A Hockey Battle: Overtime

Earlier this month, the high school hockey championship game for the state of Ohio was played in Columbus. After 7 overtimes, the game was declared a tie by the officials, and both teams were named co-state-champions. That much is agreed upon. In the aftermath of the game, some supported the decision to protect the health of the young athletes, while others, including many athletes, argued that the game should have been allowed to be played out until one clear winner was declared. the discussion continued here at the Play Like a Champion Today headquarters at the University of Notre Dame. In the following blog, Play Like a Champion intern Tony Kim takes the view that the game should have been played out, while Lynn Kachmarik, Director of National Growth for Play Like a Champion writes in support of the Ohio hockey officials.

 Let’s Be Real: Winning, Hockey, and a State Championship.

Let’s face it: the desire to win is within all of us. No one likes to lose and no one likes to tie. We all like to win, be on top, and be the champion. And yes, it is true that everyone who plays their heart out for every minute of every game whenever they put on the uniform that representing their team is a winner. But, those who battle to the absolute end to win over all are the champions. And most of the time in the end, there is one and only one champion. That was unfortunately not the case, though, with two hockey teams from Ohio.

On March 8th, two Ohio high school hockey teams squared off in the state championship game. One was the unranked underdog Northview High School from Sylvania . The other, number 1 ranked St. Ignatius from Cleveland.  It was a classic David versus Goliath story.  After regulation and seven overtime periods, the game was called in a 1-1 tie for the state championship.

I know what you’re thinking, “Why would they call it a tie after seven overtimes?!” Or, “Why would they not just have gone to penalties after the first two overtimes?” And maybe even, “That’s a shame. I know I wouldn’t want to share my championship with another team.” In my opinion, the last of these possibly presumptuous statements of thought resonates the most with most competitive athletes. Those who train to win and be number one are inherently selfish. So why end a game after eight overtimes? Why not just let the play go on until a winner is declared? Especially after seven grueling overtime periods, don’t you think the players themselves would want to seek the game’s eventual end? By not allowing them to do so after all of that time almost seems cruel.  In addition, it took away the chance for the Northview underdogs to upset number one St. Ignatius and the chance for St. Ignatius to be declared an undisputed champion.

Even the players and coaches for each team spoke as if they were ready and amped-up to play and fight out another overtime period.  Such readiness was described by team Captain, Harry Smith, of the Northview team:

“We were energized for that eighth overtime.  We kept going back in the locker room and we kept telling each other, ‘The next time we come back in here, we’re going to be holding the state championship trophy.' We were tired, but we were ready and didn’t want the game to end that way.” 

As both teams skated onto the ice, ready to play another grueling and passionate overtime period to determine the Ohio State High School Hockey Champion—neither of them expected to have the game called a tie before they even met for a face-off. So why call it without even playing just one more period?

 Well, the reasoning behind it may be one of safety.   

“What happens if we go into the eighth overtime and a kid is exhausted and he doesn’t keep his head up and gets run over and is taken out on a stretcher?” Northview Coach Mike Jones said. “If a kid doesn’t skate off that ice because he’s hurt, what kind of national debate is there going to be                then?”

 Of course, the safety of the players is the most important thing to keep in mind—especially with a sport as hard-hitting, exhausting, and outright dangerous as hockey.  Without notice, a player could’ve gotten checked into the glass so hard during one of those overtimes that he may not have gotten up after.

But that’s hockey.  Those who have played hockey or know the game what-so-ever know that hockey is not a nice sport. You don’t play hockey without knowing that you’re playing one of the most dangerous games on this earth involving sticks, a puck that moves a hundred-plus miles per hour, and blades on your feet to move on a cold, hard, and unforgiving surface. There are hits; there are fights; there are enforcers wreaking havoc; there are teeth lost and dentists and oral surgeons making millions; and there are winners and most definitely losers. 

With a state championship on the line and outright glory at stake, the players were told to skate off and end this epic battle on the ice. Of course, even though the players’ safety should have and was put first and foremost by the officiating staff—they should have considered speaking with the coaches of each respective team to get their input on the eventual outcome of the game. By making such a decision without even considering the coaching staff’s input on the matter—it leaves a dry and bitter taste not only in the mouths of the coaches, but the players who sought out to hold that trophy in their hands and their hands alone in the end. And lest we forget, in sports—winning is a part of the game, but so is losing. In competitive sports, there have to be losers as well as winners. The fun of the game is in the competition. So now ask yourself this question: if you were these players, what would you have wanted? Wouldn’t you have wanted to experience the fun in competition? Would you have wanted the championship to yourself and your own team or to have shared it? We all know the answer to both of those questions and in regards to the latter—the answer is most definitely not one that would involve any other team’s fingerprints on the trophy.

