MAKING IT EASIER: COACH TESTIMONY

When I first became a head football coach I soon realized that coaching football fundamentals and schemes was a small part of coaching.  The other part was the need to teach life lessons, values, and counsel these young men in times of crises. I came up with many ways to accomplish this and many were very successful but very hard to continue. I searched lessons on the internet, bought books, had daily quotes, had special speakers but never had a set curriculum to follow. It seemed I was always behind and I was out of ideas, but I knew this was a very important part of coaching a team. At one point I even contemplated changing schools so I could start over with all the things I had done.

Then I heard about SportsLeader and attended one of their clinics. While at the clinic I bought a book with stories teaching virtues, but instead of jumping on board using the whole program, I just used the stories as a resource to teach lessons for the next two years. I really didn’t understand how the program was supposed to work and since I had done it myself for so long I was afraid of trying something new. When I ran out of ideas, again, I finally jumped on board to the total SportsgLeader Program.

I had Lou come and teach the program to my staff and I and the rest is history. The program has made this part of coaching so much easier. The program is easy to follow and the curriculum is very detailed. Everything I had done in the past was all laid out for me in a very easy format for me and my coaches to follow.

One of the things that I was a little concerned about was that some people think that teaching simple human virtues is somehow crossing a line at a public school. It has never been a problem because SportsLeader has found a way to teach these much needed virtues by presenting it in a way that anyone can accept: goal setting, quotes, movie clips ... it has been a very unifying force within our program

In fact, we have an assistant coach who proclaims to be an atheist and he ended up doing the best job incorporating the program and teaching these important virtues. It was amazing to see him inspiring and teaching our players and how well they responded to him.

SportsLeader has helped change my program in a positive way and has done it with minimal effort.  I wish I would have had this program ten years ago it would have saved me a lot of time, money and effort. We are looking forward to seeing what new and exciting stories SL has come up with in the new Season 2 version.

Kent Wright
Head Football Coach
Lebanon High School

SPORTSLEADER ANNUAL APPEAL

Dear SportsLeader Supporter,


We are now working with well over 100 schools across the United States and Canada and momentum is growing. We have touched over 5,000 lives with mentoring, father-son and father-daughter jersey nights, virtue camps and dozens of other traditions that have imprinted memories that will last a lifetime.

WE NEED STAFF

Because of SportsLeader's rapid growth, we are looking to bring on one and possibly two new full time members to effectively manage the positive acceptance with coaches and athletes at every level. In our short history of eight years, we have survived almost entirely on limited donations. However, we have reached the point that an annual fundraising request has become critical to our ability to accomplish the "mission" of helping coaches raise the maturity level of their athletes. The NEED for virtue has never been more apparent.

We must rely on your help. If you have ever benefitted from SportsLeader, we ask you to consider participating in our first SportsLeader fund drive.

Please consider a contribution of $30, $50, $100, $1,000 or more. Your financial support will directly aid coaches in their quest to help young people become the type of mature citizens - athletes we can all be proud of.

CLICK HERE TO CONTRIBUTE

SportsLeader, Inc. is a 501 (c)  (3) not for profit and all donations are fully tax deductible.  If you prefer writing a check, please  make payable to SportsLeader, Inc. and mail to:

SportsLeader, Inc.
1974 - A Douglass Blvd.
Louisville, KY 40205

We are grateful for your support.

Best regards,

Lou Judd

The Impact a Letter Can Make

One of the traditions that we encourage coaches to make a part their program is a "season-ending letter" to each one of the players in their mentor group.

I just recently had a personal experience of how amazing a simple letter can be, both for the writer and the receiver.

 

23 years ago when I was a Junior in High School I had a math teacher by the name of Robert Sagedy. He was, without a doubt, THE best math teacher and one of the the best overall teachers I ever had.

 

As many of you know, I am not the "sharpest tool in the shed" and in math, even less. 

 

At the end of the school year Mr Sagedy was kind enough to write me a very nice one page letter. Mr Sagedy is the type of man who truly loves his students and he poured everything he had into them in an astounding way.

 

Well a few days ago my Dad found that letter at his home and he mailed it to me. It is hard to describe what one feels reading something like that 23 years later.

 

Today as I was driving, out of the blue, I remembered that one day in class I was not getting what Mr Sagedy was trying to teach us, not much of a surprise there. But what was a surprise was that Mr Sagedy tried 9 different ways to explain the concept. He never got upset, never got flustered or impatient.

 

Finally on the 9th try I got it and from that moment forward I did so much better in that class. A little background - I hated math and did not do well in it. So helping a student understand, excel and "slightly" enjoy the subject is pretty miraculous.

 

I decided to make an effort to see if I could make contact with this great man. Here is the beauty of the internet. 

 

I found a Robert A. Sagedy with the same zip code as my old high school. I called and the answering machine picked up - it was Rita Sagedy. I had no idea what I was doing so I left the message saying that I was looking for an old teacher, apologizing if I had the wrong number.

 

Rita called back 4 minutes later. She explained that her husband is 73 and has alzheimer's and probably will not remember you but please give it a try and be patient. She put us on speaker.

 

He instantly remembered who I was and we had a wonderful conversation to the complete amazement of his wife. She said he has trouble remembering what he had for breakfast much less ... 

 

I explained that I had 5 children and he quipped, "Well at least you learned how to multiply." Classic Mr Sagedy.

 

At the end of the call, he got very emotional and said, "This is what I live for. To know that I did some good in someone's life. You have no idea what this means to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You've made my year. Please mail me a letter with a family photo. I appreciate this so much."

 

You can't put a price tag on an experience like this.

 

So please - write a letter to your players. You never know - that letter might help you, the writer, 23 years later more that you will ever know right now.

 

And of you feel the need to reach out to a former teacher or coach to thank them. Please do. You may make their year!

