’Hostile Environment’ Forces Tennis Player To Quit Match

The Telegraph

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/sports/highschoolsports/1007006-457/bishop-guertins-leonard-leaves-court-due-to.html

The last singles match of Bishop Guertin senior Briana Leonard’s high school career will go down as one of the most dramatic finishes that never happened.

Trailing 1-0 in the best-of-three set final, Leonard walked off the court before Set 2 even began.

The decision to retire from the match – which her parents Tim and Kristen Leonard claim was due to a “hostile environment” that NHIAA officials not only “didn’t control,” but also “created” – gave the girls singles title to second-seeded Sunday Swett, of Bow.

“This has been going on for the last two years,” said Kristen Leonard after walking her daughter to the car. “This is an 18-year-old girl who fell and got hurt and people are cheering. They were bullying her. This has been going on for two years. They’ve wanted her out for two years because she’s not a New Hampshire girl. Because we live in Massachusetts.”

Leonard’s father was also upset over a pre-match altercation with NHIAA officials regarding his family being caught in a traffic jam and Leonard being docked a point and loss of serve for being one minute late for the 3:30 start time.

“This is a hostile environment,” Tim Leonard said. “They are cheering for people to lose rather than win. I don’t want to take anything away from Sunday. She deserves it. She’s an amazing tennis player. This is nothing against her. It’s about the environment created here and hopefully they learn from it.

“We are not going to file anything. The other girl won the match and she should be congratulated for her hard work. That’s the story.”