Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 29, 2019)
2 Wednesday, May 29, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon O P I N I O Editorial… Youth sports becoming a minefield The Sisters school athletic community was roiled last week when the Sisters School District sent out notice that it has <received a complaint and tort claim notice about the coaching staff for our girls high school bas- ketball team. The allegation is that the coach- ing staff has verbally and emotionally abused some members of the team this past season&= As of last week, no legal action had been filed. The Nugget has spoken with a number of people involved in or familiar with the girls basketball program and it is safe to say that perspectives are vastly different, highly pas- sionate, and possibly irreconcilable. Parents naturally seek to protect their children from harm. And those who have seen their children thrive in a program are ardent in their support of coaches who make that happen. Youth sports can bring a community together 4 controversy in youth sports can tear a community apart. Reputations can be permanently damaged, relationships can be ruptured, and schools can find programs that are supposed to add value becoming a source of conflict and disruption. Perhaps the current issue can be worked out among the parties involved. If it becomes a legal issue, it will go to an entirely differ- ent level. In the meantime, it is best to bear in mind that support of one does not require an attack on another, and that rushing to judgment in any direction is always harmful. Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief Letters to the Editor… The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer9s name, address and phone number. Let- ters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday. To the Editor: As a lifelong educator, I read your recent letters to the editor with great concern. I am referring specifically about the alleged abuse and pending litigation regarding coaches9 behavior in Sisters SD. I understand that we are living in a small town, and rumors can become rampant quickly, but it was surprising to see such a one-sided story and no actual follow-up or investigation. One of the <guest commentar- ies= was even printed without a related news story; something I have not seen professional news sources do. As we are such a small com- munity, there will always be opportunities for people to share private information or share uncorroborated information easily. Some of the writers are affiliated with the SD offices, or with law enforcement. Some have outside relationships with coaches, or our children have outside relationships with the coaches. This breeds cronyism and favoritism that is hard to avoid, but it seems no effort was made to avoid this pitfall. Furthermore, it is absolutely baffling that these persons, some mandatory reporters, were not clear on how and when outsiders speak on pending child abuse or endanger- ment claims. The protocol is clear and manda- tory, and appears to have been violated. I actu- ally understand that restriction, so will not be speaking in specific terms, but will share my concerns in a more general way. Children are to be believed. They are to be believed when they report abuse. They are to be believed when they report being afraid. Not only is this the right and moral thing to do, it is also the legal thing to do. We are not in the See LETTERS on page 18 Sisters Weather Forecast Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Mostly Sunny Sunny Sunny Mostly Sunny 74/49 74/50 77/50 79/50 79/47 77/46 The Nugget Newspaper, LLC Website: www.nuggetnews.com 442 E. Main Ave., P.O. Box 698, Sisters, Oregon 97759 Tel: 541-549-9941 | Fax: 541-549-9940 | editor@nuggetnews.com Postmaster: Send address changes to The Nugget Newspaper, P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759. Third Class Postage Paid at Sisters, Oregon. Editor in Chief: Jim Cornelius Production Manager: Leith Easterling Graphic Design: Jess Draper Community Marketing Partners: Patti Jo Beal & Vicki Curlett Classifieds & Circulation: Lisa May Proofreader: Pete Rathbun Owner: J. Louis Mullen The Nugget is mailed to residents within the Sisters School District; subscriptions are available outside delivery area. Third-class postage: one year, $45; six months (or less), $25. First-class postage: one year, $85; six months, $55. Published Weekly. ©2019 The Nugget Newspaper, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. All advertising which appears in The Nugget is the property of The Nugget and may not be used without explicit permission. The Nugget Newspaper, Inc. assumes no liability or responsibility for information contained in advertisements, articles, stories, lists, calendar etc. within this publication. All submissions to The Nugget Newspaper will be treated as uncondition- ally assigned for publication and copyrighting purposes and subject to The Nugget Newspaper9s unrestricted right to edit and comment editorially, that all rights are currently available, and that the material in no way infringes upon the rights of any person. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return or safety of artwork, photos, or manuscripts. N Athletics should be an extension of the classroom By Joey Hougham Guest Columnist This letter responds to the letters written both in support and against the Sisters High School girls9 basketball coaches. Rather than delve into case-specific details of the complaints against those coaches, I would urge the community to step back and consider the purpose of high school athletics. The real intent of athletics is to teach our kids about teamwork, leader- ship, persistence, goal-set- ting, and how to treat one- another in a group setting. These are the values that help players win through- out their personal and pro- fessional lives. Bullying is an impedi- ment to these values and is a big problem in schools. Bullying is not something unique to kids. They learn it from adults. That9s why it is so important that teachers and coaches model appro- priate behavior. The Sisters High School Coaches9 Manual contains several passages imploring coaches to instruct in a positive and energizing way to advance the athletes9 physical, emo- tional, and moral develop- ment. In other words, coach for character. The coaches manual also states <Our coaches believe that their work is an extension of the classroom.= Do we expect our schools to practice what they preach? If so, then we should challenge any coach that models bullying as a coaching style. A child should not have to endure the threat of pub- lic humiliation and intimi- dation to participate in a publicly-funded school pro- gram. The purpose of school sports is to teach kids skills they can use in the class- room, in their careers, and in personal relationships throughout their lives. If a coach9s behavior would not be tolerated in the class- room, workplace, or family environment, then it should not be tolerated on the field, on the court or in the locker room. Otherwise we are teaching our kids a double standard. For decades we have given coaches license to express behavior that would not be accepted in any classroom, workplace, or home. That license has been revoked at the col- lege and professional lev- els, where coaches are now expected to treat their play- ers with respect. So, why hasn9t Sisters High School changed its ways? Why does it not only tolerate, but encourage, behavior by coaches that has been uni- versally rejected as unfit for college and professional locker rooms since the turn of the last century? Certainly, not all of the athletes have experi- enced bullying. That is, of course, the nature of bul- lying. Bullies often isolate individuals within a group for a variety of reasons. Those not being bullied are often just glad that they9re not being picked on. Just because one child is not bullied, doesn9t mean that child is unaffected. In fact, the kids who are spectators to such bullying are prone to model that behavior and become bullies themselves. There are times when parents need to advocate for children because kids are not always equipped to handle issues like bullying and abuse, especially if the source comes from another adult. Parents can model support and compassion by standing up to inappropriate behavior. Whether or not a student athlete has been bullied or abused is not something that should be decided by which side generates the most media attention or by how many supporters show up to defend a coach at school board meet- ings. Forcing kids, the victims of any abuse, to defend themselves in the media only perpetuates the problem. Finally, let9s put this topic into perspective and put our kids first. In today9s climate, we should be demanding that our sports programs be an extension of the classroom. Coaches should model appropriate behavior so that our kids can learn what it9s like to be a good human being. Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.