Video taping of matches by Parents

[BuckLateral]

Rigger: The rule seems pretty straight forward to me. It prohibits a school from filming another wrestler, but it doesn't prohibit me, a mere parent, from filming another wrestler. But out of an abundance of caution, I ran the rule by my friendly lawyer and asked him for his take on it. He quoted that old legal maxim expressio unius est exclusio alterius (the inclusion of one is the exclusion of others) and told me to film away. When I told him one of my Father Ryan buddies said I could go to jail for filming, he said nonsense - I would have no mens re or scienter and furthemore de minimis non curat lex (the law cares not for trifles).

 

I felt like I'd been in a Harry Potter movie after talking to the guy.

 

 

I agree Whiskeyjoe---but then I tend to always agree to anything with whiskey in it. It is pretty straight forward and simple rul if you just break it down and look at what it says. I really don't know what all the hoopla is about, particualrly the BCB incident two seasons back , though I suspect that his endearing personality and comments on this board may have had more to do with it than the actual taping.

 

The rule clearly states that: video taping or filming is permitted if the taping or filming is for (i) private use or (ii) use by the two schools involved and (iii) is not for public or commercial use. A school is not allowed to tape or film a match unless it has a wrestler involved. Note that the qualifying language "unless its wrestler is involved" appears only with respect to taping by a school. No such limitation is placed upon taping by an individual. The only qualification is that the taping be for private use and not for public or commercial use.

 

According to various dictionary sources, the word "private" can and does mean: designed or intended for one's exclusive use; of or confined to the individual; undertaken on an individual basis.

 

So, any individual should be allowed to tape any match he/she wants to as long as it is undertaken on an individual basis and confined, designed or intended for his/her private use. Can an individual tape his child's match for his/her own viewing and use? As the rule is written, he/she should be. Can an individual tape a match in which his child is not involved if it is for private use. As the rule is currently written, he/she should be. Can an individual tape a match between two schools with which he/she has no involvement, as BSCB did, if it is for private use. As the rule is written, he (BCB) should have been. Can an individual tape a match between two schools and then provide it to a school that did not have a wrestler involved in the match, which some may have thought BCB was doing. The answer to that should be no. He/she is not taping for private use and he/she cannot claim to be taping for the school's private use because the school must have a wrestler involved in the match in order to tape it. A school is not allowed to tape or film a match unless it (i) has a wrestler involved and (ii) is for the school's private use.

 

To me, the most telling point about what is allowed is that the TSSAA added the "must have a wrestler involved" qualification to taping by a school and not to taping by individuals. If it intended for that qualification to apply to individuals, which would have prevented BCB from stepping into the mess he got into, it could simply have added "individuals" to that qualification as well as schools. The TSSAA did not do that. Your lawyer buddy will probably tell you that a court would view this omission as an inference or evidence of intent on the part of the TSSAA not to have this qualification apply to individuals, but instead to allow them to tape any match they want to as long as it is for private use. That is the old legal maxim he is talking about ( i.e. inclusion for one, exclusion for the other).

 

Notice I used "should be" in the paragraphs above. It is apparent from the BCB incident and other comments posted under this topic that school coaches, administrators and fans either don't know or choose to ignore the rule. as written. The answer to this is pretty simple. If coaches/schools are worried about people taping matches and using them for scouting purposes, then they should amend the wrestling rules to say something like : " An individual is not allowed to tape or film a match unless that individual is a parent, relative or legal guardian of a werstler involved."

