LETTERS: GAME STORY GAVE WRONG IMPRESSION

To the editor:

In the article by Bob Miller regarding the basketball game between Central High School and Notre Dame High School which was played Nov. 30, Mr. Miller would lead his readers to believe that there was some sort of violence, anger or other unpleasantness involved. Nothing could be further from the truth. The games, both varsity and junior varsity, were quite intensive and competitive, which is as it should be. The fans for both teams were vigorous and vocal in their support of their respective players, also as it should be. Cheerleaders applauded each other's long routines. None of the players received on-court or off-court injuries, as is sometimes the case when tempers flare and players or fans become overly aggressive.

As a Notre Dame staff member, I feel insulted for both my school and for Central High School. Neither Central nor Notre Dame did anything to incur the insulting and critical words written by Mr. Miller. There is certainly competition between the two old cross-city rivals as there always has been. But this is certainly not enmity, nor was there anything even remotely "Jerry Springer-like" which occurred in Central's gymnasium. We value our association with Central High School. Each year we look forward to playing Central's teams. I certainly hope this spirit of friendly competition continues and that the efforts of Mr. Miller to drive a wedge or cause bad feelings between our two schools does not ruin this for all of us.

The bulk of the story was straight reporting, and I have no complaints about it. However, the first few sentences were totally uncalled for and reflect some sort of personal grievance on Mr. Miller's part. Mr. Miller should keep these to himself. I believe his unkind and unfounded remarks merit a public apology in your newspaper.

JEAN HERMSDORFER

Cape Girardeau