Coach Mark Roshell - In His Own Words

For a message to continue being effective, you sometimes need others to deliver it.  The following is an email I received earlier this week from Mark Roshell, coach of the Des Peres Colts flag football team.  Coach Roshell was the recipient of an award from the Sportsmanship Brigade last weekend.  He's an outstanding coach and a great role model for kids.  Remember, the Sportsmanship Brigade wants to recognize the good sportsmanship happening in your organization as well.  Read the coach's email below.  Then call 314.345.5130 or email salexander@stlsports.org to schedule the Sportsmanship Brigade.  

Solomon,

I am the surprised recipient of the Sportsmanship Award from the flag football games at DesPeres Park on Saturday at 12:00. I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the gift card and to also thank your organization for taking the time to promote such a worthy notion of sportsmanship. I sincerely enjoyed helping coaching the boys this year and am also hopeful that any [positive] influence / comments from coaches as well as parents will help keep them interested in participating in this league as well as others.

The coaches and parents all remarked that as this season went on many of the young men not only displayed an increased confidence in themselves when playing but an increased confidence in general. This is just one example of the many positives that we all know sports can promote but I also agree with you that the [negative] that can be on display during a sporting event is what garners the attention of the media.

Thank you again for the award and keep up your good work of promoting good sportsmanship! I will try to do the same!

Sincerely,

Mark W. Roshell

Until next time...
 
Be a Good Sport!
 
-Sol

Read More

Sportsmanship Brigade reports for duty

Sportsmanship is an action word.  It represents the willingness and courage to do the right thing. Sportsmanship encourages others to encourage others.  You recognize the effects of sportsmanship based on the receiver and not the giver.  Yesterday, the Sportsmanship Brigade visited the Des Peres Flag Football League in suburban St. Louis.  The Sportsmanship Brigade is a group of St. Louis Sports Commission volunteers who go to youth sports events looking for acts of good sportsmanship.  Wearing navy blue polos with Sportsmanship embroidered across the left breast, the Brigade recognizes the good in sports.  If the Brigade finds someone doing the right thing, then watch out!  Their mission is to reward the athlete, parent, coach or fan on the spot with a gift card or other item.  The Brigade looks to make a public display of your inner character.

Coach Mark Roshell of the Des Peres Colts was caught in the act.  Brigade members found him to be an exceptional coach who teaches his second grade athletes the fundamentals while treating them with dignity and respect.  They did not let the coach get away unrecognized.  Watch the Brigade rewarding coach Roshell (email subscribers click here).



Does your organization have athletes, coaches, parents and fans who routinely show good sportsmanship?  The Sportsmanship Brigade wants to hear from you.  More importantly, we want to come see you in action.  To get on the Brigade's schedule email salexander@stlsports.org or call 314.345.5130.  Also, enjoy the pictures from yesterday's outing on our Flickr photostream in the sidebar of this page.  Congratulations to coach Roshell and the Sportsmanship Brigade hopes to see you very soon.  Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol

Read More

The Real Sheet of Integrity

The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament begins in earnest today.  What you see above is my bracket, but I used a new system with this one.  I didn't pick by mascot or my favorite color.  I picked by sportsmanship.  How did I do that?  Well, I added each team's disqualifications, technical fouls, and ejections.  I call this new statistic the Sportsmanship Index or SPI.  Then, I picked winners for each round based on the team with the lower SPI.  When two teams had identical SPI's, I chose the team with the fewest technical fouls.  I know what you're thinking.  This bracket has got to be outrageous and not based in reality.  Quite the opposite is true.

Did you know Ohio State did not commit one technical foul this year?  Florida played 33 games without a single player fouling out.  Good teams play within the rules.  If your team commits a lot of technical fouls, then your opponent can score more points and get more possessions.  Moreover, if your team has a lot of players getting disqualified because of foul trouble, then you have to give less-skilled players more minutes.  Take a look and tell me what you think.  Enjoy the games!  Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol

Read More

Cappie Pondexter makes foul shot while Gilbert Gottfried quacks

Going to work everyday and supporting your family shows a degree of maturity.  Paying your bills on-time takes some maturity as well.  Evidence of real maturity, however, appears in the face of tragedy.  Have you ever had a friend tell a dumb joke at a funeral or in a hospital?  This person is usually funny, but at that moment they became the most ignorant person you've ever met.  In another instance, you have a friend who speaks on a subject they know very little about.  Their statement comes off as insensitive and harsh.

