Really?

don’t know if you heard about this.   here’s the link to the whole story so you can read it for yourself.   here’s the short version:

right after her pole vault secured the district championship for her school  (the very last event of the meet),  the girl was disqualified and the championship was awarded to the other school because the opposing coach went to the meet officials to point out that she was breaking a rule.

the rule?  the california interscholastic federation has a rule that says no jewelry can be worn by a student-athelete during a competition.

the jewelry she wore?   a thin, string friendship bracelet.   that’s it.

by pointing out the infraction,  the opposing coach was able to strip the win away from the opposition and secure the district championship for his school…crushing the girl,  dumbfounding everyone,  and sending his own team into a victory frenzy right out of the grip of defeat.

you really should read the whole story for yourself.

i have a lot of feelings about this one.   and i see both sides.

rules are not made to be broken…they are there for a reason.   rules create a level playing field for everyone  (not just in athletics)  and provides the framework for personal discipline and commitment to the goal.   holding people  (not just athletes)  to a standard and imposing the penalty for breaking the rules is a lesson we all have to learn.

it is certainly a lesson this young girl will never forget.   the pain will last a lifetime.

the flip side is all about the other life lessons this coach could have taught…sportsmanship,  grace,  kindness…goals far greater than winning titles…lessons of forgiveness and success and values far greater than trophies and legalism.

life is seldom black and white.

#competition #grace #polevault