Participation Trophies

Today's post was written by Alison Moore. Alison is a senior Mechanical Engineering major at the University of Notre Dame. She is also a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching course taught by Play Like a Champion founder and director Professor Clark Power and Program Director Kristin Sheehan.  

I have been a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers practically since birth. My dad grew up as a huge Pittsburgh fan and passed it on to our whole family, so I have been dressed in black and gold and waving Terrible Towels for as long as I can remember. My childhood was comprised of family road trips to go to Steelers training camp and attend games as a family, so despite the fact that I am away at school, where there is another important football team that consumes my life, I still do my best to follow the Steelers and my favorite players. 

Earlier this fall when a news story came out concerning one of my favorite players I was really intrigued: JamesHarrison, a linebacker for the Steelers, received considerable media attention after making a statement on Instagram about taking away his two young sons participation trophies:

"I came home to find out that my boys received two trophies for nothing, participation trophies! While I am very proud of my boys for everything they do and will encourage them till the day I die, these trophies will be given back until they EARN a real trophy. I'm sorry I'm not sorry for believing that everything in life should be earned and I'm not about to raise two boys to be men by making them believe that they are entitled to something just because they tried their best...cause sometimes your best is not enough, and that should drive you to want to do better...not cry and whine until somebody gives you something to shut u up and keep you happy. #harrisonfamilyvalues"

Harrison received several comments in response to this post, both positive and negative. Some people lashed out, and said that he was an awful parent for taking away the trophies his kids worked for, and that it should not matter whether or not they were first place trophies: Harrison should have been proud of them and accepted what they got. They criticized that it was an example of parents putting too much pressure on their kids on be perfect and that their best is never really enough. While I can understand how some people could interpret it that way, I am one of those who supported and agreed with what he did. 

In his comments, he reiterates how proud he is of his kids and that he will always be there to support them, and I think it is awful that anyone would accuse a parent of not supporting their children. I believe that his actions were justified, and that too often nowadays kids are being raised to think that they are entitled to a treat or a prize for everything they do, regardless of the effort they put in and the quality of the work they do. Personally, I was raised to always try to give 110% in everything I did (that was a frequent comment that my dad would make to me) and I know that having that philosophy instilled in me has made me the person I am today. 

This situation relates directly to a lot of conversations we had in the Social Foundations of Coaching class this semester. You want to show young kids that they are valued and that they can accomplish anything when they set their minds to it, without making them think that they can just get by without putting in serious effort. Coaches and parents often put a considerable amount of pressure on kids to perform a certain way, and while it may be a fine line to walk, I think that encouraging kids to do the absolute best they can do and rewarding them only when they truly earn something will benefit the child more in the long run. The values which we hope kids will learn from sports about integrity and hard work aren't going to be as meaningful if they think they will get a trophy just for showing up. 

It is pretty bold of Harrison to go so far as to take the participation trophies away from his children, and then post about it, but it really makes one wonder if this is what it is going to take to make people realize that you aren't always going to be a winner in everything you do.  

An Equal Opportunity for Fun

Today's post was written by Demetrius Jackson.  Demetrius is a junior at Notre Dame and is majoring in Sociology. He is a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching course taught by Play Like a Champion Founder and Director Professor Clark Power and Program Director Kristin Sheehan. Demetrius is also a guard on the Notre Dame Basketball Team,.

During my time at Notre Dame as a student-athlete, I have had the opportunity to be a role model to a lot of young basketball players. It is important to us to represent the program standard on and off the court--not only for ourselves, but for our families, and all the young players who want to be like us someday. Every year, the program hosts a camp for the kids. Usually, we only have a little interaction with some of the campers through autograph sessions. They also watch us play pick up every night. However, since I live in South Bend, I was able to stick around when my teammates when home, so I was able to be a coach-counselor for the camp. 

My experience as a coach was very exciting, as I had a great group of young kids. The camp was open to both boys and girls, and the one young lady on my team, was also the most talented player on our team. Most, if not all, of the kids at the camp had parents or relatives that were season ticket holders. The campers were very familiar with the players on the Notre Dame Basketball team. I felt a special need to be a great coach and a good role model because a lot of them told me that they thought of me as their favorite player, which definitely increased the pressure.

