[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[House]
[Pages 21504-21506]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING NATIONAL COACHES APPRECIATION WEEK

  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 6) recognizing the significant contribution coaches 
make in the life of children who participate in organized sports and 
supporting the goals and ideals of National Coaches Appreciation Week.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                               H. Res. 6

       Whereas coaches are a vital part of organized youth sports;
       Whereas approximately 42 million American children 
     participate in organized sports each year, but more than 20 
     million children in the United States lack the opportunity to 
     participate in organized sports, in part because of an 
     insufficient number of coaches;
       Whereas a national effort to promote coaching is needed to 
     increase the number of adults serving as coaches in youth 
     sports;
       Whereas the purpose of the Congressional Caucus on Youth 
     Sports is to educate Members of Congress, the media, and the 
     public on the need to restore a child-centered focus in youth 
     sports that will produce immeasurable positive benefits for 
     the well-being and character development of children;
       Whereas sports and coaches help children fight obesity, 
     increase their self-esteem, learn leadership skills, and 
     discover how to incorporate the values of sports into other 
     aspects of their daily lives;
       Whereas youth sports activity can reduce gang participation 
     and youth violence;
       Whereas children need adults who will believe in them and 
     who give children the support they need to be a success;
       Whereas coaches can positively impact the physical, 
     emotional, and educational life of children;
       Whereas coaches who volunteer their time help educate 
     children, serve as role models, and, in some situations, are 
     parental surrogates; and
       Whereas the designation of the week of September 13 through 
     19, 2009, as National Coach Appreciation Week would raise 
     awareness and leverage resources to engage millions of 
     children in organized sports that promote health, nutrition, 
     and fitness, as well as other youth development outcomes: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes the significant contribution coaches make in 
     the life of children who participate in organized sports;
       (2) supports the goals and ideals of National Coach 
     Appreciation Week; and
       (3) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
     National Coach Appreciation Week with appropriate 
     recognition, activities, and programs to demonstrate the 
     importance of sports and coaches in the life of children.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from the 
Northern Mariana Islands (Mr. Sablan) and the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands.


                             General Leave

  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which 
Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House 
Resolution 6 into the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 6, which 
recognizes the immeasurable contributions coaches make in the lives of 
children who participate in organized sports. This week, our Nation 
will honor adults who volunteer their time to coach our Nation's young 
with National Coaches Appreciation Week.
  Approximately 42 million American children participate in organized 
sports each year. Youth sports, along with coaches, help fight 
childhood obesity, increase player self-esteem, develop leadership 
skills, and create opportunities for children to explore their passion. 
Participation in sports also develops discipline and fosters positive 
peer bonding, which helps keep students engaged in school. Because of 
their involvement with sports, many young athletes develop a lifelong 
commitment to exercise and well-being.
  The benefits of sports participation cannot be overstated. High 
school students who participate in athletics are more likely to have a 
healthy mind and body.

                              {time}  1430

  Specifically, girls who play sports have better grades and are more 
likely to graduate compared to girls who do not participate in athletic 
activities. The risk of breast cancer, osteoporosis and obesity are 
also reduced with as few as 4 hours of exercise a week.
  In addition to the many physical benefits of youth sports, coaches 
help athletes overcome personal challenges. The presence of a coach 
helps keep students engaged and provides alterative support systems 
that can help children stay away from mischief.
  To acknowledge some of the dedication and hard work our youth sports 
coaches offer to children, the National Alliance for Youth Sports 
created a Coach of the Year award. This is a very prestigious national 
award that is given to an individual who is committed to the 
development of children.

