My Question of the Day for 25 February 2010 – UPDATED
My Question of the Day: A violation by a gymnastic coach cost her team their state championship, and a 2010 winter Olympians’ coach cost him a gold medal. Should competitors be penalized because of the action(s) of their coaches and/or support staff?
My 2 Cents: For me, this issue is like a double-edged sword. Athletes depend on coaches to help them win. You can’t then negate or abridge a coach because he/she does something to cause you to lose. It’s all for one and one for all when it comes to competition, unless you want to coach yourself.
It’s unfortunate that the athletes do the bleeding, sweating and crying and a coach can snatch a victory away from them for violating a rule or making a bad call, but that’s the way it works; point blank and period.
You must take the good with the not-so-good.
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Take a few moments to check out the tweets from Twitter on this subject:
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JoshDamage yes they should rules are rules
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The commentary doesn’t have to end!
Please feel free to continue to add your comments below.
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the olympics are times about individual triumph but no one gets there without the help and guidance of a coach and team. although it really really sucks an athlete needs to take the hit since a coach would do the same. it's tough though. if the coach is waaaaay out of line then I don't think the athlete should be penalized but the rules were established for a reason so that coaches think before they violate certain ones. they know what it could cost their athletes so they should take a deep breath and suck it in.
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LikeDislikeunfortunately, the rules are the rules. in regards to the olympics, the coach was wrong and the athlete has to pay the price. as much as i wouldnt be thrilled about it if i were an olympic competitor, it is what it is. law suits are also pointless because the moment cannot be recaptured. once that trust is broken, the coach clearly needs to be replaced. it is sad. hopefully, the athlete will be able to make it back.
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LikeDislikeI say no and yes. Rules are rules- true, but there always appeals due to outdated rules or regulations. I think that the individual should ultimately be held accountable for their own actions. If the Coach made the mistake and the team or Olympian was just following their rules, then the Coach should be the one to get the punishment- not the entire team. Personal accountability is something that our country seems to forget still exists, but is very important. Group punishments like the one that the whole team had to endure do very little except for anger people. It's like punishing an entire class for one miscreant, we wouldn't do that- so, why do we punish the whole team for their coach?
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LikeDislikeYes. It's not the individual…but the team.
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LikeDislikeUnfortunately yes. During training, you rely your coach more than your own instincts. If that trust isn't there, you can make a costly mistake. Sometimes, the coaches make the mistake.
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LikeDislikeRules are rules. They exist for a reason even if they seem unnecessary. Of course, some rules *are* actually out-dated or not needed. We have seen the latter case in recent years in the NFL.
Bottom line is, the coach is the one who should know the rules and should never do anything to break them or cause the team to break them. As the head of the team, their actions have to reflect on the team.
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LikeDislikeIn the case of the Olympics, the disqualification came because the skater ultimately made the wrong move. The skater had the option to follow his own instinct or that of the coach he hired to guide him.
The gymnast present a different case, because they belong to a school team and have no option to select a coaching staff. Their situation also seems a lot more borderline. The disqualification came over a discussion between coach and judges, not through any actions on the part of the athletes.
But both situations still boil down to the fact that “rules are rules”.
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LikeDislikeYes. Unfortunately it's one of those, “You go down with the ship” situations. It's like it teach my kids, if you are in the car and one of your “friends” jumps out, goes in and robs a store; although you may NOT have known or had anything to do with it, when the cops come you're going too. Life lessons.
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