Remember when young athletes weren't pressured to win, win, win and parents were respectful? The Good Sports Fest, a national effort stopping by Largo, wants to remind everyone of that era.
By TIFFANI SHERMAN
Published August 5, 2005
LARGO - Winning isn't everything. That's the point that Saturday's Good Sports Fest wants to make.
"Sports can be fun. They don't have to be competitive," said Joan Byrne, 55, director of city parks and arts. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., representatives of all sorts of sports will be at Largo Central Park to teach kids and adults about their passions. There will be basketball, baseball, track, soccer, tennis, golf and more.
"We're going to set up a field and spend a little bit of time teaching the kids," said Dr. Woody Brown, 35, of Largo. He's been playing competitive ultimate Frisbee for 13 years. The sport is self-refereed, meaning players call their own fouls.
"It's really important to have good sportsmanship in the game," Brown said.
The Good Sports program is a partnership of Sports Illustrated magazine, Dodge and the National Recreation and Park Association. The Largo event is the fourth of four events nationally to kick off the program. Similar events were held in Long Beach, Calif., Homewood-Flossmoor, Ill., and Glendale, Ariz. The program provides advice, action plans, resources and recognition for youth sports programs around the country.
"(The purpose) is to improve the quality of youth sports nationwide," said Kathy Spangler, national partnerships director for the National Recreation and Park Association in Ashburn, Va.
Largo is one of 1,200 recreation departments nationwide working with the Good Sports program.
"This is one of the most positive programs you can imagine," Byrne said. "We're going to set up sports areas all throughout the park."
All the demonstrations and games are free. "They can try it for a few minutes then move on to something else," Byrne said.
Sports Illustrated photographers will be at the event to do a feature article about the program for a future issue. Dayton-Andrews Dodge will have cars there to test drive. For each test drive during the day, Dodge will donate $5 to the Largo Athletic Program Fund. Some of the sports teams are turning the test drives into fundraisers, Byrne said.
But the Good Sports Fest isn't about money, supporters say. It's about teaching life skills and a healthy lifestyle.
"It's really about families, communities and kids to ensure that young people are active and healthy through sports," Spangler said.
"It'll be fun," said ultimate Frisbee leader Brown. "I think it's going to be a good time and (a way) to get some exercise on a Saturday."
If you go
The Good Sports Fest will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Largo Central Park, 101 Central Park Drive. It's free. No specific athletic skills are required. For more information, call 587-6740, ext. 5014, or visit www.sigoodsports.com
