Sportsmanship

Love of the Game

      The month of February will find us all glued to the television set to hear the latest medal count for the U.S. Olympic Team.  This year's Winter Olympics from Salt Lake City, Utah begins with Opening Ceremonies on Friday, February 8.  The best of each nation will gather together in the best display of athleticism and unity our world has to offer. 
     The Olympics aren't only about double axels and the down-hill slalom.  The Olympics give us all the opportunity to see how hard-work and dedication can truly make dreams come true.  The stories we hear about the athletes and their lives give an indication of just how much effort is required to reach the Olympics. 
     The Olympic Games also teach us how competition can be experienced without contempt.  In an age when violence is growing more frequent in children games, we need a message sent to us that celebrates the good of the sport.  How students play on the field begins on how they play off the field.  This attitude is clearly seen in the athletes of the Olympics. 
    Use this time of world competition to instill in your student body the importance of good sportsmanship.  This is not just seen in clapping hands at the end of the game.  This is seen in the actions of the players on the court.  How they react in disappointment, and how they view their opponents.  Losing is not the best feeling in the world, but talk to the St. Louis Rams or the New York Yankees and they will tell you that they will have probably learned more from losing then winning.
     The winning spirit starts with coaches and parents.  Consider having a training session with parents to help them become better fans.  More and more we have heard of horrific accounts of how parents can lose control during sporting events.  The responsibility of ensuring healthy contests lies in the parents demeanor. 
     The student council can back their athletic events by sponsoring these in-services.  Invite coaches from neighboring high schools, junior colleges, and/or colleges to come and speak to the student-athletes, parents, and coaches.  This event will give all a chance to seriously talk about he issues facing amateur sports today, and will also give the Commissioner of Athletics an event to spear-head. 
     Athletics and team-sports offer students a unique experience in working together toward a common goal.  The lessons learned are often immeasurable.  There is so much good to be found in competition.  However, it must be treated delicately.  More times it is the feeling of unity and accomplishment that stays with athletes over time, not how many W's were in the Win/Loss column.  Use this time of amazing global unity in sport to challenge your student-athletes to achieve more on AND off the court.       

Medal Count
     Have each class take on a country and track their accomplishments in the Olympic Games.  Encourage each class to learn more about their country and the sports in which they compete.  If your country is particularly known for a sport, curling for example, have the class create an  informational P.A. announcement for the whole school's benefit.  During the weekly assemblies announce the medal standings for the top four countries.  Perhaps include a door decorating content with the colors of the nations' flag and pictures of the athletes featured in the Games.

Athletic Breakfast
     Sponsor a morning breakfast in which the athletes of your school's sports teams serve the meal.  This may be an event to raise spirit for the athletic events, or a fund-raiser for new athletic equipment.  Consider asking a former athlete of your school to speak on the importance of good conduct on and off the court.  Use this time as a rally to motivate student to support their teams and offer the athletes an opportunity to serve their school. 

Alumni Games
     Invite alumni from the last few years to return to their school to participate in a variety of games.  This day the student council can sponsor a game with the youngest members of the alumni to play against the current eighth grade volleyball teams.  Later on in the day have the earlier classes play against each other.  In some cases you may find that current parents may have played on the school's teams when their were in seventh or eighth grade, encourage them to play, too! 

    If you are interested in any activities related to Valentine's Day, pleas refer to our latest issue of The Leadership Times.  If you have not received your copy, please email us at tacsc@tacsc.org

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I can't accept not trying

Quote of the Month

     I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot.  Why?  Because when you think about the consequences you always think of a negative result. 
     Some people get frozen by that fear of failure.  They get it from peers or from just thinking about the possibility of a negative result.  They might be afraid of looking bad or being embarrassed.  I realized that if I was going to achieve anything in life I had to be aggressive.  I had to get out there and go for it.  I don't believe you can achieve anything by being passive.  I'm not thinking about anything except what I'm trying to accomplish.  Any fear is an illusion.  You think something is standing in your way, but nothing is really there.  What is there is an opportunity to do your best and gain some success. If it turns out my best isn't good enough, then at least I'll never be able to look back and say I was too afraid to try.  Failure always made me try harder the next time.
     That's why my advice has always been to "think positive" and find fuel in any failure.  Sometimes failure actually just gets you closer to where you want to be.  If I'm trying to fix a car, every time I try something and it doesn't  work, I'm getting closer to finding the answer.  The greatest inventions in the world had hundreds of failures before the answers were found.
     I think fear sometimes comes from a lack of focus or concentration .  If I had stood at the free-throw line and thought about 10 million people watching me on the other side of the camera lens, I couldn't have made anything.  So I mentally tried to put myself in a familiar place.  I thought about all those times I shot free throws in  practice and went through the same motion, the same technique that I had used thousands of times.  You forget about the outcome.  You know you are doing the right things.  So you relax and perform.  After that you can't control anything anyway.  It's out of your hands, so don't worry about it. 
                         ~Michael Jordan,
                    Olympic Gold Medalist
               & Basketball Extraordinaire

"The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part;

The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. 

The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well to spread these precepts
is to build up a stronger and more valiant and, above all, more scrupulous and generous humanity."

~ Baron Pierre de Coubertin,
Founder of the Modern Olympic Games

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