ST. LOUIS, Mo. – For just three hours of their time, St. Louis area parents and coaches can make a world of difference in the lives of their kids. The time commitment is the only investment necessary to be part of an entertaining, informative program aimed at improving youth sports and sportsmanship in the St. Louis region. 

The St. Louis Sports Commission and Maryville University host the St. Louis Sportsmanship Summit on Saturday, Feb. 6. The free program, featuring national experts, runs from 9 a.m. to noon inside the Monsanto Room within the University Library on the Maryville campus. Youth sports coaches and parents are invited to attend the summit to share their experiences and to learn what they can do to create more positive environments for kids to play, enjoy and stay involved in sports. There is no cost to attend, but those who wish to participate are asked to register for the summit by calling 314-345-5130 or visiting www.stlsportsmanship.org.

“We know that devoting a Saturday morning is a significant commitment for people, but we believe they’ll walk away feeling so good about attending and happy they were part of a program that will positively impact kids’ lives,” said Sports Commission President Frank Viverito.  

The summit program will include a series of breakout sessions focused on coaching leadership, sports parenting, sports specialization and athlete safety. National and local youth sports experts, including Dr. Rob Haworth, NAIA vice president for Champions of Character, and Lane Green, Olathe, Kan., School District director of athletics and Champions of Character special presenter, will lead the sessions and provide participants valuable tools they can use as coaches and parents of young athletes. All in attendance will be able to engage the experts in a Q&A panel discussion addressing the most important issues facing youth sports and sportsmanship.

”Lane and I are excited to be a part of the St. Louis Sportsmanship Summit and have the opportunity to bring the Champions of Character message to parents and coaches in the St. Louis area,” said Haworth. “I applaud the St. Louis Sports Commission for their commitment to advance character-driven athletics. The opportunity to play sports serves as a wonderful platform to teach and reinforce integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership.”

“There are so many volunteer coaches and parents out there who generously and selflessly give their time to be involved with youth sports,” said Solomon Alexander, director of the Sports Commission’s Sports Foundation and Sportsmanship Initiative. “But sometimes we lose perspective on what truly matters when it comes to our child’s sports experience. When kids stop having fun or have poor experiences, they stop playing sports – and that leads to more damaging consequences like childhood obesity or poor self-esteem. Through initiatives like the Sportsmanship Summit, we can remind adults in the community of the difference they can make in helping young people in our region stay active and lead healthier, happier lives. We also can emphasize the wonderful opportunity they have to use sports as a platform to build character and teach important life lessons.”

The St. Louis Sportsmanship Summit is a program of the Sports Commission’s Sportsmanship Initiative. Through the Sportsmanship Initiative, the organization seeks to create more positive environments for kids to play sports. It reaches out to coaches, parents, officials, athletes and fans to make youth sports more enjoyable and to reinforce the values of sportsmanship – respect, civility, integrity and fair play – at all levels.

The St. Louis Sports Commission is the privately funded nonprofit organization that benefits St. Louis through sports.

Its mission is to make the St. Louis region a better place to live, visit, work and play through sports.