 Game With No Winner Ends in Shared Title

Let’s look at the other side of this decision and discuss why I support the outcome to end this game when they did.  Let’s discuss the mission of high school sports as well as the message it sent to the players, parents and fans at a time when youth sports has become “win at all costs” and the number of youth sports injuries has exploded in our country.

How you define success as a teacher/coach, however, is critical in determining whether or not your student-athletes will experience a developmentally appropriate enriching experience through their participation in interscholastic athletics. At the high school level, the role of the teacher/coach in interscholastic athletics is to establish an environment that will facilitate success for all participants.  It was clear that the environment in the game had deteriorated to the point that those in a leadership role were concerned about potential injury to their student-athletes.  There needs to be no other reason to end the game as high school sports should not be a “win at all costs mentality” but a safe, education and learning environment for all.

I share a personal story from many years ago when I watched the championship game at the World Aquatic Championships between two National Teams representing Yugoslavia and Hungary.  Very similar to this outcome, the game went into 16 overtimes.  The competition went from sport at its highest level of conditioning, strategy and effort to one where very few players were even able to swim up and down the pool.  Starters were sitting on the bench exhausted, injured and mentally done.  When the game finally ended 2 hours longer than any game I had ever watched, there was no cheering but this overall feeling that it was over and disappointment.  I cannot even tell you who won because our discussion centered on why there was not a shoot-out when all the players were still in the game.  This was with our world’s best athletes in their sport.

Let’s go back to our discussion now about these two high school hockey teams in Ohio.  In the end, the decision was made for the health and safety of the players and I applaud this.  Nothing good happens in practice or competition when athletes are exhausted beyond normal conditions and this clearly was “beyond normal”.   We are also talking about young men who are not fully developed mentally and physically.  You add the physical and mental condition they were in and now their judgment and decision making skills are far less than normal for their age.  This is another reason why the game should have ended to make sure we as the adults are protecting each and every player on both teams from the exhausted decision that someone might make to lash out in frustration and exhaustion.

Clearly, in our society today, we want a winner and a loser.  Stories of poor coaching and abuse at the high school level are in the media daily.  If we as a society took a giant step back and openly discussed the mission and real purpose of high school sports, we would all applaud these leaders for putting their student-athletes ahead of one team winning over the other.  They fought hard and clearly were two teams who peaked at the exact same time and deserved to share in the championship title.  This was a victory for all.

 

Pure, Pure Class

Today's blog was written by Tony Kim, an intern with Play Like a Champion Today and a senior psychology major at Purdue North Central.   

After 14th seed Mercer upset powerhouse Duke in the first round of the NCAA Championship and ruined many billion-dollar brackets, the living legend of a Coach Mike Krzyzewski personally went to the Mercer locker room to congratulate the winning team.  Even though he was distraught from his young team losing to the Mercer Bears, Coach Krzyzewski knew that after such a comeback in the dying minutes of the second half—the Mercer team deserved to be commended on their performance.

From the start, it is safe to say that no one would have predicted that Krzyzewski’s team would have been knocked out in the first round by a seemingly unknown team such as the Mercer Bears. Not only did he display an act of sportsmanship that exceeded most expectations of coaches or players on-court, but he displayed humility in the face of defeat—showing great sportsmanship in the game of basketball and his love of the game above all else.

 

The Sportsmanship of the Irish

Today's blog post was written by Tony Kim.  Tony is a senior psychology major at Purdue North Central and is an intern for Play Like a Champion Today. In a previous post, Tony pledged his support for Manchester United, although he supports displays of sportsmanship from all teams in all sports.

In this month of celebrating all things Irish, there was more going in Ireland than just celebrations of St. Patrick. Adam O’Reilly, an under-14 youth soccer player for the Ringmahon Rangers, took the ball at the spot in the 18 yard box. Instead of burying it in the bottom corner, top shelf, or side netting of the goal—he simply passed it into the hands of the opposing team’s goalkeeper. Without context, this would seem like a blunder on his part. The story, though, proves quite the contrary.

