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Monday, September 6, 2010

Fall Good Sportsmanship Reminder

Dear Good Sports:

As families start their fall sports, I thought it was a great idea to post these comments from the Boonsboro Soccer League as a handy reminder for parents and children everywhere:

A good sports program is one that will not only teach children the basics of the game, but one that will teach children to respect one another, be good sportsmen and good athletes, a good person to everyone they meet ... A well rounded athlete will learn how to deal with everyday problems and be a more courteous and civil person as well as player on the field. They will not be as aggressive or hog the ball when others want to play.

There are times when a little aggression is needed in any sport in order to make a goal or get past an opponent for a score. But there are other times when aggression is not warranted anywhere on the field or off and penalties and consequences are dolled out to players who play too rough. It’s a coach’s job to make sure player realize that aggressive behavior is not what a game is all about. Soccer is a game of fun and the main reason most of the kids join a team. Winning is nice, but it is not everything."


Of course this was written for a Soccer League but it's a great reminder for all sports teams about how to act, and that how you act on the field can carry over into how you act in life.

Boonsboro Soccer League feels their league "...teaches respect for one another as well as oneself while building the players self confidence and playing skills ... Having the basic skills as a soccer player is good, but having team spirit, sportsmanship and the willingness to allow other players to take the spotlight once in a while is a mark of a great athlete and a team player."

Lots of good stuff to remember as football, soccer, field hockey and more start!

Leslie
P.S. If you have children or grandchildren ages 4 to 8, our book The Kids' (and Parents', too!) Book of Good Sportsmanship is very popular for parents and children to read together.

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