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Show rs v For some reason, athletic comps4 etition can bring out the worst in . ;some people the worst in terms of temper, attitude and humor. And the problem is that athletics adversely affect, not the athletes themselves, but more often those who those who attend a con-:tespectate to watch and cheer for the I. tj. .home team. i - Letter to Our Readers: Athletes Too Pressured? tf v- - st When the athletes are youngsters, cheering, demanding, shouting ;these as: ;fans are often the adults whose love ' rS ;and support should belong to the .players automatically, not affected by how well they play or if they win .the game. Sports for children of and junior high school age .,W (should have as a primary goal to improve physical fitness of the students, help them learn the proper way to play the game and how to $ $ sports commentary , clearly labeled be as opinion and bearing the byline of sportsmanship. Winning should a staff member, in last weeks edisecondary. However, as with most aspects of tion. The writer expressed his opin- life, children learn attitudes about ion that too much pressure was sports from their parents and other placed on the players of a junior adult role models. Pressure is often high school basketball contest. As exerted on young athletes which an objective observer, he felt the were youngsters were too emotionally says Go out there and win counting on you, your school is caught up in the game as a result of counting on you and we know you pressure from the crowd. can do it. He was highly complimentary in What happens when, after all the yelling is over, the boy or girl didnt describing the ability of the players win? When so much importance is and the dedication of the coaches placed on the outcome of the game, involved. He said the skill of the a loss can be devastating to the young players was the best he had young player. And, why should it be seen all season even in comparison so important? Who is making winto high school athletes he had covmothe are What vital? so ered. He said the game was played ning tives? Are young players exploited with atomic powered energy and to boost the egos of adult fans? near perfect skills. His criticism The Lakeside Review published a was directed only at the attitude of compete fairly and with good - emotion. The Lakeside newsroom received a number of calls from people who were upset about the story and picture. Most callers expressed their opinions reasonably. One was irrational. One unsigned letter to the editor was received which said the photo was published at the expense of the players and of the that it was demeaning. self-estee- m well-play- ed 4A South Edition Lakeside Review Wednesday, March 28, 1984 Ai Street Talk: Too Much Pressure Question: Do you think too much emphasis is put on winning in junior high and high school sports? A recent commentary in the Lakeside Review spoke out against too much pressure on junior and senior high ath - Page dlitFDO '" rt' Both callers and the letter writer seemed to feel that the newspaper had been critical of the team. One man said If you knew how hard these boys have worked, and how much it means to them, you would know why it is important. They felt the intent of the photograph was to graphically point out that the players had lost, not how they felt about losing. The calls reinforced what the writer had been trying to say that the players may be getting the message that winning is more important than how they played the game. And that losing, and its effect on those involved, is something to be a cause for ignored or hidden shame. Perhaps this attitude is more a cause for shame than a losing score after a game. the crowd. The article was accompanied by a photograph of players on the losing team who were crying as the game wound to a close. The photograph illustrated the highly emotional effect of the game on the players. It was not staged, It was not created by the newspaper to make a point. It showed how the players really felt, their honest expression of real Youths Sports? in letes. Due to the large amount of calls from parents and athletes, the Review went out on r the street to ask local residents if they thought too much emphasis is put on winning in junior and senior high school sports. if "" .A V. Vance Downs, Farmington Coach "Winning is important but losing can be just as important. In the 2 or 3 days that followed the loss (to Kaysville) these kids probably learned more about life in general, and winning and losing, than in the 15 weeks of playing ball. And my love and appreciation for them is the same whether they win or lose. Lanna Griffen, Bountiful If the push to win is at the expense of the kids having fun then its ridiculous. Theres not enough emphasis on sportsmanship, It's great to go Brent Johnstun, Sunset Not as far as the kids and coaches are concerned, but the parents do. If the kids aren j concerned with winning they will have no desire to excel nothing to work for. But parents do, I've seen parents get into a fight at a little league game. A lot of times parents put way too, much emphasis on winning and turn kids off Article on Lady Refs Biased Is Review Editor: I am writing in regards to the article written by Gary L. Hatch, Movers and Shakers or Bruisers r and Breakers, printed in