Olympics a Grand Stage for What Sports Can Do

Athletic involvement can be transformational.

By Edward T. Hastings

(Philadelphia Inquirer, August 13, 2008)

NOTE: Ed Hastings has presented at several CYO functions, including many Athletic Ministry days. What do you think of his perspective on Olympic Sports?

With more than 10,000 athletes from 200 countries competing in the Olympics in China - and millions more watching on television around the world - the Games are a universal showcase for all the good that sports can impart in our daily lives.

Sport brings players and fans together to compete, watch and root for their team. In fact, the word compete derives from the Latin word competere, which means "to seek together."

Modern usage has popularized the negative message that competition means to strive against one's opponent. Rather, competition is meant to bring out the best in one another.

However, the inherent goodness of sport has been overshadowed by one highly publicized scandal after another - from doping, gambling and violence on and off the field.

But sport can be a positive force for individuals and societies by improving lives, reinforcing behavior and instilling values that stress the common good. One key is well-trained leadership and guidance in our athletic programs, and a commitment to positive moral principles that develop the whole person.

Sport can enrich us physically, mentally and spiritually, and be a platform for personal improvement. It can teach us much about life and how to live it fully and with meaning.

It is very true that while the outcome (winning or losing) might be important, the effort made and the way one plays the game is critical. In that sense, sport is a metaphor for life.

Two recent studies, one by Neumann College's Institute for Sport, Spirituality and Character Development and another by UCLA, discovered that the vast majority of college students are searching for greater meaning and purpose in life, but many college sport programs hinder that search by student athletes.

UCLA's study found that 53 percent of students said the classroom had no impact on their spiritual development, while 30 percent reported having a spiritual experience while involved in athletic endeavors.

The Neumann study highlights the role coaches play in character development and spirituality.

Among Catholic colleges and universities polled, 8 of 10 institutions involved coaches in the school's mission activities and 4 of 10 perceived coaches as having responsibility for implementing the school's mission, vision and values. In fact, 20 percent said the coach is the key agent of spiritual development among student athletes.

Along with a school's administration and professors, the role of coaches can't be overstated. But to be effective in that role, coaches need the training and tools to help them succeed in the area of character development.

Understanding and helping athletes with conflict management, listening skills and development issues is very important.

In the Neumann study, more than 9 of 10 respondents reported that student athletes were involved in service projects, and that community service was an important way to help them develop meaning and purpose in their lives.

Community service for student athletes can be very effective in helping athletes connect with something beyond their often highly insulated sports environments.

Sports and society face significant challenges. But if we can build our sports programs on strong moral foundations, we will help the participants become better people.

The Olympics provide a tremendous opportunity to celebrate the goodness of sport.

As Vince Lombardi once said, "The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence."

Edward T. Hastings (hastinge@neumann.edu) is the director of the Institute for Sport, Spirituality and Character Development at Neumann College. He played basketball at Monsignor Bonner High and the Villanova team that went to the 1971 NCAA finals.

Posted By: Jim Roynan

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Ads on Wagdogs (revisited)

We have re-introduced advertising onto the web site using a new service that provides direct control over the ads that get placed on the site. We'll review each of the ads and approve only the ones that are suitable for our members. If one slips through that you think is objectionable, please let us know and we'll remove it.

We've also introduced full page ads on the site. You should only see these ads no more than once or twice per day during your visits to Wagdogs. These ads help us offset the cost of running the site and will provide us with an additional revenue source that we can use as part of our goal to share the revenue we produce through your use of the site (we'll have an announcement on that in the near future). You can click the "Skip this Ad" link on the top right of the ad if it does not interest you and return to your original destination.

We invite your feedback and input on the ads, their placement on the site, and their acceptability. Please let us know what you think.

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Playing Time

Should there be mandatory playing time for all levels of CYO Athletics?

I recently had the pleasure of meeting with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's Region 17 Board of Directors in West Chester. They are a dedicated, energetic, and passionate group of people who do great things for the kids in that region.

