02/24/1994 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• P A R K S- Dear Parents: RECREAT ION•FORESTRY We have begun a new athletic season which we hope will be fun and rewarding to both you and your child. It is our hope that you will develop new friendships and have lasting positive memories about this season. Of course, we want to help your child learn new ball skills, but we want to accomplish many more things which we will attempt to outline in this letter. In order to accomplish these goals, a cooperative effort will be necessary between parent and coach. It is commonly believed that participation in sports teaches and fosters positive human values such as fair play, respect for others, cooperation, leadership, self-control, .and much more. We want your child to emerge from this athletic experience possessing these kinds of human values. These values will be a high priority as we teach ball skills and strategies. Three factors will help us in the establishment of these values. First, we can only succeed if we have good models for the players to emulate. In this case, we are referring to the coaches and parents. Second, we need to identify specifically the behaviors that we are going to try to effect. Third, we need to propose a cooperative plan to bring about the desired behavior. A competitive sport such as baseball and softball presents a situation which can become highly charged with emotion. To learn to control one's behavior in emotionally charged situations is a mark of maturity. In addition to teaching skills and strategies, we want to concentrate on the following: 1. Respect for the opponents both on and off the field. We will attempt to teach our players not to degrade their opponents before, during or after the games. We will attempt to teach them to win with humility and graciousness and lose (if we must) with dignity. 2. Acceptance by the players and parents of the official's decision without question. The coach will be the only person who will be permitted to question the official and this will be done in a calm, sportsmanlike manner. 3. Play the game for fun and enjoyment and team skills. We are going to strive to play all players, to promote participation whether a player is skilled or unskilled, and to give players the opportunities to experience all facets of the youth baseball/softball game. We feel the value is in the game and success is not measured only by winning. Please praise your child's efforts and demonstrate, through your own actions and remarks, sportsmanship and fair play. If we can achieve some of these goals, the players, parents and coaches will all be winners. Sincerely, Mary Saa'on. Director Mary Johnson Jr., AtlePo ram Su ervior Parks, Recreation and Forestry 2401 Highway 10 - Mounds View, MN 55112-1499 Phone: (612) 784-0618