Thursday, December 18, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
When a Run is more than a Run
One of the philosophies at NIS is that sports transcend games and can be a means to learn about life and uplift people. This belief was apparent to me while running the Chicago Marathon this past October. Even though the turmoil of the economic crisis casts a shadow over the country, almost 40,000 runners showed up and over one million spectators were present. Runners from all over the world race in the Chicago Marathon and every state is represented. Every time I “toe” the starting line I get Goosebumps as there is a shared sense of purpose with those around me, we are all trying to get to the finish line. When the gun goes off you can’t help but get swept up in the adrenaline as 40,000 bodies are all moving in the same direction and the crowd is cheering vigorously. Everyone is running for their own reason. Some people run for charity, others for the personal challenge and some for those who have recently passed. You can see the passion in the eyes of the runners. If just for this one day, nothing else matters but finishing this race and achieving their goal. Even though many are facing economic uncertainty the crowd still cheers and smiles as if nothing else matters but getting every runner to finish line. It is a beautiful sight to see a runner who is almost broken uplifted by the cheers of the crowd or to see another runner encourage a fellow runner to keep going. As I run and take it all in I realize that this event means more than just the sport it encapsulates. This event has the power to move people and bring them together for a shared purpose. This event inspires people to reach higher and strive for things they once thought were impossible. Even in times of trouble sports will always have a place because they bring out the best in people and make us believe in something greater than ourselves.
Even though the below quote is about baseball and not marathon running I feel it highlights how sports transcend games. It is a scene from the 1989 movie Field of Dreams.
“Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.” (Field of Dreams, 1989)
By Justin Mayer, Executive Director NIS
Even though the below quote is about baseball and not marathon running I feel it highlights how sports transcend games. It is a scene from the 1989 movie Field of Dreams.
“Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.” (Field of Dreams, 1989)
By Justin Mayer, Executive Director NIS
Monday, December 15, 2008
Sports and Bullying/Teasing
Recently bullying has made headlines because of the gross examples of bullying that occurred at Miss Porter’s School in Hartford Connecticut. This is a serious issue that needs to be dealt with in a serious manner. Below is an article by the President of the National Institute of Sports Professionals, Dr. John Mayer on Bullying.
Sports and Bullying/Teasing
My Colleagues, as many of you know, in my career as a Clinical Psychologist I have established a national reputation for expertise in the problems of the adolescent years. One of the issues that I am frequently called on to help with is teasing and bullying among young people. The last decade has seen more and more research being reported on the specific problem of bullying and teasing. It is encouraging to see so much attention in this traditionally neglected area of aggressive social behavior. The findings are disturbing. One of the most recent studies and one of the few longitudinal studies of this problem highlights an alarming number of adolescents who bully. (58.4%) This study appeared in the journal, Child Development, 79, 325-338. The US Secret Service reported in 2002 that 2/3 of all perpetrators of youth violent crimes were teased or bullied prior to the event. The National Threat Assessment Center found that the attackers in more than 66% of the 37 mass school shootings were persecuted or bullied by others and that revenge was the overriding motive of these school shootings. In my own clinical work, as I am called into cases around the country that involve youth violence, I can say anecdotally that the vast majority, if not all, of these cases involve teasing and bullying either on the perpetrator’s side or on the victims’ side of the case. Further, studies are showing that bullies are very likely to develop psychiatric and psychological problems in early adulthood. (Pediatrics, August, 2007) And the victims of bullying display a greater risk for psychosocial maladjustment as well as somatic complaints (e.g. Headaches, sleep problems, stomachaches) than other young people. (See: Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 34, 37-48. 2005.)
Bullying and Teasing are serious problems among youth.
The spread of this problem has resulted from decades of neglect on the part of adults who enable this behavior in both direct and indirect ways. In the scope of this article I won’t take the space to explain what the aim of the bully is, but suffice it to summarize that some form of power over another is the most common goal of the bully. Similarly, I will not detail here all the reasons behind why the bully does what they do, but again to succinctly sum it up: Bullying works for the bully. This behavior is repeated because the bully’s aims are accomplished. Sadly, we adults are often to blame for allowing bullying to work well. Also sadly, SPORTS HAS BEEN A COMMON WAY THAT BULLYING HAS BEEN FOSTERED OVER THE YEARS. Too often a youngster’s inappropriate aggressiveness against other peers is whisked under the carpet with adult epitaphs such as, “He’s going to be a great ball player.” Or “She’s just being one of the boys.” Unsportsmanlike conduct or bullying on the playing fields of sport is regaled as desirable behavior and often cheered. A not uncommon coaching style is to use negativism toward the player as a motivator. This is just another form of bullying in the disguise of an acceptable context, sports achievement. The problem here is that youngsters don’t have the experience or judgments necessary to discern appropriate, aggressive sport participation and inappropriate bullying of a weaker opponent. This is where coaching should mold the athlete, not model inappropriate behavior. What about coaches who use abusive/bullying techniques themselves? This modeling is another prime reason why bullying becomes widespread in youth. This Neanderthal approach is not only ethically wrong; it is not effective with today’s young athlete. Even though this behavior is grossly inappropriate it persists, even flourishes, in many coaching circles. We, NIS professionals, have an obligation to intervene with these coaches. Currently, NIS is mounting a membership drive to increase the numbers of coaches who are credentialed by NIS. This is an attempt to make a difference in the standards of coaching. Please help by encouraging coaches to apply for NIS credentials. Also if you have affiliation with a coaches group or association, please help us network with these groups toward NIS accreditation. We can make a difference.
What can we do about bullying and teasing?
