Sportsmanship and Postitive Attitude

Activity #1: Hunker Hawser Two student volunteers ( pick one boy and one girl) will hunker down on a chair facing each other 6 ft apart. Each will hold the end of a 15 ft rope with excess rope between them. At signal, each student begins to reel in the rope and has 1 minute to get the other player off the chair. RULES: If the rope is let go, that person automatically loses. If they come off the chair they automatically lose. Complete two rounds with two other pairs of students each time.

Closure questions for activity #1 1. How did it feel to lose? 2. How did it feel to win? 3. Could your attitude affect how much others want to play with you in the future? How? (Talk at your tables) 4. What about games on the playground? Dodgeball? Think about how you react when you lose or get out at a game? 5. What does it look like to be a good sport? (Talk at your tables)

Activity #2: A Quick Test of Sportsmanship Leaders read short scenario aloud. Have copies out at tables for students to read along or post slide while you read aloud. “In the final minutes of a soccer game that is tied 1 to 1, a penalty shot is granted to the visiting team over a tripping call made by the referee. Instead of a tie, the other team can win if they score the penalty shot. The goalie misses the block and the home team loses. The coach is thrown out of the game for arguing the call. The crowd is booing. The visiting team taunts the home team and the players refuse to shake each others hands. In the locker room, the plater tease the goalie for missing such an easy shot and talk about how the referee was unfair to them.”

Closure questions for activity #2 1. Where in this scenario do you see places of unsportsmanlike conduct? Why is it considered unsportsmanlike? 2. What could these people have done to be more sportsmanlike? 3. What do you think would have happened if the game ended in a tie?

Activity #3: Win/Lose/Draw Divide class into two groups. Pass out the cards to the groups. There is a card that has the word “drawer” and “guesser” on it. Have students keep their card face down until all are passed out. Ask to turn them over to reveal who the “drawer” and “guesser” are. The drawers will approach a WEB leader to draw a card from a stack which reveals what they are to draw. At the signal, the drawers begin to draw what their card says. The whole team can guess but ONLY the official guesser’s answers count. The first team to guess correctly wins and a new guesser and drawer are chosen by card selection. (WEB leader recollect cards, shuffle, and pass out again.)

Closure questions for activity #3 1. How did you treat your guesser or your drawer when they did not get the answer correct or drew a bad picture? 2. Do you think you would have done better? How? 3. When you lose at something, how would you like to be treated? 4. How can we support people we play with or be better sports when we are playing against others?

Closing Words Being a good sport makes it easier for others to play with you and have fun. We should all try out best to be positive when playing a game whether we win or lose.