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Philosophy
The
Philosophy of Lacrosse
As the vast majority of the participants in our sport are children,
youth and their parents, the CLA feels that we need to understand the
reasons for their involvement and why we as a sport organization should
encourage that participation. The following philosophical statement is
intended as the underpinning of a program which will build on this
platform to promote fair play, drug free sport, and standards of
competition.
The Fundamental Question
When all the complex questions had been reduced to their basics, we
found that the fundamental question remains:
Why do we want children to play sports, and more
specifically, to play Lacrosse?
What is the intrinsic value of sport that makes it a desirable
commodity in our culture? Is there merit apart from the opportunity to
succeed in professional sport, which is a long shot for most people who
are involved in sport, or the Olympic platform, which is even further
beyond the reach of most athletes or children and their parents? What
motivation is there for every parent to encourage the participation of
their child in sport?
The Essence of Humanity
Among the aboriginal peoples of North America there is a philosophy
of human nature which holds that humanity is defined by three facets:
mind, body, and spirit. Success in the life experience is achieved
through the proper conditioning of physical, mental and spiritual
aspects of the individual. The mind must be developed to be active and
flexible. The body must be developed to be strong and agile. The spirit
must be developed through a strong moral code that guides our actions
throughout our lives. It is our responsibility to ensure that our
children develop as humans by giving them the opportunity and the
encouragement to develop each of these facets in themselves. As humans
ourselves, we must continue to visit and develop these aspects
throughout our lives.
From this philosophy we can extract the intrinsic value of sport to
our culture. Surely it is desirable that we strive to help our children
grow to be healthy, alert, and strong persons. We try to achieve this
in many ways; health plans for our families, education for all our
children, and our religions and our laws that strive to create moral
codes by which we live and interact with each other.
Sport has the distinctive character of being able to address all
three of these facets, mind body and spirit, through one activity.
The Body
By the very nature of most sports, children who participate are
physically active. They build physical fitness and develop their
coordination, balance and judgment about their bodies. Through their
involvement in these physical activities they develop body awareness and
learn to push and extend their capabilities to new heights.
Physical development does not always have to be measured against an
absolute standard but may be measured against personal standards. In
this way success, achievement and development are attainable for all.
The Mind
As the participants develop and progress through the learning
stages of sport, their abilities to understand, evaluate and make
judgments on skills, techniques and strategies also develop. We help the
athletes to develop their cognitive abilities from stages of rote
understanding (execution by the numbers) through comprehension,
instinctive execution, and into innovation. Sport helps to develop
judgment and analytical skills in its participants. Through sport
athletes develop confidence in their capabilities and sport can help to
build positive self images.
The Spirit
Sport is inherently well suited to teaching children values,
morals, and rules of behaviour. We must not make the mistake of
believing that these items are inherent to sport. Sport is a tremendous
tool by which we can transmit on many levels the guidance to develop a
strong moral code. This teaching must occur on a conscious level and not
be assumed to be a fundamental part of participation. We must clearly
define the moral parameters that we wish to establish as a foundation,
communicating and reinforcing these through words and actions. Through
sport we can transmit the values of fair and honest competition, and
respect for rules and authority. We can also help participants develop a
guideline for social interaction that they will carry into all other
aspects of their lives.
The Value of Sport
Throughout history the presence and prevalence of sport as part of
civilization is striking. The consistency of sport as an inherent part
of culture lends credence to the belief that there are fundamental
principles at play. Quite apart from the overwhelming dominance of
professional sport, sport as entertainment, highly specialized sport or
an international platform of elite performance, sport is a pervasive
part of every Canadian's life. It is a tool by which we can help to
develop a society of healthy, active citizens and transmit to our
children and youth fundamental principles, social skills and moral
values.
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