Sportsmanship

     Probably everyone has what's called-pet peeves; one that is at the top of my list is sportsmanship.  Webster defines sportsmanship "as the ability to play fair and win or lose gracefully".  A lot of fans don't see it this way and often times look to others to blame for their child's poor play or team's poor play.  How can sportsmanship improve?  This is always a good question, but perhaps it could improve if people (athletes, parents and fans) would just take a couple of minutes to reflect upon their actions before actually doing anything.  I've always encouraged our Pike County community to applaud good play and effort and many always do that, but some "don't think" before they act.  This can lead to an ugly situation with other fans, players and unfortuately sometimes; administrators.  Those who decide to become/act abusive never stop to think what their actions do to the school and the community.  They selfishly take things too far and are then reprimanded for bad behavior.
     What can you do to increase good behavior by all?  If you have a child playing athletics at school, talk with them at home about good sportsmanship; however, in order to do that the parent/guardian always has to demonstrate good sportsmanship at all events as well.  Be a good example; if your child/team plays poorly, there will be another chance somewhere down the road; it's not the end of the world.  How important is your child's performance/team's performance with the way of life?  Another way to be a better sportsman is to always talk postive about your child's teammates and coaches.  Being negitive never helps.  If you have a problem, talk with the coach(s) at an appropriate time and be sure to ALWAYS use the "chain-of-command".
     Blaming an "outside force" for a team's/child's poor play is also a copout.  Officials often make hundreds of calls during a sporting event.  Did one (bad) call lose the event?  Do fans understand that in the officials view, they saw something completely different than you did?  Are the officials always correct? No.  They're human just like us and they do sometimes make mistakes.  Fans who constantly or even often criticize officials have never officiated themselves and have NO idea how difficult it really is.  I think if they did, they would have a different feeling about sportsmanship.
     My advice is to always support your child and your child's team.  Be supportive of the coaches and opposing fans as well.  When attending events at Pike Central we always want fans to enjoy the game/event; win or lose and we sincerely want the experience to be a positive one, one so that you will come back again.  Here at Pike Central-Sportsmanship is an Expectation; Be a Positive Spectator!