how they master skills. And there is no shame at starting from step one.Creating feeder teams at Webutuck is a good idea. It certainly deserves a respectful and open discussion, without anger and acrimony, around the board table. That Zenz has already arranged for some of his coaches to volunteer free of charge adds to the proposal’s allure. There’s really no reason not to give the suggestion a try.Intramural teams will also give students a chance to see if they like the sports as much as they think they will, because for some children the fantasy of playing soccer is so much better than the reality. So why not give students an opportunity for a test run? And why not give them an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of any given sport, a chance to hone their skills, and a goal — to get good enough to earn their rightful place on the varsity team bench.That said, whether you agree or disagree with the proposal, make your feelings known at the next Board of Education meeting, which will be held on Monday, March 5, at the Webutuck High School library.
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Artist Victor Cella with his recent painting “White Dog” in his studio and shop, Little Store Antiques in Great Barrington.
L. Tomaino
Cella greets visitors while talking with a fellow painter who comments about his work and Cella himself: “Eclectic, amazing! Victor is decidedly loved in the community and exhibits to everyone his completely open heart.” She added, “He inspires the rest of us who paint.”
Cella began devoting himself to painting about four and a half years ago. He remembers taking art classes in high school. He had finished all his credits early and was allowed, in his senior year, to take art for four hours a day. He credits his art teacher, Mr. Owen, with giving him a good foundation in art.
“Now that I paint, I rely on my teacher’s words: ‘To unify a painting, pick a color and wash it over the painting,’ or, ‘You need to mix the colors!’”
He won a scholarship to New York University to study art, but his parents said no.Instead, he attended North Adams State College, where he also took an art class at Williams College, repeating a pattern from high school in which he finished his required credits early and used the extra time to study art.
He earned a teaching degree in special education and ended up working in schools in Massachusetts and Connecticut for 37 years. He retired in 2019.
Then, four and a half years ago, he got the urge to paint, and the paintings flowed out of him.
He has sold 757 paintings, with 95 of those sold since May 7. “I am having bizarrely good luck with my paintings.” He estimates he has painted 2,000 paintings in four and a half years.
He modestly attributes his success to “I sell low and I have a built-in client base of 51 years,” he said, referring to recurring customers in his antique shop. “A billion people give me feedback.” He has two patrons who each have several of his paintings. “Unbelievably,” says Cella, “one person owns 32 and the other owns 27.”
His studio is in the back of the shop. He paints now on 16-by-20-inch canvases, some of which he recycles, finding them at Goodwill.
Cella’s paintings are tucked in almost every available space thoughout Little Store Antiques. L. Tomaino
To keep his painting fresh and himself interested because, as Cella explained, “I can’t stay with one idea for long,” he has gone through several phases: crazy dogs, grids, flowers with black backgrounds, a geometric phase and “weird people.” The “crazy dogs,” as he calls them, are popular now. One person bought eight, left to go to her car and came back for a ninth, spotted in the shop’s window — the one that brought her into the shop in the first place.
He may even illustrate a children’s book with the “crazy dogs.” A local author liked them so much she asked Cella if he’d illustrate a story about three dogs if she wrote one.
Cella was also approached recently by a person who said, “Do you know you were my favorite teacher?” She came into The Little Store, attracted by the paintings in the shop’s window. It turned out the former student owns Crystal Essence on Railroad Street in Great Barrington and has asked to sell Cella’s paintings there.
Cella, who will soon be selling the building where The Little Store is located and move it nearer to his Southfield home, was glad to be offered a new venue for his paintings.
An artist he knows, Scott Prior, a painter from Nantucket, bought one of Cella’s paintings and gave him this advice: “Never go to art school. You are an artist. Let it pour out of you.”
Cella said, “You have to follow your own path.” He mused, “If I taught art, I’d teach it in a different way. I could teach it as an awareness — how to free yourself up.”
To see more of Cella’s work, visit The Little Store (88 Main St.) or Crystal Essence (39 Railroad St.) in Great Barrington.
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