September 2009

Life University hits home run building character with athletics

by Dr. Guy F. Riekeman, President, Life University

With my heart in my throat, I couldn't yell as loud as the Life University alumni and fans cheering our top-seeded Running Eagles in the Super League Rugby Championships recently in Glendale, Colorado. Only 30 seconds stood on the clock and Life was locked in a tie. We yelled louder but, in those final seconds, the "W" went to the other team.

Competing at the uppermost echelon of their sport, our student athletes had left nothing on the field. Yet, I am absolutely certain they walked away fuller from the experience.

Athletics are often seen as an end in themselves: winning contests and capturing titles. At Life, we see them as a means to something greater.

There's no question we like winning too (and hold our share of national titles) but we're even more captivated by how athletics can be used to shape an individual's character. Sports are rife with opportunities to pursue excellence -- in performance, and in character and community building.

Building values and bodies

The popular notion that muscles and morals develop simultaneously simply through participation in team sports is, unfortunately, unfounded. Sports participation builds character only under the right conditions.

Without intentional strategies to use athletics as a vehicle for character development, contemporary research shows it actually tends to adversely impact the development of positive social traits within the athlete.

Our commitment to instilling and nurturing the values of integrity and ethical leadership informs every decision we make on campus, including those in the locker room and on the playing field. We capitalize on the many teachable moments that arise in sport to facilitate character development in both players and fans.

That's why we aligned ourselves with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as our umbrella organization for collegiate athletic participation. The NAIA's core values of Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Servant Leadership and Sportsmanship dovetail beautifully with Life's Eight Core Proficiencies woven throughout each student's academic program.

We intentionally recruit players of strong character and then provide an environment in which those traits are nurtured, recognized and rewarded. That's why, in accordance with NAIA guidelines, we never revoke scholarships for disappointing athletic performance. A student might forfeit a scholarship for character issues and poor academics, but not for lack of three-point shots.

We also utilize sports as a vehicle for educating students about the power and wonder of the human organism. Student and faculty experts provide cutting edge information and the latest care to promote peak performance, prevent injuries, and help participants rehab post-injury through the Life University Sports Science Institute (LUSSI).

With one of the largest chiropractic programs in the country (including a chiropractic/sport science dual degree), a master's degree in sport health science and bachelor's programs in exercise science and nutrition and dietetics, our athletes draw on an impressive range of on-campus resources to fuel peak performance and strengthen their understanding of our vitalistic approach to health.

Getting in the game

Because we see athletics as an effective vehicle (if used properly) to build bodies, build character and build community, our athletics program revolves around a three-pronged approach that allows all students in the game. We offer:

*** Collegiate Sports -- Life holds three NAIA Division I national basketball championships and recruits top scholarship athletes for men's basketball. Plans are also in the works to offer track & field and cross country next year and soon after tennis, golf, women's volleyball and perhaps women's basketball.

*** Club Sports -- Although we're proud of our scholarship athletes, we also emphasize club sports open to all students. Club teams connect students with those in other disciplines and at other stages of their academic careers, foster a sense of teamwork and provide lively competition with area universities. The offerings are: Rugby (Super League finalists 2009, ranked first in Division I 2007), Men's and Women's Volleyball, Co-ed Cycling, Men's and Women's Soccer, Ice Hockey, Co-ed Tennis, Co-ed Golf, Co-ed Racquetball, and Power Lifting Triathlon.

We even provide as much as $1,000 per quarter athletic tuition scholarships to club athletes who meet GPA and financial aid qualifications.

*** Intramurals -- Life students also get together regularly to play basketball, volleyball, flag football and softball for fun and camaraderie.

An international language

Sports have also frequently provided the entrée for Life University to introduce chiropractic to other countries. The universal desire to be stronger, faster and better brings doctors and athletes together in a conversation about peak performance.

The clinical rotations our DC students complete in the chiropractic wing of Clinica Biblica, one of the largest hospitals in Costa Rica, grew out of a long-standing consulting relationship between our faculty and the Costa Rican Olympic Team.

Serving as team chiropractors for the 1996 and 2000 Costa Rican Olympic Team, the Guatemalan team for the 1999 Pam American Games, and the 2000 Chinese Gymnastic Team, Life faculty have helped spread the chiropractic approach to health and optimum performance around the globe.

Creating climates of mastery

Although each of us appreciates seeing more checkmarks in the win column, at Life we value the pursuit. It's the very struggle toward excellence and the opportunity it provides to grow in courage, self control, perseverance and self knowledge that makes athletics worthwhile.

The pioneering work of psychologist and philosopher Lawrence Kohlberg helped us understand that ethical behavior and character growth follows a predictable developmental progression. We now know athletics can play an important role in that progression when leaders create mastery climates that nurture and support task-motivated (rather than ego-motivated) performance.

Character-building coaches emphasize cooperation over rivalry, appreciate the role of mistakes and failure in the learning process, help athletes focus on behaviors and skills under their control, and engage players in meaningful conversation about sports-related moral issues.

That's why I cheered even louder when our rugby players offered heartfelt congratulations to their victorious rivals. They knew better than anyone in the stands how much effort, focus and cooperation went into the game and that earned their respect, and mine.