Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Sports at a Glance

All stories by Jean Schurman

Sports Talk
Keeping it all in perspective

New coaches at Stevi, Corvallis

Well, aside from college basketball and the NBA, the basketball season is offically over. All in all, it was a good season with some unexpected surprises and nice improvements made by many teams. What wasn't good was how some people allowed their emotions to overcome good judgement.

I seriously doubt there are very few people more passionate about high school basketball than I am. I simply love it. But these emotional outbursts have made me step back and remember, this is only a game.

The first incident occurred after Arlee's last game when a parent allegedly hit the head coach from behind, knocking the coach into the wall. The parent was upset because his child didn't get enough playing time and he, the parent, thought if the child had played more, the team would have won. After investigating the incident, the Arlee School Board banned the parent from the Arlee school for life.

Stop and think about that for just a minute. Now dad won't be able to watch his child play in the band, give a speech at graduation or receive a diploma. If there are younger siblings in the family, dad won't be there for them either. All because of a basketball game.

The second incident happened at the loser out game between Stevensville and Corvallis at the Southwestern A Tournament. Again it was an upset family member who got involved with the coach and pushed him. Charges were filed and the person pleaded guilty. Corvallis School imposed a one year ban on him from attending any functions at the school. Again, that person will not be there to watch any of his family. All because of a basketball game.

A couple of other incidents also marred my enjoyment of the game. At the State A tournament, I watched as the referees were targeted by the crowd as they made their way off the floor after a close game. Cups and garbage were thrown down upon their heads and nasty words followed. It wasn't pretty. One person even went so far as to chase down a referee but thankfully was stopped by a tournament worker. All because the outcome of the game wasn't to these people's liking and they thought they personally were wronged.

If you'll notice, I have not used any names or teams aside from the three towns. I do this deliberately because I want you to think, this could be you or someone you know. That urge to make things right for your kid or your team may be lying there dormant, just waiting for the right time to rear its ugly head.

I admit, as a parent, I wasn't always pleased with the coaching my kids received. I sometimes thought poor decisions had been made whether it was a coach or a ref. But, I didn't ever want to do physical harm to anyone. What good would that have done and more importantly, what would I have taught my child?

It's difficult to see your child hurting because of who a coach selects to play. But letting them experience that and working through these disappointments helps that child much more than always having someone fight their battles for them. And certainly, physical confrontations never are the answer.

We expect a lot of our teens these days. We want them to do their best at whatever they are doing. But in a game, there are winners and there are losers. Learning to deal with the ups and downs on the basketball court gives the player a tool to deal with life because, as we all know, there are plenty of ups and downs in life.

These young people have so much to deal with, a push or a shove to a coach by a parent should not be one of them. Let them play the game, love the game and even live the game throughout their high school years. It certainly is a better option than what else lurks out there for teens and everyone now - meth, huffing, eating disorders and even death. As one coach told me at the beginning of the season, "I'm not sure we should even be playing out there. There is a war going on and people, especially young people, are dying."

Kind of puts it all in perspective, doesn't it? Basketball is a game. Let them play but don't forget the real world.

The Yellowjacket softball program is going back to basics this year. That's the decree of new head coach, Jon Vercruyssen. After struggling for several years, he hopes to give the players new confidence and energy by focusing on fundamentals and minimizing mistakes.

Although he has been a familiar site on the sidelines at Stevensville, this is the first time Vercruyssen dons the mantle of head coach at the high school level. He has been an assistant coach for football and coached at the junior high level. He first served as an assistant coach under former girls basketball coach Terry Rosin and still continues in that capacity under Cody Omlid.

Vercruyssen grew up in Victor and graduated from there in 1988. While a Pirate, he played football and basketball and excelled at both. It was there he developed a love of athletics and has worked to instill that in the next generation as well.

Vercruyssen will have seven returning lettermen on his Lady 'Jacket team. Among those to watch are Kirsten McCowan, Alex Kelling and Ami Fey. He also has several older players who are out for softball for the first time. He said about 24 girls were out but only eight were underclassmen.

"It's exciting to see the interest there," said Vercruyssen. "The more we get out, the better we'll get."

With several players having limited experience, each practice begins with many fundamental drills. Vercruyssen says the more throwing errors and mental errors that are eliminated, the better his team, or any team will perform. He concedes the Lady 'Jackets will have to work on pitching and creating their own runs.

"We hope to be competitive and play with teamwork," he said.

He knows it is going to take time to build the program he envisions. He has two daughters, Bailey and Carly, and hopes they will one day be out there playing. He has worked with the American Softball Association teams in Stevensville and is hoping that because that program is growing, so will interest in the Yellowjacket program.

The season begins this Thursday with a home opener against Corvallis. Lindsey Day will be the assistant coach for the Lady Yellowjackets.

Just like the other two new softball coaches, Coach Rich Borden of Corvallis brings new ideas, enthusiasm and a fresh face to the softball field. Borden also brings a wealth of experience from an unexpected area. He spent the last three years either behind the catcher or in the field as an MOA softball official.

Borden says with his experience enforcing the rules over the last three years, he feels he's gained some insight into the smaller rules that may help his Blue Devil team in certain situations. According to Borden there are so many different rules to fit certain situations, the more knowledge one has of these, the better.

Borden is no stranger to the athletic circles in the Bitterroot. He is a graduate of Hamilton High School. He played football and basketball for the Broncs for four years. He also played on the Bitterroot Red Socks American Legion Baseball team.

He has been an MOA official in basketball, football and softball as well as officiating at Legion baseball games. Borden was an assistant manager and then served as co-manager of the Bitterroot Bucs for a year each. He also was an assistant manager for the Red Sox. He was an assistant on the Corvallis football team this year as well. He is a health enhancement teacher in the Corvallis Primary School.

Although he is the third head coach at Corvallis in the last 10 years, Borden walks in to a very well established program. The team has never not gone to the state tournament. The continuity and quality of the program can be attributed in part to the dedication of the assistant coaches who have stayed on for Borden this year. Steve Tintzman, Tom Wilson, Kevin Burdette and Laura Capron all bring a wealth of knowledge to the team.

Corvallis will have an experienced pitcher back to guide the team. Kasie Conder, a junior, has a year's staring experience throwing and has lettered in both her freshman and sophomore year. Also helping in the experience department are Jessica Adair, a senior center fielder, and Sam Nelson, senior catcher. Sophomore Markie Gurley and junior Kylynn Pelke will be a force at shortstop and second base.

Borden sees Hamilton and Frenchtown as the two teams that will top the conference but says all teams have the capability to be right in the thick of things. But, as long as his Blue Devil team plays "top notch defense, and are aggressive on the offense, we will expect to be at state again."