European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 16, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday August 16, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 23 sports letters softball civilians fan against the legs dear editor. There is a burning question from several women in the Parma sons military Community and we arc sure from other communities As Well. We arc All civilians we arc All family members of Active duty soldiers and we All play on the Community level women s softball team we want to know Why we cannot play Post sea son softball. Last year there were five civilians. Who played on the Post team. We suffered every loss enjoyed every win. Practice just As hard As the Active duty women and basically played our hearts out Only to be told at the end of the season that we could go no further. We were not allowed to play in the 21st Talcom Post season tournament let alone the Usa eur finals. This was unfair not Only to us As players but also the Active duty members of the team who were forced to play without our support. As we understand it the question recently went up for another vote among the different corps through out Europe Only to be voted Down once again by the larger corps within Germany. These corps As Large As they arc apparently have More than enough manpower to Field several teams from their communities. What they arc failing to realize is that there arc smaller com mands and communities within Germany that do not have the vast amount of personnel that such com mands As v corps and Vii corps have. In our Community civilians Are a major part of sports activities such As softball volleyball and basketball. What we cannot understand is this civilians who participate in Golf Tennis racquetball track and Field Bowling and Cross country arc permitted to play past the regular season As Well As in the Usa eur finals. We were told it is because these arc individual sports not team sports and that they Only compete against other army civilians. Those civilians who participate in team sports however Are not even permitted to compete in the division championships. Is there a Dif Ference Between the dedication of civilians and the dedication of military members who participate in sports is there a difference in ability surely soldiers Don t work any harder than we do to be Good at their particular sport. Safe has had a successful program allowing civilians to compete in Post season tournaments and championships for years. If the army and its depart ment of defense counterparts arc supposed to be one big Happy family Why arc our civilians and family members being denied the Opportunity to compete alongside our military Brothers and Sisters where is the support we arc supposed to be getting for being apart of the military family in Usa eur All we ask is to be afforded the Opportunity to continue on past the regular season in our chosen sport. We feel it is unfair to allow Only certain civilians who play certain sports to climb the ladder to the usar eur finals. We put As much time and Effort into our sport As the soldiers and civilians who Are allowed to continue on. We feel it is about time for team sports Tobe allowed to carry their civilians All the Way to the top. Safe s program is successful let s follow their example. Signed by 18 Plum Sens West Germany editor s note Donald Clayco Rab chief of sports Usa eur Community and family support Agency replies thank you very much for forwarding your comments and questions regarding civilian personnel and family member participation in Usa eur sports championships. Before i address the concerns expressed in your let Ter allow me first to clarify Usa eur s participation policy. Participation in Usa eur sports championships both team and individual is limited to Active duty military personnel. Family members and civilian personnel Are not permitted to participate in any usar eur level championship team or individual. Army regulation 215-2, morale welfare and recreation prohibits civilian personnel and family members from participating in army sports above the installation level. Some of Usa eur s major commands have re Quested and received the authority to relax this Regula Tion to include major command leagues and championships where elimination is not a Factor i.e., Cross country Power lifting. Army policy is Clear however that military personnel must be Given first priority with respect to participation at any level. Very few usar eur communities Are unable to form Active duty Mili tary sports teams. Allowing civilians and family Mem Bers to participate in Usa eur championships would inevitably eliminate opportunities for Active duty personnel at the major command and Usa eur Levels. Policies on civilian participation in the military sports program vary with each of the services. Safe does allow civilians to Advance to the championship is it common practice for the folks at stripes not to read their own newspaper level in team sports. However civilian participation is allowed on a space available Hasis Only and the base commander Muni certify his docs not result in military participants being excluded. The Navy and the Marine corps do not allow civilians to compete in their pro Grams at any level. It is unfortunate you were not informed of this Usa eur policy at the Onset of the softball season. The important Point to underscore Here is that i Irma sons did Advance an All military team to the 21st Taa com softball championships in 1988. Several Active duty members were afforded the Opportunity to participate they May not have otherwise had. This contributes to the True Mission of the Usa eur sports program to Advance Soldier readiness not establish champions. A wide Range of sports activities remain available to Usa eur family members and civilians including Community intramural leagues and championships major command leagues and selected championships invitational events and special Community events. I Hope that this has helped clarify Usa eur sports policy with respect in civilian participation. Stutter Steps at stripes dear editor is it common practice for the folks there not to read their own newspaper there pc been several occasions where i be seen wire stories repeated in a later Issue but nothing like the aug. 34 