Why Student-athletes Should Pay it Forward
Athletes have a lot on their plate. But many still find the time to volunteer in their community.
Hannah Slike played travel softball for So Cal Athletics before starting her freshman year at Boston College. She and her family have always had a passion for helping others.
Several years ago, her parents started a baseball league for special needs children. The league is a part of Little League Challenger, founded in 1989 as an adaptive baseball program for individuals with physical and intellectual challenges. The Challenger Division accommodates kids ages 4-18, or up to age 22 if they are still enrolled in school.
“I love doing it,” Slike told me earlier this year.
Gymnast Ruben Padilla has often volunteered at the school where his mother teaches, working with autistic children.
“It’s a good feeling just to help people,” he told me in a Zoom interview for a story on FloGymnastics.com. “You learn things like patience, being proud of the smaller things.”
Making a Commitment
Being a student-athlete involves a great deal of time and commitment, especially at the elite level. If an athlete is one of the chosen few to make it to college, that commitment becomes even greater. Then, there’s school and family obligations to consider.
So when the subject of volunteering comes up, it would be understandable if most athletes brushed such opportunities aside. After all, there are only so many hours in a day.
But the benefits of paying it forward far outweigh any inconvenience. Athletes like Hannah and Ruben still find the time to serve their communities. According to numerous NCAA surveys, studies show 56 percent of male athletes and 67 percent of female athletes believe it is important to take part in some form of community service. More than 80 percent of college athletes volunteer at least once a year, while 44 percent give a few hours a month of their time to local and national organizations.
Granted, many schools require all student-athletes to accrue a certain number of community service hours. But many of the athletes I’ve spoken to over the years are more than happy to meet those requirements.
Making It Personal
Experiencing personal crisis is often a breeding ground for helping others. Karlyn Pickens, another travel ball player, was playing in a tournament one day when her parents received a call from her brother Kolton, who was stationed in the military.
Kolton had just witnessed a soldier commit suicide by jumping from the top of a hangar. The incident shook him and the family to the core. It also inspired Karlyn and her mother Rebecca to take action. They started See the Light: With Courage, a nonprofit focusing on mental health awareness in the military. The organization produces pamphlets containing Bible verses and other inspirational quotes to encourage soldiers who struggle with thoughts of suicide and other issues.
“It’s a work in progress,” Rebecca told me in a 2020 article. “They will be distributed to bases or chaplains, even the Red Cross. There is such a need. Being a military mom, I’m in groups with other women (who) post on our forum how their soldier is struggling.”
The Sky’s the Limit
There is certainly no shortage of opportunities when it comes to paying it forward. Athletes of all ages have pitched in to organize food drives for the needy, raise donations to buy Christmas gifts for less fortunate children, or do yard work and other chores for their elderly neighbors.
Some NCAA schools work with Team Impact, an organization that pairs chronically ill children with college teams. Children get to sign “letters of intent” and even receive uniforms, creating a special bond with their favorite college players and coaches. Several years ago, one 11-year-old boy got the opportunity to sign a letter with the University of Kentucky, complete with his own press conference.
Over the years, athletes at Salem High in New Hampshire have helped raise funds for cancer research for Coaches vs. Cancer, and conducted clinics for special needs athletes. Each team at the school chooses a service project close to that program or player. Once it’s approved by the athletic director, they can begin volunteering.
With so much on their plate, how can high school and college athletes be convinced serving others is as important to them as it is to their communities?
At Cambridge Christian School in Tampa, Florida, community service is part of their mission statement. The school believes since athletics are an extension of the classroom, student-athletes should engage in serving others to promote their growth and well-being.
Chad Goebert, Cambridge’s athletic director, believes it’s imperative coaches buy into this concept.
“Just because the athletic director is passionate about community service does not mean that others will share that excitement,” Goebert wrote in an NFSHS blog post. “Therefore, it is important to allow coaches to help take the lead when selecting community service projects.”
Goebert adds it’s equally important student-athletes be made aware of what they would actually be doing in their service work, as well as the specific positive outcomes they’ll receive. These can include health benefits, team building and leadership skill development. It also helps when players and coaches all have input on locating the right projects for each team.
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Being an elite athlete takes a lot of time and commitment on top of schoolwork and family time. But that’s true of almost everyone. We lead busy lives, always on the go. Taking some time to help others is something we should all do. I can speak from experience: there is no greater feeling than knowing you made a difference by helping someone else. “Paying It Forward” shouldn’t be just a catchphrase, but a way of life.
Hot Takes and Great Reads
I’d like to welcome Sarah to our family of subscribers this week. I appreciate all of you who have taken the time to not only read this newsletter, but to allow me in your inbox each week. We’re all inundated with emails, blog posts, social media, podcasts, etc. So I am truly grateful to have a small part of your day. Keep spreading the word, and let’s build a strong community of people who are passionate to see youth sports change for the better.
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The NBA season is almost here. Preseason practices and games have already started, and fans are eager to see how their team will fare this year.
Lost in all the excitement is Jr. NBA Week. The NBA is partnering with Laureus Sport for Good to launch an online training program for youth basketball coaches, educators and organizers. This program is looking to train more than 10,000 youth coaches to become SEL-certified over the next year.
The league is also offering a “Her Right to Play” initiative in partnership with Girls Leadership. This program helps women use their voice.
Check out this article on TheSource.com for more details.
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One of my earlier issues of Better Young Athletes addressed the referee shortage in youth sports. A big reason sports officials are quitting in large numbers is due to the abuse they receive.
Some states are attempting to deal with the problem through legislation. In Pennsylvania, Rep. Anita Astorino Kulik, D-Allegheny, recently introduced a bill that would make harassment of a sports official a third-degree misdemeanor punishable by six months to a year in jail and a fine up to $2,500.
“Regardless of the sport, a sports official’s job is a highly stressful one,” Kulik stated in her legislative justification. “This is due in no small part to the split-second, often contentious, rulings they are required to make. These calls sometimes result in strong disagreements expressed by players, coaches, and spectators.”
Current state law has some protection for sports officials, but only if they are physically assaulted. In many cases, charges are never filed. Here’s hoping this bill will pass and that other states will follow suit.
Read this TimesObserver.com story for more information.
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Women’s soccer star Alex Morgan had her first child, a daughter named Charlie, last year. Becoming a mom has taught her the importance of raising healthy children.
Morgan is teaming up with GoGo squeeZ, a plant-based snack maker and one of her long-time sponsors, to promote healthy eating habits and physical fitness among children. The mission of “Fun Comes First” is to empower parents, teachers and coaches to promote youth sports participation through education. Morgan, one of Team USA’s top five goal scorers, took up a plant-based diet four years ago. She believes it changed her life and wants to give her daughter those same benefits.
“I try to make sure she gets what we eat, putting in place good habits, and not just giving her what kids are typically given,” Morgan told Forbes. “Often, if you go out to a restaurant, a lot of the kids’ menu is fried food, fried food, and more fried food filled with cheese.”
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