Published Sunday, March 9, 1997
Ordinary wrestling fans bewildered by congressional VIP visitors
HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) _ Here in the village nicknamed The Sweetest Place on Earth, nearly half of the U.S. House members were spending the weekend sequestered for seminars and socializing designed to bring them together.A couple miles away, a more ordinary Saturday activity _ the state wrestling championships _ drew thousands of high school students, parents and fans from all corners of Pennsylvania. They expressed bewilderment over the presence of the visiting VIPs from the nation's capital.
``Why couldn't they hold it in Washington? That's where they belong,'' said Tom Turner of Warminster, who said he could not find a hotel room close to the wrestling arena because of competition from the congressional conclave.
``I just don't understand why they can't'' get along better, said Lance Bentley of South Waverly. ``They've got to work more like a team than against each other.''
At the sprawling Hershey Lodge & Convention Center, the main entrance was blocked by orange traffic cones. Metal blockades were set up along sidewalks to keep spectators away from the privately financed congressional event.
There were few signs of activity outside the lodge Saturday. Organizers said the nearly 200 lawmakers and their families would spend the afternoon visiting local tourist attractions, such as the Civil War battlefield in Gettysburg or the Amish communities in Lancaster County.
The retreat was scheduled to end today, when a chartered train will whisk the participants back to Washington, the same way they came on Friday.
At the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association championships, meanwhile, fans got rowdy even over the morning consolation matches _ hours before Saturday night's finals. The crowd cheered and booed loudly as wrestlers wearing brightly colored spandex suits vied for advantage.
The contrast between the congressional retreats, whose purpose was to help members of Congress stay out of fights, and the championship grappling at the HersheyPark Arena was not lost on the wrestling fans.
For the record, most of them were not also fans of Congress.
``It's all politics. Everybody's trying to do the thing that they think is going to get them elected. I think it's a shame,'' said Tom Eynon of Downingtown, who believes congressional term limits would help.
``They get paid a lot of money. They should know how to act,'' said Debbie Rider of Dillsburg.
``The government is going to do what they want anyway,'' said Sandra Maurer, who works part time as an usher at the arena and is convinced that her opinion counts for little to those running the government. ``You're talking to a little peon worker.''
Taking the opposite view was Bill Summers, who traveled 90 minutes each way from his home in State College to watch the championships.
Summers said he considers the exercise worthwhile because of the unique nature of the work in Congress.
Shaping a consensus among people of differing political views is ``just like weaving a basket,'' he said. Programs designed to promote cooperation ``should go on more.''
Updated March 9, 1997
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