College of Saint Mary

1901 South 72nd Street

Omaha, NE 68124-2377

www.csm.edu

Vision: To have a positive impact on the culture of sport in our community.

Mission: The College of Saint Mary Champions of Character initiative, along with the NAIA, will create an environment in which every student-athlete, coach, official and spectator is committed to the true spirit of competition through respect, integrity, responsibility, servant leadership and sportsmanship.

Purpose:

• To promote the five core values of respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship
• To teach and instill character values
• To build relationships with community organizations
• To rekindle or ignite a passion in coaches’ teachings
• To promote ethical leadership practices
• To provide training sessions for coaches, student-athletes, officials and spectators

Methods:

• The themes of This is the NAIA / Redefining the Team “Athlete”, Coaching for Significance and Teaching Character Through Sport are presented through broad-based workshops for coaches, athlete and parents by NAIA certified staff.
• Champion Leader student-athletes will be prepared to share character-based messages with youth ages 6-18 in our community as part of the “Sparks” Program. They will also promote awareness of Champions of Character on campus.
• The “Sparks” Program is an outreach initiative designed to promote leadership through CSM student-athletes and coaches to schools and community organizations.
• Annual “Champions” Community Summit brings together coaches and students from the community to hear the Champions of Character message and its positive effect on the culture of sport. It also shows how the CSM Program Center can benefit their schools and organizations.
• Athletic camps and clinics have a Champions of Character theme in which the core values are defined, modeled, shaped and reinforced.