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October 11, 2023 14 mins

The fall athletic season is in full swing and we have student athletes participating in a wide variety of sports. In the OSD we view all athletics as an extension of the classroom and another environment for our students to build important lifelong skills. With the Homecoming football game on the horizon, we’re here at Panther Stadium with our Athletic Director, Head Football coach, and some of our Football team captains to hear about their experiences in our athletic program, the skills they’re learning, and what fans can do to make all athletic events safe and enjoyable for all.

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SPEAKER1: The fall athletic season is in full swing and we have student athletes participating in a wide variety of sports in the OSD. (00:07):
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We view all athletics as an extension of the classroom and another environmentfor our students to build important lifelong skills.
With the homecoming football game on the horizon, we're here at Panther Stadiumwith our athletic director, our head football coach, and some of our football

(00:34):
team captains to hear about their experiences in our athletic program, theskills they're learning, and what fans can do to make all athletic events
safe and enjoyable for all.

SPEAKER2: Welcome to this episode of Inside the OSD podcast, where it's all about the kids. (00:46):
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Here is your host.
Lifelong educator, and our superintendent, Dr.
Leslie Bergstrom.

SPEAKER1: I'd like to kick off our discussion with you, Brittany. (01:02):
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Could you start by introducing yourself to our listeners and your role in theOSD?

SPEAKER3: Well, my name is Brittany Spencer Grant or BSG, and I serve as the director of athletics here for the Oregon School District. (01:09):
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A majority of my work is here at the high school.
However, I do work in collaboration a little bit at the middle school with DanHoward, who is the athletic director down there.

SPEAKER1: And you've been an athletic director for quite some time because in addition to your work here, you were an athletic director in New Glarus for a long time, (01:24):
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too, right? That's correct.
So given your experience, what is the number one thing you hope for our studentathletes to take away with them after they're a part of our program?

SPEAKER3: It's a really great question. (01:43):
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You know, one of the things I really hope is that our students take awaypositive relationships both with their peers and with the adults and coaches who
they're with for several weeks and months out of the year.
You know, within athletics, there's so many life lessons that can be learned.
And so the participation kind of helps them learn some of those things andhopefully take them with them after high school, whether that's into college,

(02:09):
the trades, the military, the workforce, you know, you name it, there's a lotof lessons that can be gleaned.
And then, you know, the other thing I'll mention is kind of the purpose ofsports.
And I think that's something that everybody kind of needs to reflect on, andespecially at the high school level, like what is the purpose of high school
sports? And I think if we asked a lot of different people, we'd get a lot ofdifferent responses.

(02:31):
You know, how we define success as a team or as an individual.
You know, some people think it's the wins and losses.
I'd like to argue there's more to it than just wins and losses.
But yeah, it's just something that I think people need to grapple with and tryto come to terms with what it actually means.

SPEAKER1: Thank you. So what are the key things that create a successful athletic event in general? (02:48):
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Because I'm thinking about homecoming coming up.
There'll be a lot of students that a lot of events for an athletic event.
What makes it successful?

SPEAKER3: You know, anybody who knows me kind of knows I'm big on sportsmanship. (03:02):
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So I'm going to lead off with with an expectation of sportsmanship.
And that's that's an area where we can all do our part.
You know, whether it's the kids on the field, the coaches on the sidelines, thestudents in the stands, you know, the parents and spectators.
You know, we all have a role to play.
You know, we're always trying to cheer for our team and we want to do that in apositive manner.

(03:25):
We don't ever want to cheer negatively against an opponent or direct somethingat an official.
You know, experiences like that are less than enjoyable, not only for thosearound you, but, you know, for any event staff who then have to get involved and
have that uncomfortable conversation.
I say all the time, you know, we've got to be loud, be proud and be positive.

(03:45):
That's one of my parting lines in a lot of emails that I send.
You know, we love it when families attend our sporting events together.
You know, kids sitting in the stands with mom or dad or grandma or grandpa, youknow, whoever it is.
And just kind of talking about the experience of our sporting events is alwaysreally positive.
And I remember some of those experiences as a kid myself.

(04:08):
You know, a big thing that's helpful is if we can either be standing somewherewatching the game or sitting in the bleachers and being mindful of others who
are around us so that we're hopefully not obstructing views.
And then, you know, just a couple minor logistical items would be to leave likefootballs and other objects at home, whether that's, you know, skateboards,

(04:28):
backpacks, things like that.
Anything that's not actually needed for the game.
Our preference would be to leave those items at home.

SPEAKER1: Thank you. And then I know that the homecoming game in particular will draw a huge crowd. (04:36):
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Students, fans, you already spoke about some things that will make that nightsuccessful.
Is there anything you want to add to that?

