Post-Game Handshake Needs to Be Sincere
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* Restoring the handshake is not enough (“Schools Dump No-Handshake Policy,” April 20).
Most post-game handshakes that I have witnessed resembled running a stick along a picket fence. To display the demeanor of sportsmanship, let’s consider requiring the participants to stand still, establish eye contact and perform a complete handshake.
Shallow ambition to be “the best” pollutes children’s efforts to do their best. After giving lip service to sportsmanship, parents and coaches scream foully at referees.
The child is pressured to win or be withdrawn from the opportunity to participate.
Values are never cheap. They must be cultivated. Isn’t this what civilization is about?
Dialogue on gamesmanship, sportsmanship and civilization as we would shape it can lead to the development of positive programs that model behavior that reflects inner values.
GINNY ATHERTON
La Cresenta
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