Fall 2018

Cross Country Golf Coaching ASAA Upcoming Events In This Issue: FALL 2018 Zone Recaps "Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible." - Frank L. Gaines EXECUTIVE Basketball DIRECTOR A Year in Review 2017/18 and looking forward to 2018/19 At two months in, and after an excellent ASAA Golf and XC Championships The times they are a changin…….. Have times ever changed since I started with ASAA in 1993. There was no computer at my desk, group faxes were the most efficient form of mass communication. Then this thing called email came and wow, what an amazing way to communication with people. Next was an association website in 1996, and so the technological age came to life at the ASAA. We even did away with hard copy quadruplicate team registration forms in favour of online registrations in 2002. Even more of the ‘wow.’ Before internet was also a time where we made decisions and people actually accepted them. We made phone calls and sent handwritten notes in the mail. The internet age has created so many dynamics for us as an association that we are significantly hampered each time a server goes down or if we cannot get internet access. However, at the same time the things we can do for our constituents has increased dramatically in such a short number of years thanks to technology. Of course, this age of instant everything and the entitlement that some of today’s parents and their children have grown to expect puts a lot of pressure on all of us to address their issues immediately and make decisions on the fly, with them not caring about how this might impact us but only about how they can get their way. On a positive, note it means that many parents are more involved than ever before … but they are not always the parents we want to have more active involvement with, are they? Given the issues that have come across my desk in the past few years, I don’t think that doing the same old thing will work anymore. We have to take a deep look into our philosophy, our Bylaws and Policies and take whatever steps we need to that will protect school sport. But at the same time, we must recognize that the world many of us grew up with has changed. The delivery of education has changed, and will continue to change, choices available to today’s youth in the education system have expanded dramatically, and I believe the delivery of school sport must be open to change as well. How that will look will be for the ASAA membership to decide, but the leadership of that membership comes from the Executive Committee, our Commissioners and other members of our Board of Governors – people who come together twice per year to chart the territory for school sport – people who are expected to take a global view and to make decisions in the best interests of all, not just themselves. The “larger good” should always be the focus, not “what is best for me.” In the next few years we have to expand our thinking, make some controversial decisions and be open to change. At the same time, whatever decisions we make as a collective should be made with the best interests of students in mind. I hope the summer of 2018 allowed each of you the time to breathe, to relax, … Continue reading ... Letter DIRECTOR FROM THE Make sure you're up to date on the latest news in coaching. LOOK BACK AT 50 YEARS OF ASAA CROSS COUNTRY RACING HISTORY. PAGE 16 Upcoming information on the Venues for 2018 Provincial Hosts Deanna Metro Assistant Director Deanna@asaa.ca 12 Michael Steele Sr. Assistant Director Michael@asaa.ca Catch the highlights of of Unified Sports in your area. 26 COACHING CROSS COUNTRY PROVINCIALS HAVE AN ARTICLE ABOUT ATHLETICS OR SPORTSMANSHIP IN YOUR AREA SUBMIT TO INFO@ASAA.CA. 22 UPCOMING PROVINCIAL EVENTS XC 50 Years 11 ZONE RECAPS Heidi MacDonald Assistant Info@asaa.ca CONTENTS John Paton Executive Director John@asaa.ca Championship Results, both individual and team. Drew Hanson Executive Director CIAAA Drew@ciaaa.ca Shanna Kuyrlo Program Director Unified Sports Shanna@asaa.ca 3 ASAA STAFF 30 SPORTSMANSHIP IN ACTION School Sport..... Empowering Alberta's Youth 28 UNIFIED SPORTS Find out what is happening in your Zone. Listen to our Sportsmanship Commissioner. Going above and beyond expectations. 