January 4th 2010

It was very disappointing to watch and listen to the horrible sportsmanship displayed by some of the Ortonville fans (young and old) as Ortonville hosted the Milbank Bulldogs. To sit in the stands and listen to negative comments as the fans booed & jeered the Milbank players as they were being introduced before the start of the basketball game and as they played the game, made us wholeheartedly realize that we made the right decision for our family.

Even worse was watching as some players were intentionally trying to hurt other players. To know that coaches, administration and some school board members, and parents condoned and participated in this behavior is UNACCEPTABLE!

YOU CALL THAT SCHOOL SPIRIT?

School sports should be fun for everyone, not a place where people get ridiculed and harassed!

Life may change us, but we start and end with family.

Hi notebook, it's good to hear from you. Thanks for posting about the game. Sometimes people need to be reminded about things. Your post made me think. It made me think about the first thing that impressed me about the4-H program.

It happened at our first county fair. When the kids were competing on horseback each kid was cheered. Every time a kid took of on their horsein the arena everyone in the crowd yelled encouragement. Even the other competitors who were waiting their turn.If the kid had a problem or something went wrong the crowd would still cheer and applaud for them. Wow, it was so encouraging to see everyone pull together like that. Even when the kids sat on their horses outside the arena waiting for their turn it was fun and filled with happy banter.

I have been told that it wasn't always like that but some people evidently got together and changed it for the better. Sportsmanship is possibly the most important aspect of sports in my opinion. People can change for the better. It just takes a few people willing to start. Good manners are welcome everywhere.