[[Page 21505]]

Last year's winner, Clarence McQueen, demonstrated his commitment to 
children by coaching basketball, baseball and flag football while 
teaching the benefits of teamwork, trust and hard work.
  Today, more than 20 million children in the United States lack the 
opportunity to participate in organized sports due, in part, to the 
lack of available coaches. We must continue to encourage adults to 
volunteer and commit time to youth sports, as this resolution suggests.
  Mr. Speaker, once again I want to express my support for this 
resolution, and I thank Representative McIntyre for bringing this bill 
forward. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much 
time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of House Resolution 6, recognizing the 
significant contributions that coaches make in the lives of children 
who participate in organized sports and supporting the goals and the 
ideals of National Coaches Appreciation Week.
  Coaches make a lasting impression on America's young people. I bet 
that almost every Member in this Chamber could name at least one coach 
that has had a profound impact on their lives and encouraged them to 
become the person that they are today. This resolution brings national 
attention to the contributions of coaches and recognizes the time and 
energy that they dedicate to the athletic and moral development of 
children. In addition, National Coaches Week aims to encourage more 
adults to give their time to coaching, enabling more children to 
benefit from participation in organized sports.
  It is widely accepted that children can benefit in numerous ways from 
participation in organized sports. Research has found that children who 
play sports, especially girls, are more often likely to have a positive 
body image and a higher self-esteem. They also are less likely to be 
overweight. Children involved in sports are less likely to take drugs 
or smoke, and statistics show that students who are involved in sports 
while in high school are more likely to experience academic success and 
graduate from high school.
  The role of a coach can vary from a high-intensity, full-time college 
football coach to a parent who volunteers to coach his 4-year-old 
daughter's community soccer team every week. Many coaches in high 
school are primarily teachers of academic subjects, and many volunteer 
coaches have other full-time careers in addition to their coaching 
duties.
  Approximately 42 million American children participate in organized 
sports every year. Each one of these children is influenced in some way 
by the coach or coaches who lead their team. Along with refining 
athletes' individual skills, coaches are responsible for instilling 
good sportsmanship, a competitive spirit and teamwork.
  I stand in support of this resolution, recognizing the roles and 
contributions of America's coaches and recognizing National Coaches 
Appreciation Week, and I ask for my colleagues' support.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the sponsor of 
this bill, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McIntyre), for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. McINTYRE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a bill that I 
introduced on the very first day of this session of Congress, House 
Resolution 6, a resolution which recognizes this week, September 13 
through 19, as National Coaches Appreciation Week.
  The narrative of the American coach is a powerful testament to the 
role that volunteerism has played in shaping our country. The passage 
of H. Res. 6 will build upon this and add another layer of support to 
those countless individuals and families who give of their time 
voluntarily to encourage, work with and support our Nation and its 
young people, as well as time to hold practices, organize games and 
rally interests within their communities.
  I started the Congressional Caucus on Youth Sports in 2006 in order 
to shift the focus of our youth sports culture. There had been a report 
card done on the attitudes of many toward youth sports and toward the 
umpires, the referees and the coaches, and the bad language and the 
ugly fights that were occurring and the way people were putting down 
those who took time to work with our young people.
  This is a chance for us to emphasize powerful values that we all want 
for our families and our communities; opportunities not only to 
emphasize things like sportsmanship, but also what goes along with 
sportsmanship, those concepts of teamwork, of civility, of respect, of 
discipline, of loyalty and of learning how to graciously accept the 
victories and the defeats that we all may face in life from time to 
time.
  As a result, I've also had the benefit of meeting with other youth 
sports organizations from all over this country that are doing 
wonderful work, trying not to start another government program but to 
work with the programs that are already working in our communities 
across this Nation.
  Every afternoon, including this afternoon, there will be young people 
after school, hurrying out to football fields, soccer fields, tennis 
courts and other venues to get ready, to practice for their games this 
weekend. There will be all kinds of recreational activities going on, 
and we need to be supporting those parents, those families and those 
volunteer coaches who are out there giving of their time to help 
support our young people.
  This isn't about reform or reinventing the wheel. It's about simply 
recognizing these contributions, honoring them, and then providing the 
tools and the resources to help them do well what they're already doing 
and for which we are grateful.
  I would also like to thank our caucus cochairman, Jim Jordan from 
Ohio, for his work on this, and a fellow Congressman from North 
Carolina, Heath Shuler, who chairs the Professional Sports Caucus, 
because they too have been supportive of this effort.
  I remember, as many of you probably do, having the influence of 
sports in my life. My father, Dr. Douglas McIntyre of Lumberton, North 
Carolina, coached me growing up, and I've had the same privilege to 
coach my sons Joshua and Stephen and, in fact, over 130 other young 
people in three different sports over 7 years who only knew me as Coach 
McIntyre.
  I had the opportunity to work with them, to encourage them, to build 
their self-esteem as well as the other practical benefits of sports not 
only in character but physical fitness and fighting obesity and a 
healthier lifestyle. And by working with three all-American, drug-free 
teams that I coached, they also learned the dangers of getting involved 
in activities that can only hurt and not help your self-image and your 
physical well-being.
  We all know of coaches who have helped a player make a tough 
decision, pushed a player to achieve things they never thought 
possible, and shaped their sense of integrity, character and discipline 
that now propels them to the successes that they can accomplish today 
and tomorrow.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 6 and honor 
National Coaches Appreciation Week; and in doing so, colleagues, you 
are supporting and recognizing a vital part of our country's culture 
and ensuring that our Nation's youth have access to role models who can 
put them on the path to achievement.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I have no further 
speakers, so I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to again express my support for this 
resolution, and I ask my colleagues to vote in favor of the bill.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Res. 6 to recognize the significant contribution coaches make in the 
life of children who participate in organized sports and to support the 
goals and ideals of National Coaches Appreciation Week. Our coaches 
deserve to be honored for the work they put forth in developing the 
young minds of tomorrows leaders. Coaches have long served as the 
backbone of youth sports, nurturing generations of minds, bodies and 
souls.

