Turns out even the provinceB次元官网网址檚 most dominant high school football program of the modern era isnB次元官网网址檛 without its problems.
An incident from early May that left the gear of a Mount Douglas Rams player soaked in urine was B次元官网网址渢he last straw.B次元官网网址�
It was the latest in a series of incidents and ended with the senior half of the football program being shut down for 10 days and two students receiving temporary suspensions from school, according to Mount Douglas secondary principal Shawn Boulding. It was meant to be a prank, and ended up shaking the senior football program B次元官网网址� which has AAA provincial championships B次元官网网址� to its core.
The incident, explained Boulding, involved two players (who werenB次元官网网址檛 named) entering the football teamB次元官网网址檚 change room, on practice day, and dousing another playerB次元官网网址檚 gear with a water bottle.
B次元官网网址淭hey sprayed the gear so itB次元官网网址檚 wet, and in hindsight, players do prank each other,B次元官网网址� Boulding said. B次元官网网址淭hey thought it would be funny if they sprayed the gear so heB次元官网网址檇 have to practise in wet gear.B次元官网网址�
Problem was, it wasnB次元官网网址檛 water in the bottle, it was urine.
B次元官网网址淧ractice time comes and the [victim] lays claim someone has urinated all over his gear,B次元官网网址� Boulding said. B次元官网网址淎s far as someone directly urinating on someone elseB次元官网网址檚 gear, I donB次元官网网址檛 believe that to be true.B次元官网网址�
Boulding says there was plenty of back and forth with the players and with Rams program co-ordinator Mark Townsend B次元官网网址� the architect of the teamB次元官网网址檚 success as a high school football dynasty.
The principal sat down with the offending athletes who said they didnB次元官网网址檛 know the water bottle had urine in it.
Boulding also met with the victim and his parents, and after reviewing it, the victim accepted that the offending boys were unaware there was urine in the bottle and didnB次元官网网址檛 think it was anything malicious.
B次元官网网址淚t was difficult, I never could understand the intention of the [offending] boys,B次元官网网址� Boulding said.
However, it was not the first incident this season, which led Boulding and Townsend to shut down the program, albeit it for less than two weeks, to B次元官网网址渟end a message.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淐ertainly in the last few months thereB次元官网网址檚 been a few incidents and IB次元官网网址檝e worked with the coach to say, this culture isnB次元官网网址檛 to the standard weB次元官网网址檇 like it to be,B次元官网网址� Boulding said. B次元官网网址淭hese are student athletes who are students first, so we pulled the plug on the spring season for about 10 to 14 days and talked to the standard of being a student athlete.B次元官网网址�
The program stoppage threatened to cancel the Rams controlled scrimmage, a late May game with a Vancouver school thatB次元官网网址檚 basically the only football game of the spring season. ItB次元官网网址檚 also the culmination of the 10-week spring training season.
Eventually Boulding met with Townsend once again and came to a decision based on a belief the kids had made the changes they were asked, and reinstated the season in time for the controlled scrimmage to be held.
Ultimately, the incidents will carry over to the 2017 fall football season with player suspensions, Boulding said.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 interfere with [the team]. [TheyB次元官网网址檒l have] repercussions moving forward, and there will be player suspensions going into next year,B次元官网网址� Boulding said.
The principal shied away from using the term bullying, describing the genesis of this yearB次元官网网址檚 incidents as a dispute between players, though it was namely one player verses many.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e optimistic, weB次元官网网址檙e always dealing with youth and large numbers of them, and weB次元官网网址檝e been working with the leadership of the group to make sure we bridge between expectations of the coaches and the school to move forward on the same page with things,B次元官网网址� Boulding said.