editions. The articles nil tourists get into inc swing by Bucky Fox in the aug. 3 paper was exactly the same As the aug. 4 article fists Fly in Light the photograph of Greg grooms being stopped by several Philadelphia eagles was repeated. Personally. I Don t care for Fox s stories to begin with much less have to read the same thing twice was t there something else on the wire sen Worth printing or do you think Bucky Fox is so Good that his work is Worth repeating two Days in a Row sgt. Bob Fame Berlin editor s note now we know How Bill Buck nor you saw on aug. 3-4 was an inexcusable misunderstanding Between our Early morning and night time sports desks. As you May know. The stars and stripes prints four editions each Day. Editions Are trans ported All Over Europe for your use each morning or afternoon and each edition is updated throughout the Day with different elements being replaced or rear ranged with More current stories or photographs to give our readers the latest news available. In the aug. 3-4 editions however a night desk worker who had been away mistakenly persuaded himself that fateful thursday night that the Story and picture in question had started thai morning and not the previous night. By the time he did his catch up work the edition was on the streets and the egg was on our faces. We apologize for trying to sell yesterday s papers. You May rest assured the practice of not Reading our own paper will never become common. Thanks for writing. Anti America s team ? dear editor thank you for giving us such an in depth look at the Dallas cowboys. Everyone i know is real excited about the Way coach Jimmy Johnson has taken charge. And How about those two Young quarterback fighting it out for the no. I spot. It s a football fan s dream come True by the Way arc any of the other teams playing this season i would t ask but i Haven t seen too much on the sports pages about anyone but the cowboys. Nancy Berry Raf Mildenhall England polities Sank wolfhounds dear editor 1 am writing you in response to Bucky Fox s com ments in the july 28 edition of your have been a playing football for the Raf Chick Sands team for three years now and i feel As if i have Little perspective into the so called mar varsity football of All it is my understanding that the football program is supposed to be an off duty sports program to build morale and involve As Many people As Possi ble. Because of the big wigs in Germany who will Stop at nothing and Grant any waiver needed to have winning team it has became As corruption filled As the College programs that allow College players to continue in school even though they cannot read or write. The wolfhounds arc proof of an mar pro Gram gone awry. The politics of Continental sport conference football have destroyed a team that just wanted to play football. I am not sure How the football program works in Germany but Here in England we Don t get paid to play and our commitment to duty comes first Laving football is a privilege granted by our supervisors. Many of us even work extra duty in order to be Able to play. Game and 1 enjoy every minute on the Field. This year s season has dropped to seven games a hint of things to come and yet there is so much support for foot Ball. So or. Fox the next Lime you write an article about a Csc team folding just remember How the Guys on that team must feel All the hard work and Long hours that go into a football team. Remember the old saying it s not whether you win or lose it s How you play the one last thing or. Fox. The next time you write an article on a Csc learn folding it May be your last on Csc football. Sgt. Scott a. England Don t say no toys sports dear editor i am a senior at Patch High school and i recently participated in the youth services sponsored softball program. I along with is other 16-to 19-year-Olds, practice three and sometimes five Days a week in order to be the Best we could be in softball. Due to this Large amount of time we devoted to softball and our natural Talent we had the Honor of representing Vii corps in the Usa eur championships in Heidelberg. Aug. 3-5. The Patch senior baseball team also achieved the same dist Clion. Prior to the championships i had read for More than a week about the Little league games. I realize that is sports Are not As world renowned As Little league but i feel that we deserve at least half of inc coverage it received from your newspaper. To us Theu Sarteur championships represented the ultimate goal. It deflated Pur spirits to Sec that is sports were relegated loan Inch of space and one or two Small articles whereas the Little league was Given Over a week s coverage including a front Page photo. I would like to. Suggest that you devote approximately the same amount of coverage to All youth sports whether they Are local or encompass teams from sever Al countries. The stars and stripes is a newspaper for the military and its dependents living overseas right Well some of the dependents would like to Sec news about their accomplishments published in their newspaper. Stack Weber Stuttgart West Germany Bowling Over a critic dear editor it is obvious by the commentary submitted by John Maher Cox news service july 28. About Bowling lobbying its Way into the olympics that he knows about As much about Bowling As he does about being an objective journalist. In Bowling there arc dozens and dozens of Factor you have to Deal with every time you Roll the Ball from Lane conditions to Lane types to balls shoes and even atmospheric conditions inside the Bowling Center. People who bowl because they enjoy the sport and 1 did say sport. Maher should not write a commen Lary about something he know s nothing in the olympics is strenuous not like running. Biking or swimming but strenuous in its own right. I would like to see you bowl 16 to 20 games a Day and not feel some kind of exhaustion. That is precisely the amount of games men and women trying out for the olympic team and men and women on the profession Al bowlers tour bowl everyday. I can Tell Mahrer has never been outstanding in any one particular Field no matter what it is. If he had he would know the feeling of what it is like to be in an elite group of people who Are the Best in the world at what they do no matter what it is. David Marshall Naples Italy
