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Challenger Sports and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) have announced a partnership involving the NAIA's Champions of Character programming in conjunction with the 1,500 British Soccer Camps that Challenger Sports operates in the United States.
"We are extremely excited at the prospect of integrating the NAIA Champions of Character program into the British Soccer Camp program." stated Challenger Vice President Peter Arch.
"We have always had an underlying theme of character development and sportsmanship built into our camps, however the NAIA Champions of Character initiative provides us with a structure of five clearly defined core values that everyone here at Challenger firmly believes in. We also believe that the elements that are championed in this initiative; respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship are things that are often lost in youth sports programs today."
The program will have camp coaches teaching character traits through the game of soccer. Each day, campers will be taught soccer skills as well as how a soccer player can choose to be an athlete of character. This will be done through daily themes being taught during the camp.
"The Champions of Character message is a process to intentionally teach character through sport. No matter how young the athletes are, we can use sport to teach more than physical skills." stated Rob Miller, NAIA Director of Champions of Character Initiatives.
The partnership will begin with training sessions for coaches during the winter and spring of 2004. Implementation of the program will take place at the camps this coming summer. Arch went on to say,
"Not only do we look forward to launching this to some 65,000 campers on our 1,500 soccer camps throughout the US this summer, but we also hope to encourage the soccer organizations holding Challenger Sports British Soccer Camps to adopt this initiative and build it in to their year round league and practice programs."Core Values
The NAIA Champions of Character program has established five core values that go well beyond the playing field to the daily decisions of our youth. These character values help young people - and those associated with their development - make good choices in all aspects of their life and reflect the true spirit of competition.
Respect
Those associated with sport show respect by treating themselves, other persons, institutions and their sport according to the highest standards of conduct. It implies civilized and gracious behavior to players, coaches, fans and parents.
Responsibility
Athletes show responsibility by making academic progress toward graduation their top priority. They solve problems rather than make excuses, and are reliable team players. Students should be accountable for their actions and decisions, and coaches and administrators should maintain high standards of competence and conduct.
Integrity
For student competitors and their coaches, integrity means keeping commitments and conducting honest behavior. Coaches must subscribe to and practice the Coaches Code and Code of Ethics, and student-athletes must know and understand the Champions of Character Student-Athlete Pledge.
Servant Leadership
This core value refers to putting the group first and becoming responsible for personal and group roles while performing at your best. Students demonstrating servant leadership have a primary purpose of serving others while striving to become a personal and team leader. The servant-leader provides a critical service to society and the great gift of good example.
Sportsmanship
The conduct of educational sports according to the highest standards is our expectation for sportsmanship. Administrators, coaches, students, fans and parents are expected to act correctly even when others do not, and demonstrate fairness and equity in all contests and relationships.
For more information on the Champions of Character initiative, contact the NAIA National Office at 913-791-0044 or www.championsofcharacter.org.
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