The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, Ju ly 5, 20 18 | 8 Waterloo Chronicle 630 Riverbend Dr. Kitchener, ON N2B 2G1 Phone: 519-886-2830 Fax: 519-579-2029 Web: www.waterloochronicle.ca Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, e-mail customerservice@metroland.com or call 519-894-3000 CONTACT US VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Nelson Parreira nparreira@metroland.com Regional Advertising Director Bill Ford bford@metroland.com Sales Lead Michelle Stevens ext. 795062 Advertising Representatives Cassandra Dellow ext. 795066 Zach Peters ext. 795068 Jan Bodanka ext. 795072 Editor Bob Vrbanac Reporters Adam Jackson Bill Jackson Namish Modi WHO WE ARE The Waterloo Chronicle, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 100 community publications across Ontario. The Waterloo Chronicle is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editorial@waterloochronicle.ca waterloochronicle @wlchronicle ABOUT US ® Chronicle.WATERLOO $1.00 CONNECTED TO YOUR COMMUNITY WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA OPINION With the first long weekend of the summer behind us, and the country coming together to celebrate Cana- da Day once again, here's hoping those friendly feel- ings continue in what promises to be a long, hot sum- mer. There is a theory that the heat and humidity can lead to increased irritability. That raising our temperatures also makes us hot under the collar and a little more impatient with the people who share the same space. Some of that has been debunked, suggesting it was an old wives' tale. If anything, extreme heat can pro- mote lethargy and a desire to seek shelter instead of confrontation. The truth is that the heat makes it a little harder to sleep, and lack of sleep is a main driver in getting our blood pressure up and making people short with each other. If you're starting to feel that, we suggest taking a siesta. Our Latin-American friends have the right idea in taking a break or taking a nap if gets too hot for us to coexist. But the real reason that some of us get a little less tolerant of each other is the chance that we will bump into each other more frequently in the summer months than when we go into our cocoons during the winter. Research suggests we quite literally are run- ning into more people. That includes more people out and about in their cars, as we deal with increased traffic and increased speed because of the generally drier conditions. The warm weather and the longer days also encour- age more people to get out and stay out for longer peri- ods of time. The more of us out there, the more chance for us to interact. Chances are that favourite fishing hole or hideaway you have isn't so secret and might even be crowded. Hopefully, most of the interactions that come from that are positive and most people have a live-and-let live belief during the summer heat. But studies on overcrowding show people react to diminished personal space, and that it breeds more tension and stress and the desire for people to lash out. Sometimes that is manifested in violence, and we all are better served when cooler heads prevail. That's why when the temperatures rise try to re- member not to let your temper rise with them. Don't rage out on the roads, keep your tongues in check, and remember that, while our summers are short, that doesn't mean we have to be. Enjoy, relax and chill out. Don't let rising temperatures make you hot under the collar Iwritten a lot about my ex- periences with my family over the years, so bear with me this one last time as I share a story of soccer pas- sion you won't find on display at the World Cup. Last week I made the two hour drive to Owen Sound on a Tuesday night for my son Dylan's travel soccer team. I have a lot of respect for all the parents out there who do this on a weekly basis because it's a long haul. I can't imagine doing it in winter during hockey season. We told the boys I was tak- ing up in the Vrbanavan they had to make the trip worth- while. That was a long way to go to lose, and I suggested an even longer walk home if they didn't play well. They thought I was kidding. I also have a confession to make. I've got a good set of lungs and have no problems making myself heard. Talk- ing on the soccer field is something I've done since I played the game. But I'm always supportive of our team and never dispar- age the opponents. I might disagree with a referee's judg- ment but I respect the posi- tion, have never questioned their intelligence, eyesight or understanding of the game. Well at least not publicly. So, the other night, in Ow- en Sound, we were down ear- ly and had to rally back against a team ahead of us in the standings. In fact, the on- ly loss they suffered this sea- son was against my son's team. That fact wasn't lost on their fans, so late in the game when I called out to one of our players to tackle a ball carri- er, one of their soccer moms lost it. "How dare you tell you player to hurt one of ours," she accused. "Tackling isn't part of soccer." I'll let you soccer fans sit with that one for a moment. When we tried to explain the game to her, and I offered to Google soccer tackle for her, she grew even more in- censed. When one of our play- ers got injured she called him "muffin." I think the correct term is cupcake. When I told our defence to clear the ball, and empha- sized I just meant clear the ball and not kill somebody - she dropped a steady stream of "F-bombs" on me. Well there were no fair play awards going out to her that evening. But the fact our team held on for the win seemed to shut her up. It's too bad she couldn't do it sooner. It reminded me that some- times passion overcomes rea- son, especially when you give a reason to some overzealous fans. - Managing Editor Bob Vrbanac is an award-win- ning columnist. Beware the wrath of the soccer mom • EDITORIAL • Sometimes opposing fans can be touchy says Bob Vrbanac BOB VRBANAC Column