Virtue = Strength, Lou

Ohio State Wrestling Coach Discusses Heartache of Losing Son

PRIMARY TAB

Coach Tom Ryan is a special man at the collegiate level. The pressure to win, the pressure to get your priorities out of whack is unrelenting ... but as you can read from the story below, he has his perspective very clear.

 

By Paul Daugherty: Ohio State wrestling coach discusses heartache of losing son

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120415/COL03/304150076/Doc-Wrestling-coach-inspired-by-his-late-son

Tom Ryan said, "Ache is my favorite word when it comes to learning something." Nothing comes free, he suggested. Not wisdom, not truth, not success. Not even sadness. Sadness costs.

Ryan is a wrestling coach, one of the best. In six years at Ohio State, Ryan has led the Buckeyes to two second-place finishes nationally. This past season, they beat Ryan’s alma mater and perennial title contender Iowa, in a dual meet. He was at Elder High on Sunday, working a clinic for kids attending the Premier Technique Wrestling Camp.

When it was over, Ryan offered a short talk. There was nothing exceptional about his urgings. Work hard, sacrifice for your craft, strive to be your best. The room was politely quiet. Then he talked about sadness, and everything changed.

Teague died Feb. 16, 2004. He was 5 when his heart stopped suddenly as he ran around the house, this glad presence, playing hide-and-seek with his mom.

Teague was Tom’s son. Or, rather, is Tom’s son. Death doesn’t change that. "I have four children," is how Tom began his talk. Three are alive.

How Tom has ached and what he has learned could fill a star with tears and a library with books. Five-year-olds aren’t supposed to die. They are the definition of life. There aren’t enough Whys in the world to frame adequately that aching question. Some answers, we’re not meant to know.

The ache has spawned learning for Tom Ryan, even as no one should have to learn anything that way.

"I know that the unexpected can happen in an instant," Tom says now. "I know there’s a heaven. I know to live every second."

Teague Ryan was on his back on a coffee table. His dad administered CPR. Tom Ryan tried it for 14 minutes – he remembers now, still, exactly 14 minutes – then he picked up his son and ran out into the street. Nine-one-one had been called. Tom didn’t know what else to do. So he took Teague over his shoulder and down the street, hoping to buy a few seconds.

His wife was in the house, screaming for the paramedics to hurry.

Forty-five minutes later, 5-year-old Teague Ryan was pronounced dead. Six months earlier, he’d had a throat infection. No one knew it had spread to his heart muscle and weakened it severely. Teague had a physical exam just three weeks earlier. "They checked his heart," Tom said. "Perfectly fine. No warning whatsoever."

Teague had spent all of the previous two days by his dad’s side. Tom coached wrestling at Hofstra at the time. Tom said, "It turned out Teague was a time bomb. It could have happened any time."

You can bury a 5-year-old, but that’s purely physical. Everything else remains.

"What kind of kid was he?” I asked Tom.

"Like every dad would say: Best kid in the world," said Tom. "He was magnetic. He would tell girls they were adorable. Had a personality bigger than life."

Teague wore his sister’s one-piece bathing suit to the pool, because he thought it looked like a wrestler’s singlet. He had a pair of woolen mittens he liked so much, he wrestled in them. Wrestling is a clannish sport: Sons wrestle because fathers wrestled. Fathers learn in the rec rooms of their childhood homes. Tom looked at his youngest son and saw a kid who’d go as far as his desire would take him.

"He was full of life. He was an original. Flavorful," Tom called Teague.

Now, eight years later, Teague is the inspiration Tom would give anything not to have.

Tom has delivered his message of ache and learning hundreds of times. It has helped him heal. He has a platform for impacting the lives of the young. He feels blessed. He really does.

"When I realized that heaven is real and Teague was in heaven and that’s where I’m going to go, that’s when I was OK talking about it," is how Tom explained it. "We all have pain in life. I don’t know too many people who don’t have something that brings them to their knees. But I know there’s something after."

They named Teague after an Oklahoma State wrestler Tom knew, Teague Moore. Plus, they just liked the name. Tom believed Teague meant "warrior" in Irish and/or Gaelic. Actually, Teague means "poet or philosopher." Maybe Teague Ryan would have been those, too.

Maybe he is already, inside his dad. "Nobody caused me to hunger for the truth of life more than this kid has," Tom said. He offered a picture he’d taken when Teague was 5, not long before he died. Teague wore a singlet, arms extended and curled, striking a victory pose.

"That was Teague," Tom said.

TOP 5 THINGS ATHLETES DO NOT WANT IN A COACH

As a follow-up to our list of things high school athletes DO WANT in a coach ... Here are the top 5 they DO NOT WANT in a coach.

 

 

1. Mean, disrespectful, yells with no purpose. Discouraging and negative, belittles players.

 

2. Lazy, not dedicated. They are only there for practices and games and they don't care about anything else.

 

3. Favoritism - Starts players not based on skill or earned hard work.

 

4. Not understanding or willing to listen. Unable to encourage after a loss or disappointments.

 

5. Arrogant and sarcastic. Makes players feel even worse after they know they made a mistake. 

 

 

Analyzing all 5 there is one virtue that stands out immediately that will get rid of most of these bad qualities pretty quick: CHARITY.

 

We define charity very simply as the strength to do good for others.

PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER: COACH TESTIMONY

Lou,

I wanted to thank you for introducing our wrestling team to the virtue formation program.

The St. Xavier wrestlers, parents, coaches and community really appreciate the unique benefits of the Sports Leader Virtue Program. This season you could see the positive impact, on the mat and off. We always look at athletics as an extension of the classroom. Wrestling provides opportunities to assist young men in their formation as sons, leaders and some day, fathers and husbands.

The Sports Leaders format has allowed us to incorporate virtue into most aspects of our practices, matches and the time we spend interacting with each other as a team.

You could see the impact each day; wrestlers volunteering within the program to help in any way they could, giving of themselves for others. Guys wanted to do well not for just for themselves, but for the team.

