BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn., (November 20, 2017) – The
Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) announced today that 37 athletic
administrators will be recognized for their transformational leadership during
halftime of the Prep Bowl Class AAAAA Championship game on Saturday, November
25. The athletic administrators are all part of the Why We Play InsideOut Team
Cohort, a professional learning community, which is working to develop
transformational, character-based athletic programs in their communities.
Athletic administrators at 64 Minnesota high schools have
made a year-long commitment to address the specific needs of today’s youth as
part of a collaborative partnership between the Minnesota State High School
League, the InSideOut Initiative, the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee
Legacy Fund and the Minnesota Vikings. The recognition event and cohort are
part of the Minnesota State High School League’s “Why We Play” education
program. The purpose of Why We Play is to elevate the student-athlete in a way
that gets beyond just playing the game for a win, and instead focuses on the
students’ human growth and development, and connects them to caring adults in
their learning community.
Charlie Campbell, Activities Director for Brainerd High
School is one of the cohort members. When asked about his experience with the
cohort, he shared “This cohort has created an opportunity to develop personally
and professionally and to reconnect with what is in our hearts. It
provides us with a common language and platform to speak about the issues we
are all facing — there’s great power and growth in that. It has revitalized
the way I interact with my coaches and how we intentionally impact
students. This experience has been truly transformational.”
Why We Play, developed by the Minnesota State High School
League, is a statewide program created to reclaim the educational purpose of
sports. Why We Play was founded on the InSideOut Philosophy contained in Joe
Ehrmann’s book InSideOut Coaching; How Sports Transforms Lives. In 2015, a
partnership was formed between Ehrmann and Jody Redman, associate director for
the Minnesota State High School League, and the InSideOut Initiative was
launched with funding from the NFL Foundation, as a way to replicate
Minnesota’s Why We Play model to communities across the country. The
InSideOut Initiative is currently functioning in 8 states in partnership with
13 NFL Teams.
“We now find ourselves in a win at all costs youth sports
culture, which has grown into a $15 billion per year industry, “ says Redman.
“We’re not creating better citizens through sports. We’re not serving
communities. We’re not even serving the children who participate. We need to
reclaim the transformative power of sports by being aware that there is a
greater purpose which is their human growth and development and connecting them
to caring adults in their learning community.”
The Minnesota State High School League is one of the
largest state high school leagues in the nation. With the expansion of this
program, it is now also seen as a leader in incorporating social-emotional
learning into interscholastic sports.
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