The sportsmanship exhibited by all participants in the 13U Homer Athletic Club Tournament was about as good as it gets. In particular, I was very impressed by the opposing coaches throughout this tournament. Much of this probably goes unnoticed from the stands. But, it is a positive story that should be told.
Examples of good sportsmanship included:
- Coaches voluntarily discussed the pitching limitation rules prior to each game. The idea was to avoid having a team take a forfeit due to an oversight in the number of inning pitched. In most tournaments, coaches hope to "catch" a manager who makes a mistake. That results in a forfeit victory, a suspension for the manager and a difficult situation for the manager who must then explain to his players why he lost the game. Our team helped the Darien manager by letting him know that he was about to experience a pitching violation (as he had an ineligible pitcher warming up on the mound). That manager was very, very grateful!
- In the pregame discussions, coaches talked about the importance of keeping the environment positive--so as not to ruin the experience for the players. Coaches and players met this commitment.
- The Bolingbrook players went above and beyond by congratulating our hitters after extra base hits. The third baseman went over to Paco Lauciello and Tim Carroll after their triples to congratulate them on those big hits.
- Coaches applauded great defensive plays by opposing players.
If only all of youth sports were conducted in this manner...