[[Page 21506]]

  H. Res. 6 applauds the ongoing effort of our coaches who put in extra 
time and effort to make the difference in the lives of our children; 
coaches are a vital part of organized youth sports. Their efforts 
welcome approximately 42 million American children to participate in 
organized sports each year. However, 20 million children here in the 
United States are unable to participate in organized sports, in part 
due to an insufficient number of coaches. A national effort to promote 
coaching is needed to increase the number of adults serving as coaches 
in organized sports.
  The Congressional Caucus on Youth Sports will educate Members of 
Congress, the Media, and the Public on the need to restore a child-
centered focus in youth sports that will produce immeasurable positive 
benefits for the well-being and character development of children. 
Sports and coaches help children fight obesity, increase their self-
esteem, learn leadership skills, and discover how to incorporate the 
values of sports into other aspects of their daily lives. Children need 
adults who will believe in them and leaders who give children the 
support they need to be a success. Coaches can positively impact the 
physical, emotional, and educational life of children. According to 
Paul Caccamo, President of Up2Us, a national coalition that seeks to 
increase the impact of and access to youth sports as a tool for 
positive youth development, ``Young people who play sports are higher 
achievers.'' He also said that ``They are more likely to attend 
college, land jobs with more responsibility and greater pay, and less 
apt to fall to drug and alcohol abuse. With dropout rates and gang 
activity on the rise in our urban cities, we cannot afford to stand by 
when we know there's an alternative. National Coach Appreciation Week 
recognizes the men and women who have dedicated their time to give our 
children better, brighter futures.''
  Not only will National Coach Appreciation Week recognize the men and 
women who have dedicated their time to give our children better and 
brighter futures, it will put forth a great effort to recruit more 
adults to do this admirable work. As stated by the Up2Us coalition 
``National Coach Appreciation Week would raise awareness and leverage 
resources to engage millions of children in organized sports that 
promote health, nutrition, and fitness, as well as other youth 
development outcomes.''
  Mr. SABLAN. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands (Mr. Sablan) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 6.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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