Sportsmanship with The First Tee of the Sandhills

During week five of programs this fall our PLAYer participants learned about Sportsmanship; one of the Nine Core Values integrated into our weekly curriculum lesson plans. The First Tee defines Sportsmanship as observing the rules of play and winning or losing with grace. Players must know and abide by the rules of golf and be able to conduct themselves in a kind and respectful manner towards others, even in a competitive game. For a participant to know how they act and react, they must be purposely exposed to games and activities that reinforce showing sportsmanship. Participants will play a game, like golf baseball, tic tac toe putting or twenty one, learn behaviors that are reflective of sportsmanship and work towards controlling their emotions throughout the activity. Over the last few year’s golf’s social media platforms have been a-buzz with sportsmanship hashtags. A few key moments have stood out to me. On Sunday of the 2012 British Open Championship, Adam Scott bogeyed the last four holes, allowing Ernie Els to sneak in and win the event. Els finished two groups ahead of Scott, and while he played brilliantly on the back nine, he was emotionally conflicted. He felt sad for his good friend, Adam. He awaited Adam’s arrival in the scoring area and told him, “I’m sorry how things turned out, I’ve been there many times and you’ve just got to bounce back quickly. Don’t let this thing linger.” Ernie’s compassion and sportsmanship didn’t stop there. During his media interviews, he was very balanced with his words and emotions, happy to win but not overboard. #Sportsmanship Annually, during the Tour Championship, the PGA TOUR’s Payne Stewart Award is presented. Handed off to a player who best exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship. This year, Jim Furyk was the recipient. Furyk said that while Payne was a friend, peer and accomplished player on the Tour, he looked up to him. He wanted to emulate him. During the award ceremony, Jim said, “it’s easy to look at a career and think of all the successes you’ve had. All the times you remember to say and do the right thing. To thank the right people.” “But, if you play golf long enough, the game will beat you up. Times where you finish second more than first, or miss more cuts than cash paychecks. That’s when it’s easy to not act the proper way.” He went on to say, “what Payne Stewart taught me was that in the toughest of times, you have to have character, keep your chin up and be someone that others will want to look up to. In bad times you will be tested the most.” #Sportsmanship A final example that may be most relevant to our mission here at The First Tee of the Sandhills is the story of a 7 year old boy from Spain. In May, he won a golf tournament thanks to a score of 50. But, after receiving the trophy and arriving back home, he realized he had actually shot 51. Instead of staying mum about his error, the boy wrote a letter to his golf association, the Royal Andalusia Golfing Federation. Explaining that his dad taught him that accidentally signing a lower score is grounds for disqualification and that he wanted to return the trophy so that it could be given to the player who deserved it. The response from their golf association? “A wonderful gesture of a player who, a mere seven years of age, has proven to be a true gentleman. He has already learned the most important thing golf can teach us: Honesty and a respect of the rules and of your peers.” #Sportsmanship Parents, Grandparents, Caregivers and teachers – Whether while at home, school or playing sports – I would encourage you to write down when you see your child show sportsmanship. How they displayed sportsmanship and the parameters of the situation. Later, you will be able to reference their positive actions, in turn encouraging future positive outcomes.