The Institute for International Sport

2010-03-09T11:56:00.000-08:00

Daniel E. Doyle Jr.: Honoring Senators Pell and Chafee on Sportsmanship Day

01:00 AM EST on Tuesday, March 2, 2010

By DANIEL E. DOYLE JR.

Today is the 19th Annual National Sportsmanship Day. Thousands of schools in the U.S. and abroad will celebrate the day by engaging in discussions about the role of fair play in athletic competition and in our daily lives. The belief that thoughtful dialogue can discourage bad sportsmanship has been the core premise of National Sportsmanship Day since the Institute for International Sport introduced NSD, in 1991.

As we head toward the 20th Anniversary of National Sportsmanship Day in 2011, the institute will be joined by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and the Positive Coaching Alliance at Stanford University in a one-year examination of the state of sportsmanship in America. The project will include exploring ways that NSD participants can intensify their commitment to fair play.

Based on 19 years of NSD evaluations, our group will focus on four areas:

• Crowd Behavior: We will challenge conditions or trends that compromise the importance of fair play. A major focus will be on crowd behavior, perhaps the most egregious example of bad sportsmanship. We will help schools and leagues develop a coherent and practical policy of crowd behavior, and we will encourage student participation in developing their school’s policy. At the core of each school and league policy will be a stated position both necessary and unequivocal: Attendance at a sporting event does not give one the right to indulge one’s most unseemly and potentially harmful behavior.

“Competitive Self • Restraint”: We will call attention to the fact that sport, just like any other major institution, has an obligation to contribute to a civil society. Schools and leagues will be encouraged to foster a culture of “Competitive Self-Restraint” — compete hard but within the rules, respect your opponents, respect the game.

We are a Fair Play • Program: We will encourage coaches to enroll their teams in our new “We Are a Fair Play Program.” Member programs will abide by a culture that honors hard, clean play in competition and recognizes the importance of good behavior at all times. Coaches will be asked to emphasize the extent to which sportsmanship in games influences civil, considerate behavior in everyday life. Fair play engenders respect, maintains positive relationships and simply helps life go much more smoothly than the aggressive talk and profane language that now fill arenas and airwaves. We fully expect that member programs will generate well-earned respect within their schools and communities.

• Recognition of Exceptional Contribution: On March 1, 2011, in celebration of the 20th anniversary, the Institute will pay special tribute to the late Rhode Island senators Claiborne Pell and John Chafee. In 1989, I approached both senators regarding the creation of a National Sportsmanship Day. Their support included appointing staff members to assist us with the 1989-90 research project on the state of sportsmanship in American schools. The research was the basis for a 1990 press conference in Washington, D.C., hosted by Senators Pell and Chafee, to formally announce the creation of National Sportsmanship Day, including official Congressional recognition.

We will also recognize four groups for their landmark contributions to fair play in America: 20 living Americans, 20 deceased Americans, 20 organizations and 20 schools, the latter of which will be designated as All-American Sportsmanship Schools. A selection committee will spend the next 12 months researching worthy candidates in each category.
The honorees will be admirable examples of how sport, at its best, does indeed contribute to a civil society.

Daniel E. Doyle Jr. is the founder and executive director of the Institute for International Sport, based at the University of Rhode Island, and founder of National Sportsmanship Day.

2010-03-02T11:16:00.000-08:00

INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL SPORT NEWS Volume 3, Number 9

19^th Annual National Sportsmanship Day
March 2, 2010
(NSD is always celebrated on the first Tuesday in March)

Pierre Garçon
Chair, 19^th Annual National Sportsmanship Day

Pierre Garçon named 19^th Annual National Sportsmanship Day Chair (Pierre succeeds Jackie Joyner-Kersee) View press release.

View details on the 19^th Annual National Sportsmanship Day, considered by many to be the largest sportsmanship initiative in the World. Details include how to enroll your school, team or league.

USA Today Essay Contest. View information on how to enter. Deadline is February 28.

The Positive Coaching Alliance at Stanford University, official NSD partner, introduces Responsible Sports Season Evaluation. To view this creative and useful evaluation tool, click on this link: Responsible Sports Season Evaluation.

From the Institute for International Sport "Recommended Book List". The Institute highly recommends Our Boys by Joe Drape, one of the finest sport-themed books written in a number of years.

20^th Year
National Sportsmanship Day Celebration!

We are already preparing for our 20^th year National Sportsmanship Day celebration, which will take place on Tuesday March 1, 2011! Our next newsletter will contain full details. World Youth Peace Summit Update

The World Youth Peace Summit was recognized at a half-time ceremony of the February 13 UConn-Cincinnati men’s basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford. The ceremony included the participation of Congressman John Larson, UConn President Mike Hogan and UConn Trustees Larry McHugh and Tom Ritter. Donald "Dee" Rowe, UConn Special Advisor for Athletics and long-time Institute supporter gave a magnificent speech to the crowd of 15,000 about the Summit and its impact. Look for major World Youth Peace Summit announcements in our next newsletter.

Huge Global Reaction to 2011 World Youth Peace Summit and World Scholar-Athlete Games

2010-01-25T12:37:00.000-08:00

On a global scale, The Institute for International Sport is receiving an overwhelming number of emails, letters and calls regarding the 2011 World Youth Peace Summit and World Scholar-Athlete Games.

Key Dates

February 13, 2010: The World Youth Peace Summit will be recognized at a half-time ceremony of the nationally televised UConn-Cincinnati Men's Basketball game at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.
March 1, 2010: Applications for participation in the 2011 World Scholar-Athlete Games will be made available on the Institute website, www.internationalsport.com. Applicants ages 15-19 as of June 1, 2011 are eligible to apply.
April 2010: The Institute for International Sport will host the inaugural Connecticut Peace Lecture at the Gampel Pavilion on the campus of the University of Connecticut. The major speaker will be announced on or about March 1.
April 15, 2010: Applications for participation in the 2011 World Youth Peace Summit will be made available on the Institute website and World Youth Peace Summit website, www.youthpeacesummit.org.
May 15, 2010: Applications for participation in the World Youth Peace Summit and/or World Scholar-Athlete Games as a volunteer or coach will be posted on both websites.
Other major events scheduled for 2010 will include the World Youth Peace Summit honors dinner at the Mohegan Sun on October 22, 2010.
The Institute is also planning a major 25^th anniversary dinner, scheduled for April 2011 in Rhode Island, and featuring an internationally renowned speaker.

Interested in the WYPS/WSAG?

Simply Email us at iis102@etal.uri.edu. We will be sure to keep you posted on developments.

Linking our Past with our Future

A wonderful Boston Globe Photo Journal, which appeared following the 2006 World Scholar-Athlete Games, provides an important link between our past and our future work in world peace.

Peace on Display

Differences put aside when students gather for Games

By Stan Grossfeld

Boston Globe, July 4, 2006

South Kingston, R.I. - On a soft summer day when representatives from around the world gathered in the tiniest state, a beautiful thing happened. The Iraqi coach embraced an Israeli student-soldier at the 2006 World Scholar-Athlete Games.

"I was very impressed by him," Tair Kowalsky, a 20-year old Israeli college student, said of Basel Al Harbi. "We took a picture and we hugged.

"Peace on earth," she said smiling.

Over the course of a week, 1,900 students from 157 countries and all 50 states came together to live, play, and learn from one another on the campus of the University of Rhode Island in a program sponsored by the nonprofit Institute for International Sport, which is based at the University.

On June 26, at World Peace and Non-Violence Day, former president Bill Clinton was the keynote speaker. The Jumbo-tron flashed the famous photo of a teenage Clinton meeting President John F. Kennedy at the White House. Clinton told today's teenagers that diversity is a good thing. "You're having more fun today than if you all looked alike and thought alike, and you're going to learn a lot more than if you all looked alike and thought alike," he said, followed by an ovation.

The Globe talked to athletes from countries that have undergone conflict to see how sports can heal the wounds of war.

Gareth Brown, 18 Northern Ireland: "I've always been an outgoing person, but this has got me more outgoing. I was at something like this in Belfast but it was smaller. When I came here and saw 2,000 people, I went, 'Gee, this is good.'

"I'm Catholic. Where I come from Protestants and Catholics, there's the troubles. But I go to an integrated school and I don't really care about that. Two weeks ago I found I had a friend who was a Protestant. I thought he was a Catholic.

"If you love the game of sport, you don't really care about religion. The whole point is to get along with everybody. So it's not worth coming here if you're thinking, 'I hope I don't get no Protestant 'cause I'm going to wale him.' Sport brings a lot of people together. It brings sense into their heads about what religion you are. The point is, just get along."

Surekha Rodrigo, 14 Sri Lanka: "When I was born, the war was going on. I've never known anything different. I've lived in a country that's been in a state of uncertainty for 20 years now and I don't know anything different from that. The peace treaty signed in 2001 is not being followed. The LTTE (Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam) wants a separate country, so there's still bombings and land mines. I don't hate people in my country. I think we should live together because in my country there's many adversaries and a union is the best thing. It's still an uncertain state.

"I don't know if it will directly help my country but bringing students from around the world like this will allow more cultural and political understanding of what's going on in the world. It will help over time.

"Sports is a good way for release, a way for people to get their energy out. I don't think sports is too emphasized here. I think everyone should be enrolled in it. When I'm swimming, I don't think about anything else.

Peter Malual, 19 Sudan: "I have been playing sports for as long as I can remember. When I didn't have a job, I'd just play to keep me happy.

