86° F
Bastrop / Girls Soccer / Sports / Top Stories
Adams: Mansfield deserved a better ending to her H.S. career
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
|
|
13
There are days in this business that sometimes makes you question your career choice.
We always get stories that are uncomfortable to cover. There are questions that are hard to ask and phone calls we don’t want to make.
As fun as covering sports is, there are days that make it almost unbearable.
Friday was one of those days.
I heard about the story of Gracy Mansfield’s suspension on Wednesday and it was finally confirmed Thursday.
This was probably the most uncomfortable type of story to cover because of the level of sensitivity it required.
Bottom line is that it was a story because of the high profile Mansfield had on the team and with athletics at Bastrop High School.
Whether or not people liked it, Mansfield was the face of a winning program and, arguably, girls athletics at Bastrop. It’s a big deal.
It would be like if Josiah Monroe was suspended from the football team.
I understood the importance of this story when I received numerous e-mails inquiring into what I knew about the situation. My Twitter account also blew up with questions.
I don’t know what happened and neither does the public because the athletic department is keeping this hush hush.
Coach Angelia Watson and athletic director Gerald Perry definitely have that right, but a comment or two would have lowered the level of controversy that grew daily.
A simple, “Dismissed from the team due to breaking team rules,” definitely goes a long way in the eyes of the public. It also shows that you are standing by your decision because you feel it was the right call.
A lack of comment forces people to come up with their own opinions or hear one side of the story, which could be damaging to the player and/or program.
It also makes the public believe that the people who made the decision are not confident the right decision was made.
There are two sides to every story, but when one side isn’t telling theirs, rumors fly that could potentially damage a young lady with the rest of her life ahead of her.
If the athletic department is failing Gracy Mansfield, it’s not necessarily by suspending her in her final season. More importantly, they are failing her by allowing the controversy and people to come to their own conclusions.
Over the course of the weekend, I had close to 25 additional e-mails and eight comments total on two different soccer stories on our Web site: bastropadvertiser.com.
In the interest of full disclosure, the vast majority of the e-mails and comments are in support of Mansfield.
Watson had her reasons for suspending her top player. She made a gutsy decision that she probably knew wasn’t going to be popular.
I have interviewed Mansfield on several occasions.
She became one of my favorite athletes to interview because of how polite and respectful she was towards me. She also wasn’t uncomfortable being interviewed, which is rare thing among high school athletes.
We sports writer types like athletes that talk to us. The more they talk, the more we like them.
To be fair, there aren’t many players on the girls soccer team that are uncomfortable being interviewed.
I never felt Mansfield was arrogant about her accomplishments when talking to her about them.
Maybe proud, but not arrogant. People have a tendency to confuse pride and arrogance.
As a matter of fact, when I interviewed her for the Bastrop County Player of the Year story I did on her last year, the first thing she said was, “I couldn’t have done it without my teammates.”
Whether or not the suspension was fair or warranted is in the eye of the beholder.
I feel this is a sad and unfortunate end to the high school career of arguably one of the most talented girls soccer players Bastrop has ever seen.
Life will go on and the girls soccer team are still winners.
There is a lot of talent on this team outside of Mansfield.
Kattie Patterson is a scoring machine, as evidenced by her hat-trick in a 6-2 win last Friday against Anderson.
Kara Edwards, a Division II signee with Angelo State, is a big part of the Lady Bears’ defense as is captain Kerri Kelley.
This is still a great team, Mansfield just made them a lot better on the field.
A player like Mansfield, who has dedicated four years of her life to a program, deserves a much better ending to her high school career than this type of controversy.
I have bit my tongue so much in the last week that I probably need a blood transfusion. I am Gracy’s dad and I feel like I need to respond without going into the specifics as this is still an ongoing matter.
