Dear Editor:
I happily attended all levels of Monarch wrestling recently. I was floored by what I saw by the varsity boys team and their lack of warm-ups.
Examples are: one girls varsity sweatshirt, one pajama warm-up, one flannel outfit and two ballcaps on crooked. It made me want to cry. I was so embarrassed for Monarch wrestling.
I asked Mr. Day, the athletic director, about it. His answer was, “Talk to the head coach. I’m not the right person.”
I told him his job was to control athletics. His response was, “I’m not going to discuss this here.” After telling him I was going to write a letter to the editor, he said that was inappropriate.
I’ve coached all levels of sports, including high school wrestling (for 25 years).
I’ve never seen a team look this disorganized. Coach Andrews stated that the kids response to him was, “What makes the difference, we’re winning.” Is that what it’s about? Only winning? I’m as competitive as anyone, it’s not all about winning.
In talking to the coach, three days later, I got excuses like, “The kids aren’t responsible enough to keep track of their warm-ups.” Or, “Parents can’t keep up with laundry due to us wrestling three times a week.” “If the kids lose them, we can’t match warm-ups years after year.”
The kids already pay to play, and they have to buy their own uniform. The school won’t pay for them. My questions are: Why not bench the kid until they find the warm-up they lost? Secondly, what happens if the athletes are good enough to make the podium come tournament time? I would hope they have common warm-ups on and represent Marysville Monarchs as they should be. I’m sure there are more people out there who care about Marysville Monarch athletics as I do. Let’s hear from you.
I am a past athletic alumni of Monarch nation.
Larry E. Grimes
Tazewell, Tennessee
Class of 1976