Saint David's Magazine Vol. 34 No 1 | Page 13

Respect in the Sports Program A Reflection on Respect By Will Arias A s the boys enter their years in our Upper School, the theme of respect continues to be an essential part of their physical education experience. As the elder statesmen of the student body, they are expected to assume leadership roles both in and outside of the classroom. Coach Jorge Roman introduced the following framework to our department to serve as a guide to how respect integrates into our classes, practices, and games via “R-O-O-T-S” - R – Rules O - Opponents O - Officials T - Teammates S - Self In the Fourth Grade, the boys are involved in a variety of physical activities and sports. They are consistently encouraged to respect the games and activities to which they are introduced. Boys are taught what it means to be a leader and how that translates into action. In the Fifth Grade, the boys earn the responsibility of choosing and focusing on one sport per season. Games and activities become more competitive and the emphasis is on the boys’ ability to organize themselves, follow the rules, and hold themselves accountable. Sixth Grade marks a pivotal year in the boys’ physical education development, as they are given the opportunity to not only choose their sports, but also compete inter-scholastically. This occasion marks the first time the boys are asked to apply all five components of the R-O-O-T-S framework for respect. While the boys continue to practice and compete in their Winter 2020  •  13