The most recent U-32 newsletter found its way to my desk this week, so I took a look through and came across this post in the Sports section, and I think it's important for all sports fans to remember:
"Many people talk about 'sportsmanship,' or what it means to be a 'good sport.' What does it mean to you to be a good sport? Answers to this question vary widely. The Positive Coaching Alliance believes the time has come to unite behind a powerful new term, 'Honoring the Game.' Coaches, parents, and athletes need to realize than an Honoring the Game perspective needs to replace the common win-at-all-cost perspective. If a coach and his or her team have to dishonor the game to win it, what is this victory really worth, and what sort of message is this sending young athletes? If Honoring the Game is to become the sports standard, it needs a clear definition. At PCA they say that Honoring the Game goes to the 'ROOTS' of positive play. Each letter in ROOTS stands for an important part of the game that we must respect.
R is for Rules: Rules allow us to keep the game fair. If we win by ignoring or violating the rules, what is the value of our victory? PCA believes that honoring the letter AND spirit of the rule is important.
O is for Opponents: Without an opponent, there would be no competition. Rather than demeaning a strong opponent, we need to honor strong opponents because they challenge us to do our best. Athletes can be both fierce and friendly during the same competition (in one moment giving everything to get a loose ball, and in the next moment helping an opponent up).
O is for Officials: Respecting officials, even when we disagree with their calls, may be the toughest part of Honoring the Game. We must remember that officials are not perfect (just like coaches, athletes and parents!). Take time to think about how to best approach an official when you want to oppose a call. What strategies do you have to keep yourself in control when you start to get upset with official's calls?We must remember that the loss of officials (and finding enough in the first place) is a major problem in school sports, and we can confront this problem by consistently respecting officials.
T is for Teammates: It's easy for young athletes to think soley about their own performance, but we want athletes to realize that being part of a team requires thinking about and respecting one's teammates. This respect needs to carry beyond the field/court/track and into the classroom and social settings. Athletes need to be reminded that their conduct away from practices and games will reflect back on their teammates and the school.
S if for Self: Athletes should be encouraged to live up to their own highest personal standard of Honoring the Game, even when their opponents are not. Athletes' respect for themselves and their own standards must come first.
Having this definition of Honoring the Game is a start. To make Honoring the Game the sports standard, coaches, leaders and parents need to discuss HTG with their athletes. Perhaps most importantly, all adults in the youth sports setting (coaches, leaders, parents, officials, and fans) need to model it. If these adults Honor the Game, the athletes will too."
Awesome stuff. Glad I stumbled upon this, and I hope you are, too.
-Anna Grearson
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