Cappie Pondexter of the WNBA's New York Liberty wrote the following tweet on Sunday.  "Maybe god was tired of the way they treated there own people!"  Pondexter was referring to the people of Japan who are facing the aftermath of last weekend's devastating earthquake and tsunami.  She wrote two other tweets that were just as insensitive.  I'm not going to use this forum to debate Pondexter's religious beliefs.  I'll just state a fact.  Japan is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire; which is one of the most seismically active areas in the world.  Earthquakes occur quite frequently there.  Pondexter was also a member of the 2007 Rutgers University basketball team that was insulted by Don Imus.  She knows the effects of hurtful public comments and should know better.

Gilbert Gottfried is a comedian and was the voice of the Aflac duck until this week.  He made an off-color joke about the Japanese disaster.  Aflac abruptly fired him.  Some things are just not funny.  You can help your kids develop maturity.  Teach them how it's inappropriate to laugh when an opponent gets injured.  Let them know it's wrong to criticize someone for running into the outfield wall while they're still on the ground.  Mature people help others.  They don't tell jokes or give misguided lectures.  Being a good sport means lending a hand, not pointing a finger.  Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol

Read More

Sportsmanship has a new sound

Some people like to hear the sound of their own voice.  I happen to be one of those people.  The only thing I like better than writing is talking.  As you may have guessed, I love radio.  It allows a person to tell a story and I'm a storyteller for better or worse.  One story we covered on this blog and on several other outlets was the big pee wee football brawl in Pearland, Texas.  If you remember, the adults got into a huge fight while the kids literally ran for their lives.  We all know the situation was handled poorly and kids were put in unnecessary danger.  Do we know why situations like the one in Texas happened?  No matter what the details are, the reasons almost always involve someone stepping out his or her role. 

KTRS-AM interviewed me back in October about the Pearland brawl.  Have a listen to the podcast below Email subscribers click here).



The interview provides a good segue into the recent updates made to the blog homepage.  There's an extended self-indulgent bio on me and ways to contact your favorite blogger.  More importantly, you can keep up with sports and variety of other topics through my Twitter Updates.  Radio segments like the one you just heard are available by clicking the Podcasts icon.  Archives are updated every week.  Please take advantage of our Free Stuff section as well.  You can receive sportsmanship materials and other cool items for the low, low price of free.  I think that's all for now.  Thanks for reading and listening.  Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol 

Read More

Sportsmanship is Stylish

I received an interesting tweet a couple of days ago from my new friend and fellow blogger, Janis Meredith.  The tweet read that I've been named a Stylish Blogger.  Well, cool.  Janis writes a great youth sports blog called at jbmthinks.com.  She was named a stylish blogger by another site.  You see, the award is a way of making new friends, encouraging other bloggers, and getting your name out there.  Thanks, Janis for the encouragement and the friendship.  The first thing you're supposed to do if awarded is acknowledge the person who named you.  Check.  Second, you're supposed to tell seven things about yourself.  If you decide to make fun of me, please do so in a comment.  I like jokes too.

1. My wife is my best friend.
2. My daughter is my biggest fan.
3. I'd rather watch a great boxing match than the Super Bowl.
4. Fried chicken is my favorite food (feel free to insert gratuitous stereotype here).
5. I'm a huge WWE fan.
6. I can bench, 400, deadlift 500, and squat 600lbs. right now.
7. My boss reads every one of my posts (Hi, Frank!).

Now, I'll name  15 Stylish Bloggers.  Not everyone is a sports blogger, but I dig them and I think you will too.

• The Gridiron Goddess
• What Then Is This Child Going To Be?
• Red Sox Dad
• Title IX Blog
• Youth Sports Parents
• Out Of Left Field
• Paul Harris Online
• LAUGH SHINE REPEAT BLOG
• Above the Net
• Taking You Beyond the Game
• Baseball Moms, Soccer Moms, Tennis Moms, more
• Institute for International Sport
• Keep It Moving
• SportsMom2Boys
• Morgan Ensberg's Baseball IQ

Next, I have to contact each of the blog's authors to tell them.  The idea is to accept the honor and pay it forward to 15 more bloggers.  So, there's work involved with this honor.  I want to personally thank each of you for reading and commenting on this blog.  It really is nothing without you.  Also, check out the new features and let me know what you think.  Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol

Read More

Speak expectation to your kid

At the 2011 St. Louis Sportsmanship Summit, former Rams great Aeneas Williams discussed the importance of encouraging young people with positive expectations.  His take on the subject in the video below is enlightening (Email subscribers click here).



Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol

Read More

Coach wins the game and the respect of his rival

Saturday, Feb. 26 marked this season's final home game for Truman State University (Kirksville, Mo.) women's basketball.  The matchup against rival Central Missouri (Warrensburg, Mo.) did not turn out the way Truman would have wanted.  Central Missouri enjoyed a comfortable double-digit lead with less than a minute to go and its coach seemed to be rubbing it in.  Coach Dave Slifer gave referees an earful all night; prompting taunts and other choice language from the Truman faithful.  Then something strange happened.  It was almost like a scene from the show Touched by an Angel.  Slifer had a change of heart and his display of sportsmanship turned the Truman jeers into cheers.

Truman coach Michael Smith put senior Cassie Hunt into the game with about six seconds left.  Hunt tore her ACL earlier in the season and was unable to play.  Smith wanted her to get one more round of applause before her college career ended.  Hunt was not listed on Truman's original roster and would have been assessed a technical foul.  That's when Slifer lobbied referees to waive the penalty and allow Hunt into the game.  He went a step further and instructed his Central Missouri players to allow Hunt to score.  Watch the moment in the video below (Email subscribers click here).



Slifer later admitted that he didn't plan to do this.  He knew Hunt from high school games where she competed against his daughter.  Slifer said in an interview, "She's a good kid.  She deserves it.  I was glad to be able to do something to support her."  Well done, Coach.  Well done.  Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol

Read More

Eight is a little young for an Olympian

Stevo Poulin is eight and it seems his parents and/or coaches have gone overboard.  They have a full highlight reel for their third-grader, complete with a hardcore soundtrack (Email subscribers click here).



The post summary where I found this video reads, "An 8-year-old in upstate New York is already showing signs of being a future Olympic champion."  What?!  This kid can't get on most of the rides at Six Flags, but he has a highlight film, a soundtrack, a Mohawk, and an Olympic prediction.  Young Stevo Poulin does execute some good hip tosses and takedowns.  He's obviously serious about wrestling.  Yet, I don't think his parents and coaches are being very realistic about Stevo's wrestling future.  He may be just as passionate about soccer next year or football the year after that.  At eight, he's Mighty Mouse.  At 16, he may just be a mouse.  Heaping these expectations on a kid so early doesn't help. 

You may have a youngster like Stevo Poulin.  He looks strong for his age.  All the other kids appear overmatched against your kid.  You begin dreaming about college, the Olympics, and maybe the professional level.  Wake up!  Your athlete may very well be an Olympic champion one day, but there's no way you can know that now.  The best thing you can do is develop his fundamentals.  Make sure he has fun and falls in love with the game.  And above all else, please encourage the kid to get a normal haircut.  Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol      

Read More

DeSean Jackson runs perfect comeback route

Nadin Khoury is a 13-year-old young man from Upper Darby, Pa.  He's a 5-foot-2 eighth-grader who recently moved the Philadelphia suburb with his mom and sister.  Nadin's mom, Rebecca is a native of Liberia and left the country in 2000 seeking a better life for her family.  Let's put this all together.  Nadin is a small kid, new to the neighborhood, and his mom talks kind of funny.  You guessed it.  He became an easy target for bullies.  One day while walking to his bus stop, a group of kids starting taunting him.  They talked about his mother's speech and how she looked.  Time out for a moment.  I'm going to make a personal observation before we continue.  I've taught and coached hundreds of young men in my life and one thing never fails.  You can measure the character of a young man by how he treats and protects his mother.

Now back to our story.  The group of kids pushed Nadin down and dragged him down a hill.  He got up and fought one of them and got the better of the kid.  The kid Nadin beat up started getting grief.  This made him angry and the group increased its attacks on Nadin.  Enter January 11 of this year.  Nadin was attacked by seven bigger schoolmates.  The young man was kicked, punched, and hung on a wrought-iron gate.  His attackers were as bold as they were vicious.  They recorded the incident an posted it on YouTube.  In the video, you can see the brazen attack on Nadin Khoury.  You can also see groups of adults in the background doing what many adults do today...nothing.

No one came to Nadin's aid.  The adults just stood there as if they were super-glued to the pavement.  Rebecca did not take this lying down.  Armed with the video evidence the bullies took themselves, she told anyone who would listen about what happened to her son.  The police and school took action against the group.  ABC's The View got hold of the story and found out that Nadin's favorite athlete is Eagles' wide receiver, DeSean Jackson.  Producers contacted Jackson, who lives in Los Angeles in the off-season.  The following video is taken from Nadin's interview on The View.  Watch what happens (Email subscribers click here).



