The Kentucky High School Athlete, October 1953 Kentucky High School Athletic Association
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Eastern Kentucky University Encompass The Athlete Kentucky High School Athletic Association 10-1-1953 The Kentucky High School Athlete, October 1953 Kentucky High School Athletic Association Follow this and additional works at: http://encompass.eku.edu/athlete Recommended Citation Kentucky High School Athletic Association, "The Kentucky High School Athlete, October 1953" (1953). The Athlete. Book 548. http://encompass.eku.edu/athlete/548 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association at Encompass. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Athlete by an authorized administrator of Encompass. For more information, please contact [email protected]. - I Hiqh Ichool Athleft K F E R N 0 T M u c T K H I A E N s G A G M E E T 0 A F B F I 0 G 0 T K B I A c L K L Official Organ of the KENTUCKY HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSN OCTOBER - 1953 device to general hate, recklessness, and des Pep Talks - Inspiring or Exciting? peration in high school youngsters toward By Samuel M. Cooper in their opponents and others. I've heard coaches (who contend that there is no equal The Ohio Hig-h School Athlete to football for developing sportsmanship, Perhaps no term having its origin in or character, and clean competition) go into a ganized competitive athletics has had more triade of profanity, obscenity, and name popular appeal to everyone than has the calling which puts Hitler in his wildest orgies term "pep talk." It, along with such other at Nuremberg (and I've heard him) to picturesque sports jargon as "pinch hit," "on shame. I suppose it was my last experience the ball" and "hit the line," has carried over with this sort of thing that has stirred me into contemporary American dialog with tre into writing this now. A supposedly reputable mendous appeal to everyone from the hard coach succeeded in working his youngsters boiled labor foreman to the precise clergy into such a frenzy (all within ear shot of the man in his pulpit. officials) with his half time spiteful profan Nearly as often as the word enters my ity and charges of "yellowness" on the part mind or my ears, an image of the great of his players toward their opponents that Knute Rockne appears with it. Pep talks and the game was "unofficiable" the second half. Knute Rockne are inseparable. His use of the Before the half time intermission terminat device was a masterpiece of inspiration, mo ed, and still within the locker room, the team tivation, and human psychology. At times it broke into a malicious chant, aocompanied may have consisted of nothing more than by a rythmic stomping of feet and clapping several quietly and strategically spoken of hands, that all but rejuvenated primitive words used at just the right time in the lock voodooism at its worst. The spirit permeated er room at the half of a game in which covet the rest of the game and changed boys whose ed vi·ctory was all but hopeless. On other original objective had been to score touch occasions he deliberately, and laboriously, downs, to mobsters with no purpose other .and dramatically delivered an oration than to "get" their mortal enemies (the op which worked up an emotional frame of mind ponents). in his footballers which assured efforts of On another oocasion I remember a coach superhuman proportions. There are dozens deliberately placing his team at the half of stories of Knute Rockne's half time per time within ear shot of the officials dressing formances which changed games of despair room door and then spending the entire into brilliant football triumphs. Rockne must fif~e~n minutes chastising and slurring the be credited with establishing the pep talk offi,cials to. the. boys and ordering his captain as an inseparable part of the tradition of t? .take ob.)ectwn to and challenge their de the modern American football game together CISIOns whenever possible. The team reported with its adoption as a deliberate device used to the field convinced there was no justice by many others to stir groups to dynamic (and naturally lost the game since their ef action. Since Rockne's time it has become as fort and concentration was on everything accepted a part of football as cheerleaders. All but the immediate objective of the game). coaches are now expected to say some magic Not long ago a coach culminated a half al something at the half which will change time tirade of name calling and charges of docile youngsters into Herculean supermen. "no guts" and "yellow" by threatening "to Many paying customers at the ball game practke 'til midnight every night next week" consider the coach derelict in his duty unless unless you "knock the hell out of that full he uses the fifteen minutes between halves back next half." His team reported to the to rant and rave and "give 'em hell." This i::; second half of the game ::;o tensed and keyed supposed to be the culmination of his coach up that their timing was shot, fumbles ing skill when all the vehemence and hatred were common, and "brainstorms" took place toward the opponents are exploded into a all over the field. The outcome was as you gigantic tirade of emotions which will then might expect. change the tide of ebbing victory to certain Another coach terminated his half time conquest. pep talk (and he was winning the '"arne As a sports official during the past years too/, with a charge to a keyed up you;gste~ I have been in "attendance" at many of thes~ to go down and knock the hell out of that half time affairs due primarily to the prox safety man." The fired up footballer mis imity of my dressing room to those of the taking foolishness for courage, carri~d out competing teams. And, frankly, I'm quite his orders but left his front teeth on the disturbed at the way many of the pep talks field'. Perhaps the sadistic impulses of the have been corrupted and prostituted into u (Continued 011 Page Tcu) The Kentucky High School Athlete Official Organ of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association VOL. XVI-NO 3 OCTOBER, 1953 $1.00 Per Year Early Season Football Questions -Installment 2 Editor's Note: These rulin()s do not set aside or modify any the spot of the foul is where the pass was rule. They are interpretations on some of the early season thrown. In the case of a short free-kick, it situations which have been presented. is the poor kick which is the foul, rather 13. PLAY: Under what circumstances is than the touching or the b ·:lll lying on the a touchdown scored? ground without being touched. Hence, the RULING: Whenever any player is in pos spot of the foul is where the poor kick was session of a live ball while the ball is on or made. For the usual short-kick which is behind the opponent's goal line, it is a touch touched bevond the free-kick line, it would down. There are no exceptions. (Any foot not make ·anv difference. But if the kick ball rules statement assumes that there is should be first touched behind the line (even no foul unless stated-see Rule 2-22). In in K's end zone), it would make a difference infrequent situations, a touchdown is award in the spot from which the ball is put in ed for an unfair act as in 9-7-1. Also, there play after penalty for the short-kick. As an are infrequent occurrences where a live ball illustration. if a free-kick is caught by the is in an end zone with all players refusing wind and blown back into K's end zone where to fall on it. Experienced Officials avoid the K2 falls on it, it is a short free-kick. If R necessity of killing such ball by indicating should accept the penaltv (which they would that the ball is still alive. seldom do). the free-kick would be replayed 14. PLAY: A free-kick from K's 40 does 5 yards behind the previous spot. In this not cross R's free-kick line and is not touch situation, R would usually decline the penalty ed by R. K2 falls on it: (a) in the neutral and take the safety. zone; or (b) on K's side of the neutral zone; 15. PLAY: When is use of the elbow or or (c) in K's end zone. forearm a disqualifying foul? RULING: It is a short free-kick in either RULING: When either is used as a strik case. If penalty of 5 yards is accepted, it is ing weapon in a manner such as action when K's ball after enforcement since they were a fist is used. If forearm or elbow is used in possession at the time of the foul. The on an opponent without the hand being free-kick is then made again. If R should against the blocker's bodv :md without being decline the penalty, plav proceeds as if there swung as a fist, the act is illegal use of hands had not been a foul. Hence. ball belongs to but not disqualifying. Decisions about illegal K at spot of recovery. In (c) this results in use of hands resemble those about clipping. a safety. In ruling on snan and free-kick The entire action should be observed.