"During my journey every day was a worse day, but you just go to make it out there. I lost a lot of friends, a lot of them. I walked hundreds of miles. I brought nothing. I came to the United States they gave me shoes to get in the plane. I flew out of Kenya.

"Right now I'm in Grand Rapids (Mich.) Community College. Playing with people from different countries motivates me. Maybe by playing with them they can understand me and then from there on we can grow. I know some people from Chile and from Ghana, in Africa, and that's how the unity starts. We start talking about it on the field and then carry it on out. It won't hurt trying."

Rawi Awayed, 17 Nazareth, Israel: "I am enjoying the games and having a great time. I'm studying photography. All the people I met from the USA, they are nice people. Before I arrived I was afraid because I am an Arab, but the participants here don't have a problem if I was Arab or Jew or Muslim. The Israelis we came with are very nice. At first when we met on the plane we weren't so friendly, but now we're so good. I like them, I have fun with them. I don't know them in Israel, so I can't judge them as bad soldiers.

"I got into a Cisco computer program set up by a Jewish man. Now I am friends with them and send them e-mails. I discovered that the Jews want to have peace, especially in Israel so they can be comfortable in their personal life. Jews are wonderful and supportive so I know now that Jews are not bad.

"Two years ago there was a soccer program between Arabs and Jews. I participated in that, and we became friends with the Jews. But when you're off the field, their political opinions sometimes annoy you. I try to be optimistic about the future. You know, for sure, if we put aside our religious stuff and political stuff, it will be a better environment to live in."

Tair Kowalsky, 20 Tel Aviv, Israel: "I don't meet terror every day. I don't go in the street and someone shoots at me. I'm going to parties and the beach, and the military. The life is so different there. This is a chance to explain my country. You will enjoy it. There's nothing bad there. There is terror, but you can go through it.

"What can I tell you? It's always in the back of my head.

"One of the things I can take back with me is that you can treat people as individuals and not judge them by their culture or territory. Like two kids who come from Nazareth. I don't know Arab kids. I don't get a chance to meet them. I don't have any contact with them. But I met those two and she's a really sweet girl and he's a bright guy. They wouldn't harm a fly. So you need to judge people individually and you can open your mind to things like this. Sports and arts are the basis of peace."

Rose Albert, 15 Haiti: "These games are about friendship. I meet other people and learn about other cultures. We're here as a group to learn together. I'm going to try. I don't think I can do it by myself, everybody has to do a part.

"In Haiti, when people are burning houses, when they are mad about something, they don't talk. We don't really have the freedom to speak, so they burn something. I don't think it's good.

"Sports can bring peace because a lot of people love sports."

Senia Abderahman, 18 Western Sahara: "It's a very special experience. Every second person you talk to is from a different country. Western Sahara is in northwest Africa, it's occupied by

Morocco

. (But) I've never been to Western Sahara. I was born in the refugee camps in Algeria and I live in a refugee camp in

Algeria

. My parents were fleeing the Moroccans in '75. I don't hate the Moroccans. The classic answer is this is not people's problem. It's more a political and governmental problem. I haven't met the person here from

Morocco

yet. Hopefully I'm not going to say, 'You are my enemy.' Of course not.

"Whenever I spoke to someone, they never heard of Western Sahara. Therefore they will become more and more aware. They are the future leaders, they can affect their governments in the future. They can be very important people and therefore find solutions to these problems.

"I've never been on any volleyball team. I'm much better in running long distance. Here, it's about trying to understand each other, not as much about winning or losing."

Former President Bill Clinton, Keynote Speaker: "I kind of wish this program was available when I was your age. I might have been a better athlete, and later avoided heart surgery for all I know. If only I'd had the chance.

"Our differences do matter. Some of us are blacks, some white, some brown or some other pigment. Some of us are Christian, some Muslim, some Jews, some Buddhist, some Confuciusists. Some of us are liberals, some conservatives. These differences are good. First of all, they make life more interesting. Our differences aid the search for truth. Because since none of us knows everything, it's only by listening to people with different perspectives, arguing, discussing, cheering while we go, that we ever make any progress. So our differences matter but our common humanity matters more. That's the only thing you have to believe to bring the world together.

"And all these wars, amid all this killing and all these people dying in every country. They're all dying because the people that killed them believe our differences are more important than our common humanity, that our differences define our humanity.

"You are the first to come of age in a time of global interdependence. You can't get away from one another, but you can hold hands and make sure that your children and your grandchildren and your great-grandchildren will also have a chance to live their dreams.

"If you engage in athletics, every time you compete you know you might lose. If you were paralyzed by that, you'd never compete. And if you never win a championship, you're better off for having competed. You're healthier, you're stronger, you understand teamwork. You understand discipline. Your mind works better. The act, the effort enhances the quality of your life. Everything else is like that, too. I'm 60 years old, almost. I go back to all my high school reunions, the saddest people are those that never tried to live their dreams.

"So, my advice is to try."

THE PASSING OF A GREAT MAN

2009-12-15T12:39:00.000-08:00

On December 14, Joe Lane, legendary athlete, coach and Alumni Director at St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury, MA, passed away, after battling cancer for 34 years.

On November 2, 2002, Dan Doyle delivered the following speech at a testimonial dinner in Worcester in honor of his high school coach and life-long mentor.

MR. LANE

In the winter of 1956, my dad, St. John’s Class of ’32, and Dr. Jim Morrison, St. John’s Class of ’33, took me to my first basketball game. The game was played on Temple Street – St. John’s against St. Peter’s – and I was able to observe the first great coach I would ever see – Bob Devlin – and the first great player – Joe Lane. I, of course, had no idea that this star athlete would have such a profound impact on my life – and embody so many of the admirable qualities that bring us here tonight in his honor.

For those of us fortunate to have played for him at St. John’s, Mr. Lane became a dominant figure in our lives affecting us in ways that as teenagers we sensed were important – and as adults appreciated as invaluable.

Perhaps the first lesson we learned was that the rules would be followed – and not only when convenient. Many of you will recall that the St. John’s Basketball uniform included high red knee socks that were not of the designer category. Before one game at Sacred Heart, I approached my coach and said, “Mr. Lane, my mother forgot to pack my red socks.”

“It’s not your mother’s responsibility to pack your red socks,” he replied. “It’s your responsibility, and you won’t be starting tonight.”

And when I responded with the hubris of youth – I was informed that I would not be starting the following game as well.

Of the many great things he did for us, perhaps his most enduring gift was fostering in all of his players a true sense of self-reliance.

Long before mis-guided educators began to create self-esteem programs in which the main objective is to dole out praise regardless of actual accomplishment, our coach understood – and made us understand – that praise should be earned.

And in the best tradition of the firm and fair coach, he made us realize that it was our job to climb the ladder. We also knew that holding the base of the ladder was a strong and good man urging us up – and rooting us on.

If you ask Gerry or Brian O’Brien, or Jimmy Kelly, or Steve Lahey, or Sully, or David Creen, or Luke Dillon, or any of the guys who played for him, they will acknowledge his contribution to their self-reliance, as they will tell you of its great utility – particularly when forced to carry one of life’s inevitable millstones.

I have often said that Joe Lane is one of the few coaches I have ever observed who would have succeeded at any level of competition – high school, college, or professional – he was that good. He learned the game under two of the best – Bob Devlin and Andy Laska – and he possessed every quality required of a great coach. I am also of the view that there is nothing parochial about the notion that the St. John’s coaching tree of Devlin, Lane, Bibaud, and Foley will stand with any – not only in this region – but in the country.

When I became a college coach, one of the first things I did was to ask my coach to become our chief scout. I knew of his great skill in breaking down an offense or a defense. I soon discovered that he could project a high school player as a college prospect as well as anyone I have ever seen.

I would have enjoyed watching him continue in coaching, but I’m glad he chose not to, because it would have taken him away from a job he was born to do. St. John’s has made many wise appointments over the years, but none more wise than the 1981 appointment of Joe Lane as alumni director.

From the time he accepted this position, every St. John’s graduate or family member who entered the school grounds was made to feel welcome – and special. He knew your name, he knew your year, he knew what you were doing, he cared about what you were doing and he made you feel good about being an important member of the St. John’s family.

As many of you know, tonight’s honoree defines the true meaning of friendship. As a high schooler, I began to notice that his good friends like Herby Dyson, Georgie Reidy, Connie Lucey, Franny Lee, and his wonderful assistant coach at St. John’s, John Case, were terrific guys who seemed to take an extra interest in us – because we were Joe Lane’s boys.

I later took notice of how he consistently demonstrated a form of friendship that is at the very essence of his own selflessness and loyalty. Whether relating the great accomplishments of Peter O’Malley, or Jack Shields of the Class of ’56, of Jimmy Frew of the Class of ’95, or of Matthew O’Malley of the Class of ’99, the goodwill in his voice left no doubt that their successes were as important to him as if they were his own.

Of the many wonderful things he has done in a life of good deeds too numerous to list, those which may stand above the rest are his countless acts of kindness. Whether facing the loss of a loved one, or news of a serious illness, his gifts of time are treasured by many here this evening – and still many others in this community. I need not tell those of you who have dealt with a difficult experience – that just having Joe Lane around somehow made you feel that everything would be all right.

Mrs. Lane, Joey and Sean, I know that I speak for everyone here tonight in relating our affection for you – and our gratitude for sharing this great man with us over the years.

There is an old saying that, “The best use of one’s life – is to spend it on something that outlasts it.” No one embodies these words more than tonight’s honoree.

My dear friend, let me conclude by saying what everyone else is thinking – that you’re the best – and that we are privileged to be with you on this great night.

