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Show CLIFF MEMMOTT, Edilor TWO FINE TEAMS POSEIN DISTRICT PLAYOFF FOR RIGHT TO ENTER MEET .... Friday night will wind up activities for another year for one fine basketball team, while another will begin making mak-ing ready to join fifteen other Class B teams to play in the annual state classic that each year brings the best together to-gether to determine a Utah champion. Coaches and principals of Roosevelt and Uintah high schools met at Roosevelt Monday night, and after considerable consider-able discussion pro and con decided to take the play-off game to decide the Uintah Basin district championship to Rangely, Colo., Friday night .... Vernal originally wanted the game there, but Roosevelt had their eyes on the Heber City court, and for several hours it looked like, a stalemated stale-mated situation .... However, Coach Marcus Garrett and Principal Lawrell Jensen proved themselves to be fine .sports and gentlemen, and against their inner-desires accepted ac-cepted the fact that from all practical points-of-view, Rangely Range-ly was the logical site, and so they agreed. During the past 10 days or more, feelings about the one, and possibly two games between the Roughriders of Roosevelt and the Utes from Vernal, have been running at a pretty high pitch . . . .Many harsh words have been said, and many have conceived thoughts that were not complimentary compli-mentary to those involved in determining phases of the final game at Vernal last week, and the possible play-off, should the Utes beat the Riders. I have found that it is mighty easy to form quick opinions opin-ions of people and groups and make snap judgements. Last week I joined a lot of you loyal Roosevelt boosters in condemning con-demning school leaders from the Uintah high school in fact I expressed my feelings in this column. . . . Many of he inferences I made were justified, and some, I have concluded, con-cluded, were not exactly as they should have been, and I am just as quick to express my regrets that I was hasty ih judging one particular educator who presides over the Uintah high school. It has been my pleasure to meet and talk to this gentleman gen-tleman during the pas! 'few days. I listened attentively to his side ot "the controversy, and am convinced oey-cnd doubt that he is doing the best job possible to spread the gospel of "good sportsmanship" among his students and faculty. . . And certainly, when a man is making every effort possible to teach sportsmanship to his own studentbody, the effects will be felt among those they compete with .... And so I offer apologies where apologies are necessary. Now to get back to Friday's ball game at Rangely, where a champion must be named one well coached team must bow out of the picture, and one will reap the honors that come with winning a championship. ... If Roosevelt wins, I'm sure the Utes and every loyal booster of the Uintah Uin-tah high school will be wishing Coach Marcus Garret and his team God-speed in the Class B tournament that opens next week. ... If, by the same token, the Utes replace the Riders as champs, then it becomes the responsibility of all followers of the Riders to climb on the bandwagon of the Uintah Basin champs and pull for them to make a fine showing in Salt Lake. As a final word, I'd like to commend Coach Garret on his broadminded attitude in conceding the slight point of agreeing to the Rangely gym, and to encourage his fine basketball team that if they want to win the title they have held the past three years, then their best opportunity will come if they go into the game with all biased thoughts removed re-moved from their minds, with a keen desire to play their "hearts out" in an effort to beat their Vernal rivals but definitely to do it in a fair and honorable way . . . I'm reminded re-minded of the poet who said "It isn't the fact that you're licked that counts,, but how did you fight, and Why?" May the best team win Friday's game, and may we all, fans and players alike, of both teams, enjoy the contest, and then leave all bitterness behind and work together for the building up of the Uintah Basin and the things we have ' that are envied by many. v E v STUDENTS GO TO TOURNAMENT ON THEIR OWN RESPONSIBILITY .... Principals Lawrell Jensen, of Roosevelt high school, and Arvard Rigby, of Vernal, Monday night made a definite def-inite statement regarding students from their respective schools who anticipate attending the Class B basketball tournament next week in Salt Lake City: "Definitely the school whose team enters the tournament tourna-ment will in no way be responsible for students who travel to Salt Lake City to watch their team in action .... They go on their own, and parents most certainly should be aware of the attitude of the school principals and faculties facul-ties regarding this important thing," the two principals said. " Students who attend the tournament should contact their principal for advice before leaving," is another statement state-ment they made. v E v MOMENTS .... Youth holds that inestimable treasure the rest of us ture6 that ne Priceless intoxicating treasure the fu- th P'enty 01 people have a good aim in life, but a lot of em don't know where or when to pull the trigger. A. necessity is something you can't get along without, Jl!. , A luxury is something you ought to get along without, but don't. hompTeleVision is the kind of radio that lets People at e see what people in the studio are not laughing at." 30 |