the Lakeside Review, March 4, 1984. This article is naive, biased, and the writer very uninformed as to the role of the basketball official and the rules of the game. Mr. Hatch lambastes the roughness and officiating of the girls tournament, yet he has no point of reference or comparison. He admits in the article, I .dont know what the officiating has been like all season for girls basketball. With this disclaimer he attempts to knowledgeably report the girls basketball tournament. Mr. Hatch mentions that nearly every coach I talked to during the tournament expressed dissatisfaction, if not exasperation at the officiating. This statement is interesting because the coaches select who will work tournament games. The selection of tournament officials is determined by both coaches and the basketball officials association, g of which each official is a member. An official has - to be on the association list and be a top vote getter from the coaches list to make the state tournament. Each coach is sent a list half-wa-y through the season to suggest those officials they feel are qualified to work their tournament games. It is the responsibility of the coach to return this list to the Utah High v School Activities Association (UHSAA). These lists are then tallied by the assistant director d of the UHSAA. Over of the coaches lists have no references to the black balling of any officials. As mentioned, the top vote getters will receive assignments at the tournament from the UHSAA. An official is usually 1 4-- A . - dues-payin- one-thir- whats the big deal. on sports. . calls, but players, too, miss shots, foul shots, and make that affect the outcome of a game. For example, in the game cited in Mr. Hatchs article, Layton shot 6 at the foul line, losing by seven points. There is protocol to follow during a game if a coach does not like the way the game is being officiated. Coaches and team captains have a voice in how a game is called. Coaches, however, have differing views of how they want the game called. If Mr. Hatch is truly interested in sports journalism, he might consider writing some factual, positive, uplifting stories about the individual players and coaches who are a credit to the sport and work so hard to make the girls basketball program suc-- , mis-cu- be libelous or in bad taste. The Lakeside Review encourages letters to the editor as a way of allowing citizens to speak out on issues that involve the local ; community. es Letters concerning issues of interest to readers within the Reviews circulation area, Roy though North Salt Lake, should be brief and to the point. As a general policy, letters of 500 words or less have the best However, the Review is responsible for what is printed in the newspaper and will not publish letters which are deemed to 10-2- chance of being printed. The Review reserves the right and sprinkler system.' When inquiring about all this to the city engineer we were asked if we attended public meetings (which my husband did), if we read the newspaper (which we do), and if we were members of the LDS Church not being members we have no fdea why this would have made a difference.) Protection of the majority is indeed a factor which we acknowledge. Im sorry that a1 cessful. more aesthetically pleasing ditch Janet S. Johnson was not put in our block as was Layton (done above and below us. We have had more damage to our property than any flooding could possibly have done. The stream which was an asset enjoyed by ourselves and neigh-bor- s ' who would sit by it in the summer is gone. A quiet gentle beauty remains only in memoReview Editor, ries. This is directed to residents Kathy Coover who need to decide whether or not to have their creek cement- on-goi- : . Creek Lining Hurts View And Property I i : . ed. Our property on Barton Creek has been revamped. One wiilows are gone. -year-old The wood from the trees was h no initial immediately asking if we would like the hundred- , Mike Day, Layton High School track team. Not really. It depends on the sport. There is more emphasis in bigger sports like basketball, but in track the coaches make sure our grades are up before we can compete. Also, if its a rival school sometimes the (school) kids and the fans put too much pressure on the team. Lakeside Review Letter Policy is off-seas- advantage-disadvantag- allup High, Puyallup, Washington) the year they won the basketball championship. The next year the emphasis was so strong from the alumni and citizens, to win the team was in last place from the for the win but if you lose then Letter to the Editor assigned a game where, heshe is recommended by one or both coaches. There are some cases where the official working a particular team may not be on that coaches list, but preferred never will a black balled official be working for that school. Mr. Hatch quotes only one coach in his article, although he admits talking to many coaches. The other coaches comments and insights could have added some credibility to his reporting. Mr. Hatch suggests that officials need to meet in the and make some decisions about what kinds of calls they need to make and what are the differences and similarities between boys and girls basketFor Mr. Hatchs ball. information, the rules are the same for boys and girls. Basketball officials receive training throughout the basketball