Jerry Reeder is the Assistant Executive Director at Human Kinetics Coach Education. In his position, Jerry works with youth sport organizations, state high school athletic associations, individual school districts, and national and state coaches associations in implementing Human Kinetics’ coaching education program. Jerry is a member of the national faculty, having conducted numerous Coaching Principles clinics and trained dozens of new instructors in his 12 years with the company.
His professional experience includes athletic administration, having served in the athletic department at the University of Illinois, University of Evansville (Ind.), and F.J. Reitz High School (Ind.). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology and a Master’s of Science degree in Sport Administration from the University of Illinois.
Jerry’s also a long-time baseball coach at both the high school and college levels, having received the 25-year award from the American Baseball Coaches Association. He’s also the team chaplain for the baseball team at Eastern Illinois University.
At Babe Ruth League, we pride ourselves in providing the most positive sport experience possible for our players, coaches, officials, and parents. The key to delivering that experience is establishing an environment in which character and sportsmanship are embraced and fostered.
Try as we might, we’re not perfect. You may have witnessed a player respond angrily to an umpire’s call or talk or act disrespectfully to a coach. Or perhaps you’ve seen a coach yell at players or mistreat an umpire. Which is to say, we all need to be reminded of what sport is all about and how we can collectively, through our words and actions, instill and perpetuate sportsmanship in our baseball and softball programs.
This free webinar “Putting Sportsmanship into Practice” was conducted by Jerry Reeder, assistant executive director at Human Kinetics Coach Education, who defines the role of sport administrators and coaches in fostering sportsmanship and provides action-steps for instilling sportsmanship in your baseball or softball program. Topics include
- Educating our coaches, athletes, and fans about sportsmanship;
- Practicing sportsmanship just as players must practice hitting the cut off, turning a double play, or laying down a bunt;
- Sportsmanship involves respecting opponents, teammates, officials, coaches, and the game;
- Three approaches for teaching sportsmanship;
- General sportsmanship guidelines for coaches; and
- The balance between being competitive and having fun.