6 GOLF PROVINCIAL RESULTS VISION STATEMENT " Congratulations To Our Golf Provincial Individual Winners: Girls Annabelle Ackroyd William Aberhart Boys Bridger Atkins Notre Dame Collegiate by author 6 GIRLS INDIVIDUAL GOLD Annabelle Ackroyd William Aberhart SILVER Grace Bell National Sport School BRONZE Jenna Bruggeman Strathcona High BOYS INDIVIDUAL GOLD Bridger Atkins Notre Dame Collegiate (High River) SILVER Ethan Choi St. Michael's Pincher Creek BRONZE Hunter Thomson West Island College Find full sport results here. Championship Results Congratulations to all our winners and top performers for the 2018 Golf Provincials Team Gold Winners 1A/2A Girls - Rundle College 3A/4A Girls - Strathcona High 1A/2A Boys - Our Lady of Mt. Pleasant 3A/4A Boys- Monsignor McCoy Team Silver Winners 1A/2A Girls - West Island College 3A/4A Girls - Springbank 1A/2A Boys - Rundle College 3A/4A Boys- Strathcona High Team Bronze Winners 1A/2A Girls - Our Lady of Mt. Pleasant 3A/4A Girls - Catholic Central 1A/2A Boys - West Island College 3A/4A Boys- St. Francis (Calgary) Text 7 RECAP The CSHSAA of the Calgary Zone would like to thank the CISAA Zone Secretary/Golf Commissioner, Dean Sawatzky, for welcoming so many of our member schools to participate in the Zone and Provincial Championships for Golf. The CSHSAA had a record turnout of athletes and fantastic results at both tournaments. Girls Soccer league had an amazing finish last Friday ‘under the lights’ at the Calgary Soccer Centre after experiencing a challenging fall season due to field stability caused by weather & a record snowfall in Calgary. All division finals were extremely close and competitive with the Div 1 game ending with 2 overtime halves followed by a 7 penalty kick shoot-out before a winner was decided. A very exciting game! Cross Country had an exceptional start to the season, however a significant decline in participation numbers as a result of hazardous driving conditions and a 40cm snowfall. City Championships were run in snow and cold conditions which may have also affected participation. Calgary still performed well at Provincials. The CSHSAA just hosted our Annual Volleyball Selects Games where talented athletes displayed their skill and sportsmanship in front of a packed gymnasium. Every school nominated their most worthy male and female student-athletes to participate in the fun-filled, but competitive, matches. Junior Football saw 7 teams fold in Calgary at the onset on the season. After re-scheduling numerous times, the season will be finishing for the nine-team league on Nov 9th with Division 1 and Division 2 City Championships. The Senior Football City Championships will follow on Nov 10th with Div 1, Div 2 and Div 3 champions being awarded. http://www.calgaryhighschoolsports.ca Picture Provided by: Bob LaFontaine Results Canada Cross Country Provincials was a resounding success this year. After 8 years away, the province's top runners returned to Becky Scott's training grounds in Vermilion, AB. Weather was a concern in the lead-up, with several zones running their zone meets in snowy conditions but Mother Nature pulled through for Provincials. With a high of around 13 degrees and sunny, conditions were perfect for the runners. For the first time ever Junior and Intermediate girls ran the same distances as their counterparts in the boys' races. Following a Notice of Motion at the past ASAA AGM, the race distances for those two categories have been moved to parity. Everyone out on the course seemed to really enjoy their run. Another first this year was the ASAA's trial livestream of the championship. As we move forward with technology we continue to seek out ways in which we can improve what we offer. This year, as part of the ASAA's move to a free-to-view live-streaming strategy we trialed by live-streaming the start line and finish line for each of the 7 races at provincials. While this trial did encounter a few hiccups, overall we are happy with what we have to offer and look forward to streaming more of our events than ever before this year. You can click here to subscribe to our YouTube channel and watch the races. Congratulations to all of the athletes who medalled or took home a ribbon, along with each of the four team banner winning schools: 1A Bassano 2A Strathcona-Tweedsmuir 