Dear dimwit on the phone

Sorry but prom is supposed to be a special event (it's not) that you remember for the rest of your life (You don't). Having it in the gym makes it no different than going to an assembly. It's bad enough that this event is incredibly overrated, at least let the kids have the "This place is really cool" feeling before they walk in and realize it's all been a lie.

 

No time like high school for reality to set in. I do feel for the poor saps that get knocked up on prom night and then wonder what the heck happened.

 

Schools around here actively try to prevent scheduling against proms to the point where no one will do anything on a Saturday from mid-April on, not even make-up games. The league track meets here have been moved to Thursdays in recent years because when they were held on Friday, no one wanted to resume until Monday if they got interrupted. I think that's also why all the KSHSAA post-season tournaments (except tennis, which held its championship this weekend) don't begin until the second-to-last Monday in May.

To the point about prom in the gym, we've got a school 20 miles over the state line that's held its last two proms at sites in the town where I work in Kansas (the towns are roughly the same size, about 8,000). The students say 1) It's their choice where they hold prom, 2) They don't want it in the high school gym, 3) There's no place in town large enough to hold prom that will let them use their facility.

Last year, they came over to one place and prom was held upstairs to get the kids separated from the rest of the facility to minimize the chance that alcohol would be a factor. Several of the kids said later on that one of the bartenders would bring alcohol up for them. That place went out of business over the summer and the investigation is still allegedly ongoing, although the superintendent said in a story last week he hasn't heard anything since October.

This year, they bused over for prom last week at a different facility. It's only open for special occasions, so there's no need to keep the kids from mingling with regular customers. No said anything about alcohol this time.

 

We often hear how the value of sports is to teach youth values and life lessons, not just go chase a ball around.

To me, one of the lessons is about teamwork and sacrifice. If you commit to something, see it through, don't just bail when it becomes inconvenient. Other teammates are counting on you.

Now, I don't have a problem with coaches/administrators attempting to avoid schedule conflicts. But I guess sometimes these conflicts are unavoidable. Well, life is full of conflicts.

 

Zack Morris and company seemed to enjoy their prom. Not to mention that was the smallest gym in history.

 

Fully agree. Nothing bothers me more than kids who go on family trips during April vacation. They miss a week, up to three games, and it drives coaches nuts. I always try to work the coach for a quote about his frustration, because, yes, there are other people counting on you.

 

Which is exactly why I didn't add it to the story. It wasn't news. It was a parent wanting it all.

 

As for news value, I guess it would depend on your market and how much play you give to high school sports.

If you're in a larger market with other fish to fry and 50+ schools in the area, maybe it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. If you're in a small market and are playing a certain high school(s) on your section front every day and it involves a star player or two, then don't back down.

I always decried the double standard -- and had more than one conversation with parents -- to the effect of "if we put Little Johnny Bedwetter on the cover with a giant photo when he scores a touchdown/hits a home run, then we should treat him the same way when we gets suspended."

 

I don't think it's a story in the way the parent wanted it to be -- calling out the kids that don't play as being selfish -- but I do think the fact the starters weren't there is the lede for the game story. Another group of kids who don't play much went out and got the job done. Hooray for them, and it's great that the backups get their moment in the sun.
Then, of course, you have to address why all those backups were in the lineup, even if it's just with a two-sentence explanation and a quote from the coach to the effect of, "Just goes to show you need to be ready to play, we'll play with the guys that are here, etc."

 

Actually, didn't he get dumped by Kelly at one of the proms?

 

BTW, the AJC ran two or three stories on this prom/soccer conflict, which I'm pretty sure is the same one the OP mentioned. And yes, the game got moved. The prom whiners lost.

 

I posted above how several girls from one HS bailed on their team in a soccer regional tournament. I checked our archives, had the team won, the school would have qualified for the state tournament for the first time in school history. The face the skipped the game was the headline and a good portion of the story. The story did name the seniors who stayed with the team and still made the prom, but didn't mention those who skipped.