For more information, contact:
The St. Louis Sports Commission
314-992-0687
sports@stlouissports.org

SPORTSMANSHIP IS THE FOCUS OF ST. LOUIS SPORTS COMMISSION'S NEWEST INITIATIVE

ORGANIZATION HOSTS SUMMIT DEC. 11

ST. LOUIS — Dec. 1, 2004 — Sportsmanship has taken a beating in the past couple of weeks. Players, coaches, and fans have been involved in a series of high-profile incidents displaying poor sportsmanship on the professional and collegiate levels. It seems as though sportsmanship is in short supply in the world of sports. But, the St. Louis Sports Commission's Sports for Kids program is trying to change all of that, at least at the local level.

On Saturday, Dec. 11, Sports for Kids will host its inaugural Coaches Symposium & Sportsmanship Summit. The free event will give coaches, parents, and administrators the opportunity to learn about a variety of topics that impact youth and high school athletics, including promoting good sportsmanship. It will be held from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Missouri Baptist University. Other topics that will be covered include: proper motivation of youth athletes, injury prevention, equipment, female role models in sports, nutrition and diet, and much more. Participants will attend several breakout sessions and work with experts in their respective fields.

“The program is the first of its kind in the St. Louis area,” said Troye Frank, the Sports Commission's director of youth programs. “We have gathered an outstanding group of experts to present topics and answer questions about aspects of sports that are important to coaches, parents, athletic administrators, and officials.”

Presenters include: Bruce Brown, national spokesperson for the NAIA Champions of Character Initiative; Pat Dolan, athletic director at the University of Missouri – St. Louis; Kristin Folkl, former WNBA player and all-American at Stanford University from St. Joseph's Academy; and Anne Kordes, head volleyball coach at Saint Louis University.

To register, call 314-992-0689 or visit www.stlsports.org/kids. Additional guest speakers and the official schedule of events can be found at that web address.

Sports for Kids is the leader in promoting sportsmanship in the St. Louis area. Under the banner of Coach it Right!, Sports for Kids organizes free coaching clinics that educate and motivate volunteer youth coaches in various sports. The clinics emphasize the value of sportsmanship and develop coaching skills to help participants become better coaches, and in turn, lead to more positive experiences for area children on the playing field. The mission of Sports for Kids is to help young people from St. Louis live healthier, happier and more productive lives through sports.

In addition to producing Coach it Right! clinics for baseball, basketball, soccer, and track & field coaches in 2004, Sports for Kids hosted an NCAA Youth Education through Sports (YES) wrestling clinic at Savvis Center, a volleyball recruiting roundtable & sportsmanship seminar at Washington University, and a Sports Career Day for more than 200 students in the Fort Zumwalt School District.