Program Description

Ø Sportsmanship awards will be given to football players in each house league (Senior, Intermediate, Junior, Flag) based on nominations from league coaches and if possible referee input.

Ø Award nominations will be based on established critieria.

Ø A plaque and award will be presented to award recipients in each league.

Awards Criteria

Criteria established by the Park Ridge Football board of directors includes:

Ø Open and visible displays of sportsmanship. (See checklist below).

Ø Attends 90% of team practices.

Ø Attends 90% of team games.

Ø Open and visible displays of enthusiasm for the sport.

Awards Process

1. Board members will review sportsmanship criteria with League commissioners prior to start of practices.

2. League commissioners will review and explain award criteria with coaches.

3. League coaches will review and explain award criteria with players.

4. Coaches will nominate a player from each team in each house league during the 7th week of the season.

5. A nomination form will be provided at a later date for coaches to complete and return to your league commissioner during the 7th week of the season.

6. The league commissioners will forward the nomination forms to awards chairperson.

7. Team award winners will be recognized at their league banquet.

Awards Winners

Ø Award Winners receive a plaque.

Sportsmanship Checklist for Kids

1. I abide by the rules of the game. Part of good sportsmanship is knowing the rules of the game and playing by them. If a player decides to play a given sport, it is the responsibility of that player to learn not only how to play but how to play according to the rules which have been established and standardized to allow competitive games to be played in an orderly fashion. The more a player knows the rules the more that player can enjoy the sport.

2. I always play fair. Honesty and integrity should be an integral part of sports. A player with good sportsmanship does not want a hollow victory, which comes as a result of cheating ("dirty" fouls, ineligible players, performance enhancing drugs, etc.)

3. I follow the directions of the coach. A player with good sportsmanship listens to and follows the directions of the coach, realizing that each player's decisions affect the rest of the team. If a player has disagreements with the coach, the player discusses the disagreements privately in a civil manner, away from the public eye.

4. I respect the other team's effort. Whether the other team plays better or whether they play worse, the player with good sportsmanship does not use the occasion to put the other team down. In the field of competition respect for opponents is central to good sportsmanship. If an opponent out-performs a player, that player accepts it, learns from it, offers no excuses and moves on. If a player out-performs an opponent, that player enjoys the victory, but does not gloat, does not belittle, and does not minimize the opponent's effort.

5. I offer encouragement to teammates. A sign of good sportsmanship is a player who praises teammates when they do well and who comforts and encourages them when they make mistakes. Criticizing teammates in the heat of battle simply distracts from the focus of working together and gives the advantage to the opponent who develops a sense of confidence when seeing signs of weakness or a lack of unity in the midst of the competition. Further, good sportsmanship implies that the player on a team is a team player and that his or her behavior reflects on the team in general. A team player does not condone unsportsmanlike conduct from teammates, but instead promotes good sportsmanship among teammates.

6. I accept the judgment calls of the game officials. Part of the human condition is making mistakes. Arguing with an official over a judgment call simply wastes energy. The player with good sportsmanship knows that errors may be made, but the player also knows that a game is made up of all the plays and calls from the beginning to the end of the game, not just the call in dispute. The player with good sportsmanship may be upset, but that player also has learned to focus his/her energies back on the game and on doing the best he/she can do for the rest of the game.

7. I end the game smoothly. When the game is over, pouting, threatening, cajoling have no place in the life of the players with good sportsmanship, who emphasize the joy of participating, regardless of outcome. They're not devoid of emotions but they know that their efforts to end the competition smoothly, without antagonistic emotional display, will help ensure that the games will continue in the future.

"Sports do not build character. They reveal it." - Heywood Hale Broun