3A Lethbridge Collegiate Institute 4A Strathcona High Finally, a huge congratulations and thank you to our host committee and team from J.R. Robson in Vermilion. Lee Woodward, Kelly Scully, and the whole team of volunteers did a spectacular job putting on a first class event. I think everyone is looking forward to the opportunity to be back for a third time in 8 years time. 10 BOYS CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS Congratulations to our Top Ten and all the participants that ran the courses. Junior Boys 1ST Aiden Good 2ND Tofik Said 3rd Owen Stewart 4TH Hayden Woodrow 5TH Hayden Thomas 6TH Quinn Eberts 7TH Martin Undheim 8TH Carter Van Roon 9TH Matthew Deere 10TH Patrick Rees Intermediate Boys 1ST Jared Howse 2ND Bill Makwae 3rd Kajela Bure 4TH Huw Morgan 5TH Brock Jensen 6TH Kobe Grocholski 7TH Owen Pimm 8TH Evan Vammen 9TH Mathias Belber 10TH Kyle Stang Senior Boys 1ST Rashid Hayato 2ND Liam Kramer 3rd Anton Kuipers 4TH Josh Campbell 5TH Isaac Wetmore 6TH Will Cebuliak 7TH Nathan Swartz 8TH Levi Osterwalder 9TH Cassian Murray-White 10TH James Lively PARA Boys T35-38,42-44,45-47 1ST Dayvid Alshyo 2ND Dustin Deep T20 1ST Yash Bhatt 2ND AJ Bissonette GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS Junior Girls 1ST Sadie Sigfstead 2ND Erika Cunniam 3rd Darci Petersen 4TH Jillian Schaber 5TH Alison Gartner 6TH Ella Clayton 7TH Jenica Swartz 8TH Brynn Hebert 9TH Courtlynd Cherpin 10TH Ellie Jespersen Intermediate Girls 1ST Chole Palmer 2ND Faith Blanchette 3rd Emma Langstrom 4TH Madison Ford 5TH Asia Kern 6TH Makenna Graham 7TH Jenna Skaug 8TH Avery Linn 9TH Hannah Wirtanen 10TH Sara Bourque Senior Girls 1ST Rosie Bouchard 2ND Olivia Cooper 3rd Christina Esposito 4TH Christiane Bilodeau 5TH Anna Pryce 6TH Charlotte Audra 7TH Taylor Chamberlin 8TH Emily Laycock 9TH Jamie Lalor 10TH Darienne Wourms PARA Girls T20 1ST Alanna Mounce 2ND Sarah Munchrath Find full sport results here. Text A S A 1968-2018 A 2011 Chanelle Gagne Hailey Francois Alana SKocdopole Mitch Dore Michael Wuick Will Clack 2014 Daniella Wasielewski Madeleine Sumner Emily Wagner Rhys Kramer Ryan Smeeton Stefan Daniel 1989 Joanne Johnston Nancy Delaney Tamara Salomom Randy Moody Chris Myhr Aaron Niemeyer 1993 Amy Sommerfeldt Patricia Holmen Larissa Managh Stephen Viola Steven Sommerfeldt Chad Kozak 1985 Shannon Hull Kim Preddy Jennifer Christensen Spenser Punter Jamie Flower Rene Teague 2002 Barbara Reike Shauna Ritchie Heather Sim Brad Orchard Aaron Robson Travis McKay 1997 Aaron Swanson Tara Struyk Christine Zawaski Brett Foley Nate Wood John Thornton 1982 Cathy Dickman Cathy Dargie Cathy Junkowiak Rob Moore Max Anderson Scott McDonald 2010 Claire Sumner Alana Skocdopole Ellen Pennock Mitchell Basher Tyler Smith Merhaui Tume 1969 Louis Groake Hope Bishop 2012 Emily Wagner Gillian Ceyhan Claire Sumner Stefan Daniel Eric Chan Matt Hope 2009 Alana Skodopole Evelyn Anderson Chelsea Graham Wyle Cunningham Buddy Brown Gareth Hadfield 2013 Madeleine Sumner Emily Wagner Mirelle Martens Ryan Smeeton Stefan Daniel Alex james 2016 PARA T35-Dustin Deep T20-Timothy Robertson T11-Arkezia Mella 1984 No Cross Country Provincials Held 1983 J. Christensen Kathy Dickman Cathy Dargie Alex Mowat Steven Conwell jason Sawatzky ASAA Gold Medalists 1974 Carol Bambury Valerie Green Lori Foulston Rob Evans Neil Munro Wayne Youngchief 1971 Hope Bishop Mike Mawdsley Brian Rhodes 1977 Ronza Clark Sandra Herring Bev Bush Rod Palm Duane Foote Terry Cook 1991 Lhrissa Managh Zoe Bentley Becky Scott Chad Walton Jeremy Deere Hugh Palmer 2006 Grace Kary Michelle Moen Paula Findlay Tim Laarman Nyial Majock Jaden Ostapowich 2017 Chloe Palmer Paige Patterson Kaitlin Swartz Bill Ondieki Solen Wood Maximus Thiessen 2004 Carly Holman Caroline Schlosser Riley McQueen Jaden Ostapowich Ryan Russell Matt Sinclair 2007 Ciara Kary Marina Giovanoli Kelsey Robson Mihai Prajea Greame Law Nyial Majock 1980 Carol Gibson Teresa Hlady Janice Cherry Rob Kendall Brendon Byre Doug Keller 2018 Sadie Sigfstead Chole Palmer Rosie Bouchard Aiden Good Jared Howse Rashid Hayato 1972 Cheryl Mailette Mike Mawdsley Brian Rhodes 2005 Hayley Degaust Faye Stenning Stephanie Babcock Nyial Majock Jaden Ostapowich Cody Carver 1987 Karen Reader Sonja Frank Lisa Harvey Derrick Anderson