First, I would like to thank you Mr. Adams for profiling Gracy and writing all the articles that you have in the past. I believe it has brought a great amount of positive light not only to Gracy but Bastrop High school and the community of Bastrop. It’s become painfully obvious that not everyone in our community feels this way about the coverage. As a writer, you report on the athletes that are making a difference on the field of play. I believe that is exactly what you accomplish every time you write a piece. I find it disturbing that someone would think there is some sort of bias or slant with the way you report.
I would like to say a few things about Gracy. Grace is your standard teenage lady with a compassionate heart. On the playing field, she is aggressive and her desire to win is overwhelming. I know she can be harsh at times, but that comes with being a leader. Gracy has never intended to hurt anyone’s feelings on or off the field. Folks close to her would know that she routinely takes food to the homeless on the streets in Austin. They would also know that she has given her own clothing to some of her friends who were in need. If I could just get her to do the dishes once in a while, we would have quite a product!
Now, to the nasty.ugly side of all this. – It seems that a few adults have thought it would be a great idea to bash Gracy on here,Twitter and Facebook. While I understand the concept of free speech it would seem to me that an adult would have the common courtesy NOT to write garbage about a high school athlete. I would not publish something about someone else’s kid. If you want to take shots at me, my number is in the book. Or, better yet, face to face. I think if you have nothing better to do with your time than to trash kids on the net …. I would say get a life, but I hate that cliche.
Finally, On behalf on the Mansfield family, I would like to thank everyone who has followed Gracy’s career and supported her. She will be taking her game to the next level and receive a college education in the process.
Respectfully
Bruce Mansfield
TALKED TO JEAN LAST NIGHT ,I AM SURE GRACIE HAS AN ATTITUDE , WITH OUT IT NONE OF US WOULD HAVE GOT ANYWHERE IN THIS WORLD… ATTITUDE DOES NOT MEAN DISRESPECT TO OTHERS AS SOME SURELY BELIEVE , ITS THE WILL TO TO MEET THE GOALS YOU SET FOR YOURSELF , YOU RESPECT OTHERS AND ALL THAT BUT , YOU HAVE THE DRIVE WITHIN TO FULFILL YOU OWN NEEDS AND GOALS …. AS JEAN IS MY DAUGHTER AND GRACIE OF COURSE MY GRAND DAUGHTER , I KNOW THE VALUES EACH GENERATION OF FOUR IRISH IMMIGRANTS HAS PASSED ON TO THE NEXT , BELIEVE IN THE LORD , THE SCRIPTURES , AND YOUR SELF ! BE HONEST TO YOUR SELF AND OTHERS , IN WHAT EVER IS YOUR ENDEAVOR , DO YOUR BEST AND HELP THOSE WHO STRUGGLE TO REACH THEIR GOALS ALSO. ATTITUDE IN THIS FAMILY, YOU BETCH YA !!! LE MEAS , SLAN AGUS BEANNACHT DAOIBH , REGARDS , LIFE AND HEALTH TO YOU ALL . E.T.C.
Can someone, somewhere, tell me the name of anyone who is very successful at what he or she does AND does NOT have an attitude? (ie. the passion, drive, and talent to be a winner!)
Fact:
Peyton Mannning recently left the field following the Superbowl without shaking Drew Brees’ hand or anyone else’s hand from the Saints. Poor Loser? Maybe. Driven Winner who was upset about losing? Probably. But as a Texans fan, I’ve watched the Colts beat my Texans too many times than I care to admit and watched Manning yell and get in the face of his players when he needed to. He yells at his teammates as good as anyone but hailed as a superstar and team leader and captain. He also helps his community off the field.
Don’t worry Gracy, if Bastrop soccer and the AD can’t see this, your next coach will. Congrats on your scholarship, see you on Team USA in the future.
I think it all comes down to this, she is a beautiful girl, a great friend, and one heck of a soccer player, so why is she the only one getting the door. Me and Grace’s mom coached a few years together in soccer and we taught our kids to be unselfish when it came to playing, they passed the ball so that everyone got a chance to score and had so much compassion for the underdogs that we played. I think everyone needs to take a step back and look at how they are acting and realize what they are saying is very hurtful not only to Gracy but to her family especially those that are supposed to have been friends to them. If it were your child going through this is that the way you would want them to be treated, I think not. So if your not supporting them leave them in peace.
