Boxing Club responds
Derrick Bravo
junior
After publication of yesterday's letter to the editor that examined tournament officiating, Derrick Bravo and I sat down to discuss how contests are evaluated and have decided to try and explain the officiating system.
A good cornerman will advise his fighter not to leave a contest to the cards and judges. When a fight goes to the cards there is bound to be a close decision and judges are fallible. Take for example a play at the plate in baseball. While one fan will be pleased with the outcome, others will be disappointed. Some of the crowd at the Bengals was displeased with some decisions while others rejoiced. Close calls and fan reactions are an important part of sport.
Every measure is taken to ensure that close calls go the right way with the resources the Boxing Club has. The role of student judges was criticized in the letter. It was suggested that they could not be objective. However, one judge explained that every effort is made for student judges to remove themselves from fights where friends are participating. That might explain why some judges were seen supporting a particular fighter — they were not judging that bout.
Additionally, judges from the Notre Dame community that have been a part of the sport of boxing and the Bengals for years make their judgment on the other two cards evaluated by the referee before making a decision. So in the case mentioned of a questionable unanimous decision, the opinion of the non-student judges supported what the student judge saw as well.
With respect to the offer of having professional judges evaluate the fights, a member of the boxing team presented this option to one of the coaches. However, the coach dismissed this offer, electing to keep the judges who have been with the program for a long period of time, some of whom are even alumni. It is believed that they have done a good job in past tournaments — including this year's contests — and will continue to do so in the future.
With respect to the issue of the cause versus the glory of participating in the Bengal Bouts an honest Bouter will tell you it is about both. Anyone who has had their hand raised at the end of the fight will not deny it is a great feeling and a reward for weeks of training and sacrifice. But anyone who has lost a fight will tell you it is more important to feel the pride of being a part of a greater cause.
Finally, a good team will always find ways to strengthen their program and resolve conflict internally. I commend Derrick for meeting with me to resolve this issue. We feel that it illustrates that the best way to resolve conflicts within a team or organization is through internal communication, openness and understanding rather than a public back and forth in the media.
Derrick Bravo
junior
St. Edward's Hall
Brian Hobbins
senior, co-president Notre Dame boxing
off-campus
March 20, 2001
All Viewpoint Stories for Wednesday, March 21, 2001
