 The
Pressure to Cheat
What
is causing the growing hole
in our moral ozone? Why is
cheating and lying so common in
schools, on athletic
fields, and in business and
politics? Apparently, it's a
thing called pressure.
Kids
are under pressure to get into
college; athletes, coaches, and
athletic directors are under
pressure to win; and according
to a survey by the American
Management Association, the
pressure to meet business
objectives and deadlines is the
leading cause of unethical
corporate behavior.
In
other words, we take ethical
shortcuts to get what we want.
DUH!
In business, goals are stated in
terms of profits and
productivity. In sports, it's
medals and victories. With the
message "If you don't hit
the numbers, we'll get someone
who can" ringing in their
ears, too many managers and
coaches give in to survival
paranoia that yields to
look-out-for-number-one and
win-at-any-cost strategies that
spawn all sorts of moral
compromises. And each
compromiser says he or she had
no choice. It's the system.
What happen to moral courage?
Why are so many talented men and
women so desperate to keep their
jobs that they don't care what
the job makes of them? It's
troublesome enough when we see
top-flight managers collapse
under competitive pressures, but
it's especially disheartening
when we see the supposed
guardians of the noble
traditions of sport surrender to
fear, ambition, and greed.
Why are we so willing to shift
responsibility for every form of
human weakness from ourselves to
the system? The implication is:
Don't expect me to be ethical
when personal interests are at
stake.
Please!
What we call pressures today
used to be called temptations.
Everyone knew the test of
character was our ability to
resist them. Calling enticements
pressures doesn't change
anything.
We must believe in and expect
integrity and moral courage from
our coaches and trust they won't
surrender when their principles
are challenged. We need to
expect good people to do what is right,
even when it's difficult or
costly.
Yes, lots of people dishonorably
act in the face of pressure. But
pressure is an explanation, not
a justification. Pressures or
temptations - call them what you
will - are part of life. Sure,
it would be helpful if we had
less pressure, but it's far more
important that we have more
character.
This is Michael Josephson
reminding you that character
counts.
© 2009 Josephson
Institute. Reprinted from the
Michael Josephson Commentary
with permission.
|
|
|
Dear
Coach,
Congratulations on
completing the coaching
education class and becoming
a "CIF Certified
Coach." We hope you
enjoy this newsletter, published
by the State CIF and
designed specifically for
coaches. We encourage you to forward
this newsletter to other
coaches using the link
at the bottom. You also may
"unsubscribe" if
you do not want to receive
future monthly issues.
|
|
|
Muscle
Cramps Prevention Tips
for Student-Athletes
Muscle
cramps are muscle
contractions that do not cease.They will
continue until proper
treatment is given. They
may well cause an athlete
to temporarily stop
activity. However, they
generally have no serious
long-term consequences. A
person has no control
over when a muscle cramp
is going to occur. Muscle
cramps can strike during
activity, relaxation and even
during sleep.
Muscles that are fatigued,
injured or exposed to
extreme temperatures are
more prone to cramp.
Dehydration, electrolyte
imbalance, mineral
deficiency, impaired
circulation or other more
serious disorders may
cause muscles to cramp.
Muscle cramps are often
divided into two basic
categories - night cramps
and heat cramps. Night
cramps include any cramp
that occurs while a person
is at rest. They often
affect the calf muscle and
the small muscles in the
feet. Heat cramps are most
often associated with
dehydration and
electrolyte imbalance.
Heat cramps often occur at
the beginning of the warm
weather season before
athletes have had an
opportunity to acclimate
themselves to the
environment and when the
body is more prone to
losing fluids and
electrolytes.
Prevention
of Heat-Related Muscle
Cramps
The following steps should
help to prevent many
heat-related muscle
cramps.
1. Drink
Plenty Of Fluids.
Urine color is the key to
determining how
well-hydrated an athlete
is. Clear urine indicates
adequate hydration, yellow
urine indicates
dehydration and pale urine
indicates that the athlete
is somewhere between
hydration and dehydration. Weighing
in before and after
practice may be helpful in
monitoring fluid loss.
2. Get
Enough Electrolytes.
While it is most important
to replace fluids from
sweating, one can't forget
about electrolytes.
The replacement of sodium
and potassium is
suspected to prevent
muscle cramps. Sodium can
be replaced with salty
foods, such as pretzels or
chips, or adding extra
salt on your meals.
Potassium levels can be
maintained by eating
bananas and oranges or
drinking orange juice.
Many popular sports drinks
will help fulfill this
need.
3. Wear
Proper Clothing.
Avoid exposing muscles to
rapid changes in
temperature.
4. Get In
Shape And Stay In Shape.
Fatigue and poor
conditioning can make
muscles more prone to
cramp.
5. Stretch.
Stretching, before and
after exercise, can reduce
muscles susceptibility to
cramp.
Treatment of
Muscle Cramps
The most
effective treatment for
muscle cramps is gently
stretching the muscle. The
use of ice, along with
gentle stretching, will
numb the area, and cause
an increase in circulation
once the ice is removed.
Gently messaging
muscles and
immediately replacing
fluids will prevent muscle
cramps, too.
As with any type of
athletic injury,
preventing muscle cramps
is more desirable than
treating them. Those
methods are most likely by
drinking plenty of fluids,
eating foods with adequate
amounts of potassium and
sodium and conditioning
the muscles so they don't
fatigue as quickly. Any
athlete with repeated
bouts of muscle cramps,
despite the above, needs
to see a physician.
|
|
www.cifstate.org
For more information
on:
Student
Scholarships for College
NCAA
College Entry Information
for Students
Sports
Medicine Information
for
Parents, Students and School
Personnel
Supplements,
Steroids and Nutritional
Information
CIF
Bylaws and Eligibility Rules
|
|
|
|
