April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
WWJD DQs Maginn runner, losing meet for school
If Jesus were abiding by the rules set forth by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, He'd have to disqualify her -- which is exactly what happened to a runner from Bishop Maginn High School in Albany during a recent Big 10 meet.
Lindsey Bradt, a junior, was disqualified for wearing her WWJD bracelet during a dual meet against Albany High School held last month at Christian Brothers Academy. The decision erased an apparent victory by Bishop Maginn and provided Albany High with the win.
Bracelet on
Lindsey had worn the bracelet during a meet the previous week at Troy High School that marked her return to the team after being sidelined with a lower back injury. Bishop Maginn narrowly defeated Troy that day.In the meet against Albany, she again wore her WWJD bracelet and helped Maginn prevail against their cross-town rival.
Following the race, however, her team was informed that she had been disqualified for wearing the bracelet. The revised score meant Albany came out on top by two points.
Bracelet off
Wearing jewelry is prohibited in cross-county meets, according to Dr. Sandra Scott, NYSPHSAA's executive director."We don't allow any kind of jewelry, from earrings to string bracelets," she said, adding that the rule was amended recently to include body piercings.
Lindsey, who also plays basketball for Bishop Maginn, was given the WWJD bracelet by Debbie Buff, her former hoop coach. She remembered to take off her scapular, a necklace, earrings and another WWJD bracelet that she wears on her ankle before the race against Albany, but she left the other WWJD bracelet on her wrist.
Disappointment
She and her teammates were upset that they had been denied victory because of a technicality. Although her teammates were sympathetic and didn't blame her personally, the outcome was particularly disappointing for Lindsey because she had made such an immediate impact in her return to the team."I was pretty mad because I was just getting over my injury, and I had just run the best race of my life," she said. "We knew in our hearts that we had won."
Dave Chambers, Maginn's cross-country coach, said it was an oversight on his part that she wore her bracelet during the race because she handed him the rest of her jewelry beforehand.
"I apologized to my team. It was partially my fault because I should have noticed and said something to Lindsey," he said.
Rules
Mr. Chambers understands that WWJD bracelets are considered jewelry under the NYSPHSAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations, which oversees high school sports throughout the country."It wasn't what she was wearing. It was the simple fact that she had, by definition, jewelry on," he said. "Every cross-country runner in the United States of America is subject to the same thing, whether it's public or Catholic school."
Lindsey says she will doff her WWJD bracelet during future interscholastic sporting events. For basketball season, she may tie it onto the drawstring of her shorts or wear it on a shoe, a solution her teammates have used.
(11-05-98) [[In-content Ad]]
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