SMM Sports Chairs:
If you have questions about SMM sports, please call the specified
chairperson:
Football: Tony Constantino: 334-5850
Volleyball: George Stryker: 558-6437
Baseball: Doug Carter: 553-3936; Jeff Dempsey---614-6210
Soccer: Don Drazdys 553-4986; Jim Swanson 884-3290
Track: Lisa Dempsey: 614-6210
Basketball: Greg Mikuls: 558-7869
Coaching/Volunteer Opportunities
The SMM athletics program depends on the generous help of parents
for success. If you are interested in helping with a particular
sport, please contact the sports chair directly. Your help is welcome!
If you have general questions about the athletic
program, please call Denny Mailliard, Athletic Director at 556-1038.
The President of The Athletic Committee is Dave Dare 556-8914.
More
about Coaching
Safe Environment Training
If you plan to coach and be involved with our youth this year, you
must attend a safe environment/sensitivity training session. This
is an archdiocesan requirement for all adults who work with children
in our parish. The training is free to SMM parishioners. Please
call 558-2255 for sign up information.
More
about Coaching
The coach as an influence
Whether you’re new to coaching or a veteran for SMM athletics,
you, as a coach, have the potential to exercise enormous influence
on young people. How you treat them, the way you speak to them,
and the manner in which you conduct your team’s business leave
impressions.
As a coach, the messages you convey should be intended to stimulate
young people and help them make the most of their opportunities—you
want to strive to exert positive influences by including messages
about values, attitude, and behavior.
Sports is about having fun
A big part of athletic coaching is about having fun. Practice and
games/meets should be a good time for the student/athlete. The coach
builds player -confidence by explaining that they are making a valuable
contribution to the team and accomplishing something that is important.
As a coach, explain that fun comes from being prepared to go into
the competition, whether or not the player starts or sits on the
bench or even plays at all. When the team wins, everyone should
enjoy the celebration. When the team loses, coaches should and will
not tolerate bad sportsmanship.
Using sports to build character and teach values
We’ve all heard it before…sports build character. And
in the appropriate setting, sports can teach values, too. Coaches
play a big part in this. They must understand they have an important
responsibility to provide value and character training through coaching.
Strong values have a much greater chance to be carried over into
real life if they are presented and practiced in a caring, cultivating
environment in which the student/athlete has a desire to pay attention.
Coaching Saint Margaret Mary athletics means coaching with values,
attitude, and behaviors which reflect and are consistent with the
teachings of Jesus Christ. Values and character are important to
us as a parish community. They include honesty, integrity, loyalty,
friendship, perseverance, self-confidence, responsibility, and teamwork.
On behalf of the SMM parish and school community, the SMM Athletic
Committee wants volunteer coaches to empower student/athletes to
incorporate, internalize, and to make their own these and a multitude
of other values. Coaches should encourage their student/athletes
to exhibit these values in daily situations on and off the playing
field, court, or track. In order for this to happen, coaches must
not only coach young people to achieve a greater skill in a particular
sport, but to set them up for success in life by teaching the use
of strong values.
How Do Coaches Teach Character and Instill Values?
Coaches must understand they share a responsibility with parents
and the SMM parish/school to teach both character and gospel values
to student/athletes. They impart values by word and actions. Some
coaches may prefer to have a pre-game chat. Here is a teaching example
on the value of dignity taken from Coaching Catholic: Gospel Values
in Youth Sports by Rev. Richard J. McGrath. Naturally, you will
want to adapt your own style. This is just an example.
“Listen up everybody. I know we have practiced very hard
and we’re going to work very hard to win this game. There’s
something of which I want you to be aware when we play this game:
that is that you must keep and respect your own dignity. Our dignity
means that you hold your head up and you act responsibly. If things
go your way and we get ahead, you keep control of your self, you
act with maturity and responsibly, you never flaunt in your opponents’
face the fact that we’re doing well.
At the same time if things don’t go your way you keep
your heads up, you keep focused, and you play the game. You act
like real players when you’re out there, stand up straight,
and treat everybody with respect just like you’d want to be
treated with respect. Remember what we practiced. Our dignity comes
from deep within us. It is something we hold dear. When the game
is over keep your heads up, form a line and congratulate our opponent
for a good game played. Be kind to everybody, don’t pop off,
yell over celebrate or sulk if things don’t go our way.
Keeping our dignity means we have our heads on straight at
all times. Do you understand? Remember that we represent Saint Margaret
Mary’s, and that Saint Margaret Mary’s teams have always
acted with pride, respect, good behavior, and dignity. Is that clear?
Alright now let’s go play a good game.”
Coaches’ Agenda for Parent/Player Meeting
Make your coaching job easier by inviting all the players and at
least one parent to a parent/player mandatory information meeting
before the season begins. If a meeting is not possible, consider
writing a letter to the player/parent outlining the same information
as would have been discussed at the meeting.
1) Opening prayer
2) Explanation of the overall mission of the athletic program
3) Details of this year’s plan for practices, game schedules
4) Explanation of rules if practices/games are missed with or without
an excuse, etc.
5) Coaches’ roles and responsibilities
6) Parents’ roles and responsibilities
7) Expectations about the student/athletes’ who play in the
program
8) Address questions/answers/concerns
9) Closing prayer
10) Social time
Paraphrased and taken in part from
Coaching Catholic: Gospel Values in Youth Sports
by Rev. Richard J. McGrath
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