Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington has begun a unique
partnership with the University of Notre Dame to bring the
university’s Play Like a Champion Today program to the school
community. This educational program uses competitive play as
a way of shaping virtues in each athlete and ensuring that
each athlete has fun.
In the parents’ brochure explaining the program, former Notre
Dame football coach Lou Holtz wrote: “Notre Dame’s Play Like
a Champion Today workshop gives parents the sound, practical,
and faith-inspired guidance they are looking for.”
“Play Like a Champion Today reinforces our school’s link
between our sports programs and our Catholic identity,” said
O’Connell’s Assistant Head of School Carl Patton. “Our
athletic department is working closely with our school
chaplain, Father Gregory Thompson, to implement this program
across all sports and all participants. Our coaches, our
parents and our student-athletes are all benefiting.”
“No teacher will spend as much time, demand as much sacrifice
or share as many moments as a coach of an athletic team,”
said Play Like a Champion Director Kristin Sheehan, who led
two coaching clinics and two parent workshops at O’Connell
earlier this year. Coaches were taught how to cultivate the
four cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and
temperance in their athletes and make their team “a moral
community.” In addition to the workshops and clinics, the
program includes monthly educational opportunities for all
participants and continued professional development for staff
and coaches.
Boys varsity lacrosse coach, Ryan Beck, started implementing
the values stressed in Play Like a Champion Today long before
the spring season. For winter training, Beck made a “fantasy
draft” model where four senior leaders drafted workout groups
from the team to compete against each other throughout their
training. Points were based on optimal grades, minimal school
detentions, physical improvement and consistent attendance at
workouts.
“The four cardinal virtues sum up what we strive for in this
sport,” said Beck.
In the parent workshops, the focus was on the impact that
parents have on their children, often in more ways than what
is realized. The presentations gave parents pointers on how
to be a supportive and exemplary “number one” fan.
“This program emphasizes the idea that sport is a form of
youth ministry, and it challenges us to view sports as a
means of developing the whole person – physically, mentally
and spiritually,” explained O’Connell Athletic Director Joe
Wootten. “This parallels our school’s mission to foster the
pursuit of excellence in the whole person.”
The first high school in the Washington area to implement
this program, O’Connell joins more than 30,000 coaches and
20,000 parents around the country who have partnered with
Notre Dame in a mission to produce athletes dedicated to
Christ.
Find out more
Go to playlikeachampion.nd.edu.
