NEW MILFORD − There were 12 scenarios presented of inappropriate behavior. There could have been 12,000.
Student-athletes from across the 36-team North Jersey Interscholastic Conference gathered at New Milford High School on Tuesday morning for a sportsmanship summit organized by conference administrators and the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.
It wasn’t just about examples of bad behavior which have seemingly become so common place, but how to respond in real time.
New Milford athletic director Joe Ricciardelli and Park Ridge athletic director Chris Brown were instrumental in pushing legislation forward at the state level to create a spectator code of conduct for students, parents and coaches at high school sporting events. Now, every one of the 440 NJSIAA member schools has to have its own spectator policy by the end of the year.
Tuesday was about informing the students of the policy, the punishments, the reasons behind it and, most importantly, how they can help.