"Rules are rules" vs Sportsmanship

[Sean Dunston]

hmmm...

Laird walked back to the top of the runway, gained her composure, then took off again. This time everything was in sync. She planted the pole, lifted herself into the air and soared easily over the bar to give her team a 66-61 victory. While half the crowd cheered and the other half groaned, Monrovia coach Mike Knowles reacted by pointing to his wrist and gesturing toward Laird, who was wearing a thin, colorful string bracelet.

"This is my 30th year coaching track," Knowles said a few days later. "I know a lot of rules and regulations."

The rule in this case -- Section 3, Article 3 of the National Federation of State High School Associations -- is clear: "Jewelry shall not be worn by contestants." So is the penalty, and in the time it takes to read "the competitor is disqualified from the event," South Pasadena's win was transformed into a 65-62 victory for Monrovia.

From the American Heritage Dictionary:

jew·el·ry audio (jl-r) KEY

NOUN:

Ornaments, such as bracelets, necklaces, or rings, made of precious metals set with gems or imitation gems.

Merriam-Webster:

Main Entry: jew·el·ry
Pronunciation: \ˈjü-əl-rē, ˈjül-rē, ˈju̇l-; ÷ˈjü-lə-rē\
Function: noun
Date: 14th century

: jewels; especially : objects of precious metal often set with gems and worn for personal adornment

Seems like the coach for South Pasadena might have an argument on his behalf that the band of cloth worn on the wrist of his athlete, previously described by the opposing coach from Monrovia as "jewelry," is not in fact jewelry, and his athlete should be reinstated, and his team should be awarded the Championship.

ohh - and the coach from Monrovia should go take a flying leap at a rolling doughnut.

[Charles Applin]

I'm reminded of an episode of Frasier where the brothers are getting in a tizzy over rules and by-laws at their wine club. One old man he really just wanted to come and drink wine.

My beef is with the rule itself. There's nothing about wearing jewelry that should call for disqualification. I agree it's a safety issue, and could be a major one should it get caught on the pole. Still, you give the participant a warning to remove it and if they refuse to do so then remove them from the event. If I'm refereeing high school football and see a player with his mouth guard dangling out, I call a time out on his team and get him to put it in. I don't disqualify the team or kick him off the field unless he refuses to put in the mouth guard. In both cases, the common sense approach is a warning that demands compliance.

Track, football and most other sports are dangerous so there's a lot of safety rules. As pointed out above,to disqualify a member for a safety violation AFTER THE FACT means you allowed that member to risk safety during the event. That says more about the dependability of the coaches and judges than about the skill of the young lady.

[Jamie J. Skibicki]

Sport billy never broke the rules and he always one

[Eric R Cohen]

Originally Posted by Jamie J. Skibicki

"That's funny because she was the best competitor. She won. She was the best at the given task. How can this make her a better competitor when she was the best?"

Because she lost. Michelle Wi (sp) lost a tournament becuase she didn't fill in her card correctly. She played golf better than everyone else but still lost.

Large amounts of money were at stake. Big difference.

[Jamie J. Skibicki]

The point with Wi was that what made her lose had little to do with her ability to play golf. I dislike the rule in question and how it was enforced, i like the earlier suggestion of a warning then removal. But this is hardly the first time a rule which has little to do with the competition itself caused an upset

[Tony Black]

Originally Posted by Jamie J. Skibicki

But this is hardly the first time a rule which has little to do with the competition itself caused an upset

So that makes this rather petty and id argue morally corrupt decision ok?

[Ian Smith]

"Smokey this is not 'Nam, this is bowling. There are rules."
"Has the whole world gone crazy? Am I the only one who [cares] about the rules?"

You have to take the rules seriously.

Link not WFS (language) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiQmQhA-OrM#t=50s