CIF’s Ruling on Who Can Play

I have followed the story of Gabe Boettcher and his problems with eligibility for high school athletics.

While the CIF seems sympathetic to Boettcher they seem to be more worried about setting a precedent which may mean more appeals and thus more work for the CIF. If so, Thomas of the CIF has been quoted correctly. I think it is a sad state of affairs that the administrators making decisions important to the youth of our community are setting an example worthy of a South American dictatorship. “He either fits our system or he doesn’t” sounds like something out of the Third Reich or maybe the U.S.S.R. It is ironic that a child who has come from a country such as Liberia is faced with such an attitude in The United States.

Allowing Gabe to play non-contact sports would certainly be setting a good precedent. Someone should let the CIF know that America is beautiful because people have had the guts to set good precedents even when it involved a little risk. It’s a good tradition -- one worth following.

RICHARD S. GLASSBERG

Fullerton