Metrowest Beat
Alcohol a major issue as fall nears
By Mike Biglin/ Daily News staff
Monday, August 21, 2006
Today is officially the start of another high school sports season with
football playersreporting for the first day of practice. The rest of
their athletic brethren will be joining them on Thursday, and the fall
season will soon be in full swing. Once again, the Daily News will
have outstanding teams competing for championships in every sport, with
the area's dominance in soccer no doubt leading to more titles
(remember, there were three state titles here last fall).
But sadly, there is another certainty for the coming scholastic year,
and that's off-the-field incidents clouding successful campaigns.
It now seems that every season there's a championship run thwarted by
suspension due to the violation of Rule 62 of the MIAA Handbook -- which
concerns underage use of alcohol, tobacco and drugs. The MIAA has worked
hard over the years to offer fair but hard punishment for these
violations.
The system that has been in place since 2005 is the 25 percent rule. A
student-athlete caught violating Rule 62 will be suspended for 25
percent of his team's season for a first offense. That's two games/meets
for a football player or track athlete, and 4-5 games for the 18-20 game
sports like soccer and basketball. A second offense pushes the penalty
to 60 percent, basically killing off most of a season.
The rule has brought to light a lot of violations, especially here in
the press. It's kind of obvious that when a team was full strength on a
Friday and then is missing four starters come Monday that something
happened over the weekend. "To be honest, I don't think it's more
prevalent these days," says Tom Lopez, the Lincoln-Sudbury football
coach for 28 years. "It's gotten more press, that's for sure."
Lots of schools even add more onto the MIAA punishment, sometimes
doubling it. At Westborough High, there is a zero tolerance policy. Get
caught, and it's probably going to cost you the season. But even the
knowledge of such punishment -- or worse -- doesn't stop kids from
breaking the rule. "We were dealt the hardest lesson of all, but I
can all but guarantee that something awful is going to happen to some
kid this year," says Algonquin boys soccer coach John Frederick. Last
year, his team was right in the thick of the highly publicized deaths of
the Murphy sisters -- a car accident that was tied to drunk driving.
"Do I think the behavior of our kids has changed since then?" ponders
Frederick. "I would love to say yes, but I don't think that's the case
at all." The reasons, of course, are painfully obvious. The
pressures of being a young adult are well documented and understood, as
well as the simple desire to party with friends and have a good time.
"It's just the nature of being kids," says Lopez. "I think kids are
smart, and they know what's right and what's wrong. And sometimes
they're not going to make the right decision. That's being 16, 17."
Clearly, this is not just a problem with student-athletes. Band members
and choral singers no doubt lose out on performances for getting busted.
It's just that those guys don't have to read about it after their next
gig. "It's not an athletic problem. It's a systemic, societal
problem," says Lopez. "And there's not an easy answer." How Lopez
tries to fight this near impossible battle is constant communication.
"You want to get kids to think about what they're going to do, and to
know the consequences," he says. "We stress to them to not do anything
to embarrass their family, their teammates and their school. "And
it's the kind of thing we talk about all the time," Lopez adds. "Two to
three times a week, we discuss it. We try to continually remind them
what not to do, and what will happen if they do."
It's almost an opposite peer pressure. Instead of having kids looking to
push a leary buddy into a party, coaches want teammates to pull that
same kid away -- for the sake of the team and the season. "You try
to make them understand that their decision is going to affect so many
more than just themselves," says Frederick. "Maybe that will make them
think. Or, after I give them my deal, they could be laughing and say
we're all going to do it.
"Listen, I'm realistic. I know that's not going to stop everyone. And
I'm not sure what else we can do to change it."
Lopez and his fellow gridiron mentors carry the biggest burden. They've
got the longest season -- 14 weeks from preseason to Thanksgiving,
compared to 10-12 weeks for the rest -- and mentor the biggest rosters,
numbering sometimes as many as 70-80 players.
"Lots of things can go wrong dealing with a group that large, or a
season that long," says Lopez. "Kids think they're invincible, or that
it just won't happen to them. But the ones that really bother me are the
ones who understand the consequences (for their actions), but they just
don't care. They know they're going to embarrass their family and
school, and hurt their team, and do it anyway."
So Lopez will continue to combat it the only way he knows how. Today,
his players will get a form both the athlete and his parent signs,
addressing the rules and consequences for breaking them. It'll be the
first of dozens of talks in the coming weeks. "By constantly
reminding them, maybe we can reach them," he says. "The more you remind
them, the better they may act under pressure."
So here's to a hopefully safer, less eventful fall season off the field.
And while that drink may look mighty good now, it sure won't years from
now when it costs you the chance to play the sport you love. The
memories of some nameless party will soon fade; the ones from a winning
season with your dearest friends never will.
Courting a new surface
Talk about long overdue. Thanks to charitable contributions from
corporate sponsors and alumni, the Hudson Catholic gymnasium is getting
a new floor -- replacing the original hardwood that was laid in 1959.
The new maple flooring, manufactured by Aacer Flooring, was scheduled to
be completed this weekend -- just in time for the start of the fall
practice season. Green Wave AD Bob Raymond is thrilled about the
upgrade, one that cost about $80,000.
Most of the project has been funded, but Raymond says that more
contributions are welcome and can be sent attention to his office at 198
Main Street in Hudson, 01749. Also, sections of the original floor can
also be purchased. For more info, email Bob at: braymond@stmikes.org
Speaking of upgrades, volunteers were hard at work this past week giving
venerable Loring Arena a new interior paint job. Flyer varsity boys
coach Paul Spear wanted to thank all the brush-wielding helpers who gave
a hand.
Odds & Ends
Some tidbits picked up this week include sad news from John Frederick
that Michael Cooley, the former Tomahawk all-American soccer star, tore
his anterior cruciate ligament and will sit out his sophomore season at
Keene State this fall. He's actually waiting until November to have the
surgery, as his doctor is serving in Iraq. Keene is ranked in the
preseason Top 25 in Division II, and Cooley will have another T-Hawk,
midfielder Dave O'Brien, in the fold with him this fall. ...
From coach Lopez, promising news for Warrior gridiron supporters. First,
L-S will be playing home games this year. Plans are in the works to
bring in portable bleachers, as the field still has no permanent
seating. The Warriors have seven home games slated this year, mainly
because schools owe them after spending most of the last four seasons on
the road.
And, looks like there are plans in the works for the main football field
to be completely redone starting in early 2007. The hope is for it to be
all set to host big crowds that fall. ...
Local ADs: if you haven't sent us your updated coaches' contact lists
for the coming school year, please do so ASAP.
My God, it's just around the corner again. Time to batten down those
hatches once more.
(Mike Biglin is a Daily News staff writer. He can be reached at mbiglin@cnc.com
or 508-626-4402.)
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