SPEAKER3: Yes. I mean, everything I just mentioned, please be mindful of. (04:50):
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In terms of getting into the stadium, if you're able to purchase a digitalticket in advance, that helps our ticket line move a little quicker.
The other piece, if you are paying cash that's helpful is to have exact change.
All of our tickets are $5, so hopefully increments of five are very helpful toget that line moving.

(05:11):
You know, I mentioned finding a spot to watch the game from.
You know, one of the things we want to emphasize for the homecoming game is wewant to try and keep that walkway within the bleachers obstruction free.
The one minor exception here is going to be our OHS student section.
But outside of that area, we'd like to to keep the walkway free.
And so please don't stand along the railing on the bleachers.

(05:34):
You know, I want to remind everybody that our competitors, their children andyoung adults, you know, they try their hardest.
We don't intentionally make mistakes.
And a lot of times if a mistake is made in a game, they know, you know, wedon't need however many people yelling from the stands about it.
And just remember, you know, they do put in a lot of hours, you know, to tryand perfect their craft.

(05:59):
But mistakes will be made and we learn and grow from them.
And then the last thing I'll share is our Oregon Youth Sports Consortium.
We came up with a saying and that saying is "athletes compete, coaches coach,and spectators support." So I'll ask everybody to please help fulfill your role
while cheering on our Panthers in that positive manner.

SPEAKER1: Thank you. And honestly, if an athletic director is going to be known for anything being known for a promoter of sportsmanship, I think that's something (06:20):
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we can all feel really proud of.
So thank you.
And now I'd like to turn to you, Coach Kissling.
Can you begin by introducing yourself and your multiple roles in the schooldistrict?

SPEAKER4: All right. I'm Dan Kissling. (06:40):
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I'm an eighth grade math teacher, football coach, track coach.
I've been here for 24 years.
In the last 14 years, I've been the head coach for our football team.

SPEAKER1: Thank you. So talk to us about what it means for athletics to be an extension of the classroom. (06:51):
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SPEAKER4: I think the -- it's very important for sports. (06:59):
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It is actually an extension, and I think it's great that I feel that.
And I think studies have shown that there's kids who go out for sports and dothat, learn a lot of life skills.
I think they have better attendance in schools and I actually think theirgrades are much better when they're actually in a group or a team.

SPEAKER1: Thank you. Because I was going to ask you, why is this so important? (07:20):
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But I think you covered that.
It's important for a multitude of reasons in a young person's life.
Absolutely.

SPEAKER4: I mean, you know, just the the skills that, you know, being disciplined on a team, you know, being part of the team, the teamwork and so forth, having a (07:29):
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little adversity and having a little resiliency, I think is all key exponentsof being a strong student athlete.

SPEAKER1: So what are the key skills you're hoping our student athletes acquire? (07:45):
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SPEAKER4: I think discipline is one of them. (07:49):
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I think when you're out there practicing against each other, I think, you know,just the discipline of being a student athlete I think is a key
component. Some of the adversity we've had this year, I think is also good forour kids to kind of learn from and and bounce back.
That's, you know, sometimes it's not always about winning, but it's aboutcoming back the next day and and fighting and, and, you know, showing your

(08:14):
teammates that you're still there to help them out.

SPEAKER1: Because that's a lesson that transfers to anything else you do in life. (08:17):
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SPEAKER4: Exactly. It's a life skill. (08:20):
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SPEAKER1: Thank you. So what are you most proud of with respect to this team? (08:21):
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SPEAKER4: Again, we've lost a couple of games by a couple of points and our kids have come back and I think they're the -- from what the for the adversity they're coming (08:25):
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back and each week they are not giving up.
They are trying hard and they're coming back to practice and improving eachweek.
And that's just, you know, as our coaching staff has said, we want you tocompete and we just want you to get better from week to week.

(08:49):
And and I think we are doing that now.
I think there was a little lull there.
We weren't, but now it's again, they're coming back and they're enjoying thegame again.

SPEAKER1: That's terrific. (08:56):
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So what messages do you have for our players, our fans, our students, ourspectators as they get ready for the homecoming game?

SPEAKER4: I think you're going to see, you know, two teams that are pretty good. (09:05):
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I think at that time. I think we're going to be hopefully healthy and we'regoing to you know, we want everybody to be really loud and proud and and cheer.
Like you said, there's gonna be a lot of people at this game.
And like I said, our kids are are competing each time and they're going to comeout there.
They're going to give you a great show that night.

SPEAKER1: Be loud, be proud and be positive. (09:26):
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Is that right? That's right.
All right. I'm going to -- maybe I need a t shirt.
That's pretty good.
So now we're going to talk to our student athletes.
So thank you both for being here.
If you wouldn't mind, each of you introducing yourself, your grade in school,and then any information about other sports you play?

