The Mail-Journal, Volume 16, Number 5, Milford, Kosciusko County, 21 February 1979 — Page 38

To the frantic fan ...

Dear Frantic: If someone were to ask you what represents the greatest peril to the survival of high school sports, you might say specializating, overemphasis, officials, coaches, administrators. But you would be wrong. For the greatest peril to the continuation of interscholastic athletics is none of those reasons. It is you, my friend, the frantic fan. Specialization and overemphasis can and are being curbed; officials trained; coaches and administrators guided. But you, Mr. Fan, you answer to no one; no one that is, until a program has been ruined, students penalized, young images shattered, all because you didn't control yourself Perhaps it’s not all your fault. Perhaps you have never been exposed to proper spectator decorum. At any rate, a few definite guidelines may serve to protect the program and at the same time enable you to better enjoy whatever contest you are viewing. High school athletics were not developed as a sounding board for your immaturity, not developed as a vehicle on which you may “let off steam,” rid yourself of “frustrations,” etc. This is fine in professional sports, as you are paying a premium

Being a cheerleader

Cheerleading is lots of hard work, It’s being a part of the team, It’s having to accept responsibility. And finding out what responsibility means. A cheerleader needs enthusiasm ~ And confidence in her ability; Because she is leading the crowd She is the symbol of vitality. A never-ceasing interest, A love and a devotion, A strong will to do for others— These constitute a cheerleader’s emotions. Cheerleading is an honor. An honor meant to share Regarded as a priceless gift g To create spirit everywhere. fe* e x 4K A person wit h high standards, An honor character too, Someone who puts herself aside And lives to support her school. But deeper than this it’s a feeling, Away of making friends Knowing that you’re a leader, Giving where life begins. Feeling tense and nervous, Laughing and wanting to win, K Accepting the dissapointment of defeat, Learning to try once again. ff Working for many hours, Going through stiffness and aches, Wondering if you can improve, Realizing the work it takes. Helping others to know the joy Os working together as one, Showing the importance of never giving up Until a victory’s been won. Being proud of the position you hold, Caring about your team, Facing a world full of opportunity, This is what cheerleading means! Copied

price to ven) your emotions on athletes that are paid a premium salary to put up with your antics. However, your token payment to an interscholastic contest, often less than a dollar, entitles you to one thing — the privilege of watching the more talented students of two schools exhibit what they have learned in the athletic classroom. For the athletic field, court, or diamond is merely an extension of the classroom, and if it were any different there would be little reason for interscholastic athletics to survive. You would not think of entering a math, history or English classroom, flask on him and berate, often curse and physically abuse the math, history or English teacher. Yet all too frequently you think nothing of harassing players and coaches in their classroom, the athletic classroom. High school administrators have alw'ays given you the benefit of the doubt, Mr. Fan, sometimes because you were a player’s parent or an influential citizen. However, you should be on notice that administrators can no longer tolerate your childish, immature behavior, whether you are a recent graduate, a parent or a resident of the community in which the school is located. If. indeed, you are sincerelyinterested in continuation of interscholastic athletics, then keep a few basic points in mind: 1. There is no such thing as a “right” to participate in interscholastic athletics. Math, history, English, physical education and certain other subjects are mandated by the proper authorities and each student has a “right” to be properly exposed to them. Not so with interscholastic athletics — they are a “privilege” — and the player or spectator who takes advantage of this “privilege” is expected to conduct himself or

herself in away so that the “privilege” is not rescinded. 2. Your team does not belong to the community. It belongs to the school and that school has voluntarily agreed to abide by a certain set of rules, so that all athletes may compete under the same standards. If these rules offend any special interest groups or individuals to the point where they can not conduct themselves in a rational manner, then, by all means, these persons should direct all their energies toward some other level of atheltics, but not the high school level. 3. Accept the fact that, all high school athletes make mistakes. They are not perfect and never will be. There is compensation, though, for the same mistakes make high school athletics exciting and unpredictable. 4. Remember that your coach is also a teacher. He is a teacher first, and coach second, and anytime you join the misguided souls in trying to reverse this order, your program is in the first stages of collapse. Remember, no coach, player or administrator wants to see a program fail. In most cases failure can be attributed to the . unrelenting, merciless pressure of you, the fan, who played little or no part in the building of the program. Small wonder that the highschool coaching field has the highest turnover of any coaching level. 5. Make an attempt to learn the rules of the game and then leave the officials alone. Unending time and effort is spent in the training of these officials so that a contest may proceed smoothly. Historically, the spectator who constantly cirticizes game officials is ignorant of the rules under which the game is played. 6. Finally, keep in mind that you are a guest of the school and that while winning is certainly an admirable goal, victory is hollow if it comes at the expense of morals, ethics and just plain common sense. A beloved president once said that the world would soon forget his words, but remember the action of his soldiers. As the years pass, the score of a contest becomes relatively unimportant, sometimes forgotten. However, your conduct will remain ingrained forever in the minds of those who were most affected. Will they be proud or ashamed? The choice is yours!!! PA’THLETE

