Athlete leaders gather for CAL Sportsmanship Summit

Kyle Gaudette, The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass.
·2 min read

Sep. 28—NEWBURYPORT — The Cape Ann League, both in the present and in the future, is in good hands.

On Friday, a handful of student-athlete leaders from each CAL school gathered at the Newburyport Senior Center for the 2022 Sportsmanship Summit. Over the course of the three-hour seminar, students worked among themselves and with each school's Athletic Director to discuss ways to improve both the student-athlete and fan experience at CAL sporting events.

Some of the topics addressed included fan/parent behavior at games, the impacts of social media, reactions to injured players and pre-game speeches. But, the underlying theme surrounding the event was the topic of what sportsmanship means to each individual, examples of good sportsmanship and the values that proper sportsmanship provides.

"It's all about being respectful," said Amesbury junior Aiden Donovan during an open session. "Obviously, you don't want to be cheering when someone is hurt or throwing personal attacks during a game. You have to play with respect for your opponent."

The first CAL Sportsmanship Summit was held in 2016. However, after taking a couple of years off followed by the constraints that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, the event had been put on hold ever since.

But this year, CAL Athletic Directors wanted to bring it back.

And the hope is that the summit will turn into an annual gathering where young leaders will get their voices heard for years to come.

"We wanted to get back to what we believe in, and it's really about including the kids to get them involved," said Newburyport AD Kyle Hodsdon. "They can be part of the decision-making on our expectations as a league."

Each CAL school sent five representatives, who were then divided up at specific tables with students from different schools as well as an AD at each table to help facilitate discussion. It was a way to not only hear different voices, but for students to interact with each other outside of an athletic setting to find common interests and beliefs.

"As athletic directors we meet in person once a month, and Zoom multiple times a month, so we work together as one," said Hodsdon. "But the students aren't involved, we're acting as the representatives of our schools. We want that student buy-in, that engagement, and we want them involved both in the present and also the future. So the focus is on sportsmanship, and how our student-athletes are our leaders in school."