European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 3, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday March 3, 1963 the stars and stripes Page 21 prep pick in s Dodds letters sink in Fesl wafers tiie varsity Monogram in Dodds has been cheapened. As of feb. 12, it has become mandatory for High schools to award varsity idlers to their High school age members of the european forces swim league learns even though swimming is not authorized As a Dodds sport the authority for awarding varsity letters 10 ath letes competing in non Scholastic sports came in the form of a letter from inc office of Barbara Spyridon Pope Deputy assistant Secretary of defense far family support education and safety to Karen a. Fuller european forces swim league president the swim league battled for such recognition for several years and Dodds Germany director or. Joseph Blackstead successfully preserved the integrity of the varsity Toik letter for school competitors Only. Until now. The action apparently super cedes d s regulation 2740.1 and is manual 2742.2, which govern interscholastic athletic program in Dodds. Those stat utes specifically ban the granting of letters for activities that in Dodds docs no sponsor or for which it docs not control the resources or supervise the coaches. The new edict obviously violates those rules. We have been told by the Dodds people in Washington to work with the people of the european forces Jwj i he Awan  such awards to those students who meet All the Dodds requirements to include falling into the proper age brackets Dodds regulations stale that anyone who be comes 19 before sept. 1 is ineligible to compete in Cjuan curricular events that school year. I Amburg discovered Fiat the hard Way in january when it was revealed that in Star boys basketball performer James Higgins. Had celebrated his 9th birthday prior id sept. I. He was declared ineligible the Barons had to forfeit four victories and they wound up wingless for the Campaign. Former Fesl president Tom trimmer said Mon Day thai a swimmer can compete until his 20ih  1988 Fesl championships take place March 13 at Munich anyone turning 20 on March 12 will be ineligible to compete anyone turning 20 March 14 will be eligible. Neither of course could have competed this year in Dodds. Naturally no one in that category even should be considered for a Monogram. The Fesl timing for its latest letter recognition onslaught was perfect the late Beth Stevens had resigned. Then had been a couple of temporary directors including for Mer Dodds Mcd director Jerry Bloom in that of fice before the current director John Stremple assumed his duties last summer. Fesl people compiled on elaborate brochure Contact was made with Pope Headquarters usar eur. The advisory Council on dependent Educa Tion Acde inc european Council of adm Nisla tors. Parents teachers and study nos capt inc National military family association nym Faal Cetera. Stremple was overwhelmed by inc pressure. One of his first major decisions was a bad one. Crawling Fesl the right to receive varsity tellers can open a Pandora s Box if the swimmers deserve varsity letters and there is absolutely no Way in the world that they do then so do the baseball and softball players the skiers the bowlers. They All have athletes who fail into the High school age bracket. They probably Don t have the upper Echelon military clout of the Fesl. The Etc Rofle Waits it Trie a convention one thai Dodds eur Lainey could be called on to consider was summarily dismissed in the Fesl brochure with the statement that each sport could be consid ered on its own  however backs Lead said that we were told by Dodds Washington that the awarding of vanity letters would be restricted to swimmers  if that limitation does t smack of discrimination nothing will other reasons Why inc swimmers should not receive letters arc that the Fesl season in t compatible with a Dodds sports season and thai there is an athletes fee for each event during the championships the swimmers go from september to the Middle of March. Dodds Nias id whole sports Wilsons fall and Winter in that Span. No Dodds athlete has to pay an entry Csc to compete in a championship tournament. Most Dodds sports arc icam sports and the competitors would t be affected. However there Are individual events in girls gymnastics and in track and Field. Dodds historically has not allowed the granting of awards in sports it does t sponsor. The reasoning is covered in the above mentioned regulations one of tiie claims by the Fesl is thai its swimmers would be earning High school if hers i they were competing in the states thai s absolutely so. However in the United slates the swimmer would be competing for their High schools not in an outside program. There is no Way to gel around the fact that the Fesl is an outside program Ai All youth activity projects arc in reference to High school programs. It also was pointed out that a precedent had been set both Here in Dodds Germany and at Cam Zarna Japan. Heidelberg swimmers were awarded letters in 1982 and Wurzburg s in 1983 and Camp Zama swimmers have received High school letters inc Pasi five years. In the Heidelberg and Wurzburg cases respective principals Bud Korth and Richard Rhoads were con Laded by letter from the local swim club president or commissioner and both approved inc request. They must have determined that they had broken Dodds regulations because the letters Haven been awarded since and Heidelberg and Wurzburg swim club officials have been among the most Active in the recent Campaign. Dodos people in the Pacific apparently Haven t followed the rugs. Ii also was claimed Ibal a Lacrosse varsity club at Wal Springfield High school in Springfield va., had been awarded varsity letters. In the Cit sen tence however it was revealed that the coasters club had actually bought the swimmers their letters. That s a completely different thing. Boosters clubs Are very important to High school programs but t Don l believe they officially Are part of a school pro Gram. There is no doubt that participants from the 18 clubs thai comprise the Fesl practice diligently train sincerely and compile with intensity. They certainly should be rewarded for their sinuous in Deavors. But not with High school varsity tellers. From experience and observation Over the years. 