Facing the division leaders, O’Reilly’s Rangers were losing 1-0 when their opponents goalkeeper injured himself with the ball in the box. Without a thought, one of the goalkeeper’s defenders threw the ball off the pitch. Even though the injury was one that should have stopped play, the defender never waited for the the whistle to blow to indicate stoppage. Thus, the referee had no choice but to award a penalty to the Rangers for the blatant handball.

Here comes the kicker—pun definitely intended.

Receiving the nod to take the penalty with explicit instructions from his coaches, young O’Reilly stepped up to the spot. Understanding that the penalty was given on a play where relief for an injured player was sought, he passed it right back to the goalkeeper to have play continue as it should have after the injury.

Even though it would have leveled the game at 1-1, O’Reilly and his coaches knew that it giving the ball back and not pursuing a goal from a necessary stoppage of the game was the right thing to do. O’Reilly, his coaches, and the Rangers have shown us not only that soccer is not as pitiless as professionals show us—but that good ethics and sportsmanship is being taught at the all-important youth levels of sports.

When a Player Teaches a Coach

Today's blog was written by Jim Keena, a senior IT Management major at the University of Notre Dame.  Jim is a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching, a course taught by Play Like a Champion Today co-directors Professor Clark Power and Kristin Sheehan.

One of the important duties of a youth sports coach is to teach players how to be better people, both on and off the field. Sometimes, a coach neglects that duty, and qualities such as sportsmanship and respect go unlearned. But other times, it is the player who ends up teaching the coach.

12-year-old Matt Marotta did just that last month during his final hockey match of the Coca-Cola Classic International Peewee Tournament in British Columbia, Canada. After a controversial call by the referees at the end of the game, Matt’s teammates, led by their coaching staff, walked off the ice without lining up to shake hands with the other team’s players. To the astonishment of the crowd, however, Matt remained on the ice, alone, to shake hands with every one of the other team’s players and coaches, even as his coaches yelled at him to follow them off the ice.

 

Photo courtesy of Boston University Hockey

 

What Matt did is one of the hardest things to do in sports: defying not just his coaches, who are in control of his playing time, but also his teammates, who are undoubtedly a big source of peer pressure in his life.

What he showed was that when a coach falls short of the ideals of sportsmanship, that does not mean that his players need follow suit. Just because a coach fails to teach a lesson to his players does not mean that the lesson should not be taught.

In the coach’s defense, he later owned up to his mistake and said that he would accept any punishment that was handed down to him. He also claimed that his actions were meant to protest the decision of the officials, and that they were in no way intended to be a slight to the other team. From what I have heard from players, parents, and fans, it really seems like this is a great group of both players and coaches that simply made a mistake in the heat of the moment. So the focus here should not be on what was done wrong, but on what was done right.

Another thing that Matt demonstrated is that the oft-repeated John Wooden quote is accurate: sports do not build character, they reveal it (at least, sports can either build character or reveal it). His actions might therefore have served as a wakeup call to the other players, or to their parents. If Matt had the courage and the character to stay and shake hands despite the protestations of his coaches, why did no one else? Now, I will not blame the other players for simply following their coaches off of the ice; I think what Matt did is something that even the most respectful of kids might not have had the courage to do. Nor will I suggest that they have bad parents. But this does show that sportsmanship and respect are two things that can be taught at home as well as on the field.

So the next time that your son, your daughter, or one of the players that you are coaching takes the field, remember that good sportsmanship is a product of all facets of a child’s upbringing, and it is not something that should be neglected no matter the timing, circumstances, or the arena. We can all take a lesson from Matt Marotta.

From the Heart

 Today’s blog post was written by Phoenix Harris, a senior at the University of Notre Dame. Phoenix is a Film, Television, and Theatre major and a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching, a course taught by Play Like a Champion Today directors Professor Clark Power and Kristin Sheehan.

Last week, two Minnesota high school wrestlers sent the Internet into frenzy. Both Mitchell McKee and Malik Stewart are considered the top competitors in their division, and were competing for the 120-pound state title at a Class 3A tournament on behalf of their high schools. One minute and 22 seconds into their match, McKee had Stewart pinned on the mat.

While the competition may have been short, the aftermath will definitely be remembered for years to come.