You could also notice little things that demonstrated their friendships growing within the team. We used to ask for volunteers to clean the mats after each practice. Now guys come up to the coaches and ask if they can take care of that.
Another thing we noticed were guys stopping in the classrooms during their free periods, just to sit in and visit their teammates and coaches. They definitely feel they are a part of something bigger than themselves.

The team has grown in their relationships with each other and their brothers, sisters and parents. The “Singlet Night,” the “Mom Letters” and “Movie Nights” are just a few of the many ways of fomenting the positive relationships we strive for.  We look forward to next season and the continued relationship with Sports Leader.

Sincerely,
Coach Tim “Mac” McDonald
Head Wrestling Coach St. Xavier HS
Cincinnati, Ohio

FAITH, LOVE AND FOOTBALL: PLAYER TESTIMONY

Here is a tremendous testimony written by a former player ... this is a number of years after his experience. You can see how much of an impact his coaches made.

Well, well worth the read.

 

LIKE SportsLeader on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/SportsLeader/223927884292066

 

 

FAITH, LOVE, AND FOOTBALL
By: Casey Bolsega 

As some of you may know, I attended Roncalli High School and played football for the Rebels. This article was also featured in the 2011 Indiana Football Digest, but I wanted to share it with all of you as well. This is about my time at Roncalli and what Rebel Football means to me. I hope you enjoy, it truly is from my heart.

"I would like to thank Paul Condry for giving me the opportunity to talk about a person who has had one of the most positive impacts in my life. I had the pleasure to play under Bruce Scifres for three varsity seasons. It’s difficult to put into words the life lessons I learned through playing Roncalli Rebel Football, with Scifres being the cornerstone of it all.

During my time at Roncalli I was a member of three Class 4A State Championship teams. I never lost a playoff game. The victory my senior year made Roncalli the first school in the state of Indiana to win eight state championships. Although success was obvious on the field, our success was driven by faith.

Bruce Scifres has taught me more about the game of life than any person besides my mother. He leads by example. He would never ask anything of his team that he did not fully believe would benefit them, not only on the football field, but throughout their lives.

I am taking this opportunity to talk about how football shaped my faith and the impact Scifres has had on my life.

FAITH AND FOOTBALL

Faith, family, and football is a phrase that is used quite often, but one that is rarely lived out on the gridiron as well as life. Integrating faith into football is a unique concept to many people.

Roncalli Football strengthened my faith. Praying after every practice, before every play, during plays, and even when I was watching my team from the sideline, became an integral part of football. Something as simple as “Lord help me execute,” became words that were whispered thousands of times on hollowed ground on Friday nights.

Scifres is known as being a strategist when it comes to football, but few people know about his prayer strategy and how it leads to success. Never once did I pray to win a game. Never once did I ask God to help us beat a team. Instead, I asked God to help me execute my assignment. I prayed for a safe contest. I prayed for the strength to overcome any adversity I would face.

Scifres always told us that by using our God giving talents on the football field and laying everything on the line in a way we glorified God. Scifres would never take credit; instead he would give all the credit to God. That might be a hard concept to grasp, but not if you have a firm grasp on your own faith and what your ministry is on this earth.

There are faith-driven moments that give me chills to this day that were part of our “pre-game warm-up.” During our pre-game stretches, Chris “Cubby” Belch, our defensive coordinator, would walk around to every player with a crucifix in his hand, and allow them to touch it, reminding us of the pain endured by Jesus Christ for us. It reminded us that no obstacle, pain, or adversity we would face would be greater than Jesus Christ dying so that we may have everlasting life.

Before we left the locker room and headed out to the battlefield, Scifres would lead the team in “building the fortress.” Every player would come together, put their helmet up in the air, and build the fortress. Scifres would speak and 90+ brothers would echo him. “Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside, Christ over me, Christ under my feet, let all around me be Christ.” Building the fortress before every game was a constant reminder that in order for us to achieve our goals, Christ must encompass our every action on the field.

There are many things that contributed to Roncalli’s success over the past 25 years. We’ve had teams that are very talented. We’ve had teams that are very hard working. But every team at Roncalli is taught how to play faith-driven football. That is where the success comes from. Scifres used to always say, “I’m a firm believer that when God mixes with ordinary people, extraordinary things can happen.” To me, faith and football is an interdependent relationship. Luckily, we had faith on our side, and used our God given gifts to make history.

THE LOVE OF A FOOTBALL COACH

The love of a football coach, some might think it is a bit unusual to talk about the love shared between coaches and players. For me, it has taught me to be the man that I am today. To give you a little better background about myself, I was raised in a single parent household. My mother played the roll of a father as well as being an exemplary mom. In the early years, lacking a positive male role model caused some struggles in my life, but I was introduced to a large group of positive male role models in the form of coaches when I entered Roncalli’s halls.

In a recent interview with Scifres, he talks about what he thinks it means to be a successful father. “The role of a father is by far the most important job I will ever have,” Scifres said. “I think anyone that is a father that is their most important job. Loving, taking care of our kids, teaching them right form wrong, and being a good role model for them. I think we need to strive each day to convince our kids that we love them. We try to carry that over into our football program too.”

Scifres practices what he preaches. Every year, he takes a new group of sophomores; fine tunes them to be impactful on the football field, but shows them the love and compassion to ensure that they know how much he loves them. I can’t recall all of the instances in which a coach told me they loved me, but what is engraved in my head is the love that was shown by my coaches.

It didn’t stop with Scifres. The whole coaching staff was simply mirror images of Scifres. Chris Strykowski, Chris “Cubby” Belch, Ray Shelburn, Bobby “Grif 1” Griffin, Jerre McManama, Eddie Keller, Brian Lauck, Mike Sahm, Trevor Wilson, and Tim Puntarelli all showed the love of a football coach.

I can recall Coach Puntarelli, who also is the Dean of Students at Roncalli, coming up to me before every game, give me a hug, look me in the eyes, and say “I love you.” I’m not sure if he did that with everyone, just a select few, just me, or players that he knew needed that male role model, but it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that his actions spoke louder than his words. I knew “Pun,” as we called him, did in fact love me.