One of my biggest struggles was making sure each of my players got equal opportunities. This meant equal playing time, making sure we played as a team and shared the ball, and making sure everyone had fun. Making sure that everyone had fun was the biggest challenge, but what is any job or task without a challenge? I set up an offense that required us to make sure everyone touched the ball before a shot went up in a half court setting. I tried to keep things exciting for my players by celebrating everything. Whenever an individual made a big shot or a minor defensive block, I celebrated with them like I was a player. I did my best to focus on teaching them how to play the game the right way while also having fun. In youth sports today, there is such a emphasis placed on winning that some kids get “burnt out” or lose their passion by the time they are young adults, and I didn't want that to happen with my kids. 

From our reading in the Social Foundations of Coaching class, I have learned that play gives children the encouragement and physical activity they need to develop their brains for future learning.  Through play, children discover, invent, and create. They mature in their social skills and ways of thinking, learn how to deal with emotions, improve physical abilities, and find out about themselves and their capabilities. A child’s “play’ forms a solid foundation for a life of learning.  I was able to apply this by giving the kids fun drills and keeping them actively engaged and promoting an environment where worked hard and built each other up.

Sacrifices for Youth Sports

Today's post is written by Michele Phillips, a senior at the University of Notre Dame majoring in Information Technology Management. Michele is a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching course taught by Play Like a Champion founder and director Professor Clark Power and program director Kristin Sheehan. Michele is also a midfielder for Notre Dame's Women's Lacrosse Team.

I recently read this article and as an student-athlete, related to it.  I think that children and parents alike can find some truth here. 

What age do we need to start specializing? At what age does a child need to stop playing multiple sports so that he can earn a scholarship for college? Can we skip the tournaments over the summer for a family vacation, wedding, or traditional sleep-away summer camp?

These questions are haunting parents right now. As the pressure to stay ahead keeps rising and the age at which children specialize in one sport keeps dropping, it is not getting any easier for parents or their children. The problem is that recruiting is not slowing down, therefore parents are not allowing their children to slow down and they are stripping the child’s childhood away. It is rare to hear of an athlete in college who has only been playing the sport for two or three years; these are rare and special cases, most have played the sport since they could walk.     

I specifically remember crying all night in 6th grade when my dad told me that I had to choose one sport or the other. At the time, I was playing both travel soccer and travel lacrosse, in addition to the town leagues. My parents would race me from one practice to the other, and I would frequently have to choose which one to attend because they overlapped, especially for tournaments away from home. While my parents were perfectly fine with me playing both sports, they felt it was unfair to the teams I was on, because I was not fully committed like some of the other girls, and they definitely got grief from the coaches about missing practices and tournaments.

In addition to club soccer, my summer camp that I attended every summer since 2^nd grade began to conflict with summer lacrosse tournaments. For a while it seemed acceptable to blow them off because we were still young and there was no pressure from the college recruiters. As I entered high school, I signed a contract before signing up for my club lacrosse team stating that I would attend all practices and tournaments. This led me to miss both of my brothers' graduations from high school.          

I really cannot complain, however, as deciding to focus on playing lacrosse took me all over the world, and got me to my dream school for college. I was lucky that I was able to pick soccer back up when I entered high school. Though I’m not sure that I could have gotten away with this if I started all over today. I'm now watching my younger sister go through the same process, but with much more difficulty. She wants to play in college and attend summer camp and be able to attend our family vacations and special events. She is having a really hard time making it all happen because of the tournaments, practices and camps that have been added to the schedule over the years. 

How much are you supposed to sacrifice for a sport?

I think it really depends on the child. No child should have to miss out on family vacations or traditional summer camps during the summer because they are feeling pressured to be at tournaments for their sport. And no child should have to give up playing multiple sports too early if they truly are enjoying all of them. If the child is meant to and wants to play a specific sport in college or beyond, it will happen for them, but that does not mean they should not have a childhood like any other kid. 

The Key to Leadership

Today's blog post was written by Stephanie Toy. Stephanie is a senior at Notre Dame majoring in Information Technology Management and a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching course taught by Play Like a Champion Founding Director Clark Power and Program Director Kristin Sheehan. Stephanie is also a midfielder on the Notre Dame Women's Lacrosse Team.

