I prefer to think this isn't needed on a church/sports blog, but....

Here's a good piece about positive coaching from the New York Times. It's very easy to slip into a less constructive coaching style, regardless of the milieu you're coaching (or parenting) in.....

Needy.

Every couple of years, around this time, our local newspaper prints letters to the editor from local clergy bemoaning the fact that kids don't attend Sunday morning programs. Usually they blame organized sports programs that meet on Sunday mornings. This week it happened again. My reaction on reading the letters was "That's incredibly needy. It's downright embarrassing, in fact."

The letters both succeeded in sounding like an actor or musician who was complaining because not enough people bought tickets to their show, or a businessperson who was complaining that insufficient customers came to their place of business. They were evocative of a tenth grade girl bemoaning the fact that no one had come to their party.

First, some practical advice: you do NOT increase the attractiveness of your product by complaining in the media that people prefer other products (e.g. youth hockey) to yours. When you do so, you make even your loyal customers wonder exactly what is so wrong with your product that you need to make such a public protestation.

Interesting: in re-reading both letters for what must be the 10th time, I noticed that only one of them was actively engaged in bashing youth sports and the volunteers who run them for taking "their" Sunday morning time slot. The other letter simply pointed out that church belonged in people's lives, and mentioned Sunday morning worship as one of the many things that churches do. (No issue at all with that point of view, by the way -- but the bad karma from the blast at youth sports in one letter carried over to the other letter, even for someone like me who pays a whole lot of attention to this sort of thing).

Hopefully it's unnecessary to mention that usually when youth sports leagues meet on Sunday mornings it's because it's the only time that a facility and needed volunteers can be available. Clergy: it's not about you.

Here's a radical suggestion: Do NOT fight Sunday morning sports leagues. Praise and publicize the kids in your church who participate and laud their accomplishments right in church. If you know that the team is playing a championship game while you're holding a service, pray out loud for the kids, for the team, for the opposition, and for those who help with youth sports. (After all, they're not in church, so they need your prayers, don't they?)

Two reasons: (1) it was the pharisees who were hung up on formal adherence to religious practice in the temple, not Jesus. (2) you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Worth circulating to kids in your sports program

Kids, regardless of where they live, frequently get on horses. Some are fortunate, live in rural areas, have adequate resources to be able to afford horses or are able to work and get the use of horses in that way. Others get on horses only on rare occasions -- pony rides, dude ranch visits, happenstance opportunities -- including church youth group trips.

We've talked about safety in sports before, but this video, of Courtney King Dye, the upper level Dressage rider, who suffered a traumatic brain injury while warming up for a competition, makes the important point that you should NEVER get on an equine without a properly fitted helmet, regardless of how low-risk things may seem to be at the time.

If you're not conversant with horse lore, Dressage is generally considered the safest horse sport around. The horses are extremely well trained, they do not jump, and all riding takes place in a ring. Courtney King Dye WAS riding at the highest levels of the sport. She was anything but an amateur; she WAS a highly skilled professional. Grit your teeth and look at her now.

It's painful to watch and listen to this video, but I urge you to do so, and to encourage the kids to watch it as well.

Why what Trinity Wall Street is doing is important

Since I started this blog a few years ago a number of people (not a big number, but big enough to think about) have made comments like this to me: (this is a composite of several questions)

"We would love to have sports in our church, but we're tucked into the middle of a city block, and the only open area around us is the alley where the super takes the trash out. We do have a church hall, but it isn't very big, and somebody put a huge crystal chandelier right in the middle of the room about 15 years ago, and we don't dare move it, and even if we did, all the windows are Tiffany glass, so we can't play inside either. Furthermore, the whole congregation is 70+ years old."

When I mention Trinity Wall Street, I'm referring, of course, to their recent announcement that they will be sponsoring two Little League teams, and encourage their congregation to attend games and cheer the kids on.

And, while the average age of their congregation isn't 70+, they are surrounded by skyscrapers and there's no place to play outside, except for the (historic) graveyard. In other words, they can't really play outside.

What they do have is sufficient money to sponsor two Little League teams (who will be playing on athletic fields built as part of the deal when real estate developers put up some housing on Hudson River landfill.

Let's assume that your parish can't underwrite two Little League teams. But what you can do is donate enough to a local soccer or baseball or basketball or other youth sports organization for one needy kid to play for one season. In our area, to do this for a needy travel soccer kid, it's about $100. In more affluent areas, it's probably twice or three times that. Ask the volunteers who run the leagues or the teams. You may find you get a really warm welcome.

Bravo, Trinity Wall Street

This just in.
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Trinity Wall Street has gotten on the bandwagon, and we are glad for it. Not one but TWO little league teams!!

Congratulations!! The kids and their parents will thank you for this.

For our Anglican friends in the UK

I guess that we Episcopalians in the United States always perceive themselves as a little more enlightened than most of the rest of the Anglican Communion, but we do have to give credit where credit is due. In this case, the credit is due to the Diocese of London of the Church of England.

The Diocese of London is looking for an Olympic Coordinator!! Glory be to God!!

(Actually, the job title is "Olympic Mobiliser" -- and of course Blogspot flagged my UK spelling on that one.....)