Sportsmanship Focus - Practice Discussion Questions

Winning with Grace - What does it look like to “win with grace”? Why is it important to act the right way after you win? How would you act towards a team who didn’t win with grace against you?

Losing with Grace - What does it look like to “lose with grace?” Why is it important to act the right way after you lose?

Does every team win every single time? - How can handling losing in the proper way help a team get better?

Respect For Teammates - What does respect for your track teammates look like in practice? In a game? What are the consequences of disrespecting our teammates?

Complimenting Others - Why is it important to compliment others? When is a good time to compliment someone? How do you feel when you receive a compliment? Simply saying “good game” can go a long ways.

Team Morale - What does the word morale mean? What does it look like when a team has good morale? Poor morale? What is something this track team can do together to boost team morale?

Facing Adversity - What is adversity? What is a situation in track when you might face adversity? What is the problem with never facing adversity in sports or even life in general?

Respecting Coaches and Officials - Why is it important to respect your coaches? How does your relationship with your coaches affect you as an athlete? Why is it important to respect all officials (refs, umps, judges)?

Having a Winners Mentality - Winning isn’t everything, but why is it important to try to be competitive and want to win? Who is a pro athlete you look up to? How do they show their “winner’s mentality”?

Effort/Always Trying Your Best - Why is it important to always give the most effort and try your best? You can’t always control the outcome of a game, but you can control your effort.

Learning From Mistakes - Everyone makes mistakes. What we learn from those mistakes is what’s important. How can we learn from our mistakes? Can mistakes help make you a better player/teammate/person?

Importance of Attendance - Why is it important to show up to school, practice, or any aspect of life on a regular basis? What are the consequences of not showing up?

Positive Attitude - What does it look like to have a positive attitude in track practice and games? When was a time outside of track practice that you had a positive attitude and it made things better?