Scifres was the leader of the pack, but the rest of the coaches knew the role they played, not only in the Xs and Os, but in our young lives was just as crucial.

Being involved with high school football has given me a new outlook on the positive influence this group of men had on my life. I have encountered Scifres and other coaches more in the past year than I have since I played for them. Each time I see them, it’s common practice for us to embrace with a hug. I often wonder what other people think when they see two grown men hugging, but then again I do not care. I am hugging the men who have become fathers for me. They were fathers when I didn’t have one. They were fathers when my head was down. They were fathers there to tell me what is right and what is wrong when sometimes I didn’t know for myself. Most importantly, they taught me how to be a father, something that will stay with me until I have the opportunity to be father myself and continue the legacy of being a great man, taught by Bruce Scifres and all my other coaches at Roncalli High School.

I will end with a moment that I will never forget. This past year I had one of the proudest moments in my professional career. I was with Scifres at the Coach of the Week banquet this past season, he looked me in the eyes, and said “Casey, I love you, and I’m so proud of the man you have become.” My response was a simple “thank you,” but Scifres knew that those two words spoke volumes about my appreciation for all he has done for me.

Thank you to Coach Scifres and all of my other coaches at Roncalli for helping me become a man. Luckily for me, they were able to teach me these valuable lessons through the game I love, football." 

TOP 5 THINGS ATHLETES WANT IN A COACH

I had the opportunity to speak with twelve athletes last week at Newport Central Catholic High School. The group consisted of 6 boys and 6 girls, all Seniors, who had played a variety of sports. I was impressed to see that their answers were all very similar. They answered the surveys individually and then we discussed their responses.

 

1. Just (Fair and honest) - Lets those who try their hardest and do their best play

 

2. A good communicator and motivator - be able to motivate each individual and the team as a group

 

3. Disciplinarian - can be fun but also lays down the law, strict but caring

 

4. Personable - Works to help all players not just some, is approachable. Helps off the field - encourages good grades, etc

 

5. Respectful - Has a cool head - doesn't explode at bad calls or when things do not go perfect. 

 

 

Do you and and your coaching staff live these 5 qualities - virtues?

 

We will share the 5 things they would NOT want in a coach later this week.

THE PRINCIPLE OF LITTLE VICTORIES

Yesterday I had the wonderful privilege of spending the day listening to a man of wisdom. His name is Bill Myles. I went with Joe Lukens and Chris Willertz to discuss SportsLeader, mentoring and many other things. It was a memorable experience.

 

One phrase my Dad would say frequently was, "That coach forgets more about football before breakfast than others will learn their whole life." 

 

I felt like "the other" yesterday so I was happy to soak it in.

 

Coach Myles was a high school head football coach and an offensive line coach for the Universities of Nebraska and Ohio State. He coached Joe while he was at OSU.

 

We met him at his home and he gave us the tour. I was amazed how he would remember players names, numbers, stats, plays ... You could tell that every one of his players was important to him. He rarely spoke about championships, and there were many, but he spoke at length about his players as people.

 

At one point over lunch, he shared a really good nugget ... I paraphrase (and I won't do it justice)

 

"A mistake that many coaches make is that they forget the principle of little victories. For example ... I was watching an offensive line coach one day ... he had his players working the sled. A player goes through - You did not get low enough. Player goes back and does it again. You did not sustain ..."

 

"What that coach did was a huge mistake. You see he first wanted the player to get low. Well on the next try - he did get low. But he did not recognize "the little victory". He wants perfection all at once and that does not happen. Once he gets low, you praise him for that ... he then understands that portion of the skill and then you move on to sustain - or whatever."

 

"One little victory at a time, each one building on the other. You skip the little victories - not only will you not get the big ones, you wouldn't enjoy them as much either."

 

...

 

Let's ask ourselves as coaches - do we celebrate the little victories with our players?

RG3 PRO DAY SHIRT

Virtue Promotion!

We should all do more to get VIRTUE front and center on to our attire.

Let's teach VIRTUE with every method available.

FOOTBALL TEAMS SERVING OTHERS IN NEED

Two awesome examples of virtue in action - instigated by being part of a sports team, a brotherhood, a family that goes way beyond "just" the Friday night lights.

Thank you for your testimonies and your service.

...

Coach Jon Clark

Madison Southern High School, Berea KY

A group of 30 football players and 4 coaches went down to Laurel Co. in an effort to help clean up after these past tornados.  We spent the day in East Bernstadt cleaning up an area where a mobile home had been thrown across the road, through the trees, and down a large wooded hill.  Upon arriving, I think we all felt that there was absolutely no way we could get this area cleaned up as it was overwhelming how severe the distruction was (not to mention is was down a very large and steep wooded hillside).

These young men worked in a way that I am not only proud to have been a part of, but I am also still in awe of the accomplishment.  After 8 hours of tireless effort, the area was not only completely clean, but we had managed to pull the entire frame of the house back up the hill.  The boys even re-ran an entire barbed wire fence line to keep the horses safely away from any glass and materials that still ly in the dirt of the field.

Thanks guys for the hard work!

...

David Skarzynski

Wyandotte Roosevelt High School, Wyandotte MI

On Saturday I went to feed the homeless as a part of our Bear Olympics group. Although I went there for service points I realized it's not about the competition. It's about helping people who have no future, no education, no money, no home, nothing. I realized what they got to have on Saturday we take for granted. For me, and I hope for everyone else, that people will realize to come and join us. The next trip down into Detroit will be on the second Saturday of April. It is on April 10th and everyone is welcome to donate clothes, food, water, toys or just come out and help out and get to know people and their story of how they got to be where they are.