After the meeting ended, I stayed around for a few minutes to see if anyone had any questions about Wagdogs. The conversation turned, as it invariably does in these settings, to the issues we face in running youth sports organizations. And in this particular case, we ended up discussing whether there are valid reasons to have a child spend an entire game on the bench, regardless of the level of competitive play.

By virtue of our volunteering in a CYO organization, we agree to support and promote the Athletic Ministry mission of managing "a sports program that allows youth to grow in their relationship with God and come to better understand themselves and the Catholic Faith." The first objective of that mission is to have a program that "employs healthy and enjoyable competition to promote the sharing of gospel values among athletes, parents and coaches."

There is great debate among administrators, coaches, and parents about whether every child that regularly attends practices and games, works hard, is respectful and cooperative, and is a good teammate should be given the opportunity to play at least a few minutes in every game. Many organizations and some regions mandate playing time for both Region and Parish teams, but give the coaches the flexibility to adjust playing time guidelines for playoffs and tournaments, as well as for rules violations or disciplinary reasons. That seems like a fair balance between our responsibility to develop each child's spiritual, emotional, and physical growth and the lesson that sometimes the needs of the team supersede those of the individual.

However, there are arguments to be made on both sides. One father with whom I spoke, whose daughter sat out an entire game early in a season, said that the situation motivated her to work harder to become a better player. In a short period of time, she raised her motivation and skills and became a regular in the coach's substitution rotation. I don't know whether that was the coach's intent in bypassing her originally, but it worked out for the best in that case.

What are your thoughts about playing time, coaches' responsibilities, and how to manage what is arguably the most important issue we face each season?

Posted By: Jim Roynan

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Ads on Wagdogs

You'll notice that the Google ads are currently not showing on the site. As more people use the site, the number of ads that are served to the site continues to increase. With that increase comes additional risk that objectionable ads are shown. We had an instance recently where an inappropriate ad was brought to our attention. Until we can investigate the reasons why this ad appeared and take steps to block it and all material that is inappropriate to our community, we have removed the ads entirely from the site. We apologize to anyone who has encountered such an ad, and want you to know that we are committed to the online safety and enjoyment of our Wagdogs community.

We'd like to thank you again for your support of Wagdogs. The site continues to evolve, and we are seeing more and more traffic. We have more enhancements and additions in the works, and will be providing you with more information as we get closer to the update.

Jim

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Welcome to Wagdogs!

My name is Jim Roynan and together with my partner, Dan Worth, we are creating Wagdogs as the premier destination for everyone involved in youth sports. Between us, we have more than 25 years of experience and have filled almost every role in youth sports organizations, from Board member to working in the snack stand. This weblog, or "blog," will be where we keep you informed of our plans for Wagdogs, highlight some of the features of the site, and also where we share with you our thoughts and perspectives on youth sports.

Our goal is to create a community of youth sports players and advocates that provides real value to everyone involved in running, managing, coaching, officiating, or playing in youth sports organizations. We welcome your comments and feedback on any aspect of our site, including our blog posts. We encourage lively, insightful, cooperative, and respectful exchanges of ideas. Future enhancements to Wagdogs will continue to offer tools and opportunities that further the "social community" interactions among Wagdogs' community members.

Wagdogs will help organizations and their members communicate better, faster, and more efficiently than traditional methods have allowed. Through the integration of our administrative tools and personalized web pages, we hope to eliminate (or at least greatly reduce) questions like "What time is Billy's baseball game on Thursday?" or "Did Ashley's soccer game get rained out today?" or "Who won the volleyball game on Tuesday night?" We hope that Wagdogs becomes an integral, valuable part of your participation in youth sports. If we're not fulfilling that mission, then please let us know.

We'll regularly post to this area of the site, and over time you'll learn more about Wagdogs, our team, and our plans for the site. Thanks for being a member, and we look forward to working with and hearing from you.

Jim

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