UPside of Life: Sometimes rules are meant to be changed

Let me be perfectly honest with you right now: I'm a rule follower.

Despite how much I like to think of myself as non-conformist, a bit of a rebel and the first person to buck the system, when it comes to real rules I tend to follow them without crossing the line too often. I guess that's a credit to my parents, who taught me to be respectful and good and even though I tried to ignore those life lessons they seem to have stuck.

Every now and again, however, I come across a rule that just needs to be changed or bent or broken. The most current example is a Michigan High School Athletic Association rule that doesn't allow for students over 19 years old to play in high school sports--no exceptions. In the large majority of cases, this is a good rule to follow. Frankly, no one wants a hulking 19- or 20-year-old student dominating the 16 and 17 year olds that are still growing (and I should know, I'm an assistant varsity football coach). But there needs to be allowable exceptions to this MHSAA rule.

Meet Eric Dompierre. In many ways, he's your typical high school student. He likes to laugh. He enjoys being around his friends at Ishpeming High School. He loves sports and plays for the Hematites varsity basketball team. Against rival Negaunee in the district basketball tournament this year, Dompierre hit a jump shot that found nothing but net. You should have heard the crowd as it exploded in excitement. It's every young basketball player's dream to have such a moment to reflect on for the rest of their life.

But Dompierre isn't your everyday student athlete. He has Down syndrome and next year, as a senior, he'll be 19 years old.

Dompierre, because of his disability, was delayed in starting school as a child, something that is rather common for those with Down syndrome (the condition's definition is a genetic disorder characterized by mild to severe mental impairment, weak muscle tone and shorter stature). He isn't going to out muscle the younger players, he's not going to dominate the hardwood court and he's not going to lead the team in rebounds in any given season. But unless something changes, and soon, Dompierre's not going to be playing at all.

There have been efforts to make an exception for Dompierre already. The MHSAA has denied two rule revision requests from the Dompierre family and from Ishpeming High School, determining "there should be no change to the MHSAA constitution." This decision comes despite the fact that 23 other states in this country have already made addendums to their rules to allow disabled students to continue competing despite their age.

I'm the first to say that I understand rules are in place for a reason. They can't be changed on a whim just because we feel like maybe they should be. But there is room for exceptions at times and, frankly, this is one of them. And not just for Eric Dompierre, but for every disabled student athlete in this state who has to sit by while life goes on and they're forced to watch from the sidelines.

Since the MHSAA hasn't taken anything but a hard-nosed stance on Dompierre's case, it really leaves people like you and like me no choice but to make sure our voices are heard. You don't have a regular column in a publication, and I understand that, but you do have options. First and foremost, you can write to the MHSAA on Dompierre's behalf and you can get that address here. Or you can sign this Change.org petition (I have, as have 5,370 others at the time I wrote this).

Eric Dompierre should be allowed to play with the team he loves, with the players he considers family and for a school that holds him in high esteem. Adjusting this rule won't change sports for most high school athletes and it's not going to change the outcome of any games, but it will change the world for one boy who most definitely deserves it.

Sam Eggleston is the managing editor of UP Second Wave. He was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula and believes that sports are key in the development of any high school student. He can be reached via email.