Hazing

[jacketman05]

I bet half you people on here had a little bit to do with hazing in some form back in your day. Hazing happens at schools everyday. Some parents just jumped in it this time. All you people are tryin to make it sound like the kids who did this are bad people. I am around them everyday ( on and off the field) and they are all good at heart. You people are tryin to carry this out way too far. Those guys know they messed up and are payin the price. Get off their backs. EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES!

 

PS...... The kid who they said got injured and was takin to the hospital played in the game that night and the next morning. Obviously he wasn't hurt too bad huh.

[VolunteerGeneral]

FBE..interesting topic.

 

What has been missing though is a definition of hazing. Let`s use the website that you provided to supply us with information and a definition.

“Hazing” refers to any activity expected of someone joining a group (or to maintain full status in a group) that humiliates, degrades or risks emotional and/or physical harm, regardless of the person's willingness to participate.

Notice the terms...humiliates or degrades

 

While alcohol use is common in many types of hazing, other examples of typical hazing practices include: personal servitude; sleep deprivation and restrictions on personal hygiene; yelling, swearing and insulting new members/rookies

 

Here we have yelling and swearing. How common is it for a coach to yell and swear at a player? Is this something we should just accept as normal policy or do we deem it to be "humiliating or degrading"

 

The problem is when you start talking about hazing, you bring in a broad range of interpretation. Most of the talk here has been of only the physical type of hazing, but it is widely recognized that emotional distress is hazing too. While I commend you on your feelings toward a physical haze, I would ask what you think about a coach that calls a kid names or curses a player.

[BigCat1]

VolunteerGeneral, Lets go overboard why don't we.

[TankTalk]

Some have questioned my stance on the entire Kingston witch hunt, so this will be my final post on it.

 

I have always tried to maintain a high morality in my work...and perhaps I am totally wrong on this. From day one, I have understood the hard work and dedication our young student-athletes put into representing their communities. I therefore made it my goal to make sure these young men and women would get nothing but my best in shining the spotlight on them in both the classroom and the field and/or court of battle.

 

Hazing is wrong. Period. Zero Tolerance is wrong. Period. I hear stories of a young kid who may accidentally bring fingernail clippers to school, then getting a year expulsion. That's wrong. We have to get a better grasp on this entire tolerance issue. With that, we should then make sure we both put in place and enforce any fair rules on the matter.

 

I ran into coach King tonight in Knoxville, as we were both visiting one of our favorite eating establishments. I pulled him to the side and talked with him. I told him the half a game suspension, was not right...he explained to me the entire story, from his side. He now has to live with that decision. I think it is wrong that because of this terrible situation...this lone situation, that so many are wanting to both hang coach King and these young kids on a cross.

 

I will ALWAYS take the side of a man who has helped produce so many great individuals for the county in which I live. I have known Vic King a heck of a long time. Vic King has always treated me...and everyone I know with the utmost respect and has always been very honest with me. I know countless...I mean countless young men who have went through the man's program...and they would do anything for him. I will also ALWAYS take the side of our athletes. I take the side of the athletes who were hazed, and the side of the athletes who made such a terrible mistake. How can I do that? I can hope and pray that they do indeed learn a valuable lesson and from that, they become better people.

 

If everyone had given up on me because of one mistake, there is no telling what or where I might be right now. Thank God, those around me never did. Thank God, we as adults (and children) have an opportunity to have coaches like Vic who will put aside what will happen to him, and will not give up on either group of kids in this situation. I never try to say that my side is the right way. But I have my convictions and my beliefs. I love high school athletics and anytime a black eye like this is sustained, it hurts. It hurts more when it happens so close to home.

 

My wish is that everyone involved can learn and move on. I also hope that we can put aside any pettiness and judgemental behavior (let's face it folks, it's not our place to judge people) and try to re-focus on the positive of high school sports. Dwelling on our mistakes can never be a good thing.

[BigDogDaddy]

I ask again, what is the TSSAA for, if not to put a stop to this type of thing by handing out a heavy sentance! No it will not be fair to the other members of the team who did not participate, but that has never stopped them in the past.

 

How can they do what was done to Gallatin and others for a "Transfer Rule" violation and then say, we don't get involved in issues of this manner?

[FBEmeritus]

Mr. Tank I agree with most of what you said and feel very much like you do on some issues. However, the wish that everyone involved can learn and move on, will never happen and these type of events will only escalate simply because these kids who assaulted their teammates have been given a pass by an administration that failed to send a stern message to the community that this type of lawless behavior has no place in HS athletes. These kids in my mind should have forfeited their right to represent their community in high school sports. This event was not a mistake; it was an assault and crime. I hope the local legal authority will not allow kids who assault other kids to have free pass to do this type thing again.