State winners

1911 Crawfordsville 1934 Logansport 1957 South Bend Central 1912 Lebanon 1935 Anderson 1958 Fort Wayne South Side 1913 Wingate 1936 Frankfort 1959 Crispus Attucks 1914 Wingate 1937 Anderson i 960 East Chicago Washington 1915 Thorntown 1938 Fort Wayne South Side 1961 Kokomo 1916 Lafayette 1939 Frankfort 1962 Evansville Bosse 1917 Lebanon 1940 Hammond Tech 1963 Muncie Central 1918 Lebanon 1941 Washington 1964 Lafayette Jeff 1919 Bloomington 1942 Washington 1965 Indianapolis Washington 1920 Franklin ’1943 Fort Wayne Central 1966 Michigan City 1921 Franklin 1944 Evansville Bosse 1967 Evansville North 1922 Franklin 1945 Evansville Bosse 1968 Gary Roosevelt 1923 Vincennes 1946 Anderson 1969 Indianapolis Washington 1924 Martinsville 1947 Shelbyville 1970 East Chicago Roosevelt 1925 Frankfort 1948 Lafayette Jeff 1971 East Chicago Washington 1926 Marion 1949 Jasper 1972 , Connersville 1927 Martinsville 1950 Madison 1973 New A i bany 1928 Muncie 1951 Muncie Central Fort Wayne Northrop 1929 Frankfort 1952 Muncie Central ■ M £ 1930 Washington 1953 South Bend Central J*’’ 1931 Muncie 1954 Milan 1976 Marion 1932 New Castle 1955 Crispus Attucks 1® 77 Carmel 1933 Martinsville 1956 Crispus Attucks 1978 Muncie South

Basketball coaches’ creed I BELIEVE that basketball has an important place in the general education scheme and pledge myself to cooperate with others in the field of education to so administer it that its value never will be questioned. I BELIEVE that other coaches of this sport are as earnest in its protection as I am. and I will do all in my power to further their endeavors. I BELIEVE that my own actions should be so regulated that at all times I will be a credit to my profession. I BELIEVE that the members of the National Basketball Commiteee are capably expresssing the rules of the game and will abide by these rules in both spirit and letter. I BELIEVE in the exercise of all the patience, tolerance and diplomacy at my command in my relations with all players, coworkers. game officials and spectators. I BELIEVE that the proper administration of this sport bffers an effective laboratory method to develop in its adherents high ideals of sportsmanship; qualities of cooperation, courage, unselfishness and self control; desires for clean healthful living; and respect for wise discipline and authority. I BELIEVE that those admirable characteristics, properly instilled by me through teaching and demonstration, will have a long carryover and will aid each one connected with the sport to become a better citizen. I BELIEVE in and will support all resonable moves to improve athletic conditions, to provide for adequate equipment and to promote the welfare of an increased number of participants. (This creed was written by George Edwards, basketball coach at Missouri University and was adopted by the National Association of Basketball Coaches during their 1932 convention and reaffirmed at the 1972 convention.)

Shouting coaches are confusing!

A trend, prevalent in all sports, but especially in basketball, baseball and wrestling is for coaches to yell from the bench or sidelines a constant stream of advice to players. In an article. Coach Johnny Sain of the Detroit Tigers noted that “continual, machinegun-like shouting from the bench by the high school coach in any sport is harmful and ridiculous.” Continual advice from the bench hinders a boy, hampers his concentrating on the play, and often leaves him not only confused, but helpless and scoreless. How can a boy play his best when he is waiting for the coach to tell him what to do each minute? How can a mature man. entrusted with handling young men, go almost berserk in the heat of the game? Many coaches have been known to jump off the bench, pace the floor and scream like madmen. It is obvious the

players have difficulty understanding or hearing what is being said, because of the noise of the crowds and also because of the tension and excitement of the game. Sain adds that he learned a long time ago that shouting advice from the dougout or bench accomplished little. Instruction may be given during “timeouts” which may be called in any sport. This is the proper time to offer counsel, in a calm, quiet and understandable manner. For years, this writer has contended that one of the major objectives of sports is to develop confidence and to enable a boy to make his own decisions. Constant coaching from the bench is contrary to this goal. High school boys are still young and immature. They demand special handling and not excited instructions from the bench. Texas Interscholastic Leaguer