SHEDDING LIGHT ON COLLEGE ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIPS

The below statistics show two things very clearly:

A. There are so many kids playing sports - a true spring of hope and possibility to teach them virtue and life lessons.

B. Getting a college athletic scholarship is not so easy.

So only .6% of our nations high school baseball players may earn a college scholarship but ...

Close to half a million boys can be taught to become virtuous men who will lead their families and change the world making it a better place.

“We stress to parents and students everywhere that you should participate in athletics for the values and benefits that sports can give, not because you want a scholarship,” said Kevin Lennon, the NCAA’s vice president of membership services.

Of the 17 sports listed only 5 had a scholarship percentage of 1% or higher and none cracked 2%.

A study of numbers provided by the National High School Federation and the NCAA:

Baseball
National participants 478,029
Number of college scholarships 2,956.1
Pct. earning scholarships .6%

Boys basketball
National participants 552,935
Number of college scholarships 4,046.7
Pct. earning scholarships .7%

Girls basketball
National participants 449,450
Number of college scholarships 4,329
Pct. earning scholarships .9%

Boys cross country/track and field
National participants 548,821
Number of college scholarships 2,481.7
Pct. earning scholarships .5%

Girls cross country/track and field
National participants 447,520
Number of college scholarships 4,030
Pct. earning scholarships .9%

Football
National participants 1,108,286
Number of college scholarships 15,997.2
Pct. earning scholarships 1.4%

Boys Golf
National participants 159,958
Number of college scholarships 999.1
Pct. earning scholarships .6%

Girls Golf
National participants 69,243
Number of college scholarships 1,076.4
Pct. earning scholarships 1.6%

Boys Soccer
National  participants 383,561
Number of college scholarships 1,683
Pct. earning scholarships .4%

Girls Soccer
National participants 346,545
Number of college scholarships 3,591.9
Pct. earning scholarships 1%

Softball
National participants 371,293
Number of college scholarships 2,774.4
Pct. earning scholarships .7%

Boys swimming and diving
National participants 111,896
College scholarships 891
Pct. earning scholarships .8

Girls swimming and diving
National participants 147,197
Number of college scholarships 1,766.4
Pct. earning scholarships 1.2%

Boys tennis
National participants 156,285
Number of college scholarships 925.6
Pct. earning scholarships .6%

Girls tennis
National participants 172,455
Number of college  scholarships 1,848
Pct. earning scholarships 1.1%

Volleyball
National participants 397,968
Number of college scholarships 3,318
Pct. earning scholarships .8%

Boys wrestling
National participants 259,688
Number of college scholarships 696
Pct. earning scholarships .3%

First District Championship in 13 Years

Here below is a testimony from Mike Key the AD and Boys Head Basketball Coach at Lloyd Memorial High School in Erlanger KY. They have been with SportsLeader for two seasons now and this year they had a tremendous turnaround and a District Championship title for the first time in 13 years beating a school about 4 times their size which is a short bike ride away.

It is so inspiring to see coaches who really pour their hearts into their kids with a vision for the future.

...

Dear Sportsleader,

As I reflected back on our season and the special run we were able to go on at the end, winning the District Championship and making it to the final four in the region, I tried to think about what made a change, was there a specific moment.  In looking at it there is not one that stood out.  Sure we made some tactical changes here and there but we really decided that we were going to be a team that as we put it  “ do what we do”.  That was not only from a basketball standpoint but for entire program.  How we worked with our kids, from the emphasis we put on character and doing the right things at the right time, to holding each other accountable when we didn’t do the right things.  That attitude of being relentless in doing what is right is what allowed us to overcome at the end. 

I have heard Coach K say that each season is a journey that lasts a lifetime and as I continue to work with young people I believe this is true.  Our kids as I am sure everybody’s else’s kids have a lot of issues that are bigger and more challenging than their ability to pass, dribble and shoot.   Our kids at times are not sure where they will sleep that night, who their father is and where he is, whether or not there will be drug and alcohol use going on when they get home, along with the other common high school sports issues of overbearing dad’s and at times unrealistic expectations.  

These take its toll on everyone associated with the basketball program, it makes it harder for young men to trust the coaches, it makes it harder for coaches to trust the players in doing the right things.  It makes for a lot of moments that test what you are made of as a man who will lead young men.  This season was very testing as we went through a 3 and 8 start, we went through several meetings with kids in which of course criticism came upon the players and coaches.  I as a head coach was too much about life lessons and not enough about winning, we had handled a dismissal of a player from the team poorly for continued violation of team rules, the way that we were playing was not beneficial for our kids, our kids were not tough enough and on and on. 

Through that criticism it rallied us around what was most important to me and what was going to be most important to the program and our kids.  Faith, Family, School and Basketball was going to be our focus win or lose.  When we entered the season and took our virtue camp we decided that Sacrifice, Respect and Perseverance were going to be our focus.  We were going to sacrifice for each other, respect ourselves and our opponents and persevere through whatever was to come our way.  The weekly readings and stories became great resources to continue to motivate me and our kids to do what was really important. 

As we entered the end of the season the players were taking more responsibility for their own actions, they were disciplining themselves, from missed lay ups to not having practice shorts that day to staying away from parties on the weekends.  So just as we had decided what was important to us the kids played the District tournament with the same priorities they sacrificed for each other, respected there ability to play with a really good opponent and in the end persevered by hitting a last second shot to win.

As we moved forward the following week after the District Championship, the first for our school since 1999, we decided to clear the air before we started to focus on our next task the regional tournament, we asked each of the kids what the Trophy had meant to them.  As we went around the circle each kid talked about the perseverance, how they had come together and sacrificed for each other. 

Then I was ready to finish the talk and move on to practice, the seniors stopped and said coach you have not said what it means to you.  They wanted to know where I was, so I told them,  my greatest hope for them is that they use the lessons that we had gone through to achieve success and apply it to their lives.  They apply the lessons of hard work, doing the right things, believing in their ability, and sacrifice for each other and families. 