 

Despite being defeated, Stewart got up from the mat, hugged McKee, and then went over to the crowd and hugged Mr. McKee – Mitchell’s father who is suffering from cancer. “He won and I knew he was pretty proud and his dad was pretty proud so I went over there and shook his hand and embraced him a little bit. I told him to stay strong and that everybody loves him,” says Stewart.  

Prior to the state-title match, McKee had told the media he wanted to win the title for his father, that they’d both fought hard to get to this point today and he wanted him to be able to see him get the victory. Stewart said he knew McKee was a great competitor and that he’d have to be on his game to defeat him.

Even though he was unable to, he still showed characteristics of victory in another sense by embracing McKee’s father.

Those watching were moved to tears and a standing ovation. The most surprised was the new state title-holder himself. “It was a big match for him and to be able to hug my dad like that, and not be mad and storm off like a lot of kids do,” said McKee. “Really respectful.”

Stewart’s coach, Josh Prokosh, is quick to point out that the incident was all Stewart’s doing. “He took that upon himself to run over,” Prokosh says. “He knew Mitchell’s father was over there and he ran over, gave him a hug, and congratulated him.”  But Stewart is quick to explain that his actions had nothing to do with him, “I heard a couple people as I did it say, ‘that was pretty classy.’ But I just did it straight from the heart.” Stewart's father passed away when he was just seven-years old from a heart attack. Not only did the two boys share commonality in competing for the state title, but they both also understood what it would mean for their families.

The truth is, sports can be much more than recreation. Sports can be a tool used to help a person grow or get a family through a hard time.  At its worse state sporting events can be an excuse to glorify winning in spite of what it takes to get there.

At a time when the media glamorizes the ruthlessness and unforgiving competitive nature of even the youngest athletes (think Esquire Network's Friday Night Tykes or Lifetime's Dance Moms) it is refreshing to see an example of healthy and positive competition in sports. McKee was right, many kids are taught that winning is everything. Many kids storm off the field, or the mat, after a loss and forget about sportsmanship altogether. Stewart’s ability to see the bigger picture despite losing what he’d been working all year for is impressive, respectful, and inspiring.

Almost as surprising as Stewart’s maturity, was the speed at which his and McKee’s story hit the Internet. Within hours, thousands upon thousands of social media users had shared it. All were praising the boys’ actions and sending well wishes to McKee and his father. In a way, Stewart’s actions were able to create an enormous pool of support for the McKee family as they go through this trying time.

Both Mitchell McKee and Malik Stewart are only sophomores in high school wrestling, but they show compassion and sportsmanship well beyond their years. Even though only one of them won the state title, I would argue that there were two, if not three winners after this state match – Malik, Mitchell, AND Mr. McKee. 

Fair Play All Around

Today's blog post was written by Tony Kim.  Tony is an intern with Play Like a Champion Today, and a senior Psychology Major at Purdue North Central.  In his spare time, Tony loyally supports Manchester United.

In a game riddled with heels being clipped, shirts being tugged, pushing, pulling, diving for penalties in the box, and discretely doing any and everything to gain an advantage for your team—honesty is rarely seen in soccer today.  That is why the actions of Werder Bremen’s midfielder Aaron Hunt and Nuremberg FC’s Hiroshi Kiyotake in their team’s match against one another this past weekend was refreshing, to say the least.

With a 2-0 lead, Hunt received the ball from the left-winger, took a touch that had him charging into the box, and before anyone knew otherwise, he was on the ground with the official blowing the whistle and pointing to the penalty spot. With the Nuremberg players protesting the official's call, Hunt sought the referee’s attention, and told him that it was not a penalty and that he had fallen on his own.  The referee, then, reversed his decision and dropped the ball at the goalkeeper’s feet for a drop ball to be put back into play as Nuremberg players gave gestures of approval and thanks to Hunt.

Hunt’s act of honesty and fair play was not the only one of the game. On the other end of the field as Bremen’s defender Prödl slid in to tackle Hiroshi Kiyotake, a corner kick was initially awarded to Nuremberg. That decision was also reversed as Kiyotake volunteered that it should not be a corner and that he was the last to touch the ball. With gestures of approval for his behavior by both the official and Bremen’s players, the game went on with a goal kick for Bremen.  (Bremen ended up winning the match.)

As both of these players have shown, acts of good character can still be seen in the game of soccer today. Even with displays of dishonesty with players diving for fouls (yes, I’m talking about you Luis Suarez), the game is still one of beauty and honor.  Even with the threat of relegation into lower leagues, these two teams and their players truly Played Like Champions, showing that character always comes first.

