Sad display of poor sportsmanship

[Unregistered]

Every team is always looking for an edge - Newmarket would have done the same thing as Epping and Portsmouth Academy if the cleat was on the other foot!

[Unregistered]

Every team is always looking for an edge - Newmarket would have done the same thing as Epping and Portsmouth Academy if the cleat was on the other foot!

is exactly what someone says when they know did was wrong and are looking to feel better about it.

[Unregistered]

You think they know what they did was wrong - doubt that.
"Mark us down for another 'w'. WINNING!"

[Unregistered]

aaaaand the Epping team was just easily eliminated in their next game - karma?

[Unregistered]

aaaaand the Epping team was just easily eliminated in their next game - karma?

Well, they did beat Newmarket to advance...

[Unregistered]

is exactly what someone says when they know did was wrong and are looking to feel better about it.

wait a second!
you want a team to accommodate you- is mask wearing a state mandate or your schools choice?
has the other team been wearing masks all year and just decided not to for your game?
which team decided to not play?

[Unregistered]

wait a second!
you want a team to accommodate you- is mask wearing a state mandate or your schools choice?
has the other team been wearing masks all year and just decided not to for your game?
which team decided to not play?

The focus of this thread is Sportsmanship - which, according to the NHIAA, is the most important lesson that we hope our kids will learn from playing organized sports.

Of course there was no rule forcing these teams wear masks to play these games. Even though their own school policy did not require it, every player could have chosen to put one on to play the game. But out of 81 teams, Epping & PCA were the only teams who said they would not wear a mask in order to easily move into the next round by forfeit. Exeter and Dover both, for example, had no problem accommodating Portsmouth's mask policy.

On the boys side, based on their records, the game might have been a close one. On the girls side, it seems very likely Epping would have lost to Newmarket who beat them, and won their other D4 games, by wide margins during the regular season and also had close losses against quality D1, D2 & D3 opposition. So Epping girls basically played the role of spoiler: "We know we won't go far in this tournament but we'll also make sure you don't either."

Hopefully we're in agreement that we're trying to build character and values through youth sports. This is clearly an opportunity wasted.

[Unregistered]

The focus of this thread is Sportsmanship - which, according to the NHIAA, is the most important lesson that we hope our kids will learn from playing organized sports.

Of course there was no rule forcing these teams wear masks to play these games. Even though their own school policy did not require it, every player could have chosen to put one on to play the game. But out of 81 teams, Epping & PCA were the only teams who said they would not wear a mask in order to easily move into the next round by forfeit. Exeter and Dover both, for example, had no problem accommodating Portsmouth's mask policy.

On the boys side, based on their records, the game might have been a close one. On the girls side, it seems very likely Epping would have lost to Newmarket who beat them, and won their other D4 games, by wide margins during the regular season and also had close losses against quality D1, D2 & D3 opposition. So Epping girls basically played the role of spoiler: "We know we won't go far in this tournament but we'll also make sure you don't either."

Hopefully we're in agreement that we're trying to build character and values through youth sports. This is clearly an opportunity wasted.

Sorry Newmarket mom, no one feels bad for you. Place the blame on the Newmarket administration. Toughen up buttercup.

[Unregistered]

Sorry Newmarket mom, no one feels bad for you. Place the blame on the Newmarket administration. Toughen up buttercup.

The words of the kind of person who is the first to explode if the same thing happens to them.

[Unregistered]

IMO, the blame should be placed on the Newmarket administration for their ridiculous policy that cost their own seniors a chance at a championship or deep playoff run.

I don't get the attack on Epping and Portsmouth Christian for playing without masks, which is their policy, just like 95% of the other teams in NH this fall.

[Unregistered]

The focus of this thread is Sportsmanship - which, according to the NHIAA, is the most important lesson that we hope our kids will learn from playing organized sports.

Of course there was no rule forcing these teams wear masks to play these games. Even though their own school policy did not require it, every player could have chosen to put one on to play the game. But out of 81 teams, Epping & PCA were the only teams who said they would not wear a mask in order to easily move into the next round by forfeit. Exeter and Dover both, for example, had no problem accommodating Portsmouth's mask policy.

On the boys side, based on their records, the game might have been a close one. On the girls side, it seems very likely Epping would have lost to Newmarket who beat them, and won their other D4 games, by wide margins during the regular season and also had close losses against quality D1, D2 & D3 opposition. So Epping girls basically played the role of spoiler: "We know we won't go far in this tournament but we'll also make sure you don't either."

Hopefully we're in agreement that we're trying to build character and values through youth sports. This is clearly an opportunity wasted.

Opportunity wasted- i think not

on what planet do you let an opponent dictate some arbitrary rule to your team
if your team decides not to wear cleats ,why should my team have to follow suit?
no game,conf,state rules were broken- your team put in a policy outside the normal rules of play - thats on you,i give you credit for sticking to your guns and forfeiting ,but dont whine about it now

[Unregistered]

Opportunity wasted- i think not

on what planet do you let an opponent dictate some arbitrary rule to your team
if your team decides not to wear cleats ,why should my team have to follow suit?
no game,conf,state rules were broken- your team put in a policy outside the normal rules of play - thats on you,i give you credit for sticking to your guns and forfeiting ,but dont whine about it now

Exactly. Newmarket parents and players need to live with their administration's ridiculous policy. There really is no need to bash the 2 schools whose policy is the same as nearly every other school in the state.

[Unregistered]

No-one is bashing anyone - sheesh, grow some skin.
This thread is about sportsmanship.
2 schools broke no rules and got an easy forfeit win.
They could have played it differently - they chose not to.

[Unregistered]

This is an interesting issue - it's actually great that it hasn't turned political as so many do - especially today!

Not a Newmarket parent or anything - just a poster who's interested in what drives coaches and players to make the decisions they do. You want to start a thread about the pros & cons of various school administration policies, go right ahead. You'll need to set aside some time because there is a lot of material there!
Anyone who has been within 100 miles of a school board knows they're not going to relax a safety policy during a global pandemic. It's immaterial whether the Newmarket policy was boneheaded or brilliant.

A Pennsylvania high school wrestler forfeited one of his playoff matches so that an opposing senior who was injured and stuck on 99 wins could achieve 100 wins.

In a North Dakota high school cross country championship, the winning runner's knee popped just steps from the finish line. The next runner stopped to help carry her over the finish line.

This is a discussion of players, coaches & accommodations.
The Newmarket players had zero control over their ability to play.
Every Epping & PCA player could have chosen to do something they didn't have to in order to allow them to play.

These teams had two choices:
Play a spoiler role to ensure that another team does not advance.
Or put on a mask to play the game like other schools in the tournament willingly did and display of level of sportsmanship to be proud of.

[Unregistered]

No-one is bashing anyone - sheesh, grow some skin.
This thread is about sportsmanship.
2 schools broke no rules and got an easy forfeit win.
They could have played it differently - they chose not to.

so could your school have done it differently, but instead you chose to forfeit