May 15, 2010  Sports are about so much more than winning. And sustaining school athletic programs takes more than just your valuable time and effort. That's why Liberty Mutual created the Responsible Sports Community Grants. The program helps provide precious financial resources – $5,000 grants – in recognition of local dedication to responsibility in communities across the country.

A Responsible Sport Parent fills two key roles:

• Ensuring your youth athlete's safety
• Helping your youth athlete apply life lessons from sports on and off the field

Education through sport can develop children of high character, who lead, persevere, overcome adversity and function as productive team members.  Sports provide the ideal 'virtual classroom' for teaching life lessons, when children have Responsible Sport Parents and Responsible Coaches. A 2001 research study entitled "The Development of Psychological Talent in U.S. Olympic Champions," found that Olympic Champions reported having parents and coaches who "provided considerable encouragement and support and reciprocal trust and respect." 

Liberty Mutual's Responsible Sports program is a tremendous educational toolkit for both parents and coaches that will assist them in their communications with their players.  The Responsible Sports program is designed for parents across ALL sports and aims to provide helpful advice and useful resources that can be applied universally among youth athletes, preschool through high school, both on and off the field. 

As many of you know, Maggie Walker does not enjoy the fiscal benefits of a high school football program, and thus the financial viability of our athletics is reliant on community support and parent participation.  As a result it is imperative we come together as an athletics community and do all we can to continue to support the the program at our school. 

Parents, Coaches and Community Supporters:  Show your support!

The Athletics Booster Club is asking all parents of our student athletes to take time and complete the Responsible Sport Parenting or Responsible Coaching course. Take the 10-question review quiz to earn a point and credit it to your school. Don't delay... get started today. If you are not a parent or a coach, but still want to show your support? Start here.