I thank you for allowing me to share these thoughts – and I thank all of you for listening.

Great Momentum!

2009-12-11T07:24:00.000-08:00

Since the October 28 World Youth Peace Summit Ambassadors of Peace kickoff dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria, the Institute for International Sport has been inundated with emails, calls and letters from people throughout the world expressing interest in the 2011 World Youth Peace Summit, the 2011 World Scholar-Athlete Games - or both. In the coming months, the Institute will continue its efforts to build momentum for both events.

On December 14, 2009, Dan Doyle delivered a keynote address at an international peace conference in Amman, Jordan. The conference welcomed delegations from a great many countries. The conference organizers, a distinguished partnership of universities and other peace brokers, encouraged the many delegations to attend the 2011 World Youth Peace Summit.

In January, the Institute will formally announce plans for a major Connecticut “launch” peace lecture. The launch peace lecture will be held in the Gampel Pavilion at the University of Connecticut in April. The lecture will feature an internationally renowned speaker, and will be the first of many peace lectures to be delivered in Connecticut in 2010 and 2011, leading up to the opening ceremonies of the World Youth Peace Summit in July, 2011.

A number of other momentum building events will be posted on this website in January.

World Youth Peace Summit “Ambassadors of Peace” Dinner Deemed “Historic”

2009-11-06T07:11:00.000-08:00

On October 28, the Ambassadors of Peace Dinner’s keynote speaker, General Colin Powell, captured the feeling in the main ballroom of New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel when he began his brilliant address by noting that “this is a historic night.”

And it was!

An overflow crowd listened with rapt attention as General Powell talked about the importance of the Summit as a facilitator of peace on global scale. A highlight of the night was the recognition of 25 distinguished honorees and two very special honorees.

The Twenty-Five Honorees

The Institute for International Sport recognized the following individuals, couples or organizations on October 28 for their great support of the World Youth Peace Summit and their noble contribution to society. Twenty-five honorees were chosen to help commemorate the upcoming 25th anniversary of the founding of the Institute for International Sport, which will be celebrated on July 1, 2011, in conjunction with the opening of the World Youth Peace Summit.

• Roy M. Bell
• Sanford Cloud, Jr.
• Charles Dewey
• Sandy and Sam Hamilton
• Beverly and Jack Keigwin
• Kingswood-Oxford School and Head of School Dennis Bisgaard
• Leslie and The Honorable John B. Larson
• The Honorable Patrick Lynch and William Lynch
• Linda and Joe Malone
• Stephen M. Marcellino
• Gina and James McCaffrey
• Janet D. and John H. McClutchy, Jr.
• Sean McManus
• The Mohegan Tribe
• Charles H. Moore, Jr.
• Sean Moran
• New York Catholic Youth Organization ~ Alec McAuley and Chris Gallagher
• Kathleen P. and Kevin O’Connor
• Derek Bryson Park
• Caryl and William F. Plunkett, Jr.
• Sandra and Carl D. Rapp
• Sheila and Mike Reiner
• The University of Connecticut and President Michael Hogan, Board of Trustees Chairman Lawrence D. McHugh

Two Very Special Honorees

Along with the twenty-five honorees listed above, Alan Hassenfeld of Hasbro Inc., and Chair of the Institute’s Scholar-Athlete Games Programs, and Russ Hogg, former CEO of MasterCard, and Chair Emeritus of the Institute’s Board of Trustees, were honored for their longstanding support, and for their key roles in making the World Youth Peace Summit become a reality.

Our Updated Website

On December 1, this website, as well as the specially designed World Youth Peace Summit website (www.youthpeacesummit.org) will contain a full review of the historic Ambassadors of Peace Dinner, as well as video clips from speeches by General Powell, Dan Doyle, and Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch.

Media Reaction

The dinner produced significant media reaction, including a discussion about the World Youth Peace Summit on ABC’s “The View.” Elisabeth Hasselbeck-Filarski, who attended the dinner, spoke very highly about the concept and about General Powell’s speech. Clippings have appeared in numerous print sources as well.

A Tribute to Paul Newman

2008-10-01T08:29:00.000-07:00

by Dan Doyle

At the Bates College Parents Weekend in October 1969, my mom and dad took me to a local steakhouse, and then to the movie, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”. Perhaps as much as any era in American history, it was a period in which the views of college students differed sharply from those of their parents. Yet by the end of the movie, with a full house made up largely of Bates parents and their offspring, everyone seemed quite happy to be in each others company.

Never before – or since – have I attended a film that produced such utter joy for those present. When the movie ended, the old theater erupted in thunderous applause. The two leading men, a splendid cast, and a marvelous script had taken us away from our day to day concerns and disagreements, united us in appreciation for cinema at its best, and led us all to reflect on the values the film espoused – good humor, goodwill, self-effacement and friendship.

On the way out of the theater, I knew I had watched a superstar practice his craft at the highest level. I had no idea that for millions of us, Paul Newman would one day become the very embodiment of an exemplary life.

2008 UNITED STATES SCHOLAR-ATHLETE GAMES A MAJOR SUCCESS

2008-09-08T10:40:00.001-07:00

On July 1, 2008, over one thousand scholar-athletes, scholar-artists, coaches and volunteers participated in the historic “US Scholar-Athlete Games Peace Walk”, one of many activities that will lead up to the Institute’s 2011 World Youth Peace Summit.

“Dan Doyle and his team are on a historic mission toward world peace.”
-General Colin Powell, during his Keynote Address at the 2008 United States Scholar-Athlete Games

- Click here to read a sampling of the many articles which appeared on the 2008 United States Scholar-Athlete Games.
- Click here to read a sampling of testimonials from the participants.

“Outside the Lines” and an NBC Olympic Blog!

- Institute for International Sport executive director, Dan Doyle, appeared on “Outside the Lines” on July 20, 2008. The show focused on the new phenomenon of mixed martial arts and youth. The particular segment drew so much attention that ESPN took the unusual step of airing it several more times that week. Click here to view the ESPN video of Dan’s debate with Mr. Frank Shamrock, who represented mixed martial arts.
- Dan was also asked to write a “blog” entry for NBC’s Olympic Men’s Basketball blog. Read the post below, which also appears on the NBC Sports website.

Article in “The Fletcher Forum”

- Click here to read an article that Dan Doyle wrote for the Fletcher Forum, publication of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, from which Dan is a graduate. The piece details the extraordinary history of the Institute, and previews our exciting future, with specific focus on the World Youth Peace Summit.

Website “Re-Launch”

In October, the Institute for International Sport will “re-launch” our website. Our revamped website will include many new features, including:

- Full details of the 2011 World Youth Peace Summit.
- The introduction of the World Youth Peace Summit Social Network.
- The introduction of The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting Social Network.
- Full details of National Sportsmanship Day ’09.
- Full details of our newly formed “Hall of Fame Press”, a publishing house which will publish three to five sport themed books a year. This section will contain detailed information on Dan Doyle’s acclaimed The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting, as well as details on Mary-Ann Tirone Smith’s forthcoming Dirty Water: A Red Sox Mystery. This novel, which is already receiving outstanding reviews, will be published in October, 2008.
- A special section devoted to the remarkable history of the Institute for International Sport, and our exciting future!
- A special section on the Capital Campaign that we will launch in 2009 and administer through our 25th anniversary on July 1, 2011.

In October, the Institute for International Sport will issue a special newsletter to announce our revamped website.

“The remarkable work the Institute for International Sport is doing, and Dan Doyle is spearheading, is very important for the participants and for the societies in which they live. I know of no organization that does more to help young people on a worldwide basis than the Institute for International Sport.”
-Senator George Mitchell during his Launch Address at the 2008 United States Scholar-Athlete Games

NBC Sports Interviews Dan Doyle

2008-08-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

NBC Sports asked Dan Doyle to respond to five questions about the United States Olympic Men’s Basketball Team. Dan’s response to each question follows. The responses also appear on the NBC Sports Blog.

Question #1: The US Men's Hoops Team has been receiving a lot of attention for their seemingly new found change in attitude this time around. They have been praised for their sportsmanship and their behavior both on and off the court. Some think it is fantastic while others think that you shouldn't get extra credit for just acting like a normal decent person. Your thoughts?

Dan Doyle’s response:

In The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting, I wrote a section entitled, Ten Reasons Why Your Athlete Must Adhere to High Standards of Behavior. Point #10 is as follows: Considerate behavior by an athlete toward others produces a disproportionate amount of goodwill, just as inconsiderate behavior by an athlete toward others produces a disproportionate amount of ill will.

Coach K and his staff have created an admirable culture of “selfless ambition”…everything for the good of the team. This culture has been reflected on and off the court, and has clearly helped to erase our tarnished hoops image abroad – not only as it relates to selfish play, but to immature behavior. Whether or not the American men win the Gold, I am proud of the way our team has performed in all respects. They have played like professionals and behaved like Olympians. I imagine that many of the forefathers of Olympic basketball, Oscar, West, Russell and Bradley to name a few, feel the same way.

In this case, extra credit is in order.

Question #2: The game of basketball seems to be growing in popularity in some areas of the world not known in the past for their basketball interest or success. Besides countries in this tournament like China and Mali, what are some countries that you have been to recently that might surprise our readers as having a love for and/or a new proficiency for basketball?