Speaking in making a difference, what are the best ways we can stop this bullying in our young people? When you see it happen discipline those who bully. Do not allow it to take place under your supervision. And, don’t model bullying behavior through your actions towards others. Modeling is a powerful way bullying is spread. What do you tell a child who is a victim of bullying? All of the research and experience with kids suggest there are only three effective ways to deal with the bully. 1) Don’t react to it in any way-not even a grimace or flinch. 2) Ignore the bully’s words and actions. 3) Let the adult in charge know about what the bully is doing. Only these three methods work effectively and for the long haul. Age old advice such as, “You go back there and push him harder.” Or “Let’s figure out something to call them that will hurt their feelings even more.” None of these things work because they reinforce precisely what the bully wants, that is, to get a reaction out of the victim.
More on Dr. Mayer’s acclaimed work on Bullying and Teasing will appear soon in a booklet he is preparing for a new parenting website: www.nogginpower2.com. Visit that website for more details.
Sports and Bullying/Teasing
My Colleagues, as many of you know, in my career as a Clinical Psychologist I have established a national reputation for expertise in the problems of the adolescent years. One of the issues that I am frequently called on to help with is teasing and bullying among young people. The last decade has seen more and more research being reported on the specific problem of bullying and teasing. It is encouraging to see so much attention in this traditionally neglected area of aggressive social behavior. The findings are disturbing. One of the most recent studies and one of the few longitudinal studies of this problem highlights an alarming number of adolescents who bully. (58.4%) This study appeared in the journal, Child Development, 79, 325-338. The US Secret Service reported in 2002 that 2/3 of all perpetrators of youth violent crimes were teased or bullied prior to the event. The National Threat Assessment Center found that the attackers in more than 66% of the 37 mass school shootings were persecuted or bullied by others and that revenge was the overriding motive of these school shootings. In my own clinical work, as I am called into cases around the country that involve youth violence, I can say anecdotally that the vast majority, if not all, of these cases involve teasing and bullying either on the perpetrator’s side or on the victims’ side of the case. Further, studies are showing that bullies are very likely to develop psychiatric and psychological problems in early adulthood. (Pediatrics, August, 2007) And the victims of bullying display a greater risk for psychosocial maladjustment as well as somatic complaints (e.g. Headaches, sleep problems, stomachaches) than other young people. (See: Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 34, 37-48. 2005.)
Bullying and Teasing are serious problems among youth.
The spread of this problem has resulted from decades of neglect on the part of adults who enable this behavior in both direct and indirect ways. In the scope of this article I won’t take the space to explain what the aim of the bully is, but suffice it to summarize that some form of power over another is the most common goal of the bully. Similarly, I will not detail here all the reasons behind why the bully does what they do, but again to succinctly sum it up: Bullying works for the bully. This behavior is repeated because the bully’s aims are accomplished. Sadly, we adults are often to blame for allowing bullying to work well. Also sadly, SPORTS HAS BEEN A COMMON WAY THAT BULLYING HAS BEEN FOSTERED OVER THE YEARS. Too often a youngster’s inappropriate aggressiveness against other peers is whisked under the carpet with adult epitaphs such as, “He’s going to be a great ball player.” Or “She’s just being one of the boys.” Unsportsmanlike conduct or bullying on the playing fields of sport is regaled as desirable behavior and often cheered. A not uncommon coaching style is to use negativism toward the player as a motivator. This is just another form of bullying in the disguise of an acceptable context, sports achievement. The problem here is that youngsters don’t have the experience or judgments necessary to discern appropriate, aggressive sport participation and inappropriate bullying of a weaker opponent. This is where coaching should mold the athlete, not model inappropriate behavior. What about coaches who use abusive/bullying techniques themselves? This modeling is another prime reason why bullying becomes widespread in youth. This Neanderthal approach is not only ethically wrong; it is not effective with today’s young athlete. Even though this behavior is grossly inappropriate it persists, even flourishes, in many coaching circles. We, NIS professionals, have an obligation to intervene with these coaches. Currently, NIS is mounting a membership drive to increase the numbers of coaches who are credentialed by NIS. This is an attempt to make a difference in the standards of coaching. Please help by encouraging coaches to apply for NIS credentials. Also if you have affiliation with a coaches group or association, please help us network with these groups toward NIS accreditation. We can make a difference.
What can we do about bullying and teasing?
Speaking in making a difference, what are the best ways we can stop this bullying in our young people? When you see it happen discipline those who bully. Do not allow it to take place under your supervision. And, don’t model bullying behavior through your actions towards others. Modeling is a powerful way bullying is spread. What do you tell a child who is a victim of bullying? All of the research and experience with kids suggest there are only three effective ways to deal with the bully. 1) Don’t react to it in any way-not even a grimace or flinch. 2) Ignore the bully’s words and actions. 3) Let the adult in charge know about what the bully is doing. Only these three methods work effectively and for the long haul. Age old advice such as, “You go back there and push him harder.” Or “Let’s figure out something to call them that will hurt their feelings even more.” None of these things work because they reinforce precisely what the bully wants, that is, to get a reaction out of the victim.
More on Dr. Mayer’s acclaimed work on Bullying and Teasing will appear soon in a booklet he is preparing for a new parenting website: www.nogginpower2.com. Visit that website for more details.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Mission Statement
The National Institute of Sports Professionals (NIS) believes that sports transcend mere games and are a vehicle for enriching life. As such, those professionals committed to serving sports take on a great responsibility. It is NIS’ mission to make sure that professionals serving sports are qualified to accept this responsibility and as a result raise the standard of service that athletes receive. In an effort to raise this standard NIS credentials across a wide range of professions. By creating a vast network of highly qualified professionals NIS seeks to uniformly raise the standards for professionals serving sports.
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