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CYO Basketball
What Is Catholic Youth Sports?
A diocese, parish or other Catholic institution sponsors a Catholic Youth Sports program, often called Catholic Youth Organization (CYO), as one dimension of its comprehensive ministry to youth. Athletic programs can help young people toward imperishable crowns as well as perishable ones. A Catholic Youth Sports program justifies its existence, and the sacrifice and expense it entails, only if it helps young people practice and live Gospel values through their athletic experience.
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Players and Coaches talk about CYO: |
Catholic Values
As with any ministry to our youth, the three goals of a Catholic Youth Sports program are the same as enumerated in Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry:
- To empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today.
- To draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission and work of the Catholic faith community.
- To foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person.
- In Catholic Youth Sports programs, emphasis rests not on the number of games won or lost, but on the participants' attitude in victory or defeat. Learning how to lose is just as important as learning how to win. Learning how to win graciously is more important than winning itself.
Parents and Coaches for more information, and to register your team, contact:
Jack Rock, Chittenden County Basketball League Director, at 802-658-2359
Bruce Audette, CYO Athletic Director and Tournament Director, at Baudette@vermontcatholic.org, (802) 355-6377
Office of Catholic Formation at 658-6110:
Deacon Chris Keough, Ext. 1132;
Dorothy Barewicz, Ext. 1130 or
Kristina McSalis, Ext. 113l.
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Catholic Youth Sports programs serve the needs of all youth and reflect the diversity of the community. They enable the gifted to excel, the less gifted to participate and improve. "Star" athletes and teams do not receive exclusive attention. Principles of fair play and sportsmanship must govern every game. Dishonesty has no place in Catholic-sponsored competition. Competitors must not borrow from professional sports questionable techniques for winning at any cost. |
"Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do not receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one." I Corinthians 9:25 |
Catholic Youth Sports programs serve the needs of all youth and reflect the diversity of the community. They enable the gifted to excel, the less gifted to participate and improve. "Star" athletes and teams do not receive exclusive attention.
Principles of fair play and sportsmanship must govern every game. Dishonesty has no place in Catholic-sponsored competition. Competitors must not borrow from professional sports questionable techniques for winning at any cost.
All participants should have the respect of others on their own team and the opposing team. Competitors should regard the opposition as friends, not enemies.
CYO participants should have a spirit of loyalty to Catholic ideals, to parish, to coach, and to the team. They should learn patience with and tolerance of those with less ability. They should feel grateful to all who make the program happen. Speech and actions should reflect Christian values.
At times, during the heat of competition, a participant may temporarily forget some rule of conduct. Prompt correction can turn even failures into learning experiences.
Adult Involvement
Ultimate responsibility for the success of Catholic-sponsored programs lies with the volunteer adult participant. Adults involved must remember that the program exists for the Christian growth of young people. Conduct of adults must always model Christian values and virtues. When adults forget the primary focus of Catholic Youth Sports, the program becomes destructive. When adults remain faithful to the Christian ideals, they exercise a unique and rewarding ministry to the young with whom they come in contact.
"Run to win," St. Paul advises (I Cor. 9:24). In Catholic youth athletics and in CYO, all who compete can win, if they run to win the real prize; closer union with Jesus Christ.
Catholic Coaches
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Catholic Coaches have a unique opportunity to help young people grow personally and spiritually in an arena that is important to them, and makes sense to them. To meet this challenge Catholic Coaches should receive the training that is proper to this task. The online course, Catholic Coaching Essentials, is the basic training for Catholic Coaches. Additional online courses are offered for Catholic Coaches of different sports, such as, basketball and soccer. Pray that our coaches may run the race for the prize of the high calling to lead our youth closer to Jesus.
- Visit NationalCYOsports.org for more resources. - View the basics of youth ministry at work in CYO sports.
Athletics can provide our youth with a positive environment in which to grow physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually. The responsibility of fostering an environment in which athletes can mature in these areas rests with the coach. Coaches are presented with a unique opportunity to use the playing field as a mission field - to be a facilitator of faith - in developing and furthering athletes' Catholic Christian character and values. |
"Playing sports has become very important today, since it can encourage young people to develop important values such as loyalty, perseverance, friendship, sharing and solidarity. Sports, in fact, can make an effective contribution to peaceful understanding between peoples and to establishing the new civilization of love." Pope John Paul II at the Mass for the Jubilee of Sports Celebration, Rome, Oct 29, 2000. |
To help our coaches involved in CYO Basketball to be up to this challenge, you are encouraged to access on-line training entitled "Catholic Coaching Essentials". As the exclusive coaching education provider to National CYO Sports [aka National Center for Catholic Youth Sports (NCCYS)], the American Sport Education Program (ASEP) has designed customized online coaching courses incorporating faith-based content. The courses carry the endorsement of the National CYO Sports/NCCYS and the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry.
The Diocese of Burlington highly recommends that coaches take the Catholic Coaching Essentials online course. Coaches taking Catholic Coaching Essentials and the sport-specific course will be nationally certified through the National CYO Sports/NCCYS.
Recommended course:
Catholic Coaching Essentials (prerequisite to sport-specific courses listed below)
Catholic Coaching Basketball Essentials
Also available:
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Catholic Coaching Baseball Essentials Catholic Coaching Flag Football Essentials Catholic Coaching Tackle Football Essentials Catholic Coaching Soccer Essentials |
Catholic Coaching Softball Essentials Catholic Coaching Tennis Essentials Catholic Coaching Volleyball Essentials Catholic Coaching Wrestling Essentials |
To register for any of the online courses go to