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Show V Page 14 Times Newspaper Thursday, June 13, 2002 Odd hainn's ray, spools wkoaftoog 5s a risC gannnie MARTIN HARRIS Timed Sports Editor An epidemic has long swept across this country concerning the abuse that sports officials take from fans, coaches and players. Just a few years ago, people were appalled when major league baseball player Roberto Alomar spit in the face of an umpire. Now, officials at all levels receive verbal abuse, it seems almost a given, but lately a frightening trend seems to be forming. Officials at the high school and little league level are becoming targets of fans and parents who are upset that there kid's team lost and want to blame the official. As part of my job, I have attended a variety of sporting events this season and have seen some questionable behavior. behav-ior. From throwing objects on the court to seeing parents and fans ripping into officials verbally ver-bally after a game. The trend of post game confrontations con-frontations has gotten to the point that officials are instructed instruct-ed to leave games together. Wise advise coming from one official. Tve left a game before alone and I had cars follow me," Bob Krommenhoek, a prep football official, said. Fortunately, the gross majority major-ity of games do not end this way. Most of the time, officials just have to deal with upset personnel on the sidelines or in the dugout. How do officials deal with upset coaches? "Every official is different and has their own guidelines," Jim Peterson, the State President of the Joint Board of Football Officials, said. "I've learned that if you just communicate with them, then they'll settle down but I don't Other occurrences around the U.S. concerning violence directed towards sports officials Indiana (Soccer) - Following an adult Indiana (Football) - The father of a Ppnnsvlvania fWrenfUnort A naranf i Indiana (Soccer) - Following indoor soccer match, a player attacks the game referee as he is attempting to get in his car to leave. Angry over a call during the game, the player kicks the official in the back, elbows him in the back of his head and tries to choke the official. Witnesses come to the rescue of the official and police are called. Charges of assault are pending. New Mexico (Football) - Youth football coach Jake Garcia, 31, hit referee Edmund Romero, 31, "in the face with a closed fist" after disagreeing with a call, Santa Fe, N.M., police said. The fracas occurred after an Oct. 20 title game in a league for 12-and 12-and 13 year-old3. Garcia's team lost 13-12. Romero suffered a broken tooth, abrasions to his face and a bloody nose. Utah STIXX win Gold at Summer Games A V 1 f If H Utah County STIXX are (kneeling) Breck Lalng, Josh Jones, Josh Barber, Adam Martinez, Steve Parker. Standing: Steve Heaps, Austin Heaps, Austin Haws, Austin Bingham, Kelsey Erickson, Kyle Barney, Austin Chrlstensen and Rick Chrlstensen. Salt Lake City Two adult bald eagles and their three baby eaglets will be the center of attention atten-tion June 20 and 22 during Division of Wildlife Resources Watchable Wildlife field trips near the southeast shore of the Great Salt Lake. The trips will leave at 6 p.m. each evening from the Department of Natural Resources, 1594 W. North Temple in Salt Lake City. There is no cost to participate, but reservations are required. To reserve a spot call Bob Walters, Watchable Wildlife program coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, at (801) 538-4771. get into yelling matches with them." The coach is also in charge of all those on their sideline and in keeping order. At the OremMountain View football game this past season. A fan on the Tiger sideline, after chewing out an official for several minutes was finally instructed to leave the sideline. The fan said something mature along the lines of "you can't make me leave." The official told if he did not leave that he would have to throw a flag on the Orem team. Again he refused. The flag was thrown and the fan made a quick retreat not wanting to face the potential wrath of Orem coach Alex Jacobson, who did not seemed a bit pleased at the penalty. No fan, is going to be pleased with every call an official makes, however, the different between a rational person and the case stated above would be the realization that it is all a game. Peterson said the real reason why parents attend the high school event should be to support their children, win or lose. Regardless of the call, officials offi-cials seem to be getting an ear full. "Blind", "idiot", "moron" are just a few of a long list of insults being yelled at the general gen-eral vicinity of a n official at a sporting event. "We just have to play a deaf ear as much as we can," Krommenhoek said. "Fans are going to be crazy and sometimes some-times the players and coaches too. "Everyone is not always going to like the calls they make." Some of the most