After the game clock winds down, both teams line up for the time-honored tradition of shaking hands. Like this sign of respect for one’s opponent, win or lose, Benilde-St. Margaret’s aims to make the most of athletic events this year with the Above the Line sportsmanship policy. In instituting the policy, the goal is to achieve a more positive and supportive environment that extends beyond the walls of our BSM community.
Richard Johns, BSM’s new Athletic and Activities Director and 1970 alum, hopes Above the Line will encourage athletes to hold themselves to high standards. Although he was impressed by the atmosphere of games in recent years and participated in numerous sports during his time as a Red Knight athlete, he is excited to see the policy being put into action. “I graduated a long time ago and during the course of my career, I’ve looked for ways to give back to the school… It’s easy to come to a couple of homecoming games or things like that, but I really wanted to do something important for the school,” Johns said.
Johns also noted that Above the Line stemmed from the Minnesota State High School League’s (MSHSL) recent action in maintaining an exciting sports environment while demonstrating respect for one another. Like the MSHSL, Johns exercises the belief that problem areas be addressed separately from the rest of the team to allow everyone to get the most out of the sport. “The high school league decided we need to put into words what our expectations are of people,” Johns said.
Junior and girls’ soccer player, Lyra Carter, learned about the policy from her captains and athletic director. Having experienced firsthand the thrill of representing one’s school, Carter has also noticed some unsportsmanlike chants from opposing teams’ student sections. She hopes the introduction of the Above the Line policy will bring in more fans and inspire others to follow BSM’s good example. “Like when I played basketball, it was really fun to have people cheering, so I think all the athletes get a little bit more hyped up when there’s more people in the crowd,” Carter said.
As Carter observed, Above the Line extends past the athletes to their coaches, parents, fan section, and officials as well. BSM is especially emphasizing that all sports enthusiasts withhold from taunting, making animal noises, using foul language, and targeting specific individuals to maintain a welcoming environment, noting that failure to do so will result in removal from BSM-sanctioned events. Johns says he has seen some great turnouts already this year and hopes that continues. “I think our fans have been wonderful… Our kids were great. Lots of spirit, lots of energy. Our parents were really great too,” Johns said.