Goodrich – For more than four years, high school football players have been allowed to shave each other’s heads at football camp, but coaches say they won’t be able to do that anymore.
On June 23, a parent described to the school board how her son’s head was shaved after returning from a two-day football camp he attended on June 20 and 21. The parent said the incident could be a safety issue if a player’s head was nicked. In addition, the parent expressed concern the head shaving was considered hazing.
Al Martus, district athletic director, said he met with the parent on July 15 to review the policy and to begin an investigation on the alleged incident.
‘This incident turned out not to be hazing, the parent and coaches finally agreed about that,? Martus said. ‘There were ten freshman on the trip and only three agreed to get their heads shaved. But because people have blown it out of proportion, it’s just not worth it. I don’t want to argue with anyone, so we aren’t going to allow haircuts anymore. Sure, there could be contact with blood if a student’s head got nicked, but I am more concerned about sanitizing wrestling mats during the day when as many as 50 students share the mats all day. We have to sanitize them up to three or four times a day.?
Martus said he would have preferred the parent would have followed procedure. ‘If the parent would have come to the coaches first, we would have solved the problem and it would have saved a lot of headaches for everyone.?
Football Coach Tom Alward said the decision was made because it was brought to his attention as a safety concern.
‘When the players shave each other’s heads, there is a possibility of nicking a head and then a transfer of fluids could occur. Even though we take as many precautions as possible, we can’t control that on the football field. We can control this situation, so we are not going to sanction that kind of activity anymore. We just want to put all of this behind us and move on.?
Alward said he thinks the players will be fine with it. ‘I don’t anticipate any problems whatsoever. Maybe the players will decide to have a traditional activity before or after camp to get their heads shaved.?
Sam Seymour, a high school football player who will be a senior next year, said he doesn’t agree with the decision.
‘Nobody has ever been forced to shave their heads,? he said. ‘I used to dye my hair blonde when I was a lot younger than this. We are old enough to make our own decisions. Besides, nobody forced her child to have a haircut, he agreed to it. It’s fun to shave each other’s heads. After practicing all day, it gives us something to do to pass the time.?