Cern Basher Lawrence Marks 2015 Sophia Sigfstead Daniella Wasielewski Madeleine Sumner Luke Hanson Rhys Kramer Ryan Smeeton 2001 Janelle Miller Jenna Huber Natalie Thompson Aaron Robson Ryan McKay Geoff Kerr 2008 Evelyn Anderson Ciara Kary Laura Estey Cole Peterson Gareth Hadfield Devin Woodland 1996 Tanya Wright Christine Zawaski Sharolyn Shields Nate Wood Allan Carter Jonathan Luckhurst 2017 PARA T20-Taylor Dube T20-Nektarios D'Avola T42-Dayvid Alysho T35-Dustin Deep 2016 Olivia Cooper Emma Skaug Savana Jordan Solen Wood Maximus Thiessen Brandon Vail 2000 Holly Retzlaff Natalie Thompson Madeleine Willimas Peter Tyminski Geoff Kerr Rob Nissen 1999 Tara Dressler Emily Kroshus Megan Metcalfe Phil Amahazion Rob Nissen Gordie Plesman 1988 Danielle Fischer Femke Pennings Tammy Saloman Wayne Farney Christian Blondeau Tony Melathopoulos 2003 Courtney Sawchuk Barbara Reike Line Halvorsen Ryan Russell Jesse Wilms Aaron Robson 1979 Cindy Livingston Cheryl Livingston Joanne Boezek Gord Palm Mike Fox Rod Palm 1976 Kathy Pleszing Carol Bambury Janice Turner Dwayne Foote Terry Smith Rob Evans 1970 Hope Bishop Brian Rhodes 2018 PARA T20 Yash Bhatt Alanna Mounce 1973 Darci Ronald Connie Declercq Cheryl Mallette Dean Childs Bill Mitchell Lyle Kuchmak 1990 Erin Brandson Joanne Johnston Hilary Patterson Ian Watts Lee Shawn David Davis 1998 Emily Krashus Megan Metcalfe Tara Struyk Rob Nissen Andrew Allen Lorris Williams 1994 Sharolyn Shields Amanda Fortier Patricia Holmen Niegel Wiebe Steve Viola Jason Kindrat 1968 Gary Beatty Pauline Molesky 1978 Johanne Boezek Cheryl Livingston Kathy Pleszing Chris Judge Rod Palm James Legare 2018 PARA T35-38, 42-47 Dayvid Alshyo 1986 Margaret Matsuba Vicki Lynch Kim Preddy Pierre Filion Jeff Smith Mark Lynch 1992 Patricia Holmen Larissa Managh Jennifer Koelbl Tarrant Crosschild Chad Walton Jeremy Deere 1981 Cathy Dargie Enid Murphy Cindy Lingstone Max Anderson Scott McDonald Derek Taylor 1975 Tony Kinsella Carol Bambury Diane Taylor Don Frey Reid Bailey Rob Evans 1995 Zoey Rabinovitz Sharolyn Shields Amanda Fortier Allan Carter Jonathan Luckhurst Lanny Mann February 2019 November 2018 January 2019 December 2018 2018/2019 Calendar Fort McMurray is most known for the Athabasca Oil Sands, but there is more to this area than oil. Fort McMurray was established as a Hudson's Bay Company Post by 1870, named after its benefactor William McMurray. Today it continues to operate as a transportation stopover. 2018 UPCOMING EVENTS Bassano High Volleyball 1A Girls Bassano is located on the Trans-Canada Hwy, and is home to the Bassano Dam aka:Horse Shoe Bend Dam., which has been serving Bassano and nearby communities since 1910. Bashaw High Volleyball 1A Boys Bashaw was inc. as a Village in August 1911 and was called Forster. There are conflicting reasons for its naming. First, it was called after an anonymous brother, or it could have been after a man who was killed while putting in the rail in 1910. Given that there was also a Forster, Sk it was decided that the name would be changed to Bashaw after the man that had done so much to develop it and keep it going. Our Lady Mount Pleasant Volleyball 2A Once rich in furs, the area in and around Camrose was at one-time traditional territory of the Cree Nation. In the summer of 1905 the railroad was completed so growth could begin in Camrose. During WWII the Camrose Fairgrounds were converted to an Army Training Base. Thousands of Canadians called it home for basic training. Beaverlodge High Volleyball 3A Girls In the city of Beaverlodge, you will find the South Peace Centennial Museum. It is the largest and only working steam powered farm equipment museum in Alberta. West Central High Volleyball 3A Boys At 14 years of age, David Thompson came to Canada in 1784 in the employ of the Hudson’s Bay Co. He studied the art of surveying and map making. David Thompson spent several years in Rocky Mountain House searching for a passage west to the Pacific Ocean. Charles Spencer Volleyball 4A In 1995, Grand Prairie hosted the Canada Winter Games. The 14 day event saw 3000 athletes from 10 Provinces and 2 Territories. It was opened by Prime Minister Jean Chretien on February 19, 1995. Alberta finished 3rd in the medal count while Quebec placed 1st. ALBERTA BOWL Fort McMurray 2018 8 SAVE THE DATE National Athletic Directors Conference April 25-27, 2019! The CIAAA’s 2019 National Athletic Directors Conference will be held in the beautiful resort town of Canmore, AB. With a mixture of Leadership Training Program Courses, fantastic workshops, speakers, networking and social opportunities, our National Conference provides a dynamic, customizable professional-development experience catered specifically to Athletic Directors in Canada!  