EYE ON THE PROFESSION
A CLOSER LOOK AT TRENDS AND ISSUES IN THE PARK AND RECREATION PROFESSION
The Violence Must Stop
Let's be leaders in the youth sports movement and take steps to prevent
disruptive behavior at youth sporting events and emphasize FUN!
William J. M. Wald, CPRP
IPRA Executive Director
In Reading, Mass., a father was fatally beaten by another
father at their sons' hockey practice. A youth baseball coach
in Florida broke the jaw of an umpire because of a disputed call. In Illinois, four football coaches and an 11-year-old player were injured in a brawl after a football
game. These are recent headline stories. I'm sure in your
town you could write a few of your own.
Did you know that 70 percent of the approximately 20
million children who participate in organized, out-of-school
athletic programs will quit by the age of 13 because of
unpleasant sports experiences. That's 17.5 million kids
who are dropping out of sports and that's a shame.
Youth sports in its purest form "is the greatest tool we
have in today's society to help children develop positive
character traits and life values," says Fred Engh, president
of the National Alliance For Youth Sports and author of
the book Why Johnny Hates Sports. (This book should be
required reading for any parent, coach, official or administrator.)
Engh points out several reasons why parents, coaches
and even children are acting so badly. First, we are being
desensitized by all the violence we see in the media, on our
playing fields and even in our communities. Secondly,
parents have unrealistic expectations for their child's future in youth sports. They want their child to be the next
Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretsky or Dan Marino.
Third, some parents are living their lives vicariously
through their child's sports experiences. They view their
child's participation as their second chance to succeed and
be a winner. If their child fails, they feel as though they
have failed. This can have a crippling effect on a young
athlete. Finally, there are those parents whose egos get in
the way. They are determined to prove their child is the
best at all costs. They are the ones berating the coach for
not playing their child more and yelling at their child to
get tough, concentrate, make it happen!
What is going on across our country? More importantly,
what is happening on our ballfields, on our courts, in our
facilities? And, ultimately, what are we as park and recreation professionals going to do about these displays of
violence and poor sportsmanship in youth sports? By doing nothing, we are condoning this behavior.
Illinois is the leader in parks and recreation across the
country. We must also be the leaders in tackling this horrendous trend. We must be committed to helping every
child have a positive and safe experience in youth sports.
This is a call to action. Here are some ideas regarding what
you can do to improve your youth sports programs.
Written Policies
It is essential for your organization to have written policies and procedures concerning your youth sports programs. They ensure consistency among programs and facilities. They also establish a common dialogue among
administrators, volunteers, officials, coaches, parents and
players. In the case of a lawsuit or negligence claim, these
policies will strengthen the organization's defenses. Finally,
they demonstrate your agency's commitment to providing safe and positive sports experiences for all participants.
Written policies should include a mission statement and
philosophy of your program which will set the tone and
direction for your organization. They should also include
sport specific rules so everyone is on the same page and
arguments with the officials can be avoided. Of paramount
importance are policies concerning conduct and behavior.
Partnering with NAYS
For several years, the IPRA has been a partner with the
National Alliance For Youth Sports (NAYS), whose slogan
is "Better Sports for Kids.. .Better Kids for Life." This organization has done a tremendous job establishing education
programs for youth sports administrators, volunteers,
coaches, officials, parents and kids.
NAYS promotes the National Standards for Youth Sports
(see sidebar) as well as written codes of ethics. Coaches
from numerous park and recreation agencies in Illinois as
well as across the country have been trained though the
Alliances National Youth Sports Coaches Association program. IPRA will be hosting NAYS' Academy for Youth
Sports Administrators in the spring. The program, which
IPRA strongly supports, is the Alliance's Parents Association for Youth Sports (PAYS). This program's main focus is
making parents aware of their roles and responsibilities in
youth sports and includes a parent's code of ethics.
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20 million children
who participate in
organized,
out-of-school athletic
programs
will
quit by
the age of 13
because of
unpleasant sports
experiences.
|
In Jupiter, Fl., this year more than 2,000 parents participated in the nations first mandatory PAYS program
8 / Illinois Parks and Recreation
implemented by the Jupiter-Tequesta Athletic Association
(JTAA) which provides a variety of sports programs for
over 6,000 youngsters annually. If the parents didn't attend the PAYS' sportsmanship training program, their child
was not allowed to participate in JTAA's programs.