Gay Athletes and the Ongoing Challenge of Full Acceptance

Play Like a Champion Founder and Director Professor Clark Power recently published a piece on athletes who are  gay in the Huffington Post.  The original post can be found here, or is excerpted below.

Media attention has rightly focused on Jason Collins and Michael Sam who have courageously confronted a homophobic professional sports culture. Like Jackie Robinson, they have exposed the intolerant underside not only of NBA and NFL locker rooms, but of American culture itself.

This week, University of Notre Dame varsity tennis player, Matt Dooley, joined Jason Collins and Michael Sam by coming out publicly as a gay male. In a brutally honest first-person account of his agonized struggle for self-acceptance, Matt Dooley illustrates the challenge of self-acceptance in a hostile environment. As he wrestled with his sexual identity, his Catholic education made him feel even more apprehensive about his future: "The Church's teachings were not exactly adding up with where my life was headed."

Matt writes that he never fully acknowledged to himself that he was gay until his sophomore year in college. That realization brought with it self-condemnation: "I was wrong, undeserving of respect, and I had a life that was not worth living." In his sophomore year, Matt attempted suicide: "Death was better than accepting -- or revealing -- that I was gay."

After he left the psychiatric ward, Matt's tennis team became his lifeline. As the second anniversary of his suicide attempt approached in September, he came out to his team. To his surprise, they all embraced him. Matt's life changed from one of despair to hope. He and his team both became stronger. Matt is now involved with others at Notre Dame in reaching out to other gay athletes.

Like Jason Collins and Michael Sam, Matt Dooley asks for nothing more or less than the respect that any human being deserves. Yet, as Matt Dooley's story demonstrates, one cannot demand respect from others until one comes to respect oneself. Self-respect is nurtured in groups, like the Notre Dame Tennis team, where morality matters and coaches and players commit themselves to care for and trust in each other.

Educational and religious leaders have a responsibility to make schools and churches places where young people, whatever their sexuality, can learn to study, play, pray and love with self-respect, gratitude and hope.

Modeling Sportsmanship from the Sidelines

Today's blog post was written by Tony Kim.  Tony is an intern with Play Like a Champion Today and a senior at Purdue North Central majoring in psychology. 

In the midst of a Cincinnati 51-45 loss to UConn this weekend, Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin went into a frenzy after an out of bounds call in which he thought, “the ball was out on them,” went the other way. Even though the call was not one that decisively influenced game’s outcome in which both teams had (frankly) atrocious offensive showings—it was enough to poke and burst the bubble of frustration inflated within Cronin.

As Cronin ran rampant along the sideline, Referee Ted Valentine met face to face with him as the two confronted one another about the call. Even after Valentine walked away to carry on with the game, Cronin incessantly verbally berated Valentine.  Cronin’s continual conduct caused coaches and players alike restrain him and get him away from Valentine to get the game back on track.

Ironically, UConn Coach Kevin Ollie was on the other end of the sideline, watching as the incident occurred. As some may recall, Ollie was involved in a similar incident where a call made by the referee was angrily contested—resulting in him receiving a technical foul, charging towards the referee for receiving the technical foul, another technical issued for his confrontational actions, and finally his ejection from the game.

Unfortunately, these incidents involving these two coaches are not isolated. Outbursts by basketball coaches have been happening even with prominent names such as Jim Boeheim.  As those who follow Collegiate Men’s Basketball saw in the news late this past February, the typically stoic and silent Boeheim furiously erupted after a call that he thought was a blocking foul was called as a charge.  The game against Duke went on to be a the second straight loss of the season for the, then, ranked #1 Syracuse Orange, as they went on to suffer a double technical foul on Coach Boeheim. 

With all of these recent outbursts by coaches toward the officiating staff, we have to wonder: if the coaching staff can’t set the example for sportsmanship for their players, who will?  Thankfully, Cronin's own players were aware enough to prevent their coach's actions from escalating further, but they likely still had an impact on the team.  From Cronin, to Ollie, and even Boeheim, we’ve seen outbursts that not only cost the team and its players points on the board—but also negatively taxes the programs which they represent. It distracts from the intrinsic joy that comes from playing the game and the spirit of competition between teams. Hopefully, this trend in outright shameful behavior by coaches is one that buzzes out.