It's great that Nadin got to meet his favorite player and has the support of a lot of important people.  I'm impressed with Jackson and his teammates because they did something that no adult did on that fateful day.  They showed up in support of Nadin.  Jackson's fame, money, and athletic ability were overshadowed by his character.  Watch the video again.  He sat down next to the kid, put his arm around him, and told him things were going to be OK.  That may be the best comeback route I've ever seen a receiver run.  Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol 

Read More

Charlie Sheen and Sportsmanship

I was driving westbound on Interstate 44 here in St. Louis a couple of days ago when traffic on the highway came to a complete stop.  It's happened to all of us.  You're rolling along and suddenly there are brake lights as far as the eye can see.  I think there's an accident up ahead, but I've come to realize that's not always the case.  After about 20 minutes of creeping along, police and ambulance lights came into view - in the eastbound lane!  The accident was on the other side of the highway.  People just stopped traffic to gawk at someone else's misfortune.  I could almost understand if someone actually got out of their car to help.  Nope.  They just watched.  Someone could be dying, hurt badly, or at the very least a nervous wreck and hundreds of people have slowed to a crawl just to watch.

We're all guilty.  I don't know what we expect to see...blood, a body, a crying mother.  Charlie Sheen's story reminds me of people gawking on the highway.  Sheen has interviewed with every major network and cable outfit in the last week.  Everyone hopes he'll say something crazy.  They know he's had issues with drugs and may very well still.  It doesn't matter.  They keep sticking a microphone in his face and we keep watching.  Earlier this week, Sheen uttered a phrase that has now gone viral.  Just watch the first two minutes or so of the video below and you'll see what I mean.



Charlie Sheen is not "bi-winning."  He's losing and well all know it.  It's funny because he's a rich guy and we don't have sympathy for rich people because they're rich.  However, Sheen has five kids.  Let that sink in for a moment.  All the money and fame in the world can't replace your dad.  Not so funny anymore, is it?  You and I are not in a position to help Charlie Sheen, but we can help someone else.  Here's where the sportsmanship piece comes in.  There's a kid on your team or maybe on another team that you know is having a hard time.  Until now, you've just watched that kid struggle.  His parents may be having a tough go of it and you could help, but you don't. 

I encourage you to help that kid today.  The young girl could be failing in math and you're an engineer by profession.  Help her improve; whether she can make her free throws or not.  Maybe your second baseman is having trouble in English class and your job requires you to write press releases all day.  You see where I'm going with this.  Don't just watch.  Help a kid be a winner today.  Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol 

Read More

Nicollerat: A Master at Work

2011 Coach it Right! Baseball Clinic 119
Originally uploaded by TheRealBigSol

A master is not someone who knows everything. A master is someone who is willing and able to teach everything he knows. Steve Nicollerat is a master. The picture you see in this post is from last Saturday's Coach it Right! Baseball Clinic at St. Louis University High School. Coach Nicollerat used his players to demonstrate drills to the more than 130 coaches in attendance. Feel free to scan the Flickr photostream in the right border of this page. Nicollerat covered everything from hitting to executing the delayed steal.

This clinic, however, was about more than baseball. It was about training the best coaches to give kids the best experience possible. Coach could be coaching somewhere else for a lot more money and recognition, but he loves the game, the kids, and their coaches. Did I mention the clinic was free? That's right. All a willing coach needed was the desire to learn from a Missouri Baseball Hall of Fame coach.

The coaches did have that desire and they came in representative numbers. North St. Louis, South St. Louis, St. Louis County, Metro-East communitites, and out-state Missouri showed a great commitment to kids by showing up at 8 a.m. on a cold Saturday in February. Thanks again to Coach Nicollerat, his players, and his staff for providing some of the best baseball instruction anywhere. Thanks to the coaches who sacrificed their time on Saturday and continue to do so everyday for our kids. We appreciate you all and encourage you to keep up the excellent work. Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol

Read More

20th Anniversary of National Sportsmanship Day

Today is the 20th Anniversary of National Sportsmanship Day.  The Institute for International Sport founded National Sportsmanship Day in 1991 "to promote ethics, honesty, and fair play in athletics and in society in general through education and sport."  We hope you will internalize that purpose and do the same not only today, but everyday going forward.  Please take time and listen to the latest episode of Sportsmanship Radio provided below.  There's an interesting story about a young hockey player who realized the value of his opponent.  Also, we'll recap the Coach it Right! Baseball Clinic last weekend and tell you how you can get the Sportsmanship blog sent directly to your inbox.



Check this out on Chirbit

Read More