Being a great individual does not mean the coach had the best wisdom when faced with this type situation, I understand it might be a tough decision and one I would hope I would never be faced with. I can tell you if it were my decision I would not keep those guilty of assault on my roster with other hard working kids regardless of the ability of those kids to play the game. The rest of the team deserves better.

 

Discipline, standards, the respect for others and some basic rules are what separate us from the animals.

Edited August 21, 2004 by FBEmeritus

[VolunteerGeneral]

VolunteerGeneral, Lets go overboard why don't we.

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Not going overboard here. Just simply stating another aspect of hazing. It`s not just physical mistreatment. Hazing also includes mental mistreatment. My point is where do you draw the line?

[bleachercoach]

FB and BigCat- neither of you have a clue of the actual facts in this situation. You get on here and spew your vinum about how bad Kingston is and what the kids have done to ruin the reputation of Kingston High. You have your opinions and that is fine, but stop trying to smash Kingston on something you do not no the facts about.

As I have stated before, I believe the coach and principal made bad decisions on the punishment. Please tell me how you can charge someone with assault when they willingly let it happen to them? They didn't ask them to stop. The didn't say NO. They stood in line and CHOSE to have this happen to them. I'm not saying that the ones applying the licks didn't make a bad choice, but so did the ones getting the licks. No one seems to want to throw that in the mix!

To clarify another untruth that has been stated on here, 6 individuals were hazed. Roughly 20 were standing their prepared to take their licks, before the assistant coach came out to stop the incident. All the freshman were questioned on who was involved in the hazing. None would identify. Why? Because this is a team and they stand together through thick and thin. Who wined? Momma's and Daddy's! Not the kids. Oh, and stop trying to take up for the poor kid that had to go to the hospital. He wasn't "damaged" anymore than anyone else was. This is about $ with this kids parents. This kid has since moved to LC and his parents will now be LC's problem to deal with. Trust me, when this kid gets in trouble at LC for fighting, his parents will then move him again. They will probably file a suit against LC for "unfair treatment".

One more thing to chew on for all you self riteous non-Kingston folks, one of the fathers of a kid that got hazed was sitting in his car watching this take place. Even sat and watched his own son get hazed! Of course momma finds out about the hazing and wants to raise cane.

region4fan- I guess all the freshman that stood in line waiting, and the dad that watched his son get hazed, should be prosecuted also? They were their and didn't try to do anything about it, right?

Get the facts before you start bashing!

[Guest region4fan]

Were you there?? Do you know if they told them no or not??I didn't think so.

 

Also there are lots of kids that are smart enough to know that if you take what they dish out, that will be the end of it. If you say no or go tell.....you get a whole heck worse thrown at you for not conforming and going with the flow WHETHER YOU WANTED TO TAKE THE HAZING OR NOT!!! Bullies have a way of making every day misery for their victims.Teams get split over this very thing all the time. It is not innocent fun when someone is scarred emotionally or physically from it. It makes them hate their teammates, not get closer to them. There are other ways to initiate aomeone than to try to physically harm them . I suppose you think it is okay to "broom" someone too. ( hold them down and rape them with a broom??)

Oh yeah, right, he didn't say no.......................makes me part of the team.Yeah right! In case you haven't heard, fraternities are not allowed to "hit" their pledges anymore with paddles. It was outlawed as hazing.So why then should high school kids be able to do something that was deemed dangerous in college??

 

 

And no, I wasn't the victim of a bully in school or suffered any hazing . The worst ritual we had to endure was seeing your cup and jock hanging from the girls' bathroom door.( they painted your # on it!) It was pretty emabarrassing at the time, but I am not scarred from it.

 

Maybe you should keep coaching from the bleachers.

[blueangel51]

hazing is wrong period. when a player is hurt badly because of a teammate's stupid actions, there will be a hurt inside that player that will never go away.it will also destroy a teams season.however a little initiation never hurt anyone. i was an athlete and nobody did anything dangerous to anyone. i had icyhot in my shoes and deoderant and had to sing the school song, and only one was anything done that could cause any bodily harm. i was wipped by a wet towel.they tried to do it again but i said no and they left me alone, no big deal. simple initiations like this never hurt anyone. but, they should not go any further. my deepest regrets go out to everyone who was affected by any sort of dangerous hazing

Edited August 22, 2004 by blueangel51

[123kid]

hazing is ok until people take it overboard. a little bit of puttin freshman through heck is ok with me.

[Guest region4fan]

The wet towel can be deadly....I know b/c my wife popped me with one before. It stings like the bee-jonkers!! HAHAHAHA!!