Something I truly cherish about my time at Notre Dame was my experience in the Rosenthal Leadership Academy. This academy is something organized by Notre Dame’s Student Welfare and Development department. The program consists of two retreats and six workshops throughout the year. Athletes from all different sports at the university are nominated by coaches and peers to be part of this program. They work with each other and advisors in an effort to grow as leaders.

Each week there is a different theme for the athletes to focus on. The lessons vary from figuring out strengths and weaknesses to overcoming fear of failure. While every lesson felt important to me, one really opened my eyes to leadership. The lesson concentrated on the concept of understanding that each of your teammates is different and everyone brings an important role to the team. This idea sounds like something that is very obvious and simple, but it is something that I have found many athletes struggle with, including myself.

As competitive athletes, we tend to think that everyone thinks the same way we do. Most people believe that their way of thinking is typically right. However, this isn’t the case. When you are on a team, everyone brings something different to the table. The team would not work properly if everyone thought the same and acted the same. Nothing would ever improve because nothing would ever be challenged. In the same breath, if a team was full of people who were all business and brought no fun to the team, the team would also be unsuccessful.

As a leader, it is important to recognize this. Many times people can become frustrated with a teammate that does not seem as focused as everyone else. What is important to realize is that maybe someone else on the team relies on that teammate being loose. Instead of trying to stop and prohibit people on your team from being who they are, a true leader will encourage everyone’s different personalities. This is a lesson that has already helped me tremendously, and I am certain it will help me throughout my athletic, academic, and professional careers 

Navy Football: The Essence of College Athletics

Today's blog post was written by Zachary Grant. Zach is a senior accounting major at Notre Dame, and a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching course taught by Play Like a Champion Founding Director Clark Power and Program Director Kristin Sheehan.  

College football has many programs people consider “great.” Millions of fans across the country exuberantly cheer for their team to win on Saturdays. However, in my opinion, one team has won a lot of Saturdays this year, but has won for life every year. This team is truly “great.” They are the Navy Midshipmen. Navy is comprised of young men who are the future leaders of our country. They are devoting their lives to service. Football, for them, is a secondary activity for fun. The lives these men lead will not be determined on Saturdays in the fall. They are unique in that their team is full of members of the Naval Academy who happen to play football, while many other teams seem to be comprised of football players attending school. However, while their primary focus isn’t football, they happen to be very good at it.

Keenan Reynolds is the face of Navy Football, and a perfect example of what Navy represents. He is a record-setting quarterback of the potent Midshipmen triple option attack. But more importantly, he is a tremendous leader off the field – like so many from Navy. He is assigned to information warfare after college. Rather than trying to head to the NFL, he has devoted himself to a life of service. Football is just a diversion from the rigorous, structured, days in the Naval Academy. While he is a standout on the field, he is more of a stand-out off of it. He is what the term “student-athlete” means, because he truly places academics above athletics.

Head coach Ken Niumatalolo also shows the unique and genuine nature of Navy Football. On so many weekends, ESPN and other networks’ cameras show football coaches yelling at and berating their student-athletes. Ken Niumatalolo is not one of those coaches. He never publicly yells at his players, yet has the respect of every single one. In its essence, sports should be about fun. And it is never fun when you are being constantly yelled at as a player. Niumatalolo does not put his student-athletes through that, and it pays off. Of course, the Navy players are driven to win by nature of their competitiveness and drive. But the fact that the Navy program itself does not put more emphasis on that than academics, leadership, and service is the reason they are the standard for what is good about college athletics.

The Navy football team is a collection of students who understand what it takes to be a champion in more ways than one. They strive to be champions in the sense that their actions can set examples for generations to come. They are also champions in the sense that they realize that the values they gain by having a great team can last a lifetime. Chris Swain, a surface warfare service assignee and fullback on the football team told Fox about the reason they have had success on the field this season: “We just bond together, we all love each other and we play for [one] another.” Navy is exactly what College Football should be. They are great leaders who are excellent students, playing football for the enjoyment and love of the game and their teammates. We need more teams like Navy.