Post by gatordog on May 14, 2011 9:55:44 GMT -5
from saint charles patch
St. Charles Student Disciplined Following Racial Remarks That Forced Saints' Forfeit Taunts from a select group of fans put an abrupt end to April 28 girls soccer match between STC East and Larkin.
By Craig Brueske | Email the author | May 9, 2011
High school freshman girls soccer games are supposed to serve as a learning experience for the players.
Last week, however, the teams from Larkin High School in Elgin and St. Charles East were forced to learn a valuable lesson in sportsmanship and prejudiced behavior.
As a result, the Larkin team walked off the field before halftime and headed back to Elgin due to unruly behavior from a select group of St. Charles East fans during the April 28 contest.
Following an investigation, disciplinary action was taken against an East student. However, the nature of that action was not disclosed to St. Charles Patch.
According to St. Charles Community Unit District 303 spokesman Jim Blaney, things began getting heated off the field during the first half of the Upstate Eight Conference River Division match.
“There were a few spectators standing on the hill area off Dunham Road (the field sits between St. Charles East High School and Wredling Middle School),” Blaney said. “While they were shouting some things, they were not racially insensitive comments. But it started to cross the line of good sportsmanship.”
At that point, St. Charles East coach Laurie Nannini approached the group of students and told them to stop heckling the Larkin team.
As the game continued, the taunting did, too, and things progressively deteriorated from there.
“At some point, one student made an ethnically insensitive comment to a Larkin girl,” said Blaney.
After the Larkin girl mentioned the comments to her coach Elizabeth Bravo, the Royals decided they could no longer play in that type of environment.
“I thought that Elizabeth (Bravo) did a great job responding to the situation,” said Larkin athletic director Chris Neibch.
According to Blaney, one of the Saints’ trainers contacted St. Charles East athletic director Jerry Krieg, who was tending to another athletic event at the high school at the time of the incident.
“He talked to both coaches and tried to piece together exactly what happened,” said Blaney. “He also talked to the referee and determined that nothing had been said by any of the players.”
Both of the school’s principals, Larkin’s Jon Tuin and St. Charles East’s Robert Miller, were also made aware of the situation.
“We don’t tolerate this type of behavior,” Blaney said. “This is the first incident of its kind that I’ve heard of since I’ve been working at the district (this is his third year with the district).”
St. Charles East eventually chose to forfeit the match.
“I feel this was an isolated incident,” said Neibch. “It’s a hard thing to police because a lot of people don’t understand that a freshman girls soccer game is quite likely not the only event occurring (at the high school) at the time.”
St. Charles Student Disciplined Following Racial Remarks That Forced Saints' Forfeit Taunts from a select group of fans put an abrupt end to April 28 girls soccer match between STC East and Larkin.
By Craig Brueske | Email the author | May 9, 2011
High school freshman girls soccer games are supposed to serve as a learning experience for the players.
Last week, however, the teams from Larkin High School in Elgin and St. Charles East were forced to learn a valuable lesson in sportsmanship and prejudiced behavior.
As a result, the Larkin team walked off the field before halftime and headed back to Elgin due to unruly behavior from a select group of St. Charles East fans during the April 28 contest.
Following an investigation, disciplinary action was taken against an East student. However, the nature of that action was not disclosed to St. Charles Patch.
According to St. Charles Community Unit District 303 spokesman Jim Blaney, things began getting heated off the field during the first half of the Upstate Eight Conference River Division match.
“There were a few spectators standing on the hill area off Dunham Road (the field sits between St. Charles East High School and Wredling Middle School),” Blaney said. “While they were shouting some things, they were not racially insensitive comments. But it started to cross the line of good sportsmanship.”
At that point, St. Charles East coach Laurie Nannini approached the group of students and told them to stop heckling the Larkin team.
As the game continued, the taunting did, too, and things progressively deteriorated from there.
“At some point, one student made an ethnically insensitive comment to a Larkin girl,” said Blaney.
After the Larkin girl mentioned the comments to her coach Elizabeth Bravo, the Royals decided they could no longer play in that type of environment.
“I thought that Elizabeth (Bravo) did a great job responding to the situation,” said Larkin athletic director Chris Neibch.
According to Blaney, one of the Saints’ trainers contacted St. Charles East athletic director Jerry Krieg, who was tending to another athletic event at the high school at the time of the incident.
“He talked to both coaches and tried to piece together exactly what happened,” said Blaney. “He also talked to the referee and determined that nothing had been said by any of the players.”
Both of the school’s principals, Larkin’s Jon Tuin and St. Charles East’s Robert Miller, were also made aware of the situation.
“We don’t tolerate this type of behavior,” Blaney said. “This is the first incident of its kind that I’ve heard of since I’ve been working at the district (this is his third year with the district).”
St. Charles East eventually chose to forfeit the match.
“I feel this was an isolated incident,” said Neibch. “It’s a hard thing to police because a lot of people don’t understand that a freshman girls soccer game is quite likely not the only event occurring (at the high school) at the time.”