As great as the run that we had went on at the end of the season was,  if they do not go on to become great men then the trophy and the accomplishment will just be a number on a banner and a piece of wood in a trophy case.  So in looking back at the season that we had and the success we think we had,  we will not  know if we were really successful for some time off in the future, when our kids become fathers, husbands, church members, employee’s and citizens.   If they can use some of the lessons that we learned and taught this year then we will have had a great year. 

Thanks,
Mike Key 

When Our Players Move Our Souls

The inspiring fruit of working daily on virtue. You think anyone present at that banquet will forget this? That is a memory that will last a lifetime.

By Bruce Scifres
Head Football Coach Indianapolis Roncalli High School

As I reflected back on our 2011 season, I was filled with a great deal of pride. As I shared with our players at the banquet, we had accomplished many great things.

Everyone in our school community believes that we were one or two key plays away from moving on in the tournament to convincingly win a State Championship. They are probably quite justified in this thinking.

However, at the banquet, I told them to let go of the "what ifs?" and "woulda, shoulda, coulda." I told them to focus on the great accomplishments of this team:


- the strong bonds of friendship and loyalty this team created

- the great leadership shown by our players in our hallways and classrooms at school and in our community

- the neat community service projects this group participated in

- the awesome player-led prayers after each practice and before and after every game

- and the conscious decision these young men made to love and honor their parents by playing with such pride and passion every Friday night.


Winning several very big games this season was merely a by-product of all the things just mentioned.

Usually at our banquet, our parents present some very nice gifts to our senior players paid for with the proceeds from our very popular pre-game tailgating events.

This group of seniors, however, requested that they not receive any senior gifts this year so that all proceeds might go to one of their classmates who is battling cancer.

The pride I felt in my heart at the banquet this year was in part due to the fine football team this group had become, but far more importantly my soul was touched by the charity demonstrated by this awesome group of young men!

Although we were a couple plays away from winning a State Championship this season, I shared with our parents that in every sense of the word, their sons proved to be real Champions in the game of life!

I do realize that I am truly blessed to be a part of their lives. As coaches/teachers/mentors, we have an opportunity to touch the lives of our young people in a positive and powerful way.

More times than not, however, I think it is we, the adults, who end up being most blessed in this process!

** If you'd like to hear an inspiring pre-game speech by one of the Roncalli Assistant Coaches, Chris Belch, click on the link below to watch the video. His speech is at 2:25 of the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eThRzOig0-8

Creating School-Wide Change

Coach Dan Duddy of Monsignor Donovan High School in New Jersey has been a part of the SportsLeader association for many years now as a head coach but something special happened this past summer.

The local Pastor of his Church was so excited about what was going on in Dan's football program that he invited him to work full time in the school as the Pastoral Minister of Athletics bringing the virtue program to all sports at all levels.

He has been at this since September and now it is reaching well beyond sports into clubs, school wide themes, etc. Dan took the time to fly out here to the Cincinnati area a few weeks ago and presented what he is doing to two different Catholic schools in the hope that they would get excited about the idea as well - Newport Central Catholic and LaSalle.

I believe some great things are developing.

Here is an abbreviated version of the video presentation Dan gave that he and some students, teachers, chaplain, parents ... created to help spread the message. Click on the link to watch:

http://www.sportsleader.org/video/monsignor-donovan-virtue-program

 Please forward this on and don't keep it a secret.

We can help other schools, whether public or private, make this happen and help create a culture of virtue.

Five Indicators of a Mature Man

I believe this is worth forwarding on to all of our athletes, both boys and girls.

Boys - this is what we are training them to become.

Girls - this is what you should be looking for in a man.

Five Indicators of a Mature Man By Michael Sliney, LC

1. His top priorities are first God, then his wife, and then his kids. How many men on their death bed wished they had worked longer hours?

2. He overcomes all adversity with calm, determination and a positive spirit.

3. He recognizes his own weakness, especially in the areas of purity and kindness, and makes time for daily prayer, regular Mass and Confession. It's amazing how men can live heroic virtue with the help of God's grace.

4. He is willing to give up part of his "cave time" and free time to serve others.

5. He strives for excellence and integrity in all things, both in his professional and personal life. If he gives his word, he will get it done.

Is Your School a Culture of Misery?

The below article is another extreme wake-up call that our society urgently needs VIRTUE to help transform it.

We need to examine our school - our team and see if it has a culture of misery or a culture of virtue.

Our commitment card is all about this: Charity - I will only think and say positive things about others, especially teammates and coaches.

Let's ask more of ourselves in this area. Let's be more charitable ourselves in the way we speak of others.

My View: It’s time to change schools’ culture of misery
By Jessie Klein, Special to CNN

Editor’s note: Jessie Klein is a sociology and criminal justice professor at Adelphi University. She is the author of “The Bully Society: School Shootings and the Crisis of Bullying in America’s Schools.” During the last two decades, she led and administered high school guidance programs. She served as a supervisor, school social worker, college adviser, social studies teacher, substance abuse prevention counselor and conflict resolution coordinator and worked as a social work professor. You can see more of Klein’s work at jessieklein.com.

(CNN) - Misery has become the norm for young people in school - the Ohio school shooting last week and the case of the Rutgers University cyber-bullying suicide are only the most high-profile of recent related fatalities.

Such despairing actions like suicides and shootings aren’t aberrations. Kids across America are distressed and crying out for help in different ways. When they abuse substances, cut themselves, sink into debilitating depression and paralyzing anxiety, become truant, drop out of school or commit suicide or school shootings, they are saying the same thing: It is too much to bear.

These incidents and the hundreds that came in the decades before, are treated time and again as problems with the individual at the center of the story – but Tyler Clementi and T.J. Lane are not the only lonely teens who were at risk for drastic actions like suicide and shootings.

Educators, parents, and other concerned people often ask me to describe the profile of a bully or someone likely to commit suicide, but this is the wrong question. Instead, we need to examine problem-schools where kids endure a hostile environment every day.