Dan Doyle’s response:

Let me answer this with four points, beginning with a country I visited nearly three decades ago:

· In 1979, my Trinity Men’s Basketball team became the first American team to travel to Cuba since the Revolution of 1959. We played the Cuban Men’s National team, and I also conducted a three-hour clinic with the Cuban Women’s National team. During the trip, I became convinced that as soon as the fundamentals of the game caught up with the considerable athleticism which abounds in countries like Cuba, that we would see much greater parity on an international scale. Obviously, parity has arrived on the men’s side, and will no doubt evolve on the women’s side in the next decade or two.

· In the 90’s, my Institute for International Sport initiated basketball projects in both Burundi and South Africa. Each project included sending American coaches and equipment to the countries, and bringing the National Men’s teams of both countries to the United States for an exhibition tour. With more teaching, facilities and strength enhancement equipment, Burundi, which is a land-locked country in Central Africa that has been overrun with violence between the Hutus and the Tutsis, could become a formidable presence on the international scene. Over the two year span we worked in Burundi in the early 90’s, our “Project Burundi” made considerable progress in this regard. Unfortunately, when the violence resurfaced, we had to shut down the project. That said, there was no doubt in my mind that this small African country could produce some world-class basketball players, particularly from the Tutsi population, which has an average height of about 6’7”.

Through our basketball project in South Africa in the late 90’s, I saw similar potential. Since we worked in South Africa, the sport has progressed quite well. I believe you will see this trend of improvement continue in South Africa.

· A key point to consider is that in many countries – including third-world countries – young players with potential are generally receptive to instruction on fundamentals, as they are diligent in their practice routines. In future Olympic Games, both our men’s and women’s teams will be challenged…which makes the competition all the more fun and meaningful. This reality suggests that we should stay on the track set by Jerry Colangelo; name the head coach and pick the American squad two or three years in advance of the Games, and develop 12 players into a true “team.”

· In the next decade or two, our chief rival, economically, technologically, and on the basketball court – will be China!

Question #3: What are your thoughts about NBA players (and other professionals) playing in the Olympics compared to the days of college kids only?

Dan Doyle’s response:

In the mid-70’s, I took my Kingswood-Oxford high school team to Europe. One evening in Spain, we attended a Real Madrid game. Real Madrid featured two terrific American players, Walter Szczerbiak, father of current NBA player Wally, and Gene Brabender, who had played at the University of Minnesota.

The game pitted Real Madrid against the Yugoslavian National team, starring the late Kresimir Cosic, who is now in the Basketball Hall of Fame. I sat with a Real Madrid executive, who explained that every player on the Spanish National team – as well as every player on the Yugoslavian National team – was a “paid professional”. It was during this conversation that I realized it would only be a matter of time before the Olympic basketball competition became open to all players, including NBA players.

As for the question of college players versus professionals, given the way that other countries have improved, all the while employing paid professionals, I do not believe that our college kids would stand a chance of even a Bronze medal. For that reason, and many others, I have no problem with NBA players competing in the Olympics – for the U.S. or other countries.

Question #4: As an career advocate of sportsmanship and good parenting in athletics, how has the parenting of young athletes changed for better or worse over the last few years?

Dan Doyle’s response:

Deb Doermann Burch and I spent nearly eight years writing The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting to address this very important issue. We realized from the outset that there is much greater parental engagement than that which existed 15 to 20 years ago. A key objective of the book is to provide sports parents with a coherent philosophy that they can employ in dealing with a variety of issues. This includes the important issue of parent interaction with a coach, which is one of the biggest changes that has surfaced in the last two decades.

A core principle of the book is as follows:

On matters of playing time and strategy, parents should refrain from contacting the coach. By contrast, if it is a matter of ethics – or a medical issue – a parent not only has the right, but the obligation to interact with the coach.

The positive sports experience encompasses a child taking the journey toward self-reliance. When a problem surfaces, the good sports parent is one who acts as “counselor of wisdom” – guiding the child toward the solution, but allowing the child to work out the problem.

The intrusive sports parent – and there are far too many in American society – is the one who employs the “quick fix” but imprudent response of impulsively calling the coach to complain.

A wise sports parent is one who recognizes that the full sports experience is replete with lessons – both from success and failure. While it is difficult to quantify sports parenting improvement or regression, it is clear that responding proportionally to a problem is the mark not only of a leader…but of an effective sports parent.

Question #5: There are a ton of athletes, in a wide range of sports ,that are representing countries other than the countries that they were born in. Certainly there are many different stories and reasons for each athlete, but the basketball athletes (Chris Kaman, J.R. Holden and Becky Hammon) have received a lot of coverage. How do you feel about this?

Dan Doyle’s response:

I thought that Harvey Araton of the New York Times had it right about Becky Hammon when he wrote, ‘she is representing the Russian Basketball Federation, not the government that sent troops into Georgia, stirring old Cold War tensions on the eve of the Games.’

I believe that an American athlete has the obligation to always try to represent the United States in Olympic competition. But if the door is closed to an American Olympic team, as appears to be the case with both Becky and Chris Kaman of the Los Angeles Clippers, and if the athlete has fulfilled dual citizenship requirements, then I have no problem with the athlete making the only competitive choice available.

One possible future problem is that an increase in elite athletes with dual citizenship could conceivably cause bidding wars for their services on Olympic teams. Up to this point, I see no evidence of this occurring. If it does surface as a problem, the IOC could deal with it by establishing a “country of primary residency” rule, similar to what we do in the United States with respect to paying State taxes. This is why you see so many wealthy Americans living in Florida for six or more months!
I do feel that if an American citizen has grown up here, and enjoyed the many benefits of being an American, his or her first obligation is to play for America.

Powell: ‘Don’t just talk the talk’

2008-07-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

BY CAROLYN THORNTON

Journal Sports Writer

PROVIDENCE — “Peace,” Leroy Burch said with a smile, his hand raised ready to give a high-five.

The teen from Chesapeake, Va., offered the same greeting to anyone and everyone he passed as he marched through the streets of downtown Providence along with more than 1,200 cheering students and coaches who took part in yesterday afternoon’s Peace Walk, one of the many events included in the weeklong U.S. Scholar-Athlete Games being hosted by the Institute for International Sport.

“For me personally, this is it,” the volleyball and basketball player said of his vision of peace, gesturing to the young people representing 34 countries who surrounded him. “People from everywhere coming together. One beat. One sound. One wave. There’s nothing better than that.”

And what did it mean to Burch that he was about to hear former Secretary of State Colin Powell deliver a keynote address at the Providence Performing Arts Center?
“Colin Powell taking time out of his life to come see me, to come talk to me? It’s ridiculous. It’s awesome,” said Burch, who was making his first trip to New England. “Because he doesn’t have to do that, but it means that he does care.”

The founder 11 years ago of America’s Promise – The Alliance for Youth, Powell says it is always refreshing to speak to young audiences around the country.

“As I go around America, unlike what I see in Washington, I see optimism and confidence and a belief in America,” he said to last night’s crowd of approximately 2,000. “I see people working hard.”

Interjecting bits of self-deprecating humor throughout his speech, General Powell admitted he felt a bit uneasy about speaking in front of last night’s group of scholar-athletes and scholar-artists, saying he was not a scholar, not an athlete and “certainly not an artist.” But one cannot underestimate the power of sports, he said, to bring people together and blend moments of “individual excellence” into a cohesive team.

Offering equal parts history lesson, motivational speech and comedy routine, along with a quick impersonation of Ronald Reagan, Powell gave the teens sitting before him several points to ponder as they work to develop their leadership skills.

Regardless of the situation, he said, “leadership is leadership is leadership.”
“I have been in many leadership positions in my career, in the military and diplomatic service, my private life and the nonprofit world,” he said. “And I use the same techniques no matter where you drop me.”

“Your mission as a leader is to put your followers in the best environment to accomplish great things,” said the former national security advisor and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“Always remember that your real role as a leader is to empower your followers,” Powell said. Give them a sense of purpose and “don’t just talk the talk.”

“Give them everything they need to get the job done. The training and the resourcing.”
Inspire those around you by maintaining high ethical standards, working under the notion of “selfless service” and recognizing a job well done, Powell continued. Let those working with you see that you are passionate and it will spread throughout your organization “in an infectious way.”

“What you’re trying to do in a leadership environment is create trust among human beings,” he concluded. “We’ll take care of each other. We believe in each other. We believe in the overall mission. Start building a reputation as someone who can be trusted.... That body of trust among followers and among leaders and between leaders and between followers, that is the glue that holds the organization together.”

Sharing numerous anecdotes from his career, Powell, 71, acknowledged the many changes that have taken place in the world during his lifetime, including the very real threat of terrorism that continues to exist, but he urged the audience not to “be afraid of some clown hiding in a cave in Pakistan.”

He encouraged the student-athletes to be prepared to play a role in what he called “the greatest period of wealth creation in the history of the world,” while not forgetting to “benefit others in need.”

“We’re still a place of hopes, dreams and opportunity,” said Powell. “I believe America’s best years are still ahead.”

Senator Mitchell to Deliver US Scholar-Athlete Games "Launch Address!"

2008-04-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

Senator George Mitchell

Senator George Mitchell will join an extraordinary group of "peace brokers" as major speakers at the 2008 United States Scholar-Athlete Games. Senator Mitchell will deliver the Games "Launch Address" on June 11, 2008 in Providence. Prior to his speech, Senator Mitchell will be inducted into the International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame at a pre-speech ceremony.

Senator Mitchell joins other world renowned peace brokers who will be speaking at the Games, including General Colin Powell, who will deliver the keynote address on leadership and American Patriotism on July 1, 2008, famed environmentalist Claes Nobel of the family which established the Nobel Prizes, and Vint Cerf, one of true "Founding Fathers" of the Internet.

