Westport champs get the boot
This was a lovely story until we heard that the Westport Patriots were among three Pop Warner teams involved in a fight in Florida, resulting in Disney resorts officials giving the entire team and its families the boot in the middle of the night. The other two teams were the Kahalu'u He'eia Broncos and the Wai'anae Tigers, both from Hawaii.
Here's a thorough report on the mess by Peter Boylan in the Honolulu Advertiser
BACKGROUND: The Pop Warner team from Westport won their Super Bowl in Florida on Friday. The Westport Patriots, 24 Westport and Mt. Winans boys between the ages of 11 and 14 , beat the Suncoast Bucs, 27-8, in at the Disney sports complex in Orlando, winning the Pop Warner Super Bowl, Midget division. "The team has overcome many obstacles including the lack of a football field, training equipment, uniforms, and storage and meeting facilities," said a handout from the team. "Many Westport Patriots live in difficult environments and for most of these boys and girls, it was the first time that they traveled out of the area."
The team is coached by Marty Williams, Westport resident and former college player, along with six other volunteers.
Baltimore City paid for the team to travel by bus to Orlando and Turner Development Group provided funds for uniforms, travel and other team expenses.
Here's an earlier Sun story on the team.
Here's a story from the Sarasota Herald Tribune on the big game.
Comments
We can all empathize with the families that had to awaken small children. I'm not sure why they had to scare the tykes. It must have been an ordeal to find alternative lodgings at that hour. Man, those zero tolerance policies can be tough.
But there is a question rattling around in my brain that no one else raised in the coverage: What are 11 to 14 year-old boys doing in an arcade at 1:00 am? Where were the coaches? Where were the parents? Who will stand up and take responsibility for their young charges?
My wife's family has gone to Disney World several times, always with children in the 11 to 14 years-old range, and more boys than girls. Disney had the same policy regarding behavior. No member of the party was ever evicted from the land of mouse. I don't think I need to explain why.
Posted by: Bruce Robinson | December 13, 2007 6:34 PM