1 must say thai participants in youth activities never have lacked for Awa is for their achievement. And i am certain that the swimmers have been so honoured. Ouellette Watkinson win super a titles by Klint Johnson assistant spurts editor Garmisch Wisl Germany Theydon t come any closer not without a dead Jeat. Jim ouch Cilc of Wiesbaden is the Safe super giant slalom Champion by the Barest of margins. In a dramatic race on n Superb course Odell Etc Cal Rhein main Sguy Worthing ton by a  to win his second race of the Safe Alpine ski championships. Starting 13 numbers ahead of Odell tie Worthington posted a time of 1 minute 10.99 seconds for the 1,300-Mcter descent through 33 gales. The tension built As Hahn Shane Monell Sembach s pal Arnony and rams Cin s Tim Mariano All top contenders failed to beat Worthington s Lime or that of Torreon s Scott Sanders who raced just before Wor Hington. Then came ouch Leyte already Wilh a Gold and Bronze in the first two races Worth my Lon had finished right behind Odell tie in the giant slalom but had won tuesday s slalom when Ocull cute s Lime of 1 10.98 was announced there were whoops from inc wies Baden team and of no s from the Rhein main crowd. At stake in the healed Competition were not Only inc individual honors but a Bilter Battle for the team title. Asil turned out the second place Points collected by Worthington were enough to push Rhein main to its seventh straight Safe Alpine Crown. The Rock cos who led by Only three Points going into wednesday s final race wound up winning by 14,274-260. Sanders wound up Wilh uie Bronze medal finishing in 1 12.19. Arntie who was third in inc is and second in slalom this week placed fourth in 1 13.07. Monell a Safe Winner when he raced for Rhein main in i look fifth in 1 14.21, and mar Sano was sixth in 1 14.61. Wow one Hundredth was Ouel Jetle s first reaction. That s a Bil Light. It was one helluva  Worthington s first words ill Jisuo ouch Letic were i d break his knee if he was t  both Art expected to race for inc Safe icam against Lisa eur in the All service championships Slatting Here tuesday. The Alpine combined race for the men open division was even closer Hen wednes Day s race with Wori Ringlon winning this one Over ouch title even though they lied with 65 team Points apiece. F1s Points in the three races were used in break the lie Arnony was third with 47 Points. The older winners on this Day of Days in Safe skiing were More Clear Cut. Rhein main s Peg Wilkinson dosed out three years of Safe racing Wilh her first Victory winning uie women s event. Wat Kinson who was disqualified out of first in tuesday s slalom was first Down the course  l 24.46limc. Ii was a great course perfectly set for the new Snow conditions said  every racer after her echoed those feel Ings the women s race was also a Rhein main is Wiesbaden Battle for Gold Wilh Julie Resheske taking second in 1 26.18, re Sheske a nurse at Usan Hospital in wies Baden won the women s giant slalom and slalom title earlier this week and Cape Rcd the women s Alpine combined championship with 70 Points. Kali Lecce Welch of Neu Bruseke was Sec Ond and Lisa Reed of Leitheim third in women s combined Nuri Rikon Rol placing Beta use Shedin l finish the slalom. Third in the women s Tuper a was Sam Bach s Dawn Smith Wilh a 1 29.65 time. Giant slalom winners Richard Turk and Craham Smith of Sembach both Gorback on track in the super a after crash ing and disqualifying in the slalom. Both won impressively in the older divisions. In the senion division Turk race Down in 1 14.33, triumphing by 3 in seconds Over Mark Paxton the Wiesbaden Captain who clocked 1 17,83. Joel Juett gave rein main a boost by edging Wiesbaden s Steve Benson for third place. Juju clocked 1 18.34, and Benson Winner of the 30-j division slalom had 1 18.58.Benson, Kam Stcin s Dick Baird and Sembach s John Celcy finished 1-2-3 in the seniors , who won inc seniors super a in 1987 but graduated into the 40-nnd Over division this a apr. Pos cd a 1 17.17winning masters time he was pressed by Rhein main s Sieve Slivinski who clocked 1 18.41 and Bill Evert of Rhein main who was third in 1 19.32.slivinski easily won the masters combined. He racked up 55 Rhein Mai Points this week with two seconds 20 each and a Bird 15 Poi Nii. He was also runner up in last year s masters  Karjalainen of upper Heyford won the masters slalom and was runner up in the is ibis week. Bui he lost 1cliantt for another medal when he Cam Oul of his bindings and Craig cd Halfway Down inc super a. Dieter Krausch of worns Rechl an Mike Clint of Raim Tein placed second and third respectively in the master combined , a Veteran of nine Safe ski championships placed fourth in i remasters super a and had High Praise for the course which dropped 340 meters. Thai s the Best we be Ever had inc been coming to these races / he said of Bernard Bruckdorfer s course on the Hausburg Hom