September 2, 2004

Honoring the Game

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

In an effort to replace the all too common “win-at-all-cost” perspective in team sports with one of unity and sportsmanship, one woman leads the crusade to establish a higher ground in youth sports and beyond.

Tucked away in a small glass-encased office in the corner of the Pioneer High School library sits Barbara Beard, commissioner of the Blossom Valley Athletic League [BVAL]. In addition to her quest to create a more even playing field among high school leagues by grouping teams with similar skills, she decided three years ago that there was an even greater need to improve the sportsmanship in both high school athletics as well as the community.

“It’s not a new idea,” she admits. “I was attending a Stanford/Cal women’s basketball game when someone asked me if I would honor the game. They passed out fliers that talked about rivalries and buttons that said ‘Honor the Game.’ I thought, I can do this—I can figure this out.”

Based on principles adopted by the American Sports Education Program [ASEP], “Honor the Game” seeks to enlighten student athletes, parents, coaches, and spectators on the true value of victory—without having to dishonor the game in an effort to win it.

Armed with good intentions, Beard set out to adopt the philosophy, printing up stickers and spearheading a grassroots effort to further promote better sportsmanship behavior. The concept has now grown to include their third annual conference, which will be held at the new Evergreen High School campus on Sept. 9.

“Our efforts have been the same each year,” Beard says. “The intent is to get kids talking about good sportsmanship and to get ideas of what they see as being acceptable and not acceptable. We try to instill some values in them that they can take with them when they leave high school—and maybe teach to their children when they grow up.”

An estimated 500 people are expected to attend, consisting of 20 student athletes, along with coaches, parents, activity directors, associated student body presidents, spirit leaders, and journalism students from each of the 22 high schools in the league, including Leland, Pioneer, Branham, Lincoln, and Leigh. Made up of athletes from football, baseball, basketball, soccer, and water polo, the conference seeks to get attendees talking about good sportsmanship, while learning what should and should not be tolerated during the game.

“These are the teams that have the biggest problems with sportsmanship,” Beard says. “We want to focus on them.”

Offering this year’s keynote speech will be Roger Blake, executive director for the Counseling and Interscholastic Federation [CIF], which controls all high school athletics throughout the state of California.

“One of his jobs is to promote sportsmanship throughout the state,” Beard says.

Moderated by athletic directors, the conference will be divided into breakout sessions, including small groups of students, spirit leaders, parents, and coaches for discussions on sportsmanship expectations, examples, and effective pro-active techniques. Additional sessions will pair all the athletes together, as well as spirit leaders and coaches for similar discussions, followed by uniting individual schools in an effort to establish an action plan that will focus on ways to improve sportsmanship behavior.

Additional speakers will include Leland graduate Robert Braunstein, host of the popular televised “High School Sports Focus” program, along with a medical doctor who will speak about performance-enhancing drugs and their consequences.

“We’re trying to get better awareness going on this point,” Beard Says. “For example, even though Red Bull is sold over the counter and kids think it’s OK, it’s not when you’re going to go play in a football game or run a long distance.”

Also present will be representatives from FEMAR, the association that secures the officials for high school games, who will discuss try to paint a more human picture of the role of high school officials.

“A lot of the complaints come from the quality of the officials,” admits Beard. “Parents get on them, and sometimes the kids. We want to establish a better working relationship so that these kids understand that the officials are human and probably doing the best job they can. Sure they make mistakes, and kids have to learn that.”

Attendees will receive T-shirts, donated by Screen Designs, and lunch will be provided courtesy of local business.

“We work on a lot of donations to keep this going,” Beard says. “As part of the ongoing effort, flags and banners have popped up at participating schools showing that they sponsor the ‘Honor the Game’ philosophy. Additionally, officials meet with players and announcements are made prior to the games to emphasize the school’s commitment and participation in good sportsmanship practices.

“Schools are now actually welcoming the opponent onto the field, rather than thinking they are the enemy,” Beard says. “Some have even passed out bottles of water to the other team. We try to not have any negative posters or cheers either. We’ve made progress and our kids are really behaving pretty well.”

When not promoting the “Honor the Game” program, Beard maintains her position as commissioner of the BVAL, which is comprised of 22 public schools from three public school districts. Each school in the league is placed into one of three divisions based on the strength of its specific sports program in an effort to provide quality competition on a more level playing field. At the end of each season, divisions are re-assessed and teams reassigned based on success of the lower level programs, coaching changes, and graduating athletes.

BVAL’s vision for fair and equitable play, coupled with its sportsmanship efforts and annual conference has made the league a model program that is now being studied throughout the United States.

“What we’re trying to teach here is respect for the athlete—respect for the sport, and understanding that life is not perfect,” Beard says. “Even with instant replay, they don’t get it right all the time.”

BVAL continues to provide schools with ways to promote sportsmanship, while staying abreast of issues and encouraging athletic directors and principals to address problems as they arise.

“We’re still struggling with the community and the families,” Beard adds. “Sometimes, they want to act like the sixth man on the basketball court or the 12th man on the football team. Oftentimes, things they do are not always positive and we’ve been monitoring those activities.

And she means business, passing out “yellow cards” to unruly parents and fans at games that state, “This yellow card has been given to you as a warning that your behavior may not be appropriate for this educational setting.

Please understand that your attendance is a privilege to observe, not a license to verbally abuse players, coaches, or officials…It’s not your game, it’s ours, the athletes that are competing. We hope the spectators will watch, enjoy, encourage, and be proud of us, win or lose. We need your support and enthusiasm, not your yelling and criticism.”

Words to live by. And athletes, parents, coaches, fans, and the like are invited to start living the motto during “Honor the Game” week, as football season gets underway the first week in October.

“We’re asking all the schools to emphasis good sportsmanship during that week,” Beard says. “We ask people to pledge to “honor the game.”