"Rules are rules" vs Sportsmanship

[adam adkins]

Cliff notes version:

CA State High School track meet comes down to the final pole vault. Girl clears 7'6 for the win. Crowd goes wild. Opposing coach points out that girl is wearing a friendship bracelet. Girl disqualified. Opposing coach's team now state champs.

Rules are rules or poor sportsmanship?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...rsy/index.html WFS!

[Katherine Derbyshire]

For the league championship? Rules are rules.

Katherine

[Brian Monk]

Nah, that other coach is a tool.

[Katherine Derbyshire]

Originally Posted by Brian Monk

Nah, that other coach is a tool.

Yes, but. He still has a right to insist on the rules.

Katherine

[John Scott Rezendes]

I'm with Brian. Is that really a victory you can savor? All wins are not created equal.

[Michael Henry]

Originally Posted by Katherine Derbyshire

For the league championship? Rules are rules.

Katherine

Originally Posted by Brian Monk

Nah, that other coach is a tool.

Both.

Rules are rules regardless of what you're playing for. People win by technicalities all the time. My bro-in-law is a criminal defense lawyer and gets people off on technicalities all of the time, but I can't stomach that as a way to make a (very good) living.

On the other hand, the coach is a ****** bag. He may not be ashamed of himself since he did what it took to win, but to pull a move like that after you are truly beaten is a d!ck move, hands down.

[Sean Dunston]

rules are rules AND the coach is a dirtbag for calling the other girl out on the bracelet.

So in the Olympics (and qualifiers), women may wear jewelry, including necklaces with charms on them, but a girl in high school can't compete with a friggin friendship bracelet?

Give me a break.

all links wfs

http://www.bjreview.com.cn/olympic/i...0a145d6a03.jpg

http://images.loqu.com/contents/670/948/image/10.jpg

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/...qv9Y6/610x.jpg

[Allen Tluczek]

1. Rules are rules. I mean, I probably would have mentioned it if I noticed it earlier.
2. ?
3. I don't think I would have actually tried to win on something like that. The coach is a DB.

[Bob Schmidt]

The coach is a real ***. I'm glad SI brought this type of douch-baggery out to the public, same as they did with some of the other recent poor sportsmanship articles in youth sports.

I'm the type of person who goes after rules on the intent, rather than the letter of the law. I've lost a number of competitions (both serious and intramural-rec-type) because I don't want to seem petty over something minor. I've also won competitions on calling teams on major infractions (ie - players playing for multiple teams, egregious cheaters, etc...). In my eyes, if they still out-played me and the infraction didn't contribute to their victory, then good for them, they deserved it.

I don't know what the intent of that rule was (No jewelry), but I doubt it was meant for string bracelets like that. I always remeber being taught for refereeing soccer (where no jewelry is a rule as well) that I should consider the situation - a soft wristband is fine, but a studded bracelet, no. (DUH!) Dangling earings or long necklaces that could cut someone/get caught on someone are not ok, but small studs (taped up) or a small, tight necklace was fine.

If my child were coached by that guy, I'd let him know that my kid would no longer be working with him. It's pretty simple. I'd rather have character built through sport (as probably 99% of youth don't make sport into a career) than win a championship by technicality.

[Craig Rogers]

Originally Posted by Bob Schmidt

The coach is a real ***. I'm glad SI brought this type of douch-baggery out to the public, same as they did with some of the other recent poor sportsmanship articles in youth sports.

I'm the type of person who goes after rules on the intent, rather than the letter of the law. I've lost a number of competitions (both serious and intramural-rec-type) because I don't want to seem petty over something minor. I've also won competitions on calling teams on major infractions (ie - players playing for multiple teams, egregious cheaters, etc...). In my eyes, if they still out-played me and the infraction didn't contribute to their victory, then good for them, they deserved it.

I don't know what the intent of that rule was (No jewelry), but I doubt it was meant for string bracelets like that. I always remeber being taught for refereeing soccer (where no jewelry is a rule as well) that I should consider the situation - a soft wristband is fine, but a studded bracelet, no. (DUH!) Dangling earings or long necklaces that could cut someone/get caught on someone are not ok, but small studs (taped up) or a small, tight necklace was fine.

If my child were coached by that guy, I'd let him know that my kid would no longer be working with him. It's pretty simple. I'd rather have character built through sport (as probably 99% of youth don't make sport into a career) than win a championship by technicality.

When I was a soccer ref the no bracelets rule came from a broken finger when it caught under the other guys bracelet as 2 people ran into each other.
The no ear rings came from a header that turned into a squirty bloody mess when an earring got jabbed into the side of a girls neck.
I was not there for either of them, but those were the stories I heard.
As a former coach I would never call an opposing team out on a rule like that. I always remind my team of the no jewelry rules though.