Accommodations available onsite.   Leadership Training for High School Student Sport Leaders and Advisors May 13 & 14, 2019 Olds College Registration Cost = $75 + GST per person 4 Students and 2 Advisors per school Returning students welcome! Limited Space Available With over 8,000 coaches in the Alberta high school sport system working with student athletes, we aim to provide every opportunity for our coaches to enhance their skills and education. Whether a coach is interested in pursuing training through the NCCP or expanding their knowledge on coaching in the interscholastic environment, our goal is to provide accessible, quality education for all coaches.   Coaching Requirements for High School Coaches  *Note: All required courses are available on www.schoolcoach.ca   One teacher coach or agent of the Board on staff must complete Fundamentals of Coaching One team official (head coach, assistant coach or teacher sponsor) must complete the ASAA Bylaws and Policies course Every team official (head coach, assistant coach and teacher sponsor) must complete the concussion course   Upcoming Changes to the School Coach Resource   In 2011, the ASAA launched an online coach education program designed to provide accessible, quality coach education for school coaches in Alberta. This resource was later adopted by School Sport Canada and re-branded into a national initiative known as School Coach.ca. This resource offers a variety of training opportunities and e-learning courses for coaches and provides the platform for all ASAA required courses.  School Coach is an independent e-learning platform hosted on a private learning management system managed by the ASAA and School Sport Canada. Starting August 1, 2020, this resource and all of it’s e-learning content will be hosted in the Coaching Association of Canada Locker database.   As a coach, what does this change mean for me? This means that coaches will have a single login to access all of their School Coach content and NCCP training in one location. They will also have a single coaching transcript where all of their trainings, certifications and professional development will be recorded. Is there anything that I should do now? All coaches will need to ensure that they register online in the NCCP. If you already have an account, you will NOT need to register a new one. If you’re not certain whether you have an account or not, you can contact Alberta Sport Connection for assistance: CT.ASCCoach@albertasport.ca   For any questions about coaching, please contact Deanna Metro deanna@asaa.ca 780-643-1888   COACH EDUCATION Developed by sport psychology researchers at the University of Ottawa, Coaching for Life Skills is an online training course designed to give coaches the practical tools necessary to coach important life skills to their student-athletes through sport. Check it out at www.schoolcoach.ca Coaching for Life Skills Free Online Course Congratulations to the recipient of the Unified School Award for the 2017/18 school year, Cochrane High School! Previous recipients: 2015/16 – Lester B. Pearson 2016/17 – Bert Church UNIFIED SPORTS Welcome to the fourth year of Special Olympics Unified Sports! We are proud to continue this program with help from Special Olympics Alberta in order to make high school sport more inclusive! Did you miss out on the 2017/18 Unified Sports events? Check out some of the highlights here. Here’s the Unified Sports events that are already scheduled for this year: November 7, 2018 – Unified Bean Bag Toss hosted by Cold Lake High School November 7, 2018 – Unified Bocce & Bean Bag Toss Festival in Cochrane May 14-17, 2019 – Special Olympics Ontario Invitational Youth Games in Toronto May 24, 2019 – Unified Bocce at Winston Churchill in Lethbridge May 28, 2019 – Metro Unified Jamboree