National Sportsmanship Day Celebrated on March 4

(2008 Sports Ethics Fellows Named)

The Institute's 18^th annual National Sportsmanship Day was celebrated on March 4 in thousands of schools throughout the United States and abroad. National Sportsmanship Day is now considered to be the largest sportsmanship initiative in the world.

For the second consecutive year, and with great distinction, The Positive Coaching Alliance at Stanford University assisted the Institute with the selection of Sports Ethics Fellows. Click here to read the list and bios of 2008 Sports Ethics Fellows.

A Historic Night at the International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame!

(First World Youth Peace Summit "Discussion" Held)

On February 29, the Institute for International Sport hosted the first in a series of "discussions" regarding the 2011 World Youth Peace Summit, to be administered by the Institute for International Sport in conjunction with our 25th Anniversary, to be celebrated on July 1, 2011. The objective of these "discussions" is to critique and strengthen the 2011 World Youth Peace overview.

Present at the inaugural discussion were representatives of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, as well as representatives of various colleges and universities in the Northeast. Eight other discussions will be held in 2008 in various locales in the United States and abroad. The Institute's website will provide periodic updates of the discussions.

Click here to read a preliminary overview of the 2011 World Youth Peace Summit.

Dan Doyle Op-ed on the Roger Clemens Case

Click here to read an Op-ed written by Institute Founder and Executive Director, Dan Doyle on the Roger Clemens case. The Op-ed appeared in The Providence Journal, and in other newspapers throughout the United States. The piece details how the Clemens Case presents parents, teachers and coaches with a wonderful opportunity to teach their children important lessons that transcend sports.

The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting Goes into Bookstores in March

Dan Doyle's "The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting" will be in bookstores in March. The book was released for online sale in November, and sales have been extraordinary! Click here for purchase details.

Reviews/Columns

In March, Hall of Fame Press is expecting a number of reviews and columns on The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting. Click here to read the very first column, a wonderful piece by Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News.

Testimonials for The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting

50 distinguished individuals have pre-read the book. Here is a sampling of testimonials:

"Remarkable"

-Senator George Mitchell

"Brilliant"
-Novelist Mary-Ann Tirone Smith

"Doyle should win the Pulitzer Prize"
-Susan Summons, acclaimed Motivational Speaker

"A Masterpiece"

-Michael Cleary, Executive Director, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic Directors

"Clearly worthy of the Pulitzer Prize"

-Arnold Dean, WTIC (CT) Radio

"As sensitive as it is comprehensive... the work is especially valuable."

-Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated

"Rich and Sensible."
-Alexander Wolff, Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated

"This book contains more wisdom about parenting, not just sports parenting, than I've ever seen in one place."

- Tom Condon, The Hartford Courant

GENERAL COLIN POWELL TO DELIVER MAJOR ADDRESS AT THE 2008 UNITED STATES SCHOLAR-ATHLETE GAMES

2007-12-07T10:59:00.000-08:00

General Colin Powell Elie Wiesel

"Extraordinary - I wish there had been a Scholar-Athlete Games during my youth."
-President William Jefferson Clinton, in his keynote address at the
2006 World Scholar-Athlete Games

"The Scholar-Athlete Games is one of the most impressive and remarkable gatherings of young people I have ever witnessed."
-Mayor Rudy Giuliani, in his keynote address at the
2003 United States Scholar-Athlete Games

The Institute for International Sport is honored to announce that General Colin Powell will deliver a major address on leadership at the 2008 United States Scholar Athlete Games. General Powell's address will take place on Tuesday, July 1 at 7:30 PM in the Ryan Center. General Powell joins Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel and famed environmentalist Claes Nobel (senior member of the Nobel Peace Prize family) as the first speakers announced for what will be an extraordinary gathering of scholar athletes and scholar artists.

Click here for full details, including how to nominate students and coaches

"The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting" by Dan Doyle

"The beauty of The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting is that it is as sensitive as it is comprehensive. Any father or mother with a child athlete can find both wisdom and guidance in Dan Doyle's book. The work is especially valuable, I believe, because it is as thoughtful in dealing with the ethics of sport from someone who cares about them, as it is in offering simple, down-to-earth practical advice from someone who understands the territory so very well."
-Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated

"The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting" by Dan Doyle is now for sale online only through Hall of Fame Press. The book will be in bookstores on March 4, in conjunction with the Institute's National Sportsmanship Day.

Click here to purchase the book prior to March 4 (and for pre-Christmas shipping) and to read full book details.

Bulk Rates available for purchase of 10 or more books. Click here for Bulk Rates and to download an order form.

"Remarkable"
-Senator George Mitchell

"Brilliant"
-Novelist Mary-Ann Tirone Smith

"Doyle should win the Pulitzer Prize"
-Susan Summons, acclaimed Motivational Speaker

"Brilliant"
-Mark Murphy, Athletic Director, Northwestern University

"A Masterpiece"
-Michael Cleary, Executive Director, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic Directors

"Stunningly thorough"
-Jack Ridl, acclaimed sports poet

"Awesome"
-Chuck Wielgus, Executive Director, USA Swimming

"A great gift to American society"
-Dr. Richard Lapchick Acclaimed Sports Educator

"This book contains more wisdom about parenting, not just sports parenting, than I've ever seen in one place."
- Tom Condon, The Hartford Courant

Institute for International Sport Names All-American Sportsmanship Schools

2007-10-09T07:45:00.000-07:00

The Institute for International Sport, administrators of National Sportsmanship Day, have named 12 schools as 2007-08 “All-American Sportsmanship Schools” and one conference as 2007-08 “All-American Sportsmanship Conference.”

The selection process involves the Institute receiving nominations as part of its administration of National Sportsmanship Day, which is celebrated annually on the first Tuesday of March. Following each National Sportsmanship Day, an Institute selection committee screens the nominees and makes selections based on the clear and strong commitment to a culture of sportsmanship in each of the honored schools. “We look for schools whose administration fosters a strong atmosphere of sportsmanship among its coaching staff and student-athletes,” said Chris Shea, Coordinator of the 2008 National Sportsmanship Day program.

The 2007-08 honored All-American Sportsmanship Schools will all play an active role in the 2008 National Sportsmanship Day, to be celebrated on March 4, 2008. Activities will include participation in the Institute’s “Team Sportsmanship” which involves high school and college student-athletes and coaches visiting local elementary and middle schools on National Sportsmanship Day to lead discussions about the importance of sportsmanship.

“The 2007-08 honorees are made up of a group of schools- ranging from elementary school to university- that have all clearly demonstrated a well thought out sportsmanship program in their respective schools which has resulted in an admirable commitment to and practice of sportsmanship,” stated Shea.

The 2007-08 All-American Sportsmanship Schools are:

Junior Colleges

Joliet Junior College – Joliet, IL
Miami Dade College – Miami, FL

Four-year Colleges/Universities

Indiana University – Bloomington, IN
Bucknell University – Lewisburg, PA
Clemson University – Clemson, SC
Auburn University – Auburn, AL

Intercollegiate Conference

Empire 8 Athletic Conference – Made up of: Alfred University, Elmira College, Hartwick College, Ithaca College, Nazareth College, Rochester Institute of Technology, St. John Fisher College, Stevens Institute of Technology, Utica College

High Schools

Valley View High School – Germantown, OH
Rocky Hill School – East Greenwich, RI
Sussex Tech High School – Georgetown, DE

Elementary/Middle Schools

Ortiz Middle School – Houston, TX
Annunciation Catholic School – Havelock, NC

K-12 School

Coeus International School – Washington, DC

For more information, contact Chris Shea at 401-874-7405.

"The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting"

2007-09-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

Founder and Executive Director
Dan Doyle

The Institute for International Sport and Hall of Fame Press

Proudly Announce

The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting

By Dan Doyle with Deborah Doermann Burch

“Dan Doyle is about to give a great gift to American society.”

Dr. Richard Lapchick

Founding Director, Center for the Study of Sport in Society

For the last seven and a half years, Dan Doyle and Deborah Doermann Burch have researched and written The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting. The Encyclopedia will be published in two volumes, both of which will be approximately 425 pages in length. Volume I will be for sale on-line, only through Hall of Fame Press, in November, 2007 through January 2008, and will then be available in bookstores throughout the United States and abroad in February, 2008. Watch the Institute website and blog for future publication information on Volume II of The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting and The Master Coach Manual by Dan Doyle.

The objective of The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting and Master Coach series is to address the wide array of issues faced by sports parents and coaches. Volume I of the Encyclopedia focuses on helping sports parents develop a clear sports parenting philosophy with principles which can be consistently employed by athletes from youth leagues through their college sports careers. The Master Coach Manual will set standards for coaching excellence and explore the societal impact of the Master Coach.

Click here to read the chapter titles of Volume I
Click here to read a sampling of chapter titles for Volume II
Click here to read a sampling of the many useful and valuable lists that are included in Volume I

Extraordinary Feedback!

“This book contains more wisdom about parenting, not just sports parenting, than I've ever seen in one place.”

Tom Condon

The Hartford Courant

“Stunningly Thorough”

Jack Ridl, Famed Sports Poet

“Awesome!”

