NH hs coach fired for standing up against Gestapo-level mask requirements - how can we help?

Some good may yet come of all this if the schools lose their iron grip on the sport and coaches and backers turn it independent, like swimming mostly is. Cut the ADs out of it.

Might even get it out of the NCAA, that would be a huge win.

kids are not in danger. shouldn't even by asymptomatic testing for them. coaches should either have the vax, keep their distance, stay away, or accept consequences without regret.

Scrotumnus the Goatman wrote:

the media is corrupt wrote:

You have no points. Putting a seatbelt on to drive 2 blocks doesn’t do physical harm. Wearing a mask during an intense race does.

You know this doesn't make any sense logically, right?

If someone could harm themselves by racing hard with a mask on, then they could harm themselves by racing hard without the mask too. Their pace would just be a little faster without the mask. You show me some kid who can race so hard with a mask on that some sort of actual harm is caused, and I'll show you a kid who could have done the same without the mask.

I am a masters runner with asthma. I wear a mask when I run. If there is no one else around, I'll take the mask off but as soon as I hear or see anyone, the mask goes right back on. I do run a bit quicker without the mask, but hard days are hard days no matter what and I've had asthma attacks when with and without the mask.

asymptomatic testing absolutely needs to disappear by the fall.

Yes... Do you experience a moral dilemma when you have to tell kids to put their seatbelt on even when it’s just two blocks to the store? Does your hurt burn and tears stream down your face as you say through gritted teeth “I know it’s only down the block but you still need a seatbelt”?

ienjoyracing wrote:

Yes... Do you experience a moral dilemma when you have to tell kids to put their seatbelt on even when it’s just two blocks to the store? Does your hurt burn and tears stream down your face as you say through gritted teeth “I know it’s only down the block but you still need a seatbelt”?

A better analogy is that requiring a mask outdoors is like requiring a seatbelt on all chairs because you don’t think people are smart enough to discern between chairs that are inside of cars and those that are not....simpler and less confusing to just say “wear a seatbelt whenever you are sitting,” right?

big dave2233 wrote:

Are you mask lovers going to be defending these mandates next year? The year after? Government tyrants never want this to end. Resist now of gtfo.

The irony is that you are the one who has fallen victim to fear mongering. FOX news may have told you that democrat government tyrants want masks to last forever, doesn’t mean it’s true.

Have you ever stopped and actually considered what you are alleging? That some democrats, or even perhaps all of them, are bent on making you wear masks forever, or even just like 5 years, that would also make them happy. And all the world is in on it too, playing along, expect the American republicans, they’re righteously fighting against tyranny. And so once the democrats get the masks onto you, they just... what? What do they do? Watch cctv footage of people wearing masks and do evil laughs? How did they benefit from getting people wearing masks? What did they gain?

They benefit because masks are now part of the culture war. You think Republicans “benefit” or even actually care about the culture war BS they instigate? No, but it’s red meat for the morons in their voter base.

Masks do the same for lefties. “I’ll protect you from bad bad republicans...with masks!!”

outdoor masks are BS wrote:

ienjoyracing wrote:

Yes... Do you experience a moral dilemma when you have to tell kids to put their seatbelt on even when it’s just two blocks to the store? Does your hurt burn and tears stream down your face as you say through gritted teeth “I know it’s only down the block but you still need a seatbelt”?

A better analogy is that requiring a mask outdoors is like requiring a seatbelt on all chairs because you don’t think people are smart enough to discern between chairs that are inside of cars and those that are not....simpler and less confusing to just say “wear a seatbelt whenever you are sitting,” right?

I still like my analogy, but you make a good point, and I agree that whatever mandate required the masks in this situation is a terrible mandate. The difference is that I think the policy makers who implemented the mandate were driven by good intentions, and may have missed the mark on this one. The poster, and the coach in question, believe that the policy makers were driven by actual totalitarianism, which is so absurd it hardly deserves refuting. That is the only logical conclusion when the coach is willing to be fired in order to defy such a law.

ienjoyracing wrote:

fattyatthegym wrote:

I am confused. You say seatbelts are the law but you have no moral problems with lying to kids and telling them they need to wear them?

Stopped reading after that line.

Yes... Do you experience a moral dilemma when you have to tell kids to put their seatbelt on even when it’s just two blocks to the store? Does your hurt burn and tears stream down your face as you say through gritted teeth “I know it’s only down the block but you still need a seatbelt”?

We don’t drive if only two blocks away. Nothing you say makes any sense. It’s like you are trying to make a point but don’t know how or what it is. You really seem to have a thing with a two block drive and seat belts. Did something happen?

There are serious problems with your argument. If you think driving at 20 miles per hour without a seatbelt is safe then why not do a trial and sprint flat out at a brick wall and see if you get hurt. That is about the same pace. On the other side there is zero evidence that wearing a mask while running outside will reduce your risk of infection at all. While the risk of wearing a mask while exercising intensely is very low it is not 0%. A few young athletes are at risk of severe complications exercising with a mask and there have even been reports of deaths. If there is a law that says you must wear a mask when exercising then it is stupid and does not follow the evidence. For more info see this:

If this is the hill the coach is willing to die on (get fired over) his team is better without him and his clearly poor decision making abilities.

Is making the runners wear masks while running a dumb rule? Maybe, maybe not, but it isn't worth getting fired over, unless he really didn't want to coach anymore and is trying to make some political statement which will accomplish absolutely nothing.

"He later added “Fire me if you must.” On Monday, Keyes wrote another blog entry saying that Pembroke obliged and fired him."

Did he really get fired or did he quit? I say he quit

Thank goodness the Nazis weren't so mean as to make the Jews wear masks.

I’m not sure why this coach is being made out to look like a martyr. All of the schools in my are (upstate NY) require coaches and kids to wear masks for the entirety of practice and meets. This started in XC and has continued all year. Kids adjusted in the first two weeks. It took the parents longer to grapple with the decision, but ultimately everyone came to terms with the idea that they were training/racing with a mask or not playing a sport (this is synonymous across all sports in our area).

The long and short - I respect that he has a stance and stands by it, but he just made a long term solution for a short term problem. Hopefully he can get his job back at some point.

big dave2233 wrote:

Are you mask lovers going to be defending these mandates next year? The year after? Government tyrants never want this to end. Resist now of gtfo.

Wrong question. I have no problem with people debating mask mandates and when and to what extent they should end. I do have a problem with someone at the coach's level making the unilateral decision to end them despite the rules. He can advocate to have rules changed locally, nationally or globally. But until they change for his job, he should obey the rules or resign and not whine about it.

The pros aren't competing in mask. Dumb to make kids race with a mask on.

Guess many of you can't think for yourselves and just enjoy doing what your told.

Runner10287 wrote:

The pros aren't competing in mask. Dumb to make kids race with a mask on.

Guess many of you can't think for yourselves and just enjoy doing what your told.

The main pros that are pretty much the only ones doing it correctly are nba basketball players living in a special bubble. The amateurs are playing a sport anyway and living a regular life interacting with tons of regular people and carrying on with their mostly asymptomatic cases all while trying to pretend their stupid sport endeavor is as important as Lebron James’.

Telling kids to wear masks while running or racing is tantamount to refusing to let them pass out from otherwise safe activities. Outside that, if he wasn't enforcing mask wearing, then there's more to the story than the insanity of forced mask wearing while racing.