I trust all the competing players refused the medal?
If the rules state that no friendship bracelets are allowed and the penalty is indeed forfeiture of victory... then what’s the problem?
“But you’ve got to teach the kids that rules are rules.”
Especially when enforcing them will help ME, ME, ME!!!
“...rules are rules.”
Especially when the rule conveniently disqualifies the other team, and allows you the win.
I would agree that you must abide by the rules, but if I were the coach, I would give this violation a pass (if this is, in fact, a rule).
So a loop of string is jewelry?
What a jerk of a coach.
Anybody who says “rules are rules” is full of it - and I’ll prove it.
Let’s imagine the girl’s bracelet got stuck on the pole and she broke her wrist.
Lawsuit. And would the girl be responsible for her broken wrist, because she broke the rules? Nope. Her lawyer would argue that the coaches had the responsibilit for checking for obvious violations such as jewelry before the match - both coaches. Reason? Students have to be pre-judged as non-competent, otherwise the school can’t limit their rights. So this this is EXACTLY how she would win a lawsuit (or her parents would).
But she didn’t break her wrist, and so the coach who otherwise would be held responsible if she got hurt and the kid had lawyers gets to invoke a rule that actually, legally applies to him more than her - and then he shakes his finger at her and cites rules are rules and steals the championship away from her superior performance.
So don’t tell me about rules. If this girl’s family was worth millions and could afford to sic a lawyer at these rule-spouting jerks, they’f be hanged by the very rules they are smashing her down with.
And THAT’s the truth about the “rules.”
Sure, rules are rules but Knowles’ team did not win and they should be ashamed of him as their coach. He’s an embarrassment. If I were on the school board, he’d be looking for another job.
I had a similar experience with a coach twice in one year.
During the 1994 Cross Country Championships in Buffalo NY the top two teams tied their top seven, the rules stated that the next finisher broke the tie.
The guy coaching the other team was on the rules committee, and changed the rules after the fact for the next three in giving his team the win..
Then during track season my 4*4 team set the City record, the same coach now pressed that my T-Shirt on under my uniform was deep dark navy and not black like one of my teammates so we were dq’d..
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.
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.
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
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.
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.