Students and coaches attend summit

Students and coaches who attended the Sportmanship Summit are, front row, left to right–Coach Terri Hogue, Amy Dunn, Hannah Thompson, Lexi Lampe, and Coach Cody Hawley. Back row, left to right–Coach Jason Vitosh, Dan Hagedorn, Michael Huettner, Trevor Harling, and Coach Don Hogue.

On Tuesday, November 20, 2007, a group of Falls City athletes and coaches attended the 2007 Sportsmanship Summit at Nebraska Wesleyan in Lincoln.  The Sportsmanship Summit is sponsored annually by the Nebraska Coaches Association.  The Nebraska School Activities Association encourages member schools to attend as their goal is to promote sportsmanship in its member schools. 

Harvey Alston and Aaron Davis were key speakers at the day’s event. Former Husker Davis entertained both students and coaches with stories from UNL and his own life. He spread the message that sportsmanship is bigger than the game.

Some of the sessions students and coaches could attend were Student Leadership in Athletics, First Steps to Great Teams, Roles for Parents in Athletics, Be the Best, Creating a Positive Competitive Atmosphere, Motivating and Organizing your Student Body, and Sportsmanship is On and Off the Field. There was also a panel discussion conducted by student/athletes from around the state who attended a national sportsmanship/leadership conference.

Commenting on a session led by Dr. Galen Boldt, Assistant Superintendent at Norris, Coach Vitosh said, "Sportsmanship is more about the culture of your school and community, not just players in a game or even the fans in
the stands. It's about putting the values of your community on display each time your students take the playing field." 

After attending the session "Captains: 7 Ways to Lead Your Team" and the student/athletes panel, the FCHS students discussed ways to bring back some ideas for the student body. They talked about suggestions for making the student section at sporting events more positive and more involved in the contests. The athletes and coaches are meeting after the Thanksgiving break to discuss this and other ideas. They will try to implement some of the things they saw and learned during the upcoming winter sports season.