Tennis teams head south amid controversy

by Janice C. Funk managing edito r

Unlike other area tennis teams, Cabrini's men's and women's tennis teams wi11travel to Hilton Head, SC for their spring training trip on April 15-22.

Area colleges, including Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, Swarthmore College and Temple University, have cancelled trips to the state because of controversy surrounding the Confederate flag, which flies above the capitol building.

Cabtini tennis coach Reggie Day said that he was surprised by the controversy in South Carolina. "I saw it on TV, and I was totally surprised."

Day called the coaches of the teams that Cabrini would be playing in South Carolina and learned that some teams had cancelled their plans.

Day decided to go through with the trip after holding a meeting with both teams. "I asked everyone, 'What do you think?'" Day said.

Melissa Shannon, a sophomore member of the women's team, said she was hesitant about going to South Carolina. "I understand some people value the Confederate flag from a historic perspective, but I think it's offensive."

"When I first heard about it, I called Reg- gie," Shannon said. "Reggie said he'd take me around the area, and I could talk to the locals and find out how they feel about the flag."

Shannon said that although she was tom between her principles and loyalty to her team, it was Day's support that helped her decide to go to South Carolina. "Reggie was very objective and respects our opinions totally," Shannon said.

An English and social studies teacher at Ashland Middle School who lived in Louisiana and Tennessee for eight years, Day said that he does not understand the controversy surrounding the flag. "I think that the flap about the flag is self-serving for a number of self-interested groups," Day said.

Day added that he believes that racial issues have nothing to do with the flying of the flag. Rather, he feels that the flag is a symbol of regional pride and Southern heritage.

'The people in the South have a lot of pride in their region," Day said.

Bryn Mawr College. Haverford College and Swarthmore College are among those in the Centennial Conference that have cancelled trips to South Carolina. The Centennial Conference is a small college conference.

Greg Kannerstein, director of athletics at

Haverford, became concerned about the situation in South Carolina after reading about the NAACP rally. "When I read the story, I thought about how I felt sending students to the state," Kannerstein said.

Kannerstein said that he and tennis coach Ann Koger assessed the situation and made the decision to cancel the trip. He said that Koger's being an African-American was a factor in their decision.

Kannerstein said that strong political feelings also influenced the decision; "The Confederate flag shows disrespect. We as a college don't respect that."

Swarthmore College President Alfred H. Bloom announced in a statement on Feb. 8 announced that their teams would not travel to South Carolina.

Bloom stated that Haverford's spring athletic teams "will support the NAACP boycott of South Carolina over the issue of the continued display of the Confederate flag. Joining several other local colleges, including Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Temple, our spring teams wilJ withdraw from training and are now making alternative plans."

Day said he feels that the flying of the Confederate flag m South Carolina has been blown out of proportion by schools like Haverford.

In addition, he said that the head of the Tennis Action Program told him on Mon- day that the tourist bureau in Hilton Head has joined other towns in signing a petition denouncing the flying of the flag. Haverford's tennis team has not yet made alternative plans for a spring training trip. Other athletic teams that were planning trips or games in South Carolina have been asked to delay any plans.

The decision to cancel their trip has been a sacrifice not only in training time for Haverford, but also financially. A. trip to Florida, another popular training spot, will cost more money.

There are changes in Cabrini's tennis training schedule as a result of other schools cancelling their trips.

According to Day, there was a sort of "domino effect" in cancelling trips; as some schools cancelled, the number of teams to actually play in South Carolina diminished.

The men's and women's teams will now play matches at Savannah College in Georgia and Beaton College in North Carolina. No matches will actually be played in Hilton Head. Instead, the teams will work out at various training facilities.

Cabrini has no policy regarding is!>ues hke the one in South Carolina, and the NCAA has not taken a stance regarding trip boycotts.