It's not just a game, it's a district game

[AggiesAreWe]

It is not just a game, it's a district game

Gabriel Pruett

The Orange Leader

To play or not to play, why is that even a question?

The West Orange-Stark Lady Mustangs volleyball team is set to take a forfeit this Friday against Hardin-Jefferson Lady Hawks.

The reason being is parents and players went to head coach Gwen-Kelly Hall and athletic director Dan Hooks and said eight of the team’s 11 players would be attending the Mustangs’ non-district football game at Brookshire Royal instead.

Football is king in Southeast Texas, that is no secret, but non-district football means nothing towards the playoff race.

Those players are part of either the drill team or cheerleaders and have a huge part in each and every football game.

The problem I have is Friday night is in no way a drill team or cheerleader contest.

The volleyball match does count for wins and losses and also has effects on other District 21-3A volleyball teams.

The forfeit hands Hardin-Jefferson a victory without even playing. What if that lone victory assists the Lady Hawks into the playoffs over one of the other district teams?

It is not right.

Players make a committment to teams and parents should be the ones who stand up and demand their children to stick to a team attitude.

WO-S volleyball is having one of its best seasons in volleyball, record wise, in several years with a 12-7 mark.

I in no way am against Coach Kelly-Hall, she has done a fine job with which she has had to work with other the last several years.

I know if I was a coach and I had players wanting to attend another event, I would quickly be looking for new players to make up my roster.

It is not fair to the three other Lady Mustangs’ volleyball players to take a loss simply because a majority of the team has something better to do.

The Mustangs are not playing in a state championship game Friday, it is a non-district game on the other side of Houston.

I spoke to several other volleyball coaches and they reported players who skip a district game to attend a non-district football game would be finding another sport to play in a hurry.

What is right is right and allowing a district volleyball game to not be played is far from right.

[w]

I don't remember reading an article like this when it was baseball season several years ago, we were in DeRidder, LA in a tournament (and were winning the tournament) and FIVE soccer players who were also baseball players left the tournament to go play a soccer game.  It left the baseball team in a tremendous bind.

When you have a small school and kids want to participate in extracurricular activities, sometimes things happen and they make choices. I don't have the answer, I'm just saying that it's not the first time something has happened that screwed up a schedule.  Let's not point a finger at just football and blame "the king" for all the things that go wrong.