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Show As the Ball Bounces 7, 7 , New tourney sends wrong message I Whether it was intended or not, the message high school volleyball I athletes and coaches got from the new state volleyball tournament I format was, "girls' sports aren't important, let's hurry up and get I them over with." I According to most of the coaches, it wasn't necessarily that the I tournament format was changed, but that no one bothered to consult I them for suggestions on how the tournament could be modified to I save the always-diminishing dollar. I Many coaches also noted that boys' sports are seldom affected by I such money-saving crunches. I Tournament organizers, namely the Utah High School Athletics I Association, should take a hard look at the implications this year's I tournament format carried with it and make an effort to devise a I tournament that's a little more fair and equitable for everyone. I Traditionally, the tournament has been played at a central location I over the course of three or four days. This format carried with it two I main advantages. First, it allowed teams to regroup and prepare for I their opponents. I This is important because volleyball is a mental game. As with I most high school sports, the team that can come to play mentally, I wins. Forcing teams to play two games in a single evening is unfair I and doesn't allow time to recuperate mentally. I The second advantage the traditional tournament had is less tangi- I ble than the first but just as important. The traditional format allowed I teams to savor the state playoffs. It allowed the teams to feel the ex- I citement and anticipation of an impending state game and generate I student bodyparental support. Games played during the morning and early afternoon hours are difficult for parents to attend. Games that begin at 9 p.m. are difficult for a given school's student body to attend. at-tend. One coach expressed her feelings this way, "They're setting us up to fail." If games are truly played for the experience of competition and not necessarily to win, isn't depriving the participating athletes of the state tournament's excitement like robbing them of their very reasons for playing the sport in the first place? What are coaches and athletes expected to think when their sport is seriously altered without their input while other sports go untouched? Another incongruity exists between the 3A and 4A tournaments. The 3A tourney is held at a central location while the 4A tournament is not. This may not seem like a serious difference, but let's take the Darts' playoff scenario for instance. ' The first round of the 4A tournament was held at the home of the region champion in a given bracket, in Davis' case, Bingham High. Entering as a fourth place team, the Darts not only had to face the Miners on their home court but, after losing to Bingham, had to wait for another three hours for their next match while the Bingham players could go home or do whatever they wished. A viable solution to this problem would be to have the 4A tournament tourna-ment (or both tournaments) at a local university on a rotating basis as has traditionally been done with the state wrestling tournaments. The Darts were able to rise to the occasion and beat Alt a later that evening. Woods Cross and Bountiful weren't that lucky. Both faced scrappy, first round teams, both lost after emotional, three-game matches and both were forced to play again five hours later. Fortunately for the 'Cats and Braves, the tournament was held at West High allowing both teams to go home if they desired, but what did teams from Skyview and Bear River do with the seven hours they had until their next matches, take in a matinee? Is it really fair to ask the 3A volleyball teams to play their entire state tournament in little more than 24 hours? Basically, it comes down to allowing input from the different coaches to be heard. One coach commented that it might not have been so bad if she and her colleagues had been asked for their opinions opi-nions or even allowed to agree to the new format. They were simply informed of the changes. Still more importantly, there are some things that are worth more than saving a few extra dollars. Anyone who has participated in a sport at the high school level knows that hisher sporting experiences are some of the most vivid memories heshe will carry through life. In many cases, the friendships and camaraderie that result from athletic endeavors are the most enduring. There's no price tag that . can be placed on such experiences. It isn't right to rob these athletes of their all-too-fleeting moments of glory. For example, it's blasphemy to imagine area football teams competing com-peting in the state finals anywhere but at Rice Stadium. It's equally blasphemous to suggest that the state football games be played on anything but a weekly basis. Volleyball and other sports, boys or girls', deserve the same consideration. |
