Oct. 7, 2004
By Tim Musachio
Staff Writer

Anyone who has played sports has been involved in one. Whether on the giving or receiving end, blow outs are natural in sports.

The average fan rarely gets a glimpse into the locker room or practice facility to know what goes on during or after a blowout.
The clock ticks down to zero and the final score reads 49-14. Your team has just lost by 35 points in a humiliating game. What do you tell your team? How do you respond after a game like this?

St. Ambrose football coach Todd Sturdy believes it begins with leadership.
“In situations like this you need to just stick together,” Sturdy said. “As a coach you have to just stay positive and continue to encourage your players.”
There is only so much that a coach can do. After the team meeting is over it’s up to the players to respond. Sturdy feels the character of the players is just as important as the coaching staff.
“Players need to look inward. They need to ask themselves what they can do to make it a better situation,” Sturdy said.
Teams can only dwell on it for so long. There comes a time when they have to put it behind them and move on.

“There isn’t much you can do except make adjustments and come ready to play the next game. If you don’t you’ll get beat again,” SAU basketball coach Ray Shovlain said.
But we’ve all seen highlights of those miracle comebacks before. So when exactly is the right time to put in substitutes?

“It’s hard to say when exactly the right time is to pull your starters,” Sturdy said. “It’s just a gut feeling of the situation.”

Shovlain feels arriving at that feeling requires an understanding of the game and coaching experience.

“The last thing you want to do is take your first team out too early and have the other team turn it around with momentum,” Shovlain said.

Having been on both sides of blowouts, Sturdy and Shovlain are firm believers in respecting their opponents. Running up the score is never an option for these two and their teams.

Some games may be obvious when to pull your starters. The majority of the time it isn’t.
In general there is a fine line between ensuring victory and running up the score, but when you respect your opponent a big win doesn’t necessarily have to be a humiliating one.

Back to the SPORTS-PAGE or "The Buzz" HOMEPAGE