OARS (Outer Annapolis Recreation & Sports) is a new ministry of Riva Trace Baptist Church looking to connect people of all ages in the Annapolis area with God and one another through a wide variety of traditional and nontraditional sports and recreation.
Vision
We are an outreach focused ministry seeking to connect people of all ages in the Annapolis area with God and one another through a wide variety of traditional and nontradional sports and recreation.
* quality programs and coaching
* safe and fun activities
* emphasis on teamwork, character and sportsmanship
Philosophy
1)Values
We are a league of encouragement. Coaches, referees and parents play an important role encouraging all league participants, including one another.
We are a recreational/instructional league. We teach fundamental skills development in a loving, safe and encouraging environment.
We believe, as coaches and administrators of this league, that the dreams and aspirations of our players are of premium importance.
We believe that the ?battles? relating to athletic competition are more meaningful and the lessons learned are longer lasting, when skill levels of opposing players are matched as closely as possible.
We play games knowing there is usually a winner and a loser. Our players will be taught to play the game to win and to have fun while using their God-given talents to the best of their ability. The lessons of winning and losing will be kept in proper perspective and will be paramount in our coaching methods.
We believe in the important elements of good sportsmanship and will teach these values to our players. Good sportsmanship is defined as being a person who is fair, generous, a good loser and a gracious winner. This is someone who accepts the rules, plays by them, and wins or loses by them.
We are committed far more to developing character in our players than to winning games. Character counts far more than the scoreboard.
We are committed to offering the safest and most secure environment possible.
2)Guidelines
The most important role of the coach is that of building relationships with the participants.
Teach initiative will be led by a team of qualified individuals.
Coaches will strive to be a living representation of the life of Christ to the players.
The league will strive to involve parents and families as much as possible.
The focus of the game will not be on the score, but rather on developing a winning attitude among all who participate.
Coaches and parents need to be encouraging to the participants.
Coaches/Counselors must always look out for the safety and security of the kids.
3)Rules
Coaches must be trained in doing relational outreach before they can coach
The leadership team will provide regular equipping and evaluation for coaches
We will not field a team with more than 66% Christians
We will not field a team with less than 25% Christians
All players will get equal playing time
We don't encourage running up of scores when one team plays another who is less competitive, but at the same time we don't want to impose a rule that restricts play and imposes burdensome requirements on coaches
We will always have someone around who knows first aid and CPR
We will perform background checks on coaches to ensure safety
