Youth Track: Religious Gesture Disqualifies Winning Team

A religious gesture to "God" disqualified a winning relay track team at a Texas high school recently. The track team from Columbus High School (the Mighty Cardinals) won the 4 X 100m relay by 7 meters. The anchor leg runner, Derrick Hayes, made a simple "finger point to the sky". It was an impulsive action from a kid who was raised to thank God. The God gesture was not excessive in any way, yet it disqualified the team. The track officials deemed the gesture as an example of “excessive celebration.” which are against the rules. The track team will now miss out on the chance to compete at State level.



The Main Point

The official would not admit that the religious aspect of the gesture is what caused the disqualification. From all of the accounts I read, the gesture was not excessive at all, so it begs the question of whether the religious aspect was the reason. Who knows what he or she was thinking.

If the religious aspect was the reason than this is just another example of the progressive movement away from God and religion. Ok all you God hating Atheists - make your vacuous comments.