Chuck Wielgus

Executive Director of USA Swimming

“Remarkable”

Senator George Mitchell

“Brilliant”

Mary-Ann Tirone Smith

Acclaimed Novelist

“A Masterpiece”

Michael Cleary

Executive Director, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic Directors

“Doyle should win the Pulitzer Prize”

Susan Summons

Acclaimed Motivational Speaker & Coach

“Brilliant”

Mark Murphy

Athletic Director, Northwestern University

Volume I has already been read by 50 distinguished individuals, including Senator George Mitchell, acclaimed novelist Mary-Ann Tirone Smith, Northwestern University Athletic Director Mark Murphy, renowned Coach and Motivational Speaker Susan Summons, Princeton University Athletic Director Gary Walters, Founder and Executive Director of the Positive Coaching Alliance at Stanford University, Jim Thompson, acclaimed Poet Lynn Hoffman, Head Women’s Basketball Coach at St. Mary’s College, Barbara Bausch, and many others. Click here to read a sampling of the testimonials.

How to Purchase The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting

Beginning October 15, 2007 Hall of Fame Press will accept online orders for Volume I of The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting, with shipping available before Christmas. The only place to purchase Volume I of The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting prior to February 1, 2008 is online through Hall of Fame Press or at a “roll-out reception.” Full purchase details will be available on this website on October 15. The book will be available in bookstores or through other vendors on February 1, 2008.

If you are interested in purchasing Volume I online, simply send us an email and we will make sure to send you a reminder email on October 15. You may email us at: iis102@etal.uri.edu.

Three Major Roll-Out Receptions

Hall of Fame Press will hold three major roll-out receptions in early December, in the following communities:

St. John’s High School in Worcester, Mass - Dan Doyle’s high school alma mater/hometown - where Michael Welch, headmaster at St. John’s High, will introduce Dan.
West Hartford, Connecticut - Dan’s residence since 1978 - where Donald “Dee” Rowe, Dan’s Coach at Worcester Academy, will introduce Dan, and Arnold Dean, famed WTIC sports talk show host will serve as MC.
Rhode Island State House - where Attorney General (and former employee of the Institute for International Sport) Patrick Lynch, will introduce Dan.

Information on the dates of the receptions will be posted on this website on October 15.

Hall of Fame Press to Publish Red Sox Mystery

2007-07-13T07:08:00.001-07:00

Hall of Fame Press is proud to announce that it will be publishing in 2008 a Red Sox mystery authored by acclaimed mystery novelist Mary-Ann Tirone Smith and her son Jere Smith. For Mary-Ann Tirone Smith, it will be her 10^th book and will feature the return of Rocky Patel, the Boston homicide detective who first appeared in her novel SHE SMILED SWEETLY. Jere Smith is a fourth-generation Red Sox fan and first-generation Red Sox blogger. This book is the first in a planned series of baseball mysteries to be written by the Smiths and published by Hall of Fame Press.

Mary-Ann Tirone Smith has published nine books since 1985. Following the success of her acclaimed memoir, GIRLS OF TENDER AGE, which NPR named one of “The Year's Best Books: Mystery and Nonfiction,” she welcomes a return to mystery, and to Boston cop Rocky Patel. Smith is currently working on a Civil War novel and one of her main characters is Captain Abner Doubleday, First United States Artillery, Fort Sumter, 1860-1861, who may have invented baseball after all. She has lived in Connecticut all her life except for the two years she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon.

Jere Smith spent the first 29 years of his life in the one county in New England that gets the Yankees on TV, but not the Red Sox. He’s got a 10-game plan at Fenway and regularly travels to watch the Sox in other cities. In 2005, he moved to Manhattan where he wore his Sox cap proudly, and worked with the elderly. He’s written about the Red Sox on his own time since April 2004 on his blog, “A Red Sox Fan from Pinstripe Territory” (letsgosox.blogspot.com). He recently moved to the Boston area, where he has fulfilled his life-long dream of getting to see the Red Sox on TV every night.

Dan Doyle, Founder and Executive Director of the Institute for International Sport (www.internationalsport.com) at the University of Rhode Island, conceived Hall of Fame Press with the objective of publishing high-quality sport-themed books. “Mary-Ann Tirone Smith is one of the most respected mystery writers in America,” Doyle said. “The Red Sox mystery will be the first in what we plan to be a series of annual baseball mysteries written by the Smiths. One of the many exciting aspects of this announcement is the notion of an annual ‘rite of summer’ in the form of a first-rate baseball mystery. The series will bring much joy to thousands of baseball fans and other readers. It will also be great fun to see which franchise Mary-Ann chooses each summer as the base for that summer’s mystery.”

Hall of Fame Press is also exploring similar series in the sports of basketball and football.

The 100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America

2007-06-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

Three years ago the Institute for International Sport decided to take on the task of identifying the "100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America." Since we announced this initiative on our web site in 2004, we have received over 1,500 nominations. A distinguished selection committee winnowed the list to 200, and then to 100. The Top 100 list includes an extraordinary array of sports educators including coaches, administrators, sport psychologists, sport poets, sport philosophers and others. The list is broken down into 75 active and 25 emeritus. In addition the selection committee has chosen the "15 Most Influential Sports Education Teams" i.e. organizations who are engaged in highly effective sports education initiatives.

Both lists will be formally announced on our web site and via press release in late September, 2007. We can think of no honor in our field greater than being named to one of these two lists.

Institute to Host Rhode Island Scholar-Athlete Games

2007-06-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

The Institute for International Sport will host the 11^th annual Rhode Island Scholar-Athlete Games on June 15 and 16. The Rhode Island Scholar-Athlete Games will welcome approximately 150 young Rhode Islanders, grades 3-8, for two days of exciting activities in sports and the arts. Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch will preside over the closing ceremony awards program on Saturday evening, June 16.

The Rhode Island Scholar-Athlete Games employs many of the same concepts utilized in the World Scholar-Athlete Games and United States Scholar-Athlete Games, and provides the participants with the opportunity to create friendships with other accomplished young Rhode Islanders.

The program extends through the summer in the form of the RISAG summer reading program. Participants who read three books are invited to a special reception and URI Men’s Basketball game in November. Another feature of the Rhode Island Scholar-Athlete Games is that it introduces Rhode Island elementary and middle school students to the US and World Scholar-Athlete Games. In the past, many “graduates” of RISAG go on to attend either the US or World Scholar-Athlete Games.

Russ Hogg, Chair of the Institute, states, “The Rhode Island Scholar-Athlete Games is truly one of the most enjoyable and stimulating programs we administer. It is a joy to see these wonderful young children grow from this experience.”

The Hassenfeld-Hogg Center for Sports Leadership

2007-06-05T08:11:00.000-07:00

Phase I is Done!

Phase I of the construction of the Hassenfeld-Hogg Center for Sports Leadership has been completed. The building is expected to open in November, at which time the Institute for International Sport will welcome a group of interns and sabbatical fellows, all of whom will be housed in the six-bedroom facility.

The Hassenfeld-Hogg Center for Sports Leadership is being constructed as an "impact facility." The Center will serve as the base for national and international leadership training of coaches and student-athletes. The program will be directed by Institute Founder and Executive Director Dan Doyle. At the core of the program will be leadership concepts that Dan is including in his forthcoming "The Master Coach" manual. States Russ Hogg, Institute Chair and former CEO of MasterCard: "this will be much more than a building. It will be an extraordinary resource for inspired leadership training of thousands of coaches and student-athletes throughout the world. It is clearly one of the most exciting undertakings in the history of the Institute for International Sport."

Reactions to World Youth Peace Summit Extraordinary

2007-05-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

On April 18, Professor Elie Wiesel and Institute Executive Director Dan Doyle announced the 2011 World Youth Peace Summit at an afternoon press conference at the State House in Providence, Rhode Island. Later that evening, Professor Wiesel delivered a brilliant address on the Role of Youth in World Peace. Since April 18 the Institute has been inundated with positive feedback on the notion of the World Youth Peace Summit.

If you would like to participate in the 2011 World Youth Peace Summit, please e-mail us. We are already beginning to gather e-mail addresses of individuals who would like to participate.

Our Game now on sale!

2007-04-26T11:06:00.001-07:00

Acclaimed Providence Journal sports columnist Bill Reynolds’ extraordinary history of New England college and high school basketball is now on sale. Our Game, The Story of New England Basketball is the first book published by Hall of Fame Press, a new initiative of The Institute for International Sport. You can secure a copy by following this link to Hall of Fame Press’ online store.

NCAA Blogger Shares Wiesel Experience

2007-04-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

Josh Centor, a recent graduate of Brandeis University writes an outstanding blog for the NCAA. On April 25th, Josh posted the following item on the Institute's 2011 World Peace Summit at www.doubleazone.com.

"It’s all about peace. Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, along with Institute for International Sport Founder and Executive Director Dan Doyle, announced the Institute’s World Peace Summit would take place in 2011. The Summit will bring together thousands of graduates from past Scholar-Athlete Games, as well as representatives from the United Nations member states, for five days of discussion about challenges associated with world peace. Doyle founded the Institute in 1986 with the vision that athletics could help foster friendship and goodwill across the world. The Institute established the World Scholar-Athlete Games, last held in 2006 at the University of Rhode Island. Delegates from 157 countries were represented at the Games, and former President Bill Clinton delivered the keynote address to participants. Doyle and the Institute have already brought so many people and cultures together and the Peace Summit, which will be held in conjunction with the organization’s 25th anniversary, will certainly make a significant impact in our fight for world peace."

Historic Night in Rhode Island

2007-04-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

Nobel Laureate Helps Announce Institute’s 2011 World Youth Peace Summit

The evening of April 18 will go down as one of the most important nights in Institute for International Sport history. An overflow crowd at the Rhode Island Convention Center heard Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel and Institute for International Sport Founder and Executive Director Dan Doyle announce the Institute’s long-planned 2011 World Youth Peace Summit.

