The Game’s Afoot – Building Character Through The Power of Sports
Participating in sports is a good way to develop character, fitness and friends.
By Nanci Wakeman
Some may scoff at the idea that sport can develop character. Media headlines might lead one to conclude that sport is about abuse, violence, highly paid athletes who behave badly and use drugs to enhance performance. But there are burgeoning movements across Canada reclaiming sport as a character builder, a healthy lifestyle alternative to being a spectator and a community builder.
Browse the Markham Sports Council’s website, for example, and you’ll see that Markham is the first community in Canada to launch Respect in Sport. It is an online training program for activity leaders and parents to help prevent abuse, harassment and bullying in sport.
The program was co-founded by Sheldon Kennedy who made some of those media headlines. As a youngster, a trusted adult – his coach, abused Kennedy. The activity leaders’ version of the online program helps anyone working with children to become aware of their influence, learn how they may unwittingly be abusive and how to be a positive mentor.
The other co-founder, Wayne McNeil is really excited by Markham’s adoption of the parent program. “The program is long overdue,” says McNeil. “It will be mostly about the bystander phenomenon. One parent spectator will be making inappropriate comments and the other 50 will do nothing. The program shows them how to confront the behaviour of that one spectator in a positive way.”
Both programs are auditory so users don’t have to be proficient readers. They employ engaging graphics. McNeil explains that they partnered with the Red Cross to use its Respect Education curriculum. “Our goal was to make it positive, empowering and to simplify it,” says Mc Neil.
TrueSport, of which York Region is a member, is a growing Canadian movement that promotes the life skills and values derived from community sport. It advocates principles such as: “discover how good you can be” and “winning is only real when competition is fair.”
Why is the Markham community so active in promoting sport?
“A good proportion of the people come from diverse backgrounds,” says Steve Somerville, who organizes a recreational hockey league for 30 – 50 year old males. “Sport has the power to knit a diverse community together. All you need is a soccer ball and people who have come from all over the world can form a team.”
It could also be because Stats Can’s 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey found that the number of Canadians who are overweight or obese has doubled since 1978. Pundits blame a lifestyle change that became more sedentary as sports enthusiasts watched rather than played.
It could also be because of the multiple benefits derived from sports. According to Jason Goldenberg, a referee for the OHL and adolescent hockey coach in Markham, the biggest benefit of participating in sports for adolescents is the people that they meet. “Playing sports allows the kids to meet people from different schools and bonds are built. You get known in school and in the community. You do better at school if you are an athlete,” says Goldenberg.
Tamara Roth, coordinator of the Markham Sport Council, thinks participation in sport is important for young women. They build teamwork skills, develop self-esteem and positive body image. “It is very important that sport is FUN especially for young girls as we want them to continue to participate as they reach the preteen and teen years,” says Roth.
David Robinson of the Richmond Hill Rams hockey team says that participating in team sports provides benefits that carry over into life. “The ability to perform a variety of skills in a moment carries over into real life in terms of building confidence and the learned ability to break down a skill and master it through structured practice and repetition.” Robinson also says that team sport participants must make numerous judgment calls on a moment’s notice. That skill carries over into real life. So too does the ability to deal with conflict.
“Experiencing human conflict and dealing with it effectively builds patience and the ability to know when to react and when to let something ride out. Much like in a work environment, the team brings together a broad range of people with some common interest, and some very different interests. It also brings together people who are there partly for themselves and partly for the team. Rarely is perfection achieved but rather, there is a continual quest to achieve a reasonable functioning balance. The participants in team sports may be more apt to deal with conflict in real life by working through the situation with a team mate,” explains Robinson.
It isn’t just adolescents who benefit from the power of sport. Steve Sommerville explains that the love of the game and keeping fit are the motivators for the 42 men in his league. “Playing hockey is ‘the painless’ way to keep fit. We play a three-on-three game called ‘pond hockey’. We have to think quicker to play forward and defence all at once. It keeps us sharper. We pay $800.00 per year. That could be a fitness club membership. But it’s the love of the game that motivates us to keep fit.”
“My wife says that we just want to go out with the boys and have a few beers after the game,” continues Sommerville, “and she’s right.” The social aspect of participating in sport is a bonus.
Robinson concurs. “Adults make long term friends, business associates and even in some cases, marriage partners. Participation in amateur sports can lead to a paid career in the game as a coach or administrator.”
Even if one doesn’t participate in team sports, there is a great benefit in learning and experiencing the pure joy of physical activity. According to Ray Ristich, the development officer of Markham’s Sports Council, Markham is committed to providing just that experience. That’s why Markham has become the first community to implement “The Club Development” program.
“This is a quality assurance for sports program,” says Ristich. “It’s based on three pillars: management, human resources and program. The goal is to standardize the quality of services across all clubs.”
The program portion is Canada’s Long Term Athlete Development program (LTAD). It is a staged developmental continuum that begins with creating an active population. “Active Start” and “Active for Life” are the first rungs of the ladder and that’s where Ristich is focused in his goal to harness the power of community sport.
Resources: Respect in Sport – www.respectinsport.com or 403.249.2963. Markham Sports Council through the Town of Markham website at www.markham.ca or 905.472.6717. TrueSport – www.truesport.ca or 613.521.3340.
2600 John Street, Unit 207, Markham, ON L3R 3W3 T: 905.475.5222 F: 905.475.6369
