Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - February 20, 2014, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A5 winnipegfreepress. com MANITOBA WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014 A 5 SELECTED AREA RUGS 895 CENTURY ST. | 204- 783- 9600 Mon, Tues 9am - 5pm, Wed 9am - 8pm, Thurs, Fri 9am - 5pm, Sat 10am - 5pm 50 % OFF LAST CHANCE COMPUTER AVENUE VIRUS? SPYWARE? MALWARE? OUR MULTI- AWARD WINNING STAFF CAN HELP! COMMERCIAL OR RESIDENTIAL For All Computer Parts And Accessories check our website www. computeravenue. ca 1475 ST. JAMES ST. 204- 783- 8999 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK! Mon- Fri 9- 7, Sat 10- 5, Sun 12- 5 ST. VITAL SQUARE 827 DAKOTA ST. 204- 254- 3787 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK! Mon- Fri 9- 7, Sat 10- 5, Sun 12- 5 COMPUTER PROBLEMS? Store Hours: Mon.- Tues. 8- 8; Wed.- Sat. 8- 6 www. steinbachdodge. ca MB Dealer number # 0610 208 MAIN STREET, STEINBACH 204- 326- 4461 . 1- 800- 490- 5337 * Prices and payments are plus tax and freight. Payments are based on 4.29% rate for 96 months term. 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That question has taken on new importance in the wake of a truly ugly incident last weekend at an unsanctioned hockey tournament in Winnipeg. Simply put, this was a prime example of what happens when athletics and anarchy collide. It started when a referee tried to stop a fight between two 12- year- olds. The referee grabbed one of the players, and then lost his balance. Both referee and player fell awkwardly to the ice. Before he could get back up, a coach left his bench, landing on top of the referee and the boy. While they tussled, another player struck the referee with his stick. The boy at the bottom of the original pile suffered a fractured arm. This game was the very definition of " out of control." Now, we all want to know: Who was ultimately responsible for losing that control? Some angry parents have pointed a finger at the referee, accusing him of being too aggressive in separating players. They claim the referee did not slip, but rather that he deliberately slammed the boy to the ice. They further allege all this trouble erupted because the referees " lost control" of the game. That is hockey code for " failed to call the appropriate penalties early enough in the game to keep things under control." It's true that the most important call you make each game is the first call. And that a referee who is not firm and consistent from the first puck drop can lose control of the game. However, it would be wrong to suggest reluctant referees were the main problem here. Eyewitnesses confirmed this game was, before it started, emotionally strained. The two teams had played once before in this tournament, and it was a chippy affair. Perhaps a more experienced referee could have defused the emotions, perhaps not. The truth of the matter is the responsibility for this debacle rests with every adult in the rink. Like the coaches. Coaches should not encourage nor tolerate dangerous or deviant behaviour by their players. These two teams had history, and by all reports this game was edgy from the get- go. Coaches must work as hard as officials to control their players' emotions and keep them within the rules of the game. There is little evidence either of the coaches fulfilled that prime responsibility. It is not known whether either of the teams involved have punished players who fought, tried to fight or otherwise contributed to the melee. If not, they should be, with suspensions or reduced ice time. Certainly, no coach has an excuse for getting involved in anything on the ice. Leaving the bench is an act of anarchy that no official, no matter how experienced, can hope to manage. Then there are the fans. Veteran referees will tell you a boisterous, bloodthirsty crowd can do more to incite on- ice violence than almost any other single factor. Fans who howl at every bodycheck, every missed call and every thrust and parry of a game inject unwanted, unbridled emotion into the game. ( Here's a quick gut check: If you've cheered when a child on an opposing team was hammered, yelled at a referee or screamed directions at your own child, then you have escalated onice emotion. And not in a good way.) This was, by all accounts, a perfect storm of conditions: grudges, tournament stress - where young players are asked to play too many games in too short a time - unruly spectators and laissez- faire coaches. One of the two referees working the game in question told the Free Press in an interview the entire tournament was obstreperous. He recounted being verbally taunted and insulted throughout the weekend. At one point, he said he was jostled by a fan after leaving the ice and had to be escorted by security out of the rink. He said the fans throughout the tournament used him as a " chew toy." When you take all those factors into account, criticizing the referee is pretty silly. Yes, referees are on the front line of control. But there is a limit to what they can manage. Criticizing the referees in this incident is like deliberately burning your own home to the ground, and then moaning that the fire department did not act quickly enough to extinguish the blaze. We expect a lot from the adults who oversee our kids when they play hockey. When things go badly, we all have theories about who was responsible. And yet, how much time do we spend assessing our own role in the dysfunction? As this incident clearly demonstrates, not nearly enough. If we were really honest with ourselves, we would realize that it's everyone's responsibility to maintain control of a hockey game. And that when things go badly, we all need to share in the blame. dan. lett@ freepress. mb. ca Unruly adults responsible for on- ice mayhem DAN LETT BRANDON - The Brandon School Division plans to cut 11 teaching positions and raise taxes by 2.9 per cent, after trustees tentatively approved the 2014- 15 budget. Trustees made a decision Tuesday to cut 11 full- time teaching positions - one from a high- school- level speciality program, one from divisional learning support services and the other nine from yet to be determined grade levels. School board chairman Mark Sefton said trustees have yet to decide which grades will see staff cuts, but they likely won't affect kindergarten to Grade 3 teachers. The elimination of the teaching positions, which will come into effect in September, resulted in $ 880,000 in reductions to the division's nearly $ 90- million budget. Sefton said the majority of those positions will likely be eliminated due to retirement or the division won't renew a number of term contracts. Sefton insisted these reductions wouldn't result in layoffs. He added any time resources are taken out of the classroom, it's a " tough" decision to make. " The board collectively made a decision and in the spirit of compromise, people had to change their positions in order to come to an agreement," Sefton said. " At the end of the day, we needed to have a tentative budget and that's what we've achieved." The 2.9 per cent tax hike equates to approximately $ 42.88 per year, or $ 3.57 per month, for a house assessed at $ 220,000, as well as a 6.5 per cent reduction to the mill rate. Since more than 85 per cent of the school division's budget is allocated to salaries and benefits, trustees were forced to consider staff cuts and program efficiencies. Brandon Teachers' Association president Alison Johnston said the loss of 11 teachers will directly impact the services and supports offered in classrooms. " Brandon School Division is a growing division," Johnston said. " The dollar can only be stretched so far before it breaks and that's a concern I think we should have as a community. " Education is an investment. and I think that's something that we as a community have an opportunity to provide." Trustees also reduced their out- ofprovince professional development travel fund by $ 40,000. - Brandon Sun Brandon trustees axe 11 teaching positions, raise taxes 2.9 per cent A_ 07_ Feb- 20- 14_ FP_ 01. indd A5 2/ 19/ 14 10: 28: 33 PM ;