Really! I can Not believe anyone is trying to justify “attitude”. Have any of you heard of “good Sportsmanship”. BTW David Robinson is one person among many who knew the drive to win WITHOUT a poor attitude. High School athletics is not about making excuses for bad behavior, like the pro’s, it’s about learning the life lesson that make you successful in life. That said I’m not commenting on Gracie or the situation of her suspension just the ramped excuses implying that this is what sports is all about.
The other thing that I don’t understand is why THIS suspension? I understand that there have been other people kicked off their teams why carry the banner for this one. At the same time Gracie was asked not to come back to workouts another girl’s soccer player was as well. So as a society, clearly as a sports writer you do, we only overlook the flaws of the talented? Is that the lesson we want to send our children? You can get away with anything as long as you’re rich, talented, or others need you. This is the same outrages attitude that people always rail against. Should we teach that to our children? That will make for a truly bright future if we do.
If you want to look at “the face” of girl’s athletics at Bastrop, not just someone who is fun to interview, why not look at some of the young ladies that play multiple sports, keep their grades up, are class officers, and have good attitudes. There are many examples so start celebrating them.
I don’t know enough to comment on the young lady in question or the situation that she finds herself. I am just committing on the absurdness of the whole affair, your coverage of it, and the idiotic comments about it.
At times we forget that High School sports is about learning, is it not part of our High School day, part of our grading system and even part of the credits students earn to graduate. So should the coach not be a teacher and one that teaches students not only the sport they are in ,(and I mean all students who want to try out not just those who have the natural talent)but how to win and lose. I stood by as the football team won, won and won, and one night in our home stadium we were losing and it looked bad, one of the parent’s of a player on the field asked me ” I hope Coach Perry has taught them to lose too”. It is not all about winning or playing the sport either, sports should teach children even eighteen year old children respect for their fellow man , but we don’t, look at each team out there and you hear and see things that should never happen on a field, or in the stands. And then what do we teach them if we kick them off a team ?
I don’t believe this is all about attitude, everyone has an attitude about something, good or bad. It is about following the policies that the school has in place and following them for all the students . Maybe if the policies were followed and followed correctly this would not be happening.
I’m in total agreement with kd in her comment above. So many athletes think that their athletic abilities give them the right to do whatever they please with no consequences. Just look at how many high profile superstars are involved in various types of controversy, all because they believe their natural talent puts them above the rules. Granted, we are talking about high schoolers here, not professionals, but what they learn now is what they carry throughout life.
If the coach felt that the two suspended players had violated the team rules, she had every right to ask them to leave. Playing on a team is a privilege, not a right. I think the coach deserves credit and respect for protecting the integrity of the team by making what had to have been a very difficult decision.
Of course all policies should be followed for all students but come on we all know they are not. In this day and age adults need to remember that respect is for both sides of the fence, if you want respect then you must be willing to give it. As a professional you must carry themselves well and be able to endure every type of child they are not all going to be the picture perfect student you expect them to be. Yes there is much talk about this but it is a two way street and all parties should be held accountable.
It sure is good to know that we have such morally superior citizens such as kd w and BHS parent in our fine town.
One would assume that kd w has never had any sort of attitude ever-not towards co workers,people he/she knows , the driver that cut her/him off in traffic. Pretty amazing feat if you ask me.
It’s all about the limelight and Gracy has apparently stole some of it from other kids at BHS that were clearly more deserving. Yes, another kid that might just be one of your kids… Pure speculation on my part.
