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March 9, 2009

LETTERS: March 10, 2009

Blowing the whistle on unfair officials

My brother, Steve Tomes, Silver Creek class of 1969, and I, class of 1966, started out as Memphis Polecats. Steve played on the basketball team, and I was a cheerleader. We then became Memphis Eagles, then proud Silver Creek “Creekers” Dragons. I proudly wore my orange and blue when our three children were Creekers: Tina Howard Leddon, class of 1988; Gabe Howard, class of 1990; and Sandie Howard Hernandez, class of 1992.

Through the years, I’ve seen many changes take place, and one of the most disappointing things I’ve witnessed has been the obvious unfairness of some of the “officiating” that occurs at the basketball games.

It doesn’t matter what age or gender, group or school team; the officiating of all things should be fair and unbiased. When you put on that black and white stripped shirt, you, the “official,” are setting an example. Our young people get enough negative gunk thrown at them, they do not need or deserve it from an official that’s supposed to be fair and unbiased. It’s not fair to our young men and women, no matter what age group or school they play for, especially for our young men and women who are seniors this year and trying to make their last high school year the best it can be. They cannot relive their senior year.

If you cannot consciously and purposefully be fair and unbiased at least 95 percent of the time, you need to take off those black-and-white stripped shirts and stay home.

— Carolyn Tomes Howard, Memphis

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