Ava Smith, a senior at Union, said the message is clear: Respect game officials and players
Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com
For years, there has been a pre-game announcement at just about every high school basketball game in Clark County.
Almost every high school sporting event, actually.
It is usually the public address announcer talking about sportsmanship.
At Union High School, new messengers have taken to the microphone.
The change started last season at Union, and the new way of making the sportsmanship announcement has continued into this basketball season. A couple weeks ago, at Union’s first home girls basketball game, senior Titan Ava Smith and Columbia River senior Emma Iniguez teamed up to deliver the address.
They introduced themselves as proud members of their basketball teams, welcomed fans to the event, and asked all in the gymnasium to support both teams by making sportsmanship a priority. They also introduced the officials for that game and thanked them for their time.
“Honestly, it’s a sportsmanship thing,” Smith said. “We want to thank our officials. We know that officials get heckled by student sections or parents. We just feel it’s important that they come to our games and ref these games.”
Lamont Woods, the athletic director at Union, said it is a good look for both programs when representatives from each team address the crowd.
“It’s a positive thing,” he said.
Oh, and there is another reason for the players to make the announcement, Woods said. Crowds are accustomed to hearing the message from the PA announcer. That’s the norm. But when it is the athletes themselves speaking to the crowd, the crowd’s attention is definitely on the athletes.
The message is delivered.
Smith acknowledged being a little nervous before speaking in front of the crowd, but she said it was for a good cause.
Smith also said the Titans thank the officials after every game.
Smith, by the way, has had a strong start to her final high school basketball season. On Wednesday, she made a school-record nine 3-pointers in Union’s victory over Evergreen. She scored 29 points as the Titans improved to 5-0.
Also read:
- High school state basketball: Columbia River suffers heartache in overtime loss in semifinals
Columbia River’s run to the Class 2A semifinals ended on a buzzer-beater in overtime, while Evergreen advanced to a trophy game and several other Clark County teams wrapped up their state tournament seasons. - Pro basketball: Vancouver Bears set to debut new name in new league
Vancouver’s professional basketball franchise has rebranded as the Vancouver Bears and will open its season in a new league March 7 at Hudson’s Bay High School. - State basketball quarterfinals: Columbia River Rapids keep dream alive, advance to final four
Columbia River defeated Pullman in the Class 2A state tournament quarterfinals in Yakima to reach the semifinals, while four other Clark County teams fell in their respective state quarterfinal games. - State high school basketball: Five local teams to play in quarterfinal games Thursday, March 5
Five Clark County basketball teams advanced to state quarterfinal games after Columbia River, Columbia Adventist, Evergreen, and Seton Catholic won Wednesday and Union had already secured its spot. - State high school basketball: Seven Clark County teams still playing in final week of tourneys
Union girls and Columbia River boys advanced Saturday, joining five other Clark County teams in the final week of state basketball tournaments.
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