vehement opposition the officials get is from the parents at the little league level. "The problem is parents think that their kid is the next John Elway," Peterson said. "Most of the problems come an adult Indiana (Football) - The father of a Wallace High School football player in Gary was arrested during a sectional game against Merrillville. Thirty-nine-year-old William Willis is accused of punching and shoving a referee. Wallace coach John Hoover says Willis became upset when the team was losing Friday night and went to talk with his son, junior lineman Will Willis. Police say Willis struck referee Andrew Simpson after Simpson asked him to leave the sidelines. Simpson fell on his back but was not injured. Merrillville beat Wallace 41-to-nothing. Louisiana (Softball) - A coach and player physically assault the umpire in the parking lot following an adult softball game. They were upset over a call made by the umpire during the game. Participants will follow' Walters in their vehicles, traveling on mostly paved roads to the viewing site. He'll have at least two spotting scopes and some binoculars available, but participants who have their own are encouraged to bring them. "ItH be warm, so dress accordingly, and bring some mosquito mos-quito spray," he advises. Participants are free to leave the viewing site anytime during the evening. Those who participate will be able to view the first nesting pair of bald eagles documented in northern Utah since 1928. Bald eagles have used from parents who are too anxious anx-ious to see their kids become stars." One of Peterson's scarier moments as an official came at a little league football game where his life was not the one in jeopardy. The parents from this team from Orem did not like the way the coach was coaching their kids and the game. Peterson, himself, admitted some of the plays were a little weird but that the actions of the following actions by the parents was completely com-pletely inexcusable. "The parents went after the coach in the middle of the game," Peterson said. "We called the game at that point." The result was at least one arrest. My question is how that parent would ever be able to explain this incident to their child. Something along the lines of, "Daddy got mad at a coach calling a bad play in a little lit-tle league game, so I decided to try and take off the coach's head." It would be safe to assume that many of these kids were permanently scared seeing something of this magnitude breakout. One of the scariest moments in Utah high school sports came several years ago in a football game between Carbon and Springville. Peterson said the game was important because the winning team went on to the playoffs and the losing team was done. This atmosphere atmos-phere might have added to the tensions which escalated to a breaking point. Late in the game, Carbon threw a touchdown pass but two officials flagged the play do to offensive holding. Bringing the ball back and negating the score. Timpanogos baseball coach Kim Nelson was one of the officials offi-cials in the game. Nelson said after the game was over a The Utah STIXX 14-year-old baseball team went undefeated to take the gold medal in the Utah Summer Games Baseball Tournament in Cedar City on June 7 and 8, 2002. In pool play, they defeated Juab (10-0) and Lincoln County, Nevada (17-4) on Friday. Continuing in pool play on Saturday, they beat the undefeated Cedar City team with a score of 11-2. In the semi-finals, the STIXX won the game against Lincoln County with a final score of 11-0. The championship game was against Juab. The STKX came from behind in a very close game and won the gold medal with a final score of 8-7. The Utah STIXX team is coached by Rick Christensen and Steve Heaps. group of Carbon fans, players and coaches surrounded the officials so they did not have a way to leave. The mob started yelling all kinds of obscenities at the men. A group of Springville coaches coach-es came to their aid and stood between the Carbon mob and the officials. "A Carbon coach, getting a 10-yard head start, hit one of the Springville coaches, bashing bash-ing in one of his cheek bones," Nelson said. The aftermath was a severe injury to the Springville coach and the Carbon coach was suspended sus-pended from Utah high school sports for life. He was also brought up on charges. "It scared me to death," Nelson said. "For days afterward, after-ward, I kept thinking about it." How could it come to this? Officials running for their lives, people trying to physically injury another person and a coach's career in ruins. Over what? A call that two officials saw and called. More rules are in place to help the officials. At many high school sporting events, police officers are present for purposes purpos-es of crowd control and school administrators are on hand to help maintain a safer atmosphere. atmos-phere. "More than anything else, I wish I could just encourage every