The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1962-08-31


would like to attempt to note
several things that each of us
can do to bring about better
craftsmanship here in Farm
vile and through bout the
country.
The Principal = A high school
principal, whether he likes it or
not. is generally held responsible
for everything that goes on with
in his school. 1t is up to this
man to interpret to the faculty,
the student body, and the pa
irons of the school the purposes
of the athletic program and to
inStill in each one the RESPONSE
bility of unfolding good sports
n1anship, whether at home or
away from home.
The Coach - High school
coaches influence not only the
players under them but the
thousands of spectators watch
ing each game. He can show,
through his own behavior, that
he values fair-play and sports
manship. while in no way les
SEEMING the Importance of Win
ming the game. If he show
good craftsmanship to the Of
ficials. the opposing team and
even his own players and spec
tators, the crowd will usually
follow his example. It is usually
after a cOach's outrage that the
spectars get out of hand. He can
be the leader not only for his
players but for the spectators as
well.
The Player - The more the
athlete pays attention to tt e
game at hand and the less he
pays attention to the spectators,
the less likely the crowd is to
behave badly. Remember that
for every mistake an official
makes on the field, you make
five as player Don't let
spectator actions interior with
your play on the field. 1t is
hard for spectators to boo and
hiss. when they see the team
they are supporting behaving
with courtesy and good manners
toward their opponents and the
officials.
The Cheerleaders A we'll
trained group of cheerleaders
can have a tremendous effect
on an audience, while an I'M
trained group can only hurt. It
is not their function to put on
a show or perform for the
audience. it is their job to stimu-
late and control crowd response.
Yells should be phraSed to
boost their own team. not harass
the opposition. Cheerleaders
should cheer any act of good
craftsmanship on the field. The
cheerleaders can even show
their disagreement when spec
tators begin to boo by holding
up their hands to stop. If boo
ing continues, the cheerleaders
can begin a yell to overcome it.
The Reporter = Reporters
should present game storie
fairly and accurately, without
explaining or aliblng losses.
They should never rub in a win.
regardless of how large a mar
gin. and they should never crit
CHE a high school athlete in the
newspaper. A reporter should al
ways speak out for good sports
manship and encourage spec
tators to applaud good play. The
reporter should never criticize
coaches or officials.
The Spectator - Spectators
should remember that not every
team can be winner. One
team must win and one must
lose. OF course. every spectator
wants to see his or her team
win. which is only natural. But.
these boys are doing their best.
win or lose. and you as spec
tatorS should be the same way.
You should try just as hard to
be a good spectator when your
team is losing as when it is
winning. If the team does lose.
don't criticize or second guess
the coach or try and pick out
the players faults.
Try to think of each boy as if
he were your son and treat him
IN the same way you would
your son. Remember that
every coach wants to have a
winner and they do everything
they know how to M Ike a win
ner. You should try to help these
boys. not hurt them by your
criticism and boos You. as spec
tatorS. can have a big hand in
the way the boys play and the
attitude they have towards the
game.
Most spectator action is taken
against the officials. Let me say
this: to have ball game in
which an official was always 100
per cent right would be i'm
possible. unless there was one
official for each ball player.
These officials must watch as
af no