at Bev Facey Check the Unified Sports section of the ASAA website for an updated event list. Want to host your own event? Contact shanna@asaa.ca to get more information on what support is available. SPORTSMANSHIP Last week I read an article on the USA Softball website titled “Officials Reveal The Real Problem with Sportsmanship in Youth Sports” (July 25, 2018). In the article, one paragraph caused me to reflect on our roles as coaches, athletic directors, and teachers in the world of Educational Athletics: According to a 2017 survey of more than 17,000 referees, parents and coaches cause the majority of problems with sportsmanship. When asked “Who causes the most problems with sportsmanship?” only about 10% of respondents cited players, but nearly 40% cited parents, and nearly 30% cited coaches. While the article is about youth sports, the information within shines a bright light on issues that reach the high school world very quickly. Before athletes enter our gyms they have spent their early years of sport looking up to and learning behaviors from the role models they have in front of them Who are these role models? Parents and coaches of course! Our kids are growing up in a time where parents have to take a Respect in Sport course in order to watch their kids play hockey, lacrosse has implemented a “spectator liaison” in order to have a lead parent on both sides who helps regulate poor spectator behavior, and gyms/sports arena across the world are hanging banners and signs as reminders to fans that it is only a game and they could be removed for unsavoury behaviors. Even with all of these attempts to curb poor role modelling by spectators we still hear stories of fights in the stands, suspensions of coaches and spectators, and a dramatic increase in officials quitting. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not saying all parents and coaches are like this as I have sat next to some wonderful people who have graciously handed their children over to the sport experience and have witnessed some amazing coaches who have developed our kids while at the same time instilling a love of the game. However, the signs and statistics beg some serious consideration by those of us in the world of sport. So where do Educational Athletics and our roles as coaches and athletic directors at the high school level fit in? Billy Graham once said “A coach will impact more young people in a year than the average person does in a lifetime”. As coaches and athletic directors who lead programs we have the power to make a change in the direction that sport is going. As I reflect on Graham’s quote, two images come to mind. The first of Uncle Ben sitting in the car telling his nephew Peter “with great power, comes great responsibility” (Spiderman, 2002). The second being Julius Campbell telling Gerry Bertier “attitude reflects leadership” in the 2000 movie Remember the Titans. This leads me to a story. I have had the opportunity to present at the !mpact student leadership workshop on Sportsmanship and Respect since the first year it has began. I remember the first presentation like it was yesterday. I was so excited to share stories and inspire kids to think about their actions and how they could lead their peers to be more sportsmanlike and respectful to others. I wasn’t fully prepared for how it would go. Yes, I could see the wheels turning and the students brought up some great questions that again brought about discussion of how we could react or what we as leaders could role model for those engaging in unsportsmanlike behavior. But then it happened. We were in a great discussion of what to do if you violated the rules but the official missed it and it could cost you the game … what do you do? The students were conflicted. Then one student raised their hand, “It doesn’t matter what I would want to do or what I thought was right, my coach would KILL me if I called it and lost the game and sorry but I’m not willing to face that for anything.” What followed was a group of student leaders who had just been so engaged in thoughtful and reflective discussion turning their focus to the level of fear they had of their coaches if they ever did anything like that as they quoted their coaches “if the official didn’t see it then