What is the overall objective in competition? To be victorious. Why do we train? To develop as individuals and as a team. Why do we walk away from a game with a sense of accomplishment after pushing the score to 30+ to ZERO? Ego.

I felt a sense of excitement yesterday as the first batch of scores started to come across the wire from all of the BUCS matches. It’s a fantastic time of year that we are in right now. Courses are starting to ramp up for the student athletes…the weather is starting to get a bit crisper (which is indicative of “the season is here” for this part of the world)…and the first BUCS games kick off which gives the community a great look at which teams have been putting in the work over the summer. As I said; it’s a fantastic time of year. What is not so fantastic however is what occurred during multiple contests yesterday. As scores began to be posted in various online communities  throughout the day there were 3 games that jumped off the page.  These games were immediately highlighted due to each score being very one-sided; 30+ to O in two cases…and 30+ to 2 in the third.

“Sportsmanship” seems to be lost on some, and that’s understandable due to backgrounds and past programs (or coaches) maybe, but common sense at times should be enough to realize that certain things are just inappropriate. Whether it’s a “big fish in a small pond” attitude for some visiting players, or a collective team mentality that seems to be defined by creating the most “hype” for their program with numbers; none of it is respectable. It’s a very narrow view of what sport is in my eyes, and it tells me that these teams care nothing for character, respect, or leading by example.
Words are merely that; words. Actions speak louder as they say. So as players read this and disagree with my words I can accept that. But yesterday’s actions speak a lot louder than my words ever can. Push the score…don’t push the score. At the end of the day it’s on you and your team for what you choose to stand for. But as a coach, and a leader, I think it a classless act.

Vince Grimes