the greatest loss of all - Jackie Robinson Family YMCA

THE
GREATEST
LOSS OF ALL
In small towns, urban ghettos and upscale suburbs, children are
being lost to the death, the drugs, and the destruction associated with
youth gangs. And the loss of every youngster leaves families with a
lifetime of grief and anger.
One of the great things about sports is in the end you walk away a winner or a loser. When you
keep score, the final tally easily identifies who gets the a ”W” and who gets the “L”. No
confusion, and in most cases, quite pain-free too.
Through this experience, other indicators emerge. “Personal Best” and “How You Played the
Game” are examples of determining whether or not you are winner or a loser. Some youngsters
learn these lessons at home, others through the responsible adult supervision that accompanies
many youth sports experiences. Still, others learn this lesson on the streets, from positive role
models both young and old.
So you can understand how trivial losing a game can be compared to youngsters that lose their
youth to the death, the drugs, and the destruction associated with youth gangs. Seldom do you
walk alone in your victories and defeats. Others share the joys and sorrows, the ups and downs
experienced by every child, making the gang related losses more dramatic when you consider
that most get involved in gangs because they were bored or had nothing else to do.
It sounds so simple, but it really gets complicated to join a team and not a gang. Every child
does not have the opportunity to have legitimate access to neighborhood sports facilities. Most
can’t afford participation fees. The shortage of responsible adult volunteers makes it tough to
stage youth sports activities in areas that need the most intensive programs.
Ironically, it doesn’t take much for a youth gang to get the ball rolling. However, the price paid
by that boy or girl and their family, in the end becomes very costly.
When a child becomes hardened and committed to crime, exposed to and addicted to drugs
and alcohol, physically injured, scarred or murdered; that indeed is the greatest loss of all. Kids
should be recruited to teams, equally as hard as they are recruited to gangs. And when they
join, it is everyone’s job to hold on to them. For these kids, winning and losing could mean the
difference between life and death. In these terms, winning is important. Sports contests are
great, but the world needs more winners in the biggest game of all, THE GAME OF LIFE!
Michael Brunker, Executive Director
Jackie Robinson Family YMCA
http://ymca.org
JOIN A TEAM, NOT A GANG!
SOME SAY GANGS WILL NEVER GO AWAY. THE BIGGER PROBLEM TODAY IS
MAKING SURE THAT THE OPPORTUNIES OF HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES FOR
YOUTH DO NOT DISAPPEAR BEFORE THE DEATH, THE DRUGS, AND THE
DESTRUCTION ASSOCIATED WITH YOUTH GANGS.
For years, youth sports programs have
been credited with providing may
powerful lessons for boys and girls. The
obvious athletic development has
inspired the celebrated to advance to
the collegiate, professional, and Olympic
level. But it is the testimony of most,
that without participation in youth sports
they may have ended up somewhere
else.
That somewhere else is rapidly
becoming the greatest concern
throughout America today. How do we
curtail the death, the drugs, and the
destruction associated with youth gangs
across the country?
CHAMPIONS ARE MADE, NOT BORN.
Nobody doubts the importance of
sports for a developmental youth.
Coaches historically have always been
credited with teaching those intangibles
that benefit all later in life.
Perseverance, respect, integrity, desire,
dedication, determination, discipline,
and enthusiasm can’t be bought at the
corner store. Too often we hear that
through team sports success is
achieved where others fail. Sadly, the
others are often the classroom and the
home.
THERE IS NO “I” IN TEAM. Self-denial
and sacrifice are tough to learn. Team
sports teach the value of belonging to
the group and contributing to a common
goal. If in the end, success is yours, the
memories from that magic moment
linger. But that time working together,
competing together, never dies.
HOW DO YOU EXPRESS YOURSELF?
Easy. There are so many diverse roles
and responsibilities associated with a
successful team that each person
associated with the team can easily fit
into a comfort zone. The trick is having
adult supervision that can give legitimate
value to each and every role. The top
scorer might not be the most valuable.
Every role is important, in many ways a
team becomes a family.