season. They are members of a national association as well as a Utah association. They begin meetings three weeks before the start of the basketball season and meet at least every other week during the season. A common goal of association meet- ings is to develop consistency of calls among officials. Attendance at association meetings is mandatory to receive game assignments. It is the judgement of Mr. Hatch and his disinterested observers that the games were wilder than a Roller Derby. An Official uses judgement in many facets of calling the game. The rule book is an important tool of the official, but the skill of judgement is the most important. When there are ten people moving rapidly in a small areas, contact is unavoidable. The job of the official is to call the game according to the rules and to allow the game to be played without unfair advantage being taken by anyone. We, as officials, want to be consistent among ourselves. One way this is being accomplished is by applying the e concept to the game. Yes, contact may occur, but did the contact put the player at a disadvantage so that she could not continue? Yes, officials do miss some Steve Payne, Bountiful I went to high school (Puy- gone-wit- fire-(woo- d. A cement truck demolished lour sprinkling system and garden area. When they wanted to (bring the truck into the yard they used verbal permission I from my j The next day when a car was blocking their path they picked 'it up and moved it without asking because we understood we Jhad permission. i Our dining room (just remodeled to view the stream) now looks out at a stark cement ditch. Children are daily walking on the ditch wall cutting through jback yards. A 10 foot wall of dirt nd stone sits oh shrubs, bulbs Satan Is Alive And Well in Davis County ' Review Editor, The commentary written by Dan Carlsruh concerning his opinion of prayer in the public schools tends to reaffirm my belief that Satan is alive and well. His claim that those believing prayer could help cure many of our problems found in society was escapism is laughable. His belief that prayer is too easy a solution is escapism. The reason society suffers from the ills he mentions is because much of society has rejected the simple solutions while problems are small. Seems to me even with big problems like we find today, getting back to the' b basics and working from that point would eventually bring about a solution to those ills. Sometimes the simple solutions are overlooked because they are so obvious but then unspiritual charlatans wouldnt be able to sell copy.Marie Marshall - Who Defends The Unborn, Woman Asks Review Editor: It is nearly garden planting time and if I dont want to take time to care for a garden crop such as watering it, weeding and fertilizing some plants why both- to edit letters for length and content. All letters must be signed by the author and accompanied by an address and phone number. Address all letters to Review Editor, Lakeside Review, 2146 N. Main, Layton, Utah 84041, or 145 N. Main, Bountiful, Utah 84010. tion unless her own life is imperiled. What happens to rape cases? I know not the answer as I have not experienced a situation like that. But it does seem unfair to be made to have to suffer for the misdeeds or wrongful actions of anothers invasion. Some married women are raped, and by their own husbands on some occasions, so where can one draw the line and justify some needed financial assistance? From all of the taxpayers? Did the taxpayers commit the crime? Should they have to pay for the misdeeds of another in all cases? A baby cannot defend itself against the abuses of adults, always, and so someone has to speak up for them and help defend them if they can from being overly abused, yet, if their being born can cause another some abuse, that may be wrong also in er to have a garden? If some people do not want human seeds, then why do they plant or receive human seeds? some way. Why destroy another if it is reName Withheld as murder and a crime? garded And why must some adults and children have to cope with an illegal invasion of sorts that may be committed against their bodies against their wills? Why have some countries been attacked and invaded by Review Editor, As a casual reader of the ediwasteful dangerous bombs? Even Mother Earth cannot defend hertorials, I was drawn into the stoself against such abuses. But, ry of Mr. Dodge fighting to save his pet ducks from West Bountithat does not make them right. There are those that say the ful City. It appears that all that following words: We must not has been accomplished is to overpopulate the world. Some make Mr. Dodge angry, hurt and of them justify abortions and try resentful and rightfully so. So to limit the human race. And, much positive could have been there are also those that will not gained. I certainly have a new limit the nuclear bombs over- .opinion of West Bountiful. When we let the judicial bupopulations that may cause even a more destructive waste in due reaucracy get in the way, it ' serves as a detriment to our sotimes. A womens body can be enciety. Lets use some good common sense dangered by the abortion od, and she is denying the right and let Mr. Dodge have the of another to be given life as she ducks. was if she consents to an abor A Bountiful Resident Let Resident Have His Ducks Back ed I |