Staff Writer

Scarborough is a step closer to becoming a Sports Done Right community.

The Scarborough Sports Done Right Leadership Team hosted a forum Tuesday to discuss its action plan to improve athletic programs at the middle school and high school levels.

According to its Web site, Sports Done Right is a program operated in conjunction with the University of Maine Center for Sport and Coaching that sets standards for how a “healthy” sports program should be run for state school districts.

Scarborough Sports Done Right Leadership Team Chairman John Cole said the team has worked for more than a year to identify the strengths of Scarborough athletics, as well as areas of the program that can improve.

The team currently has  14 members, including parents, booster club members, school board members, coaches, administrators, the athletic director and student representatives.

Cole said the team has an action plan of future goals for Scarborough athletics that will be sent to the state Sports Done Right office, located at the University of Maine Center for Sport and Coaching in Orono. He said representatives of Sports Done Right will visit the town for a final meeting and evaluation to accredidate Scarborough as a Sports Done Right community.

“Essentially, when a school is accredidated and certified, it’s to recognize that we’re following some standards that have been set at a state level,” Cole said.

Cole said the day-to-day benefit of being a Sports Done Right community would be having a set of standards for the behaviors of parents and kids in sports.

Sports Done Right Facilitator Jim Stephenson said the program was created by the UMaine Center for Sport and Coaching in 2005 by a panel of athletic directors, coaches and school administrators to address a set of principles of what parents should expect from athletic programs and coaches. He said among the Sports Done Right Panel were former Olympic gold-medal marathon runner Joan Benoit Samuelson and Dr. Robert McAphee, the former president of the American Medical Association.

Stephenson said in 2005, 75 percent of school districts in Maine did not have a policy on sports programs. He said 12 pilot programs were started in Maine school districts, with seven schools currently having reached Sports Done Right accreditation.

Cole said the leadership team sent a survey to athletes, parents and coaches about what athletic programs do well and what needs to be improved upon. 

Results from the survey showed Scarborough schools received good marks for its current athletic philosophy and policies governing athletic programs, sportsmanship, athletic facilities, range of athletic offerings, cooperation between town community service and school athletic programs, support by parents and the community, coaching staff, and nutrition program.

Areas to improve on include eliminating the school district’s $25 per sport season activity fee, have coaches better articulate athletic experiences with real life experiences, educate parents to have realistic expectations for their child in regard to performance in sports and improve communication between coaches and parents.

Cole said final results and the leadership team’s action plan will be sent to Orono March 18, and will be posted on the school district’s Web site. Stephenson said he expects members of the state organization to visit Scarborough for an accreditation meeting in early April.

“Scarborough does a lot of good things, but we have things to work on,” Cole said.

Cole said Scarborough would be revaluated every three years for accreditation and there is no fee for being a Sports Done Right Community.

Nine members of the leadership team were present during the meeting, each speaking about what they are concerned with in regard to athletics. 

Boy’s hockey booster club member Dennis Leighton said he is concerned some athletic programs are “grossly underfunded,” speaking specifically about how hockey boosters and swim boosters have to constantly raise money for ice and pool time. He said ice and pool time should not be looked at any differently than funding a basketball for the basketball team.

Cole said 1.7 percent of the overall school budget funds sports programs.

Scarborough High School Athletic Director Gary Groves said he is concerned with the level of parent involvement in sports fundraising, as well as the activity fee, as he said some families may find it difficult may find it hard to pay the fee every sports season.

School board member  and leadership team member Colleen Staszko said she would like to see the activity fee eliminated, as the money goes toward the overall school budget and not to fund sports.

 “This is a flagship program, [Sports Done Right] understands sports and kids. I think Scarborough should be proud,” Staszko said.