Texas teen points to heavens, gets 4×100 relay squad banned from state championships
 

Of the likely places for a debate over religious free expression to erupt, a Texas high school track and field meet probably wasn’t high on the list.
Remarkably, that’s precisely where one athlete’s reactionary gesture has led to a broader discussion about what is appropriate at public school events, after a Columbus (Texas) High relay team was disqualified for one of their member’s heavenward gesture. The incident occurred in Columbus, where the track and field team was hosting a meet with the goal of qualify athletes for the state championship meet later in May.

http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/MA...re-YouTube.jpg

As first reported by Houston CBS affiliate KHOU, the school’s 4x100-meter relay squad achieved just that in winning its race decisively. The anchor of that 4x100 squad was junior Derrick Hayes, who ran a particularly blazing split and celebrated the team’s state qualification with a simple finger point to the heavens.
The gesture is a common one in sports -- remember Sammy Sosa or Barry Bonds after breaking the single season home run record? -- but on this occasion, it was deemed to have run afoul of a University Interscholastic League (UIL) regulation barring excessive celebration.
Once officials at the Columbus meet determined that Hayes had violated the excessive celebration rules, the entire 4x100-meter squad was disqualified and effectively barred from the state championships. The team will not get another chance to qualify for the meet.

Link Back

Re: Texas teen points to heavens, gets 4×100 relay squad banned from state championships
 

Talk about the punishment not being on par with the "crime".

Re: Texas teen points to heavens, gets 4×100 relay squad banned from state championships
 

Or a crime even being committed.

First he was disqualified for a "religious gesture", now it's excessive celebration.

All for sticking a finger in the air.... Not in someone's face, or chest.... Nothing uttered... Just a finger in the air. Some cultures know that as a gesture for #1. If he just won he would indeed be #1.
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=101...m=most_popular

Re: Texas teen points to heavens, gets 4×100 relay squad banned from state championships
 

Does that mean they will take Usain Bolt's world records away? That is totally ridiculous.

Re: Texas teen points to heavens, gets 4×100 relay squad banned from state championships
 

Are you flipp'en kidding me.

Re: Texas teen points to heavens, gets 4×100 relay squad banned from state championships
 

What will they do to the guy in the stands with one of these?

http://dimemag.com/wp-content/upload...oam-Finger.jpg