parent to just be supportive support-ive of their children " Peterson said, "and to support the officials. offi-cials. There is not a single one that is out there to take something some-thing from your kids." "We're out there to protect the kids and to keep the game moving along. We as officials do not care who wins." Parents that lose their cool at games seem to be missing the boat. According to Peterson and many others, sports are an extension of the classroom. Sports teach discipline, hard work and skills. Pennsylvania ( Wreatlinor) A nnrpnt. ia j x 0, I criminally charged for biting a coach and shoving the official when he attacks the two after his seven year-old son loses a pee wee wrestling match. Ohio (Football) - More than 100 people peo-ple rush the field and five adults are charged with assault forattacking a high school football official as the crew leaves the field following a state playoff game. The crowd became angry when the officials called back an apparent game-winning touchdown due to a holding penalty with four seconds remaining. Florida (Baseball) - A 20- year veteran veter-an umpire is attacked by the coach after he disagrees with the umpires call. The coach "sucker punches" the umpire as the umpire is walking away and breaks his jaw. Little Hoopsters Orem Recreation Department will be offering Little Hoopsters basketball camps this summer. This program pro-gram is open to boys and girls entering first, second, and third grade in the fall. At camp, children will be instructed in the basic skills and techniques of passing, dribbling, and shooting. While skills and drills will be taught, team work, sportsmanship, and fun will be emphasized. Each session of camp is held Monday through Thursday from 10-11:30 a.m. on June 24-27, 24-27, July 7-11, and July 29-August 29-August 1. The fee is $20 and includes a camp T-shirt. Register early because camps fill fast and camp size is limited. For additional information, infor-mation, call the Orem Fitness Center at 229-7154. the present nest site yearly since 1996. Two eaglets have been produced each year except in 1999, 2001 and this year, when three were successfully raised. Walters says bald eagle pairs often nest at the same site each year and the adult eagles that will be viewed June 20 and 22 are probably the same pair nature enthusiasts have viewed at the site since 1996. This year the eagles are utilizing a manmade nest built as a replacement for their original orig-inal nest snag, which was blown to the ground during dur-ing a violent windstorm on June 13, 2001. Walters said the eaglets should be learning to fly 1 f ' tTiA. 1 mm. II I 1 E I atr - , , J 4 h' 1"- ' ,t f Officials keep a watchful eye on followed. nr is. ,i LP "We're out there to protect the said. Super Hoopsters camp to be held Orem Recreation Department will be offering a Super Hoopsters basketball camp this summer. This program pro-gram is open to boys and girls entering fourth, fifth, and sixth grade in the fall. Participants will be instructed instruct-ed in the basic skills and techniques tech-niques of passing, dribbling, and shooting. They will participate partici-pate in daily games and activities activi-ties that will allow and encourage encour-age them to use the skills that they are learning. While skills and drills will be taught, team work, sportsmanship, and fun will be emphasized. Camp will be held Monday through Thursday from 10-11:30 10-11:30 a.m. on June 17-20, July 15-18, and August 5-8. The fee is $20 and includes a camp T-shirt. T-shirt. Register early because camps fill fast and camp size is limited. For additional information, infor-mation, call the Orem Fitness Center at 229-7154. "Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times." -Anonymous rdr r- 1 5 Km-tx if Photo by Martin Harris the game, ensuring the rules are x. -n. v n o - V A Photo by Martin Harris kids," sports official Jim Peterson Final Spring High School Golf Results Final Team Standings Orem 815 American Fork 817 Pleasant Grove 828 Spanish Fork 841 Timpanogos 861 Lone Peak 926 Lehi 935 Top Ten Individual Scores Daniel Reid(OHS)-151 Bryant Broshard (TV) -153 Jared Thompson (AF) -154 Will Ko(OHS)-155 Jason Hainsworth (TV) -156 Dane Jensen (PG) -157 Andrew Huntsman (THS)-157 Nick Nelson (LP) -158 Matt McCandless (AF) -158 Jake Williams (PG) -159 Parker Redding (LP) -159 Jordan Rhodes (AF) -159 mJum tf , Jim the third week in June, so there's a good chance those attending the mid-June field trips will watch as the eaglets make some of their first flights from their nest and back. The eaglets will be about 11 to 12 weeks old by mid-June. They and their parents Bhould remain at the nest site until mid-July, before leaving for other areas, Walters said. In addition to the northern Utah site, Utah has three other active bald eagle nest sites. Two of the sites are near the Colorado River in southeastern Utah and one is near Price in central Utah. i |