RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
National Alliance for Youth Sports officials recently announced the winners of the Excellence in Youth Sports Award at the 2009 Youth Sports Congress in Orlando, Fla.
Andrews Air Force Base, Md., along with four other winners, was selected for their commitment to providing excellence in the field of youth sports.
Accepting on behalf of Andrews AFB youth sports was Bob Mowchan, director of youth sports and fitness, and Vince Eure, director of youth programs.
"I thought it was a dream," said Mr. Mowchan, who has been applying for this award since its inception in 2000.
"It was a real honor to win this prestigious award in front of 500 attendees at the conference," Mr. Mowchan said. The custom plaque is displayed at the Andrews AFB Youth Center.
One reason why Andrews AFB youth sports won this award was because of their successful honorary coach program.
Youth athletes in recreational leagues have two coaches: a traditional coach and an honorary coach who is a deployed military member. The traditional coach teaches the fundamentals of the game plus sportsmanship lessons, while the honorary coach helps kids learn the importance of helping others.
Through the honorary coach program, children have the opportunity to adopt the deployed member and send him or her care packages throughout the season.
Often, that person is a parent of one of the team's children. This program boosts the morale of deployed Airman while keeping them in touch with home.
Additionally, Mr. Mowchan said nearby youth sports organizations focused too much on winning, so the base switched to an all-military league.
Through an
arrangement between Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C., and Fort Belvoir, Va., Andrews AFB youth sports participants play against teams from leagues that operate under similar philosophies.
The program philosophy is centered on sportsmanship and is communicated through the National Youth Sports Coaches Association training, the Andrews Youth Sports Handbook and other coaches' development tools.
Parents learn about this philosophy at a mandatory meeting that kicks off each season and includes viewing of the parents association for youth sports video and signing of the parent's code of ethics pledge. Parents also receive electronic copies of the handbook, which states that good sportsmanship is expected at all times from parents, coaches, players and officials.
"This program runs by volunteers and wouldn't exist without them," Mr.
Mowchan said. "Having the NAYS philosophy for them to work with is comforting, because it's easy for parents to get lost in youth sports.
NAYS
keeps [parents'] eyes on the ball and reminds them that the program is for the kids."
More than 200 youth programs from all over the world applied for this award and only five were selected.
Other winners were the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in California, Sasebo youth sports in Japan, Town of Huntersville Parks and Recreation Department in North Carolina, and U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.
The excellence in youth sports awards honor programs that are doing superior jobs of conducting diverse activities with a focus on providing safe and positive experiences for all participants, including children, parents and coaches.
"What really stands out among this year's recipients is the unbelievable passion they have for providing kids with the best sports experiences possible," said John Engh, NAYS chief operating officer.
Programs that qualified for the final round of judging, but did not win, received honorable mention recognition. Twenty youth sports organizations received honorable mention including:
Ramstein Air Base, Germany
Fairchild AFB, Wash.
Goodfellow AFB, Texas
Incirlik AB, Turkey
Luke AFB, Ariz.
MacDill AFB, Fla.
Offutt AFB, Neb.
Spangdahlem AB, Germany
Yokota AB, Japan
"The National Alliance for Youth Sports joins Athletic Business in commending this year's honorable mention recipients," Mr. Engh said.
"These
organizations are committed to providing quality youth sports experiences.
They have also shown a strong understanding of the importance of training youth sports coaches, parents and administrators to help ensure that all children have a safe, fun and rewarding experience."