In a brilliant and moving speech that touched the minds and hearts of all in attendance, Professor Wiesel began by offering his high praise to the Institute: “I am for any initiative for peace – even more so if its sights are set on young people. Dan Doyle and the Institute for International Sport, with its Scholar-Athlete Games and forthcoming summit, are creatively working to turn the hope for peace into reality.”

Following his speech theme of “The Role of Youth in World Peace” to perfection, the Nobel Laureate committed his full support to the Institute’s planned Summit, stating, “And I will be there with you at this great 2011 Peace program…God willing.”

Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch, who, 15 years ago, served with great distinction in the Institute’s acclaimed Belfast United program, introduced Dan Doyle, who announced the 2011 World Youth Peace Summit by stating “When Attorney General Lynch worked with me on the Belfast United Program in Northern Ireland, a common theme of that program was ‘the chipping effect’. The idea was to use sports and the arts as mediums to chip away at the hatred and prejudice that had so overwhelmed that region for centuries.

“When we saw the powerful and positive effects of Belfast United on Catholic and Protestant youth, we decided to create the World Scholar-Athlete Games. We had in mind a program with a similar objective- in this case, a worldwide program that would chip away at the many impediments to world peace- from poverty to religious division.

“If you look at the profile of the thousands of graduates of the Scholar-Athlete Games, going back to our first event in 1993, you will see in the group some of the most able young leaders in the world. Many have already launched into extraordinary careers- educators, physicians, elected officials, and a number of social entrepreneurs who have started their own foundations. In 2011, we will ask this group, as well as thousands more nominated through our partnership with the United Nations, to design practical solutions to those obstacles that impede world peace; we will also ask them to leave the Summit as true peace brokers.

“No citizen of the world is more qualified to help us announce this event than our very special guest, Elie Wiesel.”

Keep an eye on the Institute’s Website for many announcements on what Attorney General Lynch called “one of the most visionary youth programs directed at peace ever conceived.”

About the 2011 World Youth Peace Summit

The Institute’s World Youth Peace Summit will bring together thousands of graduates of past Scholar-Athlete Games, as well as representatives from the United Nations member-states, for five extraordinary days of in-depth discussion on the challenges of achieving lasting world peace. Participants will be asked to design practical solutions to the obstacles that impede world peace, and will leave the event as designated “peace brokers.” Topics for discussion will include religious differences, the challenges of technology, and poverty. Participants will be expected to engage in in-depth study of these and other issues in advance, and all participants will be challenged to use their considerable intelligence, imagination and leadership skills to design lasting solutions to these problems.

• Click here for Providence Journal story

Click on the arrow below for TV coverage (WJAR-TV, Providence)

Bill Russell Remembers Jackie Robinson as "Scholar-Athlete"

2007-04-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

By Gordon Edes and Michael Vega, The Boston Globe

"Yesterday's Boston Red Sox postponement due to weather deprived fans of the chance to see Hall of Famer Bill Russell throw out the first pitch.

Russell, asked about observances scheduled Sunday to honor Jackie Robinson 60 years after he broke baseball's color line, said: "You may or may not know that I was a pallbearer at Jackie Robinson's funeral.

"The day after he died, Rachel Robinson called me to ask if I would be a pallbearer," Russell recalled. "When Jackie broke into baseball, I was in junior high school. To all of us, he was our hero, and here she was asking me to be one of his pallbearers."

This puzzled Russell.

"I remember saying, 'Can I ask why?' And she said, 'You were his favorite athlete,' " Russell said. "How did I get to be Jackie Robinson's favorite? He was a hero to all of us.

"Whenever I hear his name now, I'm very touched by that," he added.

"When I was growing up in the projects, one of the reasons he was such a hero to us was because he was regarded as a scholar and an athlete."

2007 Rhode Island Scholar-Athlete Games

2007-03-26T06:45:00.000-07:00

The Institute for International Sport at the University of Rhode Island, administrator of the Rhode Island Scholar-Athlete Games (RISAG), has announced that the ninth annual Rhode Island Scholar- Athlete Games will be held on June 15th-16th, 2007 at the University of Rhode Island.

At the Rhode Island Scholar-Athlete Games Renaissance Experience, students from around the state are invited to join together and share in a life-changing event that utilizes sport and cultural arts to establish open and lasting relationships among the children who will become leaders in Rhode Island and United States and help shape the future of the global community . Renaissance Education is a concept that captures the energy of youth and uses it to create an exciting and educational experience through the exploration of sports, the cultural arts and academia.

All students who are in grades 3-8 during the 2006-2007 school year are eligible to participate. Participants will be grouped by grade into divisions.

For a brochure and application,

Please contact Tim Hillman at 401-874-2110

or email:tdhillman@internationalsport.com

Columnist saw it coming

2007-03-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

Five days after Providence Journal columnist Carolyn Thornton quoted Institute for International Sport executive director Dan Doyle on fan violence a violent confrontation broke out at a Rhode Island high school hockey match. Thornton has spent the past year writing a series of stories on sports parenting.

Congratulations to the Lord Jeffs!

2007-03-19T13:48:00.000-07:00

Senior Dan Wheeler cuts the net on the way to the NCAA Division III Championship(Photo by Charlie Quigg, Amherst '09)

Amherst College captured its first-ever Division III men's basketball title with an 80-67 win Saturday night over defending national champion Virginia Wesleyan. In 2006, the New England Basketball Hall of Fame, administered by Institute for International Sport, named Amherst as its first-ever men's basketball Program of Distinction on the basis of the program's lengthy history of academic and athletic achievement. Amherst College coach Dave Hixon accepted the Program of Distinction award.

Dan Doyle congratulates Dave Hixon

Sound Body, Sound Mind

2007-03-19T06:16:00.000-07:00

Please take a visit to Newsweek's exploration of the role of exercise physiology in keeping a mind functioning at the highest level possible. Scholar and athlete are more than just connected words.

Elie Wiesel Video Library

2007-03-13T06:53:00.000-07:00

In anticipation of Professor Wiesel's visit to Rhode Island, we have collected a series of short videos that feature both Professor Wiesel and a number of reactions to his work. Please view the videos at the Institute's YouTube channel. The following link brings you directly to the playlist of Wiesel video material.

Wiesel Playlist

Good SportsmanshipNational Sportsmanship Day Essay Contest Winner (Middle School)

2007-03-13T06:11:00.000-07:00

Good Sportsmanship

Jacob Timm
St. Stanislaus Middle School
Winona, MN

I believe sportsmanship and teamwork are two of the most important things to any sport. Sportsmanship to me means cheering on your teammates, being fair, and whether you win or lose, congratulating your opponent or opponents.

I play baseball, football, basketball and I also wrestle. I have learned that teamwork is especially important in baseball, football, and basketball because those sports require the entire team to work hard and do their best all the time in order for the team to be successful. Being successful doesn’t always mean winning. It doesn’t matter how many points you score or whether your team won or lost, as long as you did your best, and had good sportsmanship, you are a winner. After the game, we always line-up and give all of our opponents a high five.

In wrestling I have really learned the meaning of sportsmanship. You can wrestle at individual tournaments and at team tournaments. I like the team tournaments the best because when I go out and wrestle, the entire team is watching me and cheering me on. Before I wrestle, I have to shake the hand of my opponent. After we wrestle, we again shake hands, and then I go over and shake my opponent’s coach’s hand. Then I run back to my team and my whole team and coaches form a circle around me, pat me on the back, and tell me good job, whether I win or lose.

I have seen kids act unsportsmanlike. An example was when I was at a wrestling team tournament, one of the wrestlers thought that the referee made a bad call on him, but really he was just frustrated because he was losing the match. At one point in the match, when the referee stopped the action, the wrestler pushed his opponent when he was getting off of him in frustration. Not only did he have poor sportsmanship, but the referee awarded a point to his opponent for unsportsmanlike conduct. Another example of poor sportsmanship that I saw was after a basketball team lost a basketball game, one of the players started to cry. The coach told him that it doesn’t matter who wins or loses, and he said, “Yes it does.”

I have learned that it is always important to have good sportsmanship because it only brings you and your team down if you don’t. Your team will work better together if everyone has a good attitude. You will have more fun playing your sport if you always remember that no matter if you win or lose, as long as you did your best, had fun and had good sportsmanship, you and your team are winners!

USA TODAY 2007 National Sportsmanship Day essay contest winner

2007-03-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

Link to all winners

Karoline Kent
Kennard Elementary School, Centreville, MD.

My idea is to take the word sportsmanship and make believe it is a team. I will make all of the letters in this word the teammates and try to describe how they all work together to make a fantastic team!

Safety would mean that you play fairly and clean by not tripping or pushing when you’re not supposed to. This shows respect for your team and people you are playing against.

P articipate in the game and all practices and always give it all you got! This shows that you care about your teammates and fans.

O pinion means to keep your opinions to yourself about others. If a player is not that good at the sport and if you have nothing nice to say don’t say anything. You could help them by practicing with them and saying “nice try” when they are working hard.

R eady would always be to show up on time and be ready such as have your sneakers tied, do any personal stuff before practice/game starts so you are not late and wasting people’s time.

T eamwork means to work together and have fun together while playing your sport.

S how respect for your teammates/coach/fans and don’t be rude or brag.

M ove yourself and don’t be lazy. If you come to a game or practice always play your best and help out. If your coach needs help cleaning up equipment then don’t just watch…help out!

