The Oconomowoc Recreation Department has identified three goals
for the youth sports program:

1. Providing a positive experience for the children
2. Teaching sportsmanship
3. Providing a non-threatening learning environment for all children

One important goal is to provide a positive experience for children,
the kind of experience that will contribute to their sense of worth
and will be a positive factor in their growth and development.
A youth sport program should allow the children to find out what
they are capable of doing, what their special skills are and what
they enjoy doing. They will learn to set their own goals.

A second goal of youth sports programs is to provide opportunity for the children to learn the practice of good sportsmanship. Being a good sport is a more valuable life goal than being good at a sport. The children will learn to cope, deal with frustration and remain sure of themselves in a stressful situation.

A third goal of youth sports programs is to teach children the fundamentals of sports in order that they can play with enjoyment as children and continue to participate in recreational sports and athletics as adults. No child will be prevented from participating because of lack of skills due to physical development. It is equally important to insure equal participation of all children and encourage participation of parents.

SUMMARY

Parents and coaches share the responsibility for fostering a healthy attitude about winning and losing. In youth sports, losing a game or losing every game does not equal failure; winning does not equal success. Success in youth sports is making the effort to learn the skills and striving to use those skills as members of a team. Our goal is to provide a positive and healthy experience for each and every child. Coaches and parents are asked to consider this and conduct themselves accordingly, remembering children learn most by what they see and hear from the Important adults in their lives.

POLICY

It is the policy of the City of Oconomowoc Parks and Recreation Department that no person shall be excluded from participation or subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex or religion.