it didn’t happen … that is their job to enforce the rules”. I’ll admit I wasn’t ready for the conversation to turn that way but it does take us back to Spiderman, Julius, and Gerry. We as coaches and athletic directors have a huge amount of power and influence over the young men and women who come through our programs. Sure some athletes may come to us with poor attitudes, lack of accountability, “win at all cost” mentalities, and the list goes on of poor behaviors; but they certainly do not have to leave our programs with those same attitudes and behaviors. Educational Athletics can be empowered to include the teaching of character traits and values through sport. As we finish our fall sports seasons and when we start our winter seasons, I would like to challenge everyone to reflect upon their own leadership. Only one team will win a championship banner, but every single athlete will come away with the memories of the lessons we have taught them whether they be positive or negative. How are we leading and using the power we have? Are we helping our athletes to understand the difference between being the best IN the world versus being the best FOR the world?   Heather Bartling, ASAA Sportsmanship Commissioner   (https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball/News /2018/July/25/Officials-Reveal-The-Real-Problem -with-Sportsmanship-in-Youth-Sports 2018, Paragraph 2) By Heather Bartling in Action second being Julius Campbell telling Gerry Bertier “attitude reflects leadership” in the 2000 movie Remember the Titans. This leads me to a story. I have had the opportunity to present at the !mpact student leadership workshop on Sportsmanship and Respect since the first year it has began. I remember the first presentation like it was yesterday. I was so excited to share stories and inspire kids to think about their actions and how they could lead their peers to be more sportsmanlike and respectful to others. I wasn’t fully prepared for how it would go. Yes, I could see the wheels turning and the students brought up some great questions that again brought about discussion of how we could react or what we as leaders could role model for those engaging in unsportsmanlike behavior. But then it happened. We were in a great discussion of what to do if you violated the rules but the official missed it and it could cost you the game … what do you do? The students were conflicted. Then one student raised their hand, “It doesn’t matter what I would want to do or what I thought was right, my coach would KILL me if I called it and lost the game and sorry but I’m not willing to face that for anything.” What followed was a group of student leaders who had just been so engaged in thoughtful and reflective discussion turning their focus to the level of fear they had of their coaches if they ever did anything like that as they quoted their coaches “if the official didn’t see it then it didn’t happen … that is their job to enforce the rules”. I’ll admit I wasn’t ready for the conversation to turn that way but it does take us back to Spiderman, Julius, and Gerry. We as coaches and athletic directors have a huge amount of power and influence over the young men and women who come through our programs. Sure some athletes may come to us with poor attitudes, lack of accountability, “win at all cost” mentalities, and the list goes on of poor behaviors; but they certainly do not have to leave our programs with those same attitudes and behaviors. Educational Athletics can be empowered to include the teaching of character traits and values through sport. As we finish our fall sports seasons and when we start our winter seasons, I would like to challenge everyone to reflect upon their own leadership. Only one team will win a championship banner, but every single athlete will come away with the memories of the lessons we have taught them whether they be positive or negative. How are we leading and using the power we have? Are we helping our athletes to understand the difference between being the best IN the world versus being the best FOR the world?   (https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Softball/News /2018/July/25/Officials-Reveal-The-Real-Problem -with-Sportsmanship-in-Youth-Sports 2018, Paragraph 2) ASAA.ca