"Rules are rules" vs Sportsmanship

[Charles Applin]

Well, the coach did say his team lost a match due to the same rule a few years earlier (girl wearing earrings during a relay). Hard to call him a dirtbag if he's merely wanting to enforce a rule that's been enforced on him.

What should be called into question are the morons that write these rules calling for disqualifications for violations like that. Eh, I gave up worrying about the over codification of sporting rules long ago. Some rules come about from a rare mishap, some due to counter-acting poor but legal sportsmanship, some just because a moron is in charge.

[Eric R Cohen]

Originally Posted by Charles Applin

Well, the coach did say his team lost a match due to the same rule a few years earlier (girl wearing earrings during a relay). Hard to call him a dirtbag if he's merely wanting to enforce a rule that's been enforced on him.

Actually, IMO, that makes him a bigger ****** bag AND a petty whiny baby. That's no defense. As a coach, it teaches your kids, "you don't have to be better if you can find a tiny loop hole" That Coach = Fail.

[Casey Raiford]

If, as the SI article strongly suggested, he (probably) did see the bracelet on the girl's first attempt at the vault, then the more genuine act of good sportsmanship would have been to let her or the other coach know about it and the rule.

[Brian LaFonte]

Rules are rules. She broke them, she has to face the consiquenses. Yes, it sucks for her, but her fault for not removing ALL jewlery. It is not a hard concept. The other coach is not a ****** for calling her out on it. All of the rules are in place for a reason. They have to be inforced or what is the point of having them. The rules are part of the game / sport. You can't false start and you can't wear jewlery. It is up to the participant and THIER coach to abide by the rules.

I put this on the girl and her coach. The other coach pointed out the infraction and she lost. Follow the rules and you won't have this problem.

[Ian Peek]

Originally Posted by Brian LaFonte

Rules are rules. ... I put this on the girl and her coach. The other coach pointed out the infraction and she lost. Follow the rules and you won't have this problem.

The onus is on the girl's coach to know and enforce the rules on his own team. I can understand how a HS senior would not know all of the rules, but her coach should, without question. He didn't enforce the rules and ask the girl to take off her bracelet, so his team lost.

In a sort-of similar situation, I used to play chess competitively. I have both won and lost on technicalities (time running out, etc.). That is INCREDIBLY frustrating, especially when you are the loser. If you don't like the rules, don't compete.

To put ourselves in their shoes, would we have done anything differently? A win is a win, outright or technical.

ian

[Jason R O'Dell]

I prefer to win because I was better than the other person or because I was able to outplay them at that moment. Not because they spanked me while wearing a bracelet.

[Casey Raiford]

Yeah that.

[adam adkins]

Originally Posted by Casey Raiford

If, as the SI article strongly suggested, he (probably) did see the bracelet on the girl's first attempt at the vault, then the more genuine act of good sportsmanship would have been to let her or the other coach know about it and the rule.

This is the part that bothers me - and it may come from the journalistic bias as the coach claims he did not actually see until after the jump.

As other posters have pointed out, rules come in only 2 forms; 1) prevent competitive advantage 2) safety of the participant.

That's it. There can be no other justification of a rule on the HS level.

Obviously the thread did not provide a competitive advantage so we can conclude that the intent of the rule is to protect the participant. In fact, another poster pointed out just how dangerous jewelry can be in a competitive event.

So if this friendship thread did actually cause a safety risk to the girl and the coach did see it before the jump (that is a big if) that means the coach placed his teams victory ahead of the girl's safety. That is a dangerous mind set, particularly for high school sports.

If you say, "Now let's not get ridiculous. That thread clearly didn't put the girl at risk." Then the rule itself can not be justified.

[Brian LaFonte]

Originally Posted by Jason R O'Dell

I prefer to win because I was better than the other person or because I was able to outplay them at that moment. Not because they spanked me while wearing a bracelet.

But you still win, based on following the rules of the game. If i win the 100m by false starting, but still spank you, are you going to give me the win? It is not a technicallity - it is a RULE. Follow the rules of the game and you win, fair and square. Tough lesson to learn, but I bet she will never forget it.

[Jason R O'Dell]

Originally Posted by Brian LaFonte

But you still win, based on following the rules of the game. If i win the 100m by false starting, but still spank you, are you going to give me the win? It is not a technicallity - it is a RULE. Follow the rules of the game and you win, fair and square. Tough lesson to learn, but I bet she will never forget it.

If I was able to turn down the victory then yes I would do so. If I couldn't then I would say to anyone that asked "I didn't really win." or "I sure don't feel like the winner."
But that's just me.