Now Chico's womens soccer accused of hazing

[hoosier]

Soccer tradition deemed hazing
Kirk Barron
Assistant Sports Editor
September 07, 2005


The Chico State women's soccer team will have to change one of its advertising techniques next year after an anonymous phone call to the student concerns line.

Last week, the Campus Alcohol and Drug Education Center-operated C-Line received a call that reported hazing on the Wildcat women's soccer team.

The call concerned the team's tradition of having first-year players carry soccer balls with them for the first week of school to promote the team, head coach Kim Sutton said.

"We want people to ask questions and to build connections in the community," Sutton said.

The goal of having players carry around a soccer ball is to introduce the new players to the community and raise awareness about the team, Sutton said.

The players use a training device to carry the ball. The ball is held in a net on a string that attaches to the players' waists. It is designed so players can kick the ball and it will come back to them, Sutton said.

In Sutton's five years as the women's coach, there wasn't been a problem with the practice. No player had voiced concerns, Sutton said.

If players had problems with the tradition, Sutton said she would have respected their wishes and let them not participate.

Sutton said she didn't mind changing the team's routine.

"We don't have 30 balls, but we are going to buy more," Sutton said. "So the whole team can do it."

There isn't any danger of getting hurt, but it is technically hazing, Sutton said.

According to the California Education Code, hazing is any initiation process that could lead to physical injury or personal degradation.

In the rare case that a player might be embarrassed by the questions they are asked because of the ball, the tradition could be hazing, Sutton said.

The soccer team was asked to stop the practice because they singled out one group, Sutton said.

Sutton said she didn't want this to be blown out of proportion and that the team was complying with what it was asked to do.

If it weren't for the heightened sensitivity after Matthew Carrington's death, the team probably wouldn't have been asked to stop, Sutton said.

Most of the players don't have a problem with carrying the balls around, said junior defender Heather Morehouse.

"It was all in fun and to support the team," she said. "I wouldn't mind carrying around the ball again. I think it would be cool."

Morehouse said the unfortunate events of last year probably played a role in the team being asked to change the practice.

There are 11 first-year players on the team.

[DeltAlum]

Grasping.

[Tom Earp]

Grasping or Gasping!

Sorry, but really not sure if this is Hazing! Da, I will pluck My Eyeballs out if it isnt in GLO Parlay!

Oh, Never Mind, IT IS CHICO! DAH!

[adpiucf]

Great marketing tool, but all the members should be carrying the soccer balls to 1) maximize effectiveness and 2) to eliminate the idea that it is hazing.

Hazing is any situation which separates some members of a group from others without any positive and higher (and logical) educational purpose.

So yes, even if you volunteered to be one of the ball carriers, its still hazing.

I'm glad at least to see an athletic group getting cracked down on... can you imagine if a sorority had done this?

[AlphaPhiBubbles]

Thats the thing...they aren't getting cracked down on. The soccer team isn't really being punished to my knowledge. IFC and Panhellenic presidents (both close friends of mine) are very upset about this and have complained because you are right - guess what would have happened if it was a sorority? Goodbye charter.