INSANITY: Hereford High School Runner’s Championship Run Disqualified for Minor Uniform Violation
His undergarment was supposed to be solid. There was a thin white pinstripe. That’s all. It had no effect on competition. It was barely noticeable but in the spirit of “Zero Tolerance,” the bone-headed philosophy that school officials hide behind because any kind of intelligent assessment of student behavior is beyond their bureaucratic grasp, the infraction violated the governing rules adopted by the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association. A bulletin from the state association made this issue clear and that there is no room for discretion stating, “officials do a disservice to the sport and competitors when they set aside rules that apply to illegal uniforms ... because they don't want to be 'too picky.'"
Okay, flagrant violations are one thing. If a uniform manipulation gives a competitor an advantage, that’s one thing. Surely, no one wants to encourage athletes sporting a lot of silly “bling.”
For institutions that are supposed to be setting good examples and helping young people learn how to apply reasonable judgment, what do insane policy enforcements like this one teach? Doesn’t the Bible teach us to turn the other cheek for matters far more serious than a stupid piece of thread?
We condemn the actions of the appropriate county bureaucrats in the strongest terms and hope that they will get one hell of a public earful for their stupidity.
Further disclosure indicated that officials at the track meet noted other teams with non-compliant uniforms and were given the opportunity to correct the problem before competition.
Alas, the state regulations conform to the latest ruling from the National High School Association in Indianapolis who just in the past year made a ruling undergarments must be only one color. So much for black Spandex with white stitching. Yes, it all comes down to white stitching.
Steve Smith, an MPSSAA bureaucrat responsible for interpreting the rule stated, "The [uniform] rule has no bearing on the race, but it's in the book - which makes it one of the regulations that we have to follow." How’s that for the typical mindless bureaucratic response.
We firmly believe that all measures should be taken so that the athletes compete in a fair environment where skill and performance determine the outcome. While each team should have uniforms that clearly identify their identity and flagrant attempts to show-up such a policy are unacceptable, this episode reflects the disturbing “zero tolerance” scourge sweeping public education and is nothing more than enforcement for enforcement sake.
It’s yet another black eye for a school system that has a long history of bureaucratic insanity on so many levels and could care less about what’s good for students and their families.
His undergarment was supposed to be solid. There was a thin white pinstripe. That’s all. It had no effect on competition. It was barely noticeable but in the spirit of “Zero Tolerance,” the bone-headed philosophy that school officials hide behind because any kind of intelligent assessment of student behavior is beyond their bureaucratic grasp, the infraction violated the governing rules adopted by the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association. A bulletin from the state association made this issue clear and that there is no room for discretion stating, “officials do a disservice to the sport and competitors when they set aside rules that apply to illegal uniforms ... because they don't want to be 'too picky.'"
Okay, flagrant violations are one thing. If a uniform manipulation gives a competitor an advantage, that’s one thing. Surely, no one wants to encourage athletes sporting a lot of silly “bling.”
For institutions that are supposed to be setting good examples and helping young people learn how to apply reasonable judgment, what do insane policy enforcements like this one teach? Doesn’t the Bible teach us to turn the other cheek for matters far more serious than a stupid piece of thread?
We condemn the actions of the appropriate county bureaucrats in the strongest terms and hope that they will get one hell of a public earful for their stupidity.
Further disclosure indicated that officials at the track meet noted other teams with non-compliant uniforms and were given the opportunity to correct the problem before competition.
Alas, the state regulations conform to the latest ruling from the National High School Association in Indianapolis who just in the past year made a ruling undergarments must be only one color. So much for black Spandex with white stitching. Yes, it all comes down to white stitching.
Steve Smith, an MPSSAA bureaucrat responsible for interpreting the rule stated, "The [uniform] rule has no bearing on the race, but it's in the book - which makes it one of the regulations that we have to follow." How’s that for the typical mindless bureaucratic response.
We firmly believe that all measures should be taken so that the athletes compete in a fair environment where skill and performance determine the outcome. While each team should have uniforms that clearly identify their identity and flagrant attempts to show-up such a policy are unacceptable, this episode reflects the disturbing “zero tolerance” scourge sweeping public education and is nothing more than enforcement for enforcement sake.
It’s yet another black eye for a school system that has a long history of bureaucratic insanity on so many levels and could care less about what’s good for students and their families.
WHAT LESSON IS LEARNED BY A VICTORY EARNED BY A TECHNICALITY?
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