Classic sociologist Émile Durkheim wrote in his seminal work, “Suicide,” that when the same affliction appears again and again, we must question whether something is amiss in our larger social, economic and political sphere. It is no longer reasonable to look merely at familial contexts or only at the pathology of a given individual. When school shootings and suicides persist as they do today, and in the company of high rates of depression, anxiety and social isolation among youth and adults, something must be wrong on a much larger level. Schools are in a position to be part of the solution - but too often they maintain the status quo where children are left to handle everything on their own.

Students are encouraged to be competitive and aggressive, to pursue success - socially and otherwise - with a single-minded zeal, and to step on anyone that gets in their way. Perhaps related, the 2004 General Social Survey reports that social isolation has tripled since the 1980s, while many studies show depression and anxiety have increased significantly among both adults and youth in the same time period.

We see this in the cases of Lane, the alleged school shooter in Ohio, andClementi, who jumped off a bridge after his Rutgers University roommate broadcast online a sexual encounter between Clementi with a man; the roommate, Dharun Ravi, is now on trial for hate crimes and other charges. Lane and Clementi were both described by peers as outcasts. Lane is said to have few friends and a hard home life. Clementi was described as a loner, and lonely. In conversations reported in The New Yorker, Clementi had said: “I need some people in my life.” Both seemed irritated at the other’s “modest roots.”

Kids routinely speak about one another with racist, classist, and other forms of prejudice that objectify others. Girls get called “slut” and “whore,” boys get called “gay,” white poor people are called “white trash” and the list goes on. Increasing one’s social status by putting others down is par for the course. Broadcasting secrets or sexual images of each other is common and part of the culture of deceit, mistrust and cold clawing for recognition that students learn is necessary for social survival.

Schools can’t handle these problems by themselves – it’s difficult for the school community to flourish when it is infiltrated by violent media, hard economic times with little social support, and families without tools to help children navigate a harsh world. There aren’t enough counselors and social workers to help all the students who are having a hard time.

But individualizing the problem is just another way of avoiding it.

While working on my book, “The Bully Society,” I cataloged every shooting that took place in a school - not all of them high-profile or mass shootings - and found that between 1979 and 2009, approximately 30% of the school shootings were related to rage at schools for disciplinary practices which were perceived by the perpetrator to be unjust; 15% related to dating or domestic violence; another 20% consisted of violence directed specifically at girls or women; and 10% of the shootings were triggered by gay-bashing, in which heterosexually identified students tried to prove their masculinity through violence when their sexuality was questioned. These are social problems, not just individual matters.

Schools need to address the concerns children and teens face, openly and honestly and in an environment that promotes empathy. Kids - and adults - ought to be taught how to develop friendships based on trust and care, rather than competition and envy. Kids could use help to share deeply with each other instead of using one another’s secrets as valued commodities to be traded for social status. They need a reprieve from the bully society where so many are out to destroy others in order to make themselves look better

And kids need to be pathologized less. What they need is to be part of compassionate communities.

These can be created and developed by almost anyone. Counselors or social workers could be the ones to start a movement for creating more compassionate school communities - or teachers, parents, or other school faculty. Student leaders, even self-appointed, could build fervor for compassion and care in their schools.

I worked for five years as a social worker in a community-focused school,Humanities Preparatory Academy in New York. Every week, we had all-school, student-led meetings about issues that concerned the school. In Advisories, often called homerooms elsewhere, students discussed their concerns in smaller groups and participated in exercises that helped foster student and school faculty bonding. Even though it was an at-risk school for truant kids, and many came from devastating backgrounds including gangs, homelessness and domestic violence, we helped almost every student get into four-year colleges, and many with scholarships. This school continues to be a mostly peaceful and supportive place, especially as compared to other schools in the same area.

Schools could have all-school emergency meetings if anyone is hurt in the community; we can’t wait for the bullying to become “a repeated offense” as some define it. Prejudicial slurs of any kind should not be tolerated - including any racist, classist, sexist, or otherwise disparaging judgments. People need to stand up and say that speaking of one another pejoratively is unacceptable. It must become everyone’s mission to uphold values of concern for everyone. This can happen in so many ways, like students working in small groups with those they might not otherwise interact.

Every conflict and difficulty needs to become a teaching moment, not a cause for punishment. Students (and adults) must learn how to communicate with one another with respect.

With these efforts, our children will learn and grow with integrity, ethics and a warm regard for themselves and others. In such a school environment, we will have increasingly healthier children. We won’t have to look for what’s wrong with yet another child who exploded in one form or another - we’ll build schools, and in time, a larger society, where children (and adults) finally thrive.

The opinions expressed are solely those of Jessie Klein.

Virtue Front and Center

Two of the speakers at our Coaches Clinic this past weekend were Ron Adams and Bill Sweet from Wyandotte Roosevelt High School in Michigan.

Upon arrival he gave me a copy of their football yearbook (beautifully put together by Ashely Abaloz).

The first thing that caught my attention were all the virtues ... then I realized it was the football yearbook.

That really struck me ... that what their program, their team, their season ... was about was virtue - that is front and center - just as much as the football.

What about your team? What about your yearbook, t-shirts, posters, etc?

What is front and center about your program?

Let's be the change we want to see in our culture.

Building Muscle and Virtue

This past weekend we celebrated the virtue of three athletes and a coach - people who have made a tremendous difference in the lives of others. Over 200 people came to honor them and it was a tribute to the power of influence.

Congratulations to Joseph Fisher, Lauren Hall, Nicholas Holden and Coach Trent Todd. We are blessed to have you in our lives.

We also got a little press. Here is an article from the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Building muscles - and virtue

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120223/NEWS/302230116

Written by Jeanne Houck

MADEIRA — St. Peter urged Christians to supplement their faith with virtue.

Now, St. Gertrude is asking its school’s coaches to supplement their athletic efforts with the same kind of moral excellence.