A sk for help from a coach or a teammate if you don’t know what to do so you don’t waste time.

N ice to others means if somebody messes up then you should not be mean.

S ay nice things to your teammates and the other team such as when you shake their hands after the game.

H elp teammates out if they don’t understand something or if they need extra practice at something that you are good at.

I mprove yourself so you can become a better player so you help your team

P ractice, practice, practice to always be the best you can!

IIS Develops Video Library

2007-03-07T08:26:00.000-08:00

Within the past few weeks, the IIS staff has put a great deal of effort into placing video footage of current and past Institute for International Sport initiatives online for public perusal. Please visit the Institute's web site to view the archives of National Sportsmanship Day

Check back often to see what treasures have been captured through the history of the Institute.

IIS and PCA announce Sports Ethics Fellows

2007-03-06T15:21:00.000-08:00

The Institute for International Sport and the Positive Coaching Alliance at Stanford University have selected 19 individuals to be honored as the 2007 Sports Ethics Fellows. These Sports Ethics Fellows have demonstrated admirable leadership in the areas of fair play and sportsmanship. Sports Ethics Fellows include nationally known individuals, as well as others who have engaged in developing sportsmanship and honorable competition on a local scale.

The Institute for International Sports www.internationalsport.org, which is based at the University of Rhode Island and administers the annual Sports Ethics Fellows selections, is pleased to have worked with the Positive Coaching Alliance at Stanford University www.positivecoach.org on the 2007 selections. "We have greatly admired the work of the Positive Coaching Alliance and its executive director Jim Thompson," said Dan Doyle founder and executive director of the Institute for International Sport. "We especially appreciate their fresh input and enthusiasm while we made the 2007 selections."

The Sports Ethics Fellows are being announced on March 6 as thousands of schools and youth organizations celebrate the 17th annual National Sportsmanship Day administered by the Institute for International Sport.

The 2007 Sports Ethic Fellows include:

TOM ARCHIE heads Pomperaug Lacrosse, a grassroots organization that serves several communities in Southern Connecticut. The organization encourages its players to Honor the Game at every possible turn. Players wear jerseys with that pro-sportsmanship message and carry it emblazoned on signs at the league's annual parade. Archie aggressively promotes positive coaching to many neighboring youth sports organizations.

BARBARA BLEIWEIS serves as a coach and official for McLean (VA) Youth Athletics. She also is a tireless leader and advocate for using sports to develop character and teach life lessons. Since cancer claimed her late husband, Mark Bleiweis, himself an influential youth sports coach, Barbara also has launched sports-driven events to raise funds for the fight against cancer.

SENATOR JOHN CHAFEE (posthumously) was instrumental in the development of National Sportsmanship Day, offering encouragement and staff support as the concept was being developed by the Institute for International Sport. At a 1990 press conference in Washington, D.C., he correctly predicted that National Sportsmanship Day would raise awareness of sportsmanship and ethical practices among millions of young people, coaches and parents.

BART CONNER is a two-time Olympic Gold Medal Gymnast who serves youth athletes in several capacities. He is a long-time board member of Special Olympics, a National Advisory Board member of Positive Coaching Alliance and still works directly with young gymnasts at The Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy. At that Norman, Oklahoma-based facility, he and his wife, fellow Olympic Gold Medalist Nadia Comaneci, provide all their students a positive, character-building experience.

RAY GREENBERG, president of the Washington, DC-area National Capital Soccer League (NCSL) and vice president of the Virginia Youth Soccer Association, has maintained a singular focus on ethical approaches to sports throughout his years as a youth soccer administrator. In each of his roles, starting as manager of his eldest son's recreational team, as chair of NCSL's Rules & Discipline Committee, and in his current posts, Greenberg has made it of paramount importance that players, coaches, referees and parents "honor the game."

KIM GUILLEN is a soccer coach and member of the leadership team of Jack London Youth Soccer based in Oakland, California. She has been a leader in ensuring that coaches and parents receive training in positive coaching and making those techniques an integral part of the culture of Jack London Youth Soccer.

JACQUELINE HANSEN is the Coaching Education Program Director for the Amateur Athletics Foundation of Los Angeles, an organization that is one of the legacies of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and offers grants to youth sports organizations throughout Southern California. AAF's Coaching Education Program includes clinics focusing on sound coaching philosophy, emphasizing sportsmanship. Hansen and AAF have had direct impact on thousands of youth sports coaches. Hansen is a former world-record holder in the women's marathon, the first woman to break 2:40 - proof that sportsmanship can complement competitiveness.

PHIL JACKSON is the nine-time NBA championship coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. He serves youth athletes in his role as National Spokesperson for Positive Coaching Alliance. By speaking and writing on behalf of the non-profit dedicated to transforming youth sports, he brings needed attention to the importance of youth sports providing a positive, character-building experience. His use of positive coaching in the NBA proves the techniques apply to all levels of sport, which encourages youth sports coaches to use positive coaching for the benefit of youth athletes.

JOHN KESSEL is Director of Membership Development and Disabled Programs at USA Volleyball. He is an indefatigable advocate of making youth sports -- especially but not limited to volleyball -- a positive, creative and fun experience for players from grade school to the most elite level.

GEORGE KLEIN, president of the Portland, Ore.-area Putnam Youth Basketball league, oversees an organization dedicated to character development. He also actively encourages neighboring youth sports organizations to adopt similar principles and reaches out to local media to address youth sports issues. Klein and several hundred Putnam Youth Basketball League players celebrated National Sportsmanship Day in a recognition ceremony at halftime of a March 6 Portland Trailblazers game.

TOM KUYPER writes a weekly column on youth sports for The Arizona Republic, which is syndicated to other Gannett newspapers, and co-hosts "The Kids and Sports Radio Show" on Xtra Sports 910 AM in Phoenix. In both venues, Kuyper often emphasizes sportsmanship and character issues and answers pressing questions faced by youth athletes and their parents. Kuyper, a former Arizona State University basketball player and current color commentator on ASU games, also reaches thousands of youth athletes as founder and president of Phoenix's Athletes in Training and Tom Kuyper Basketball Camps.

SENATOR CLAIBORNE PELL was an early supporter of the Institute for International Sport. As a United States Senator for Rhode Island, he was instrumental in the creation of the Scholar-Athlete Games concept at the Institute for International Sport and the research and development of National Sportsmanship day, now in its 17th year of existence.

PETE ROSELL coaches for Brea Little League Baseball in Southern California, focusing year after year on character development and sportsmanship. At the beginning of each season, he emphasizes to team parents that they must respect umpires and opponents. Also, each player receives an assignment to write about a character trait, which Rosell then frames and presents as a keepsake to the player at the season-ending team party. He also distributes copies of Grantland Rice's poem "How to Be a Champion" and ensures that win or lose his players strive to deliver on the poem's message.

DAVID SHIELDS is Affiliated Associate Professor in the Division of Teaching and Learning at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. A former Division 1 college athlete, his work on the noble concept of competition degrading into "de-competition" is a major theoretical contribution to those who strive to transform the culture of youth sports.

BARRY SKLAR (posthumously) was senior legislative aide to U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell (D-Rhode Island). Sklar led a U.S. Senate staff team that undertook a six-month research project to find out the extent of sportsmanship initiatives being administered in schools around the country. That research led to the creation of National Sportsmanship Day, which is administered by the Institute for International Sport and is celebrated by over 13,000 schools annually.

RICHARD TASHER is president of Northwest United FC, a 26-team Premier Soccer Club that serves nearly 3,000 boys and girls in Northwest Indiana. Tasher makes sportsmanship integral to the organization both as a board member and as coach of Northwest United FC's U-15 Boys Premier MRL team.

PATRICK WHITE has spent most of his life in the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO). He started as a player in 1965, has been refereeing since age 13 and has served as a referee instructor since 1990. Entering his fourth year as commissioner for Region 630 in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, he is responsible for 3,300 players, 375 coaches and 900 referees. Ever mindful that youth soccer is meant for players to enjoy, White preaches and practices letting the action flow fairly rather than detracting from the game by refereeing to the letter of the law.

JEANNE YAGI is a community activist on the Island of Hawaii. She has worked tirelessly to make youth sports on the Big Island a positive, character-building experience for every youth athlete. She initiated the community conference series "Facilitating Extraordinary Accomplishments in Hawai'i's youth," and has involved academia, business, schools and other organizations in the project.

KIMANI YOUNG is athletic director at New Heights Basketball. Young oversees programs for New York City youth athletes that encourage them to become educated, productive and caring members of society by teaching teamwork, discipline, goal-setting, work ethic and moral values. After playing for Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins at the University of Texas El Paso, where he scored more than 1,000 career points and earned his degree in Criminal Justice, Young returned to his roots in New York and has served for more than eight years as a coach and leader.

Welcome to the IIS Web Log

2007-02-27T11:02:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

In these pages, you will have the unique opportunity to read work from individuals associated with the Institute of International Sport in Kingston, RI. That means that you will be privy to work from some of the best sports writers and celebrities across the country as they help us explore the implications of sport in society- in particular the manner in which sports are a medium to foster friendship and good will.

The Institute for International Sport works closely with partners from across the United States and around the world. Working with these partners, the Institute administers the International Scholar Athlete Hall of Fame, the World Scholar Athlete Games, National Sportsmanship Day, and a variety of other special events and programs that all seek to foster world peace through the common meeting ground of sport.

Welcome- we look forward to challenging you with our fresh content and provocative point of view!