BHS parent I bet has never even had a traffic ticket. Walking perfection. A rule follower from the word go. Violators of rules should be punished accordingly right BHS? Lets say you got nabbed going 40 in a posted 30 mph zone , you should lose your license right then and there and have your vehicle impounded, right? That’s basically what your both suggesting happen to Gracy and Heather. There are steps that any coach takes to correct behaviour and actions of their players, not dismissal from what seems to be a team meltdown after a single loss.
If you both take some sort of satisfaction from what happened to these two athletes, you might want to re-examine just what caliber of folks you really are.
One last item- and again it’s pure speculation on my part- If in fact either of you are the parents of a kid on this team and she is getting playing time and media attention due to the removal of Gracy and Heather, It was stolen and not earned. You’ll have to live with that forever.
Why is everybody only concerned with Gracy. There was another student that was also kicked off the team. Mr Adams didn’t seem to be concerned about Heather. I think that is the problem that people have with Mr Adams. He only seemed to write about Gracy. Soccer is a team sport. It is not about only one person. Do I think these girls should have been kicked off the team for the whole season. NO. But, I don’t know the whole story. I believe that the coach had to have a good reason to kick them off for a whole season. It is really none of our business why they got kicked off. That is between the girls, their parents, and the school.
Why would anyone have a problem with Michael Adams ? Is it because your son or daughter did not get the coverage you thought they should ? Before Michael Adams you might get the High School sports scores once in a while, they asked for volunteers to call in scores and send in their digital pictures.Now we get not just stories but pictures. I see more than two sides to this story: First you have the girls, then the coaches, and know it seems you have parent’s who have a problem with the media coverage : some even with the amount their child is not getting. I am a parent on this team and have heard many times parent’s talking about Gracy and the coverage she got. At one of the first games this season one parent said-” please take a picture of my child , I’m sick of seeing Gracy in the paper”. She laughed and said I’m really kidding to Gracy’s mom. Bastrop Soccer needed Michael Adams, he has put the teams in a weekly limelight. Bastrop is not just about the boys anymore. We have seen Sydney Wilhilm , Hillari Raemsch, Jaimie Kadlecek (just to name a few) on many a Thursday and Saturday morning, we follow them and look forward to seeing how they and their teammates did the night before. Heather and Gracy both deserve better than what is happening to them, and the parent’s on this team who have complained for the past four , three, two , one years about this program and the way things are handled should be ashamed that they are just sitting in the background and not supporting both girls.We have watched both Gracy and Heather grow up from little girls into women , beautiful strong women who both will go far with or with out high school soccer.
Over the few years I’ve spent in the Lady Bears soccer program, I’ve become quite close with the players on this team. The actions that my coach has taken are to keep the team together as a whole. Coach Watson doesn’t care anymore about winning or losing, its about the character each player has. Heather and Gracy are amazing players. They have great talent. But so does every other player on this team. So why only highlight those two girls? Why not notice Kaylyn Butler, Stacy Smith, Chandler Robertson, or Rebekah Spalding
(just to name a few of our players)? Michael Adams has a problem with highlighting only a few players of each sport. This certainly wasn’t the first action taken against the attitudes of this team. Mr. Adams isn’t there to watch our practices or our class times, or even our team meetings. Attitudes on this team have been readjusted from time to time, and our coach has just had enough. Coach Watson and Coach Perry should have the right not to put the whole story out in the paper. That would hurt the team, and the players on it. So Michael Adams, maybe in the future you can learn to give every player on the team recognition because without each player on this team, nothing would be accomplished.
Well, could Gracy score those goals on her own? Not at all. She got assists from almost every player on the team. I’m pretty sure that if Coach Watson had placed someone else in that posistion all season long, that person could have gotten a high amount of goals as well. Like I said before, she’s a great player with great talent, but she’s not the sole player of the team. The team is very different without the two players, but we are managing very well.
And if people think that nothing went wrong during the first Westlake game, look again. The first score was a 4-1 loss. The second score was a 1-1 tie. Then old familiar came back around, and we lost 3-1 in a shootout. Tell me something didn’t change during that time period.