TEAM BUILDING IDEAS. Practice and
games alone do not guarantee that
players will become a team. Consider
activities that your players enjoy, outside
of your sport, and do it! Movies, meals,
spectator sports participation, and other
activities that bring your program
participants together in a different
environment go a long way. Don’t forget
the family. Coaches tend to cater to the
kids and ignore parents. Parental
support is a must.
IT’S ALL BEEN SAID BEFORE…
Associate yourself with good people if you esteem your own reputation; FOR IT’S
BETTER TO BE ALONE THAN TO BE IN BAD COMPANY.
A player may be more clever than one, BUT NO MORE CLEVER THAN ALL.
The cheers of athletic contests soon pass away, BUT SINCERE TEAM FRIENDSHIPS
LIVE ON FOREVER.
The team that won’t be beaten, CAN’T BE BEATEN.
A team is only as good AS ITS WEAKEST PLAYER.
United we stand, DIVIDED WE FALL.
Success is measured in what the team accomplished, NOT HOW YOU LOOK.
Take an interest in teammates, THEY WILL TAKE AN INTEREST IN YOU.
The more honor and respect among players, THE GREATER THE TEAM.
In unity, THERE IS STRENGTH.
Act like a heel toward teammates, AND YOU’LL GET WALKED ON.
LOYALTY: If you play for a team, work hand, speak well, and stand by the uniform that
you wear. Remember, an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness. If you must
growl, condemn, and eternally find fault; resign your position and when you are on the
outside, damn to your hearts content. But as long as you wear the uniform, do not
condemn it. If you do, the first high wind will blow you away, and you probably will
never know why.
TEAM: T-ogetherness, E-nthusiasm, A-ttitude (good not bad), and M-ental toughness
makes winners in the biggest game of all, THE GAME OF LIFE!
Jackie Robinson Family YMCA
San Diego, California Neighborhood Communities
Population: 272,356 (0-19: 33%, 20-44: 37%, 45-64: 20%, Over 65: 9%)
Ethnic Composition: Hispanic (52.4%), Asian (17%), Black (14.8%), White (9%), Other (6.8%)
Total Households: 71,947 (Under $25,000: 37%, $25,000-$49,999: 32%, Over $50,000: 32%)
DOCUMENTED GANGS IN THE SERVICE AREA OF THE JACKIE ROBINSON FAMILY YMCA:
Hispanic (20) - 73 Locos, Logan, Logan 13, Logan 33rd Street, Logan Calle Treinta, Logan Click, Logan Red Steps, Lomas, Lomas 26,
Lomita Village 70’s, Market Street, Oak Park Locos, Old Town National City, Paradise Hills Locos, Shelltown 38th Street, Shelltown
Gamma, Sherman, Sherman 27, Varro Encanto Locos. Asian/Pacific Islander (15) - B-Down Boys, Bahala Na Baricada, Bahala Na
Gang—Chapter 1, Easy Going Posse, Insane Pindy Tribe, Kalaban Boys, Oriental Killer Boys, Oriental Mafia Crips, Samahang Pinoy
Real, Samahang Dougong Pinoy, Samoan Bloods, Samoan Crips, Satanas, Stateside Islanders, True Pinoy Boys. Black (8) - 5/9 Brim,
Eastside Piru, Lincoln Park, Little Africa, Neighborhood Crips, Ofarrell Park Gangsters, Upside Sick, West Coast Crips. Taggers (9) ALS (Another Logan Soldier), BAS (Bitches Ain’t Shit), DAK (Down Ass Kids/Krew), OEK (One Evil Kingdom/Krew), SKA, TNS (Trust
No Soul), UFKN (Unfadeable Kriminal Nation/United Family), KN (Klown Nation), KOS (Kappin On Suckers). TOTAL: 52
“Little Africa”
Bloods
“Neighborhood”
Crips
“West Coast”
Crips
“South”
59 Brims
“Emerald
Hills”
“Skyline”
Bloods
“O’Farrell”
Bloods
“Lincoln Park”
Bloods
1,653 Juvenile Referrals in 2006: 91950 (303), 92102 (303), 92113 (420), 92114 (442), and 92139 (185)