 

All that said, in this day and age, this rule is likley to be overrun by any school administrator who wants to prevent the taping or filming of a match by someone other than the parent of a child involved or one of the schools involved for security/personal safety/privacy reasons. There is always the terrorism threat for banning cameras in gyms. More importantly, there are a lot of creeps and perverts out there today and you can't tell what some people might be taking pictures or filming for. So, if you have no relationship to a school, or to a kid on the mat, and a coach or school administrator doesn't recognize you, don't be surprised if someone in authority tells you to stop filming. And, if you say that you are filming only for your own private use, he/she is likely to wonder what that private use is if you do not have a child or school involved---and its likely not to be good ( Ok, Ok, I know some people are going to say that is what was really going on with BCB taping that match, but that is not right, BCB is not like that at all, honest, right Harry?). I can see that happening, and if you argue, you may be looking at getting thrown out or worse thrown in the can, and as one of the other posters has already said, you ain't gonna have much luck raising a TSSAA rule in your defense in face of a school administrator saying he did it out of concern for the safety and/or privacy of the kids. In that case, you better just put the camera away before they put you away.

 

As for any fans who might give you a hard time if you are filming as allowed by this rule, take a copy of the rule with you and show it to them. If they keep harrassing you, tell them to go fly a kite and then, depending on where you are, be ready to Fight for Your Right (to Party) ( For the curious and uneducated, that would be from the Beastie Boys song of the same name).

 

Free BCB! Let the filming begin.

[rigger101]

From what I'm reading, YOU PARENTS, are taking HS wrestling too seriously as for the "winning part". Let you kids be kids, encourage them to be their best and to be winners. Encourage them when they lose to try again. Encourage them to improve, work harder, and always give their best. Video tape your kids for memories sake. Let the coaches do the video taping for teaching and correcting. I guess, what I'm trying to say, is be PARENTS and enjoy the moment and let the coaches be coaches. If you as a parent are so focused on "getting the video edge", you've missed out on a very precious and special moment of your child's life because you face was stuck in the view screen of a video camera.

Good points! /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

I was told about this rule 4 years ago. I didn't question the rule because I was told by a parent of a wrestler who was much more experienced in the sport than me. So I just didn't do it anymore.

 

However, I have gone with my son and watched one of his future opponents . It gavean edge to see what he was going to face in a few weeks. With a few pointers he upset the young man who was undefeated at the time.

I'm surprised that more dedicated wrestlers don't film their upcoming opponents.

 

I say film away. They use it in all other sports to get an edge if they can find it. I think it is a lack of education among the parents and even the schools.

 

If they had this happen in the hot bed of TN Wrestling and didn??™t understand the rule. What chance do us mere mortals have. /blink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blink:" border="0" alt="blink.gif" /> I guess ot becomes an issue when you know it's a parent of an opposing team.

 

However after reading the rule and the post from the Coacht Wrestling Board.

I don't think any parent should be asked to stop filming. /blush.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blush:" border="0" alt="blush.gif" />

 

So remember that Mt J, WHHS, BHS, WCHS parents and others. /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

[HSDAD]

"All that said, in this day and age, this rule is likley to be overrun by any school administrator who wants to prevent the taping or filming of a match by someone other than the parent of a child involved or one of the schools involved for security/personal safety/privacy reasons." ...."So, if you have no relationship to a school, or to a kid on the mat, and a coach or school administrator doesn't recognize you, don't be surprised if someone in authority tells you to stop filming."

 

The host school has every right to prevent the taping! You must comply with their demands.

In this case, an upset parent or group of parents has no right to force you to stop or erase.

I think it is safe to say that everyone involved has walked away with a deeper understanding

of others and the rules.

[rigger101]

"All that said, in this day and age, this rule is likley to be overrun by any school administrator who wants to prevent the taping or filming of a match by someone other than the parent of a child involved or one of the schools involved for security/personal safety/privacy reasons." ...."So, if you have no relationship to a school, or to a kid on the mat, and a coach or school administrator doesn't recognize you, don't be surprised if someone in authority tells you to stop filming."

 

The host school has every right to prevent the taping! You must comply with their demands.

In this case, an upset parent or group of parents has no right to force you to stop or erase.

I think it is safe to say that everyone involved has walked away with a deeper understanding

of others and the rules.

 

Well your such a wee lad I know U were scared. /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />

I look forward to watching your young man this year.

On tape of course /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" />