SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Girls Varsity Soccer Set the tone

I happened to witness the Hampton Park vs Oakwood Christian girls high school match last night. Before the match, both teams met at center circle and Hampton Park's coach made some welcoming remarks and led the girls in prayer.

The score of the match was fairly lopsided but I noticed the score didn't matter to either team. Even though one team was being soundly defeated, there were plenty of shouts of encouragement from fellow players and the coaching staff - and there was laughter and smiles from both teams.

There were a few inadvertent fouls called on both teams but not many - I heard teammates from both teams asking the other team members if they were ok, after having been fouled. There were no cards shown and no whining at the refs. No parents coaching from the sidelines or "making their feelings known". After the game, each team member shook hands with the other team.

It was an afternoon of playing sports for the sheer fun of being out on the field. I could not have been more impressed with the kids from both teams as well as the coaches.

In retrospect, it would seem that the singular act of both teams circling at midfield prior to the game with a sincere prayer led by a coach set the tone for the entire evening. For me, it was a perfect example of what's right and wrong in sports today.

I agree!!! Unfortunately public school coaches are not permitted to lead prayer with their players. Huge loss for high school sports and the athletes involved.

Just food for thought, but keep in mind the student-athletes who are either not religious at all or not of the same denomination as the prayer being said. If you're at a religiously based school, you kind of signed up for it, but at a public school it is incredibly uncomfortable to have to stand in on a prayer that everyone else on the team is doing or pretending to do. Very few people would be willing to speak up about their discomfort and no one is going to be disrespectful and be the only person with their back turned or not in the circle.

It's great to see two teams just out to have fun, especially when the games are lopsided.

I support the Woodruff guys, and the team was very concerned about playing Southside Christian for their first game. In the past the game has always been very dirty from both sides. There were very few fouls called in the game this time.

It was an obvious blow out as SSC scored 5 goals in the last 20 minutes of the first half. In the second half you got to see both benches play a lot, and you saw more smiles then any other game this season. It's great to see the kids having so much fun, even in the games like these.

I have respect for any team that can stay calm in a blow out game, no matter which side of the score you're on.

Hmmmmm We pray before every game.... I am such a rebel.

Then again...I know lots of other teams that do so as well.

Keeping in mind the Founding Fathers- Majority Rule with respect for Minority Rights does not mean denying the Majority its own Rights.


tk

Is there a tougher schedule in the state than this? I've never seen so many "red ranked" numbers on one team's schedule.

http://www.eurosportscoreboard.com/cgi-b...=&Password=

Wow!

I really like the idea of the two teams praying together before the game to set the tone. We always pray as a team before and after games, but not usually with the other team. Sometimes, when possible, we'll pray with our opponents after the game. However, what a great way to "set the tone" as you put it!

After all, God gave us the ability to play the game. I believe we should honor Him in the way we play. As our guys coach likes to say, "Whether we win or lose, we will play our hardest for the glory of God!"

Tony, you may want to spend a little more time researching the works of the founding fathers you admire so much!

I am with Kitten on this one!

Hurst ...If Byrnes were to add some red numbers next to their name, Spartanburg, Mauldin & Dorman all would have tougher schedules!

In this case I humbly submit that it is not the Founding Fathers who need to be researched but rather the multitude of legal decisions and/or interpretations of our Founding Fathers handiwork that have been handed down and subsequently overturned or upheld by our courts over the years and the precedence or law which those decisions in turn establish.

Have you ever seen the "meeting at the middle" after a game? Or a "meet me at the flag pole" before school? As this relates to sporting events, various courts have ruled that: An individual student or group of students is free to pray at a game. To prevent this would violate the student(s) free speech rights.

Teachers, coaches, etc. cannot lead a group prayer. To do so would be viewed as school endorsement of a specific religion, which is unconstitutional under the principle of separation of church and state.

(Doe v. Santa Fe Independent School District, 168 F.3rd 806 [5th Cir. 1999]) prohibited school-sponsored student prayer activity at sporting events. School-sponsored student prayer is prohibited by the constitution; student-sponsored student prayer is free speech protected by the constitution.

Soooo- If my girls want to pray before games, I can not tell them no. I guess this makes my girls the rebels then… AHH!! But then again-not really since its perfectly ok for them to do it eh?

tk