St. Gertrude School in Madeira has joined SportsLeader, Inc., which trains and provides materials for coaches of grade-school, high-school and college athletic teams to deliver “virtue talks” to students, who also are mentored by adult participants.

Based in Louisville, SportsLeader works with private and public athletic programs at schools throughout the United States and Canada ranging from the St. Xavier High School wrestling team to the Michigan State University football program.

“Following our successful work at implementing a virtue-centered program in our parochial school, I was encouraged by many parents to begin a virtue-centered program in our boosters’ sports program,” said the Rev. André-Joseph LaCasse, pastor of St. Gertrude Church, also in Madeira.

“There was talk that our children needed to be formed in virtue in all disciplines of their lives.”

LaCasse said he asked several of the parents who brought the issue to his attention to form an exploratory advisory board to look into virtue-centered sports programs for St. Gertrude School, which offers pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

“After looking at several, we decided on SportsLeader and contacted Lou Judd, the promoter of the program,” LaCasse said.

“Lou was local and was able to give us all the time we needed to look into his program and begin the training.

“At first it was a challenge, and we had to do a lot of explaining to get the families, coordinators and coaches on board,” LaCasse said.

“Overall it has been a great success. Although we still experience some challenges with the program, the success of our football program last fall with SportsLeader gave us the momentum to continue into the other sports programs.

“We hope to continue to build on the good that has been done, and hope that all will see the great value in this program for our parish,” LaCasse said.

Two Outstanding Young Men

Join us next week Feb 24-25, 2012

FREE Character Building Clinic hosted by SportsLeader for Coaches and Captains
Please RSVP!

Below are a series of emails that I wanted to share that I believe sums up very well what SportsLeader is all about ...

 

The emotion, the passion, the struggles, the hopes ... seeing the results and having a heart exult with pride.

 

Maybe you are not seeing some of these results at this moment ... but KNOW that you are changing lives.

 

Enjoy!

 

LIKE SportsLeader on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/SportsLeader/223927884292066

Lou,

I am sending you this email with joy in my heart, and a bit of emotion on my sleeve.  It has been less than a year still since I took over here at Madison Southern.  With 3 wins in the previous 4 years, you can imagine what the confidence, attitude, and overall work ethic of this place has been.  Not good would be a kind statement.  My goal in taking this job is to of course turn around a program that  everyone feels is a losser, but more importantly I wanted to get closer to the root of impacting kids.  At the collegiant level I only had so much influence, as they are sure of who they are by then.  Madison Southern was my chance to change lives on the ground floor, and make men out of boys.

I have to admitt, at times this year I have struggled to see as much progress as I wanted with my leadership and character development.  During season, it was shining through our young men on a daily basis.  I could see it in their eyes and in their determination to not quite despite a rough season (we won 2 games, which I felt was decent with where we started).  After season, kids go their own ways and they became distant from the program.  This is usually short lived, but I could see the changes in character and virtue taking place, and not for the better.

I am a perfectionist by nature and I want to see every kid that comes through my program become the best he can be.  I struggle sometimes with the realization that this isn't always going to be the case, despite my tireless efforts.  Some people just choose the path of lease resenstance.  That being said, I struggle seeing the good things we are doing sometimes because I am always focused on for lack of a better term, my failures (the ones that I know have the potential to be men of virtue and strength but struggle making good decisions).  I often feel that for every step I take forward with one kid there is always another who will take two steps back.

There is an email below that I recieved today that almost brought me to tears (sad I know, but it hit me).  It is something that has given me fuel to keep fighting the good fight, and ever harder.  I have never felt as proud of anything, as I do of the young men listed in this email.  It reaffirms me that we are getting through to them and that we are making better men.  It takes time and it does not happen over night, but it happens...and because of us.

I have to preference this story a bit, as to why it makes me so emotional.  They young men in this story are young men I selected to do this based on that fact that they have nothing at home...money is very tight and they struggle constantly financially.

Thank you for all your guidance and support.  It is trickling down Lou...1 drop at a time.

Jon Clark

Head Football Coach
Madison Southern High School
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From: Ramage, Amy
Subject: FW: Two Outstanding Young Men at MSHS

Coach Clark,
First, thank you for assisting me by finding two outstanding young men who helped me to move last Friday.  Wes and Brett were both great help.  I wanted to share with you what I shared with Superintendent Floyd this morning.  I have been around young people all of my adult life, and maybe two or three times have I ever been as moved as I was by what Brett Sipple said and did last Friday.

Thanks, again.  I can see the character that you and your program is building in your young men and you should be so proud.  Whether they having a championship season on the field or not, these two young men are going to be winners in the game of life.   Brett invited me to come to a game this fall to see them play.  If I can get back to the area from western Kentucky on a game night, I will definitely be there to see them play.

Thanks, again-
Amy Ramage
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From: Ramage, Amy

Mr. Floyd,

I hope this finds you well.  I wanted to share something with you because this is indicative of what I always found so special about Madison County and the people there.  I think it also represents what you see there and what you are working for every day.

Working through Coach Clark, I asked if he could find me a couple of football players whom I could hire to help me load furniture for the move last Friday.  Coach Clark arranged for Brett Sipple and Wes Proctor to come over Friday after school for $50.00 each.  First, I have to tell you that these two young men were extremely polite and respectful (and they were great heavy lifters!). When I went to pay them is when I was touched more than I have been in a long time.

Brett Sipple explained that he could not take any money because he was seeking to be “an uncommon man” and he wanted to do things for people who needed help without taking anything in return.  He then offered to go with us to help unload (not knowing we were going over 200 miles).  I finally got them to take the $100 on the condition that they find something to do with the money that would make a difference for others—whether it was at their church, their school, or their community.

Eddie and I were so moved we were still talking about it this morning.  I am going to email their coach, but I wanted you to know in case you are at Southern and see them.  I was so impressed with them and the great character that they showed.

Take care,

Amy Ramage
District Assessment Coordinator
Christian County Public Schools