Giving Value to Victory
January 13, 2013
The older I get, the longer I pause over sunsets; and I’ve learned that the sunset with the brightest colors, the greatest variety of colors, the most texture, the most uniqueness – the most character – is the sunset on a partly cloudy evening.
As clouds add character to an early evening sky, so do disappointments add character to a life. And also to that slice of life we call sports.
Without losses in sports, victories are less sweet.
As a player, coach, parent of players and administrator, I’ve come to know with certainty that the experience of defeat is a large part of what gives value to victory.
Health and Safety A, B, Cs
August 18, 2015
At a recent staff meeting I asked those who had attended the annual summer meeting of the National Federation of State High School Associations to report their most prominent impression. One person said, and the others agreed, that almost every session and every topic eventually turned to health and safety.
Indeed, that is the filter through which we determine priorities, the lens through which we view every problem, and the scale on which we weigh every decision ... now more than ever.
This mindset is not the result of epidemic dangers in school sports, but because the limitless reporting of isolated incidents has created the impression that school sports is dangerous.
In fact, these are the healthiest times ever to be a high school athlete. Never have we known more and done more to improve every aspect of the experience. Give me any letter of the alphabet, and I can give you a positive progress report: A – Acclimatization policies; B – Bat standards; C – CPR requirement ... and so on.
Often our impressive progress is used against us. Make an improvement and someone is sure to spout off: “See? It isn’t safe. We need to ban it or at least remove sports from schools.”
This is why we usually pair program improvements with promotions to re-emphasize the value and values of school sports for students, schools and society, and the impressive health and safety record of school-sponsored sports.
Click “Health & Safety” for a comprehensive review of what’s going on.