[After an athlete (Laird) won the meet on behalf of her team, opposing] Coach [and cry baby] Mike Knowles reacted by pointing to his wrist and gesturing toward Laird, who was wearing a thin, colorful string bracelet [which got her DQ'ed].
"This is my 30th year coaching track," Knowles said a few days later. "I know a lot of rules and regulations." [and I am a weasel]
The rule in this case -- Section 3, Article 3 of the National Federation of State High School Associations -- is clear: "Jewelry shall not be worn by contestants." So is the penalty, and in the time it takes to read "the competitor is disqualified from the event," South Pasadena's win was transformed into a 65-62 victory for Monrovia.
South Pasadena coach P.J. Hernandez was dumbfounded.
"I said, 'Coach [Knowles], you really want it to come down to this?' " Hernandez recalled.
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Even Monrovia [Knowle's school] athletic director Randy Bell struggled to process the outcome. "I don't think it was anything people were particularly proud of," he said. "A rule was invoked, and correctly so, but I don't think anybody was excited to win that way."
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"It's unfortunate, that's all I can say," Knowles said. "It's unfortunate for the young lady. But you've got to teach the kids that rules are rules." [And I guess you should also teach kids that some adults are big cry babies who retreat into some pathetic justification when they can't win on their own merits. Apparently you should also teach kids that one should go out of one's way to enforce dumb rules too. If he really wanted to teach her, he would have told he personally after the fact, or beforehand.]
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"Mike Knowles was down by the pole vault pit, kind of waiting and sitting there, keeping an eye on our girl, waiting for her to attempt the vault and then make the call, " said Hernandez. "I am upset that he wanted to win so badly that he would do it that way. We feel sportsmanship is important, too, and that it is in question with him in this situation."
Knowles denied he was lying in wait.
"I didn't notice the bracelet until after she cleared the height and walked by," he insisted. "[I had] a sinking feeling for her. I didn't want to have to do it. But it's a real rule -- it's in the book -- not something I made up. [He didn't want to "have to" do it - what a loser - obviously he didn't have to do it. Only a clown would pretend he had no choice.] [And I guess if it is in a book somewhere then it must be unquestioned, and must be fully reported at all times. Did I mention Mike Knowles is a jerk?]