SPEAKER5: I'm Cole Krueger. I'm a senior here at OHS. (09:45):
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And as of right now, I only play football.

SPEAKER1: All right. (09:50):
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SPEAKER5: I'm Andrew Jicha. I'm a senior also, and I also play hockey here at Oregon. (09:51):
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SPEAKER1: Thank you. So tell us about what is involved in being a team captain and what responsibilities come with it. (09:55):
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SPEAKER5: I think there are different types of captains, so I think there's like a vocal and non-vocal leader. (10:03):
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Okay. For me personally, I like to think myself as a vocal leader.
And one of the main roles for me is like keeping everyone kind of positive andup, especially when times are rough, and especially since it's a longer season
in some sports, then just having the guys positive and motivated throughout thewhole year is pretty important.

SPEAKER1: Thank you. (10:25):
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SPEAKER5: One of the big responsibilities for me is just setting a good example for the younger kids. (10:26):
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And like Andrew said, he's a vocal leader.
I like to think of myself as a kind of a non vocal leader, just kind ofchecking in with everybody and just making sure everybody's on the right page.
Right.

SPEAKER1: Thanks. So what does it mean to each of you to be selected as a leader of the team? (10:40):
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SPEAKER5: It really means a lot to me. (10:47):
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I was honored to be named captain by our other athletes.
I mean, it's not just the senior class, but the younger kids too.
Just knowing that they look up to me and they think of me as a leader, itreally meant a lot to me.
Yeah, I agree. Obviously, it's an honor to be voted by your peers on the team,but I think that everybody can be a leader, whether you have that captaincy

(11:12):
title or not.
I just hope that the younger classmen kind of understand that, that they can berole models and leaders too.

SPEAKER1: I really appreciate that because you don't need the title to be a leader. (11:18):
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No, you do not. So what's so special about this team?

SPEAKER5: I think the guys itself, we have a lot of different personalities on the team, which makes coming after school every day is like a blast. (11:26):
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And like with Coach Kissling says, there's a lot of adversity that we've beenthrough, but it shows that hard work and determination a week by week is
starting to pay off. That's awesome.
I couldn't agree more with what Andrew just said.
I mean, I've grown so much as a leader throughout this year and just buildingrelationships I never thought I would have, like with sophomores and juniors,

(11:54):
underclassmen, I mean, I have some of my best friends have.
Come like from this year.
And they're not like the kids my age.
There are kids that are younger than me.
I'm so appreciative for it.

SPEAKER1: That is so special. (12:04):
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And honestly, it'll go far beyond this experience, right?
The connections you've been able to make.
So thinking about that, are there any specific skills from your experience thatyou'll take into the future?

SPEAKER5: Yeah, I think obviously teamwork is a big one in any team sport or group setting, but especially in football thinking outside the box, there's not really (12:18):
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a right answer in football.
So I play defense.
There's obviously a right coverage, but how that will factor the game, youdon't really know prior to the play.
Also, I think the word integrity.

(12:38):
Just do the right thing as a student athlete doing the right thing, whether it'son the field, in the rink, and especially in the classroom, it can go a long
way.

SPEAKER1: Thank you. (12:46):
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SPEAKER5: Yeah, I agree. The leadership role that I can take on from for the future and yeah, I think Andrew summed it up pretty well. (12:47):
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Yeah.

SPEAKER1: Both of you are excellent at expressing your thoughts on this subject. (12:56):
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And so here's, here's your last opportunity for, for that, for this particularpodcast.
What message do you have for younger students and student athletes who havetheir eyes on you and will be here for the homecoming game?

SPEAKER5: I say just enjoy it. (13:13):
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Take it all in, because you don't have a lot more homecomings left.
A lot of only a couple more opportunities left.
I mean, this is our last homecoming.
So let's take it in cheer loud, cheer hard, and just have a good time.
Yeah, well, Cole summed it up pretty well.
Obviously, it's kind of cliche to say that the high school experience goes byfast, but it really does.

(13:36):
It does. Three games left of our Oregon career, so just enjoy every moment youhave the guys.
Thank you, you guys.

SPEAKER1: The homecoming game kicks off at 7 p.m. (13:47):
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on Friday, October 13th against Sun Prairie West.
You can find everything you need from tickets to game expectations on ourwebsite at
OregonSD.Org/PantherAthletics. Remember that you can find links to all episodesof Inside the OSD

(14:09):
and submit topic ideas on our website at OregonSD.Org/Podcast.
You can find this podcast anywhere you can find podcasts.
Make sure to subscribe if you're listening on one of these apps to getnotifications on the most recent episodes.
We'll see you next time on Inside the OSD, where it's all about the kids.
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