Posted on 05/11/2010 8:50:13 PM PDT by Roberts
Remember the story of the college softball player who hit the game-winning homer and blew out her knee as she trotted around first base, but was carried to second, third and home by opposing players -- even though she represented the decisive run in a game that determined the championship?
This is not that story.
This is the story of a high school pole vaulter whose successful leap in the last event won the meet and the league championship for her team -- until an opposing coach pointed out she should be disqualified for breaking a rule, reversing the outcome so that his team captured victory and the league title.
The girl's infraction? Wearing a friendship bracelet.
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"This is my 30th year coaching track," Knowles said a few days later. "I know a lot of rules and regulations."
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South Pasadena coach P.J. Hernandez was dumbfounded.
"I said, 'Coach [Knowles], you really want it to come down to this?' " Hernandez recalled.
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"It's unfortunate, that's all I can say," Knowles said. "It's unfortunate for the young lady. But you've got to teach the kids that rules are rules."
(Excerpt) Read more at sportsillustrated.cnn.com ...
The coach stole his victory. A true sportsman would’ve respected the true outcome of the meet and then pointed it out to the young lady afterwards. Rules like this are meant especially for necklaces or watches that can cause injury.
This happened when I was coaching Little League years ago. During a championship game, a coach got confused about the rules of maximum innings a pitcher can pitch in 2 consecutive games. As he was conferring with the assistant, the young pitcher unknowingly took the mound to warm up. The opposing coach sat in wait and let the kid take his warm-up then notified the umpire before the other confused coach knew what happened. The game was forfeited and the clever coach who used the rules to his advantage rather than notifying the other coach (which is what I would’ve done) made a foolish scene in front of a bunch of 10 and 11 year old kids. He won a very empty victory. I can’t stand coaches who use this kind of gamesmanship. I always took satisfaction in defeating jerks like that.
I have two words: Pine tar.
This sounds like something that high school football coach Vernon Dozier would pull, on behalf of Bel Mar Academy. It won’t be long before we hear that Steve Bosell has called his attorney, Dolores Blasingame, and filed a lawsuit. Next, we’ll hear about Jay Santos and the Citizens Auxiliary Police searching the athletes for contraband jewelry and all that kinda deal.
The only thing that coach and team won was a bad reputation.
They will forever have to live with being a joke, a stigma that will follow the team for years.
A championship only has value based upon its legitimacy. If everyone knows it was granted based upon an obscure technicality the championship loses all value.
He and his team won a medal made of Fool’s Gold.
Robin is still 17 y/o.
Do we have a good image of the gizmo that got her disqualified ?
There are reasons for these rules. A girl in our neighborhood was wearing a ring and bounded into the dugout while slapping it with her hands. The ring got caught on the edge of the roof and completely peeled the skin from her finger.
I would personally not accept the trophy, or medal for this sort of a “win”. It is meaningless as a win and in no way reflects the reality of what actually occurred on the field of play in this instance.
Exactly what I was thinking......she was in heats way before it came down to the wire.
Mike Knowles has quite a few skeletons in his past.
And an Obama voter...
http://www.insidesocal.com/paspreps/2009/01/muir-track-field-longtime-coac.html
Funny you should mention that. While on cruise aboard the LPD Coronado, I was going down a ladder when one of my feet slipped out from under me. To keep myself from falling, I reached up above the hatch coaming to catch myself. My ring got caught on the coaming edge and, just for a second, I dangled there until I could get my feet back under me on the ladder.
It tore my finger up pretty badly, but kept me from probably more serious injury from falling backward onto the ladder and then down eight feet or so to the next deck.
It is called being “degloved.” That is why we are told not to wear jewelry aboard ship.
I was thinking the same thing.
If the infraction was observable before and just up to the start of the compitition and NOT pointed out I’d leave things as they were.
I hope this coach in future keeps his athletes within the rules. If I was a coach in the same league I would memorize the rule book and use it against him at any and every opportunity.
Leftists USE rules, they don’t abide by them.
Yes, coach is a jerk and played the lawyer role to steal a victory.
I can’t believe that people on this site are defending this.
The bracelet (which is really a rubberband) had nothing to do with this girl winning the event.
The meet officials should have pointed out the uniform infraction before she competed. That some loser coach calls this out to bring his team a victory is wrong. He claims that he did not notice the rubberband until after she jumped. She should have claimed that she put it on after her vault. But, I am guessing she has more class that this loser coach.
My kids ran track in High School. It is in the rule books and for a reason. SAFTEY! Simple as that. She knew better.
I don’t know where I stand on this. I have never judged pole vault but I have spend quite a few years judging the discus. I always checked athletes for legal atire before they stepped into the circle in the first round. It’s not required but it prevented a lot of problems.
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