Nobody knew what to expect when they walked into Room 520 at Santa Teresa High last fall. The 18 students recruited by instructor Rudy Guevara were about to begin a class no one in the area had ever taken. It was anyone's guess what would be required of the students—all athletes. Would it be an easy credit elective? Or a thought-provoking, homework-demanding pressure cooker?
I thought it would be a class with a bunch of athletes—a fool-around class," said sophomore Nathan Arnhart, who wrestles and plays football and baseball.
It wasn't.
Promoting Achievement in School through Sport—the official name of the course—has been anything but a break in the day or an easy "A." But that hasn't prompted students to walk out the door and never return. Instead, PASS has motivated them to succeed by using the positive aspects of sports to improve their standards in the classroom.
"I used to have problems balancing out my homework and stuff," said junior Nick Brown, a wrestler. "It's helped me even out my grades and bring up the lower ones."
Focus on Greek Concept
PASS was founded by Joel Kirsch, a former sports psychologist for the San Francisco Giants. He and his wife, Susan, first introduced the program in Mill Valley about eight years ago. The course is design to teach students the links between athletic and academic success by getting them to follow these main elements:
- Setting Goals.
- Following the ancient Greek concept arete, defined as the continuous striving for excellence in body, mind and spirit.
- Applying eight fundamentals— concentration, balance, relaxation, power. rhythm, flexibility, instinct, and attitude—into all areas of their lives.
"I didn't think you could take athletics to another level like this," said Guevara, a wrestling coach who also teaches English and math. "We don't always reach our goals, but I think the things that we're doing along the way are helping these kids."
Complete Concentration
The student learn the main elements through various exercises. One exercise, for instance, requires them to sit for minutes at a time and breathe through their noses and exhale through their mouths. This activity, Guevara said, demands complete concentration.
"We started at two minutes, went up to 15 and now it's back to 10 for the rest of the school year," he said. "They just sit there and think about nothing. They work on their concentration. It's hard to sit there and think of nothing—especially for these guys."
Brown uses the breathing exercises—as well as others he has learned in the class—to prepare for his wrestling matches. "Things like concentration, breathing through center and relaxation—I'll do all those before my matches." Brown said