Spikes Baseball Teams 2008

The spikes organization is based on several solid ethical principals. One of those principals is that every coach & staff member are expected to ahere to a code of ethics...at all times. Here a a list of some of those ethics:

• TOLERANCE—This quality goes hand-in-hand with patience. Kids are going to be rowdy, moody or lazy. Tolerance takes the different mind-sets and turns the focus to the tasks “afoot”. Be Patient!
• ACCEPTANCE—All children are so very different. Each one has varied potential and skill levels. A good coach is one who recognizes each child as an individual and he/she encourages that child to perform at his/her very best level. Perfection is not required!
• MOTIVATION—Baseball can be viewed as kids throwing a ball back & forth, or it can be viewed as an opportunity for growth. The true test lies in sparking a child’s interest to learn and grow and keeping that spark alive each game.
• RESPECT—We’ve seen many games in which the coaches, and sometimes parents, of the other teams berate and belittle their children for making “mistakes”. Sometimes they even go as far as criticizing opposing team members. Good grief! We’re playing youth baseball! This isn’t the Major League World Series. A “Coach” never singles out a child for making a mistake in front of their teammates and he does not allow parents or other team members to do so either. At the beginning of every game “Coach” reminds parents & players that we’re all in this sport to learn, compete and have a good time.
• SPORTSMANSHIP—Perhaps this should have been on top of the list, but being toward the end does not lessen the importance. The definition of sportsmanship is to teach kids (and coaches) to work together as a team in order to achieve a common goal. It also means teaching kids to respect other players, umpires, coaches, parents, fans as well as each other. Insults are not tolerated. Berating the umpires is not tolerated. Mistakes are team mistakes, and they are used as teaching tools for the next game.
• ABILITY TO TEACH—Sounds simple, right? It’s not. How many times has a parent signed up a child for a sport, only to have a well-intentioned father decide to coach? He may or may not know the sport. He may or may not relate well to his players. There is a huge difference between the team whose members do what is yelled at them, and the team whose members actually understand what to do and why. A good coach teaches his players basic fundamentals, explains concepts and enables his/her players to think logically when making a play. A typical practice/game scenario is “You’ve got a runner on X base and a runner on Y base, Z outs. The ball comes to you. What do you do”? The kids are able to use logic and make the best choices based on situations. One reason parents encourage kids to play sports is to hopefully broaden their horizons and to give them additional skills they wouldn’t get otherwise. While winning a game, a particular tournament or even having a winning season is great, we consider it a bonus and not the main purpose of the Spikes program. Playing sports should be a positive experience, and it should be one that children look forward to each and every day.
• LOVE OF KIDS: COACHES MUST LOVE KIDS. Coaches must have the energy to make every practice and every game a new experience for players and parents alike. Without their vision and energy, sports would be dull and unappreciated. Coaches must offer a day-to-day challenge for players, which is contagious and which is motivation for everyone involved at all levels.
• LOVE OF THE GAME: Coaches must love their sport, and, more importantly, must show their players enthusiasm for every aspect of the game. This would include techniques and tactics. The love of the game must also show the players the love for fair-play, respect for opponents, officials, and spectators, and positive reinforcement for teammates. Only a good coach who loves the game can provide the correct aspects involved in the winning and losing of competition.