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 football: New coach prepares for long-term success at Prairie High School
James Young-Lewis, a Clark County native who graduated from Evergreen in 2009, became Prairie’s head coach in May after working as an assistant coach across various programs since 2015, joining Prairie’s staff in 2024. - Battle Ground Public Schools secures funding for athletics programs
Donations from individuals and foundry10 met fundraising goals for golf, gymnastics, swimming, and bowling at BGPS. - Opinion: XX-XY – Follow the science
Columnist Nancy Churchill argues Initiative 638 would restore biological-sex requirements to Washington middle and high school sports. - Seattle Storm owner apologizes for game outburst over transgender policy dispute
Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton cursed at two teenage fans holding signs supporting Sophie Cunningham’s stance on girls sports. - Washougal MX National: Levi Kitchen looking to inspire younger riders, win in his hometown
Levi Kitchen leads the 250 Class with 261 points, racing Saturday just hundreds of yards from his family home.
wpDiscuz
