A Call to Action

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A Call to Action

• Having acknowledged the prominence of sports
  in our nation and our state, we need to
  acknowledge a concern with how we conduct school
  sports. Can we serve our student-athletes
  better? Is there a way to describe healthy
  school sports? Is there an urgency to make some
  corrections?

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Background

• Federally Funded
• University of Maines Center for Sports and
  Coaching
• Select Panel consisting of coaches, educators,
  athletic directors, parents, administrators,
  superintendents and 350 Maine Student-Athletes
  contributed to the 2005 Report
• National attention NPR, Parade magazine
  American School Board Journal

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MSAD 51

• One of 12 pilot sites in Maine
• Year long grant - 3,000
• Free professional development for coaches
• Formation of local committee of community
  members, coaches and administrators
• Local committee to seek input through community
  conversations on how SDR might be implemented in
  MSAD 51
• Recommend policies to Board of Directors by
  spring, 2006

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Process to Date

• Local Committee Chair-Diane Morrison, Barry
  Crommett, Dave Dowling, Polly Frawley, Ron
  Graham, Mike Griffin, Bill Landis, Eliza Miller,
  Ken Marks, Mike Andreasen, Todd Livingston,
  Students Gain Robinson, Scott Alexander, Kim
  Chapman, Rachel Aranson
• Spring, 05 Information session and input from
  coaches
• Spring, 05 Survey of Grades 7-11 students
• Fall, 05 Public Gathering with Duke Albanese -
  Guest Speaker

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The Strategy and Design of the Report

• Core Principles recommended philosophies
• Core Practices list of practices that should be
  encouraged
• Out-of-Bounds list of practices that should be
  discouraged

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1 Philosophy, Values and Sportsmanship

• Principle Athletic participation must be
  healthful, positive and safe for everyone
  involved, conducted in an environment that
  teaches values and ethics, strengthens the
  community, promotes competition without conflict
  and enriches the lives of the athletes.
• Sample Practice Codes of conduct for coaches,
  players and parents.
• Sample Out-of-Bounds Showing disrespect to
  opponents or officials.

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2 Sports and Learning

• Principle Learning and personal growth form the
  foundation for interscholastic and intramural
  sports.
• Sample Practice Coaches are educators, first
  and foremost.
• Sample Out-of-Bounds Programs that highlight
  the elite athlete and fail to provide a broad
  range of sports opportunities at all levels.

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3 Parents and Community

• Principle Parents and community are actively
  involved in creating and supporting an
  environment that fosters positive athletic
  experiences for student-athletes.
• Sample Practice Parents leave coaching to the
  coaches.
• Sample Out-of-Bounds Out-of-control spectators
  who berate and taunt officials, coaches and the
  opposing team through their actions, words and
  signs

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4 Quality of Coaching

• Principle The coach is the key to making the
  student-athlete experience appropriate, positive
  and educational.
• Sample Practice Coaches support the complex
  needs of maturing adolescents.
• Sample Out-of-Bounds Coaches that fail to
  understand that they are first and foremost
  teachers.

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5 Opportunity to Play

• Principle Each student who meets the eligibility
  standards has the opportunity to participate and
  learn through sports.
• Sample Practice Schools promote and fund
  athletics at interscholastic and intramural
  levels as part of the educational program.
• Sample Out-of -Bounds Putting pressure on
  students to participate in costly out-of-school
  sports programs or camps.

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6 Health and Fitness

• Principle Participation in sports builds
  self-confidence while teaching good health and
  fitness habits to last a lifetime.
• Sample Practice Physical and emotional health
  and safety of the students are the primary
  considerations of all athletic programs.
• Sample Out-of-Bounds Inappropriate, premature
  focus on a single sport.

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7 Leadership, Policy and Organization

• Principle High-quality athletic programs are
  built upon a foundation of strong leadership,
  clear policy, adequate resources and effective
  organization.
• Sample Practice Parents, coaches, students and
  administrators work to establish codes of
  conduct.
• Sample Out-of-Bounds Inequitable distribution of
  human and fiscal resources that support more than
  one sport or gender over another.

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Other Topics Covered

• Middle Level Sports exploration rather than
  specialization continuing opportunities to play
  teamwork and sportsmanship
• Out-of-School Sports coordinating seasons and
  activities to benefit student-athletes parents
  play the key role in assuring children have
  balanced schedules
• Suggested Compacts making the Core Principles
  stick through compacts for school community,
  parents, student-athletes and coaches.

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What Sports Done Right Is and Is Not

• Its NOT about changing the level of competition
• Its NOT about changing the selective nature of
  varsity sports
• It IS about developing a consistency in attitude
  and approach between coaches, parents, athletes
  and officials

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Whats Next?

• Parent University Introduction of Spring 05
  Survey data and solicit comments on data
• Winter 05/06 Information sessions with parents
  and students
• Winter 05/06 Opportunity for community input on
  recommended Sports Done Right policies
• Presentation of recommended Sports Done Right
  Policies to Board of Directors spring, 06

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For more Information -

• Obtain local Sports Done Right info at
• http//greely.msad51.org/Pages/MSAD51_GHSAthletics
  /Sports/index
• Email contacts for selected SDR members
• Bcrommett_at_apple.com (Barry Crommett)
• Ddowlin1_at_maine.rr.com (Dave Dowling)
• Frawleyp_at_maine.rr.com (Polly Frawley)
• Rgraham1_at_maine.rr.com (Ron Graham)
• Mike_griffin_at_msad51.org (Mike Griffin)
• Blandis_at_cumberlandmaine.com (Bill Landis)
• Enm_at_maine.rr.com (Eliza Miller)
• Nyarm_at_maine.rr.com (Diane Morrison)
• Attend community meetings
• Get FREE Sports Done Right Document at
  http//www.sportsdonerightmaine.org/