one’s skills, knowledge, and talent against friendly opponents is a means of learning one’s

own strengths and weaknesses. Good contests, properly supervised, give youthful

competitors the opportunity to gain self-confidence, improve skill, and learn to win with

humility and lose with grace.

When we strive honestly to improve ourselves by measuring our progress against

our friends, we are raising our knowledge to the limits of our abilities. By pitting our

efforts against others, we learn how we stand, and we know what we must do to improve.

The self-discipline and sacrifice involved in competition are keys to those same values that

will be of great benefit to everyone in life. In the best of competition there are no losers.

philosophical goals of athletics were developed:

1. Athletics must be for all students who are physically able to participate.

2. Athletics must (a) be educational, (b) contain desirable authorities, both local

and state, and (c) have leadership by regular members of the school staff.

3. Athletic participation should contribute to (a) health and social

competence, (b) moral values, (c) a sense of cooperation, (d) self-discipline,

(e) a spirit of competition, and (f) a realization of values of group goals.

4. School athletics should be an educational force of great magnitude and

should be used as such. A concerted effort should be made to capitalize on

all the potential values of school athletics.

5. Judgment of the ability of an athlete should be based on what the participant

can do, and not on who the athlete is socially, ethnically, or economically.

6. Athletic contests should always be played with emphasis on fun, physical