NON Strat survey

[BobBoone]

The question that that slogan causes me ask is this. What, in the minds of the kids in the competing schools, do they need to think, do, or say in order to feel noticed or that they matter by comparison to these kids?

It almost seems like it will create an attitude among the competitors that they are fighting for their lives, not just a high school race. This could potentially lead to an unhealthy escalation.

If this were an elementary school, I would say that it is completely inappropriate. If it were a university, I would tend to think, no big deal.

[rburgh]

[quote:0851a30f66]But this is America where everyone has the right to be insensitive and uncaring about others.[/quote:0851a30f66]

Not only that, we all have the right to complain, protest, and even sue when someone is insensitive and uncaring toward us.

[quote:0851a30f66]"Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead" is from Patton (death metal band "Skinless"


Also name of 2010 Ted Nugent tour... [/quote:0851a30f66]

There are things that are appropriate in the entertainment world that are not so much for an academic environment (and vice versa).

I find the selection of this slogan for anything remotely connected to the education of our young people inappropriate. I think the parents who chose to support this slogan showed exceptionally poor judgment. I think the cross-country coach (or whoever chose this as the slogan) should be, at least, suspended.

[bkeat23]

Scenario:
An opposing runner falls down in a race. One of these kids actually kicks him while he's down.

After being fired, the coaches and school admins are shocked and don't know what happened.

[djmacb]

Probably not the most appropriate slogan for a high school cross country team, my daughter's was "My sport is punishment for your sport" - a poke in eye directed at football players, but I agree with gkhd11a and motherscratcher's get-over-it sentiments. I don't believe more political correctness will solve our society's problems.

[hotcorner4444]

Thanks to those of you who have responded so far. Your responses are excellent and much appreciated. They won't affect the column, which is already filed, but I will post the URL here when it goes online, in case you are interested in my take on it.

[nevdully's]

[quote:59566fa0ee]If the slogan inspires the runners then I see nothing wrong in it. I don't think too many here actually were high school cross country runners or they wouldn't be talking about athletic ego's. [b:59566fa0ee]You are talking about 5 foot 6 kids weighing 120 pounds for the most part.[/b:59566fa0ee] If their actions in a race are actually what their slogan is then that would be an issue. [/quote:59566fa0ee]

but then the bigger guys sometimes even from their own school say "who you gonna trample and run over you little track geek" and eventually the little track geek puts on a black trench coat.

[nevdully's]

So I assume most of us here as parents teach our young children it's not whether you win or lose etc.

and I doubt we're teaching our 3 year old how to cheat or circumvent rules..

If your 3 and 4 year old children were outside having a race and one fell down would we encourage the other to just step over him and keep going? What if it was the neighbors child that fell?

So at what age does it become so accepted to teach poor sportsmanship, win at all costs, dog eat dog etc? In this mans opinion, never.

[gkhd11a]

[quote:e7d9766d44="Petrosian"]The saying sort of encapsulates how the folks that run this planet conduct business and their endless wars etc. I detest how they do business and I detest the slogan.

If I were on the school board in that district I would seek to have that track coach terminated.

Somehow, somewhere kids should be getting messages to counter the destructive socialization they get from video games, tv shows, movies, media in general, where violence is all pervasive and human life trivialized. Role models should be just that and not validate the polarizing zeitgeist that threatens the very existence of life on this planet.

Gotta start somewhere.[/quote:e7d9766d44]

Aren't you the same guy who in the Barnstormers Championship, posted that a smiley face posted was to show "utter contempt" for BDWARD a fellow competitor. And then asked if another competitor in the same league had a "boyfriend and you wanted to know who is the pitcher or the catcher?" That you quit the Barnstormers semifinal saying replace me because you "don't take kindly to threats" when Moose said you need to get your team in or be replaced and later that day posted that if CF17 didn't get his team in your league by the end of the day he would be replaced? You have a team called "Sheep killing Swine?" And a politcal slogan on your facebook page is "Let's Waterboard Scott Walker!", while the picture on your page is you standing next to a river with who I assume is your niece. Why do you not promote the message for our children of America you feel is so terribly important?

Violence is not all-pervasive in today's society. Ironically enough yesterday both Chicago and New York released their 2011 murder rates and they both are down almost 70% from their peaks of 20 years ago. Here is a link to New York City crime rates:
[url]http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/nycrime.htm[/url] The truth of the matter is that as violent video games have gotten more popular violent crimes have receded.

You would like to have a coach fired for having a slogan on an article of clothing, but you as a registered psychologist can write about someone here you never met:

"Your latest delusional rant appears to have been written by a grandiose paranoid. " or " More likely he is just psychotic. Unequivocally delusional."


Is this professional for someone in your position, or do you truly believe all psychologists should be populating the internet to proffer a diagnose to individuals they have never met? Or making veiled homophobic postings about the some of the same individuals?

"[i:e7d9766d44]I see you have been talking to your boyfriend Spicki17. It must be lonely for you not being in the same league for once. So easy to collaborate when you guys play in almost all the same leagues together. Be interesting to see if you two play from the same computer. ..... If you are different people, which one of you pitches and which one catches?[/i:e7d9766d44] "
How these postings are tolerated here is beyond me.

I just don't think you are the one to lead the moral brigade on how to live a life in todays society let alone the field of competition. Whether it be Weinberg, BDWARD, OAKTV, Grindi, Rob55, Penngray, Bernie or Moose you are constantly finding someone you are competing against and berating them mercilessly. You have posted that you hate me to the bone, without ever having met me and put Ball State Cardinals as 2 of the teams you hate on your individual page. Yes I must admit I just use existing team names for my teams and do not use derogatory terms or "clever" terms to insult others with my team names as you are so capable of.

But I have the feeling this hypocrisy you show throughout your internet postings pretty well encapsulates the way you run your life.

[The Last Druid]

Well Mr. Schimpf. Glad to see you actually are capable of putting together an almost coherent rant.

There is a first time for everything apparently. Even used your spell checker. Bravo!

Selective excerpts are always fun in the service of an agenda, no matter what they distort.

I'll address one here. Hate is your word, not mine. It's also what comes across clearly in your post(s). I never said that I hate you to the bone. Also the listing of Ball State Cardinals states "least favorite", not "teams you hate." If you feel the compulsion to quote me out of context, you could at least try to make a pretense of being somewhat accurate. As I recall, what I wrote was that I loathe you with every fiber of my being. And given the consistent malice in your posts toward me over the years, is that at all surprising?

And BTW that's my adopted daughter on Facebook. Thanks for asking about her.

[supertyphoon]

I don't like it. At all.

Cross-country is one of those sports where individuals try to do their best for the overall good of the team, so it promotes the importance of individual performance and teamwork at the same time. There may be only a few elite runners that compete at the highest level, but for most of the runners, achievement is measured by setting personal records (PRs) which means their times are getting better the more they run and get themselves into shape.

I've had two sons participate in cross-country, and the oldest was on a state championship team in high school. But I would've prohibited him from running if the coach / team chose a motto like that. It sends a message that winning at all cost is what they consider their "mission statement" to be, and that sportsmanship is not.

Last year my son was running in the USCAA (small-college) national championships in New Hampshire. Along the way, he stumbled and fell, injuring himself. Two "good samaritan" runners from other schools stopped to help him up and walked with him for about 400 meters before continuing on. It's good there are coaches and runners out there that place a higher value on compassion, kindness and the true meaning of sportsmanship than winning at all costs.