First-time event brings MCAA together
Sports reporter
Rice County Community Foundation Building in Lyons was busy Nov. 10 when it played host to the first Mid-Central Activities Association Sportsmanship Conference.
The conference focused mainly on the Kansas State High School Activities Association rule 52 in its handbook, called citizenship/sportsmanship. The rule states: "The concept of sportsmanship must be taught, modeled, expected, and reinforced in the classroom and all competitive activities."
Twenty kids from each of the 12 league schools, activities directors and principals from each school, and speakers from across the region worked together to convey that message.
Marion High School principal Ken Arnhold was instrumental in getting the ball rolling on this project.
Being new to the league, Arnhold was concerned about a few incidents of poor sportsmanship occurring in the MCAA last year. He talked to the league about a sportsmanship video MHS was planning to put out. As talks continued to grow, the conference was born.
"I was real impressed," Arnhold said. "It was the first time and I wasn't sure how it would work out. But this is the best way to do it."
The 240 kids started off the morning with donuts and juice before gathering to hear speeches.
Gene Haydock, president of MCAA, began with an overview speech. Smoky Valley student president Brad Radatz then spoke to the students about the importance of sportsmanship.
Rob Miller, director of development for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, gave a speech called "Champions of Character." Miller travels across the country to give his speech to young athletes.
He talked to the kids about professional athletes who exemplified sportsmanship and those who did not. He drove from Liberty, Mo., at 4 a.m. that day.
"I'd do it again if I had to," he told the kids. "It's that important."
Arnhold then directed students into breakout sessions. Each student was assigned a group and they rotated between five sessions.
In those sessions they discussed what was OK for fans to do at sporting events, what was not OK, and what students liked to do but were not sure if they were against the rules or not.
One session featured Fort Hays State University track coach Jim Krob. He told the students of stories he experienced during his coaching career. The stories were of coaches and players who did perfectly legal things during a game, but did not show good sportsmanship. Just because some actions are within the rules, he stressed, does not mean they show good sportsmanship.
Another session included students sharing ideas their school did to make the opposing crowd feel welcome.
MHS activities director Tod Gordon liked an idea Smoky Valley shared. They toss coins for concession stand vouchers into the opposing crowd during time outs. Gordon took the idea one step further.
He said instead of just tossing them into the crowd, opposing fans who show good sportsmanship could be handed the vouchers.
After group sessions ended, students gathered for closing speeches. Before gathering however, they were asked to sign a pledge. The pledge stated they would exemplify good sportsmanship through the year, and pass it on to others. Each student signed a banner with each school's name on it to honor the pledge. The banners will be laminated and displayed at their respective schools.
Gary Musselman, executive director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association, then spoke to the group.
"Older people are sometimes afraid of you," Musselman said. "It's sad, they don't read about the 240 of you that are hear today. They read about the one person who robs a quick shop."
He then talked to them about Kansas athletes such as Barry Sanders of Wichita and Darren Sproles of Olathe who were champions of character.
But Musselman was most impressed with the total turnout of the group.
"This is the first MCAA activity in my seven years that all principals have attended," he said.
As the day came to a close the message to the kids was obvious: It's OK to have fun and root on your team, but not at the expense of the opposing players, coaches, or fans.
As for Marion, both Gordon and Arnhold aren't worried about their students or fans being disrespectful.
"We don't have those kind of problems," Gordon said.
They did however both agree it never hurts to re-enforce sportsmanship and hear suggestions from other schools.
"We came away with some really great ideas," Arnhold said.