Sound harsh? Is this any tougher than dealing with the
aftershocks of a parent head-butting a referee? Many of us
make it mandatory for our administrators, coaches, and
officials to receive proper training. Why not parents?
Follow Their Lead
If you investigate the PAYS program and for one reason
or another decide it is not for your agency, you can still be
proactive.
"There isn't a particular incident which sparked this
effort," says Dan Novak, athletic supervisor from Wheaton
Park District, about its training program for coaches, players, officials and parents including rules of conduct and
standards of play. "We're trying to avoid a bad situation by
taking preventative measures to stay ahead of the game."
Wheaton's first focus is on parents and developing a
parents training program, which is currently awaiting park
board approval. The district will be creating a video to be
shown at a mandatory parent meeting that will include a
guest speaker and question/answer session. Parents will be
required to sign a code of conduct at that time. Novak
then will be focusing on implementing training programs
for coaches, officials and players, too.
In Springfield, Ill., Ted Campbell, a member of the
Lincoln Heritage Soccer League, is spearheading a similar
project. This organization is implementing a program to
educate parents about acting responsibly at their child's
sporting events. When parents register their child for soccer, they will be required to sign a code of ethics contract.
They are also preparing a code of ethics for coaches.
"We want to bring the focus back to the kids," says
Campbell. "We want to downplay winning and emphasize good sportsmanship."
Affiliate Organizations
Don't overlook your affiliate organizations (e.g., AYSO,
youth football, etc.). These groups should also be required
to provide proper training to their administrators, coaches,
officials, parents and players. They should endorse the
National Standards for Youth Sports. We create agreements
with these organizations for use of our fields and facilities.
We can require these groups to endorse our youth sports
policies and procedures or require them to create their
own per our approval. By doing this not only are we
ensuring safe and positive youth sports experiences in district programs, but across the community as well.
I am challenging you to take action. I disagree with
Vince Lombardi who said "winning isn't everything, it's
the only thing." I much prefer to be a proponent of the
philosophy that it's not whether you win or lose, it's how
you play the game. *
National Standards for Youth Sports
The National Standards for Youth Sports were created in 1988 by a panel of
experts and have been endorsed by hundreds of recreation agencies across the
nation. Encourage your department, administration, park board and leagues to
demonstrate their support by formally (in writing) endorsing the National
Standards for Youth Sports and Coaches Training. Please send a copy of the
resolution or endorsement to the IPRA office. The IPRA board has endorsed
theses standards for the past five years.
Standard #1 - Proper Sports Environment
Parents must consider and carefully choose the proper sports environment for their
child, including the appropriate age and development for participation, the type of
sport, the rules in the sport, the age range of the participants, and the proper level of
physical and emotional stress.
Standard #2 - Programs Based on the Well-being of Children
Parents must select youth sports programs that are developed and organized to
enhance the emotional, physical, social, and educational well-being of children.
Standard #3 - Drug & Alcohol-Free Environment
Parents must encourage a drug and alcohol-free environment for their children.
Standard #4 - Part of a Child's Life
Parents must recognize that youth sports are only a small part of a child's life.
Standard #5 - Training
Parents must insist that coaches are trained and certified.
Standard #6 - Parents' Active Role
Parents must make a serious effort to take an active role in the youth sports
experience of their child, providing positive support as a spectator, coach, league
administrator and/or caring parent.
Standard #7 - Positive Role Models
Parents must be positive role models, exhibiting sportsmanlike behavior at games,
practices, and home while also giving positive reinforcement to their child and
support to their child's coaches.
Standard #8 - Parental Commitment
Parents must demonstrate their commitment to their child's youth sports
experience by annually signing a parental code of ethics.
Standard #9 - Safe-playing Situations
Parents must insist on safe-playing facilities, healthful playing situations and
proper first-aid applications, should the need arise.
Standard #10 - Equal Play Opportunity
Parents, coaches and league administrators must provide equal sports play
opportunity for all youth regardless of race, creed, sex, economic status or ability.
Standard #11 - Drug & Alcohol-Free Adults
Parents must be drug and alcohol-free at youth league sporting events.
— The National Alliance for Youth Sports, www.nays.org
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