Coaches see faith values in team sports

Organized athletics at the parish or school can help young people develop important skills, say coaches.

Self-sacrifice, fair play, discipline and hard work are some of the skills the 2,200 children who play Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) basketball learn, said Lou Buff, diocesan director of CYO basketball.

Environment

"It gives kids a good Christian environment that they don't get in some programs," Mr. Buff said. "It's not win at all costs."

He hopes that those playing on CYO teams enjoy playing and learning the basics of basketball. His goal is to make the game fun.

Life lessons

Those on CYO basketball teams learn that athletics are not an end in themselves. "Kids learn important lessons of life," Mr. Buff said.

Learning to give it your all, to be a member of a team, and to lose gracefully are some of the lessons Mr. Buff said youth in sports learn.

Losing

"When you lose, you learn lessons," he said. "If the team had a great game and lost, it's not the end of the world. Winning isn't everything. There is learning from losses."

A teacher at the school as well, Mr. Cherubino has seen the benefits of organized sports spill into the classroom where students on athletic teams "are better students, their attendance is higher and they are disciplined."

He has also noticed that students who play organized sports have leadership qualities and the ability to work for a common goal.

Connections

"There's accountability and team values," she said. "It's putting the team ahead of yourself. It carried into the classroom."

Ms. Buff, who also served as Bishop Maginn's athletic director, led the girls' basketball team to win the Big 10 title four years in a row. (She is also Lou Buff's daughter.) Over her ten years there, she saw students blossom. There were times when introverted students joined the team and grew in confidence.

"The most rewarding thing is to see where they are two to three years later," she said, noting that young people develop self-esteem, respect, discipline and improved communication through team sports.

Faith's role

"We did a lot off the court," Ms. Buff said, such as hosting basketball clinics and camps, and working with home-schooled children.

Team prayer was another element present on the basketball team during her tenure. Each practice ended with a prayer. The members of the team also wore "What Would Jesus Do?" bracelets as a reminder to be a good sport, honest, and kind on and off the court.

Coaches' example

Ms. Buff said what is acceptable can vary from team to team. "It depends on the coach," she said. "I had a strict drinking and drug policy: If you do, you're done."

The standards set by coaches are important. While professional sports teams once provided young people with role models, that is not necessarily true anymore.

"There are not a lot of role models in sports," Mr. Buff said, although he found the recent home run competition between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa to be a refreshing return to the way it used to be. "That was good healthy competition."

Fans' role

The diocesan CYO program now has a code of conduct for coaches and spectators. Coaches can be told to sit out a game if there is a problem with their behavior. If the fans are getting too abusive, Mr. Buff said, it is up to the parish athletic director or pastor to deal with the situation.

"There is nothing wrong with exuberance," Mr. Buff said, "but not booing."

Parents' role

He has also seen parents put undo pressure on their child to perform on the CYO level, either because the parents were great athletes during their youth and want their child to be the same, or because they weren't good athletes and want their child to do better.

Despite this, he said, "there are a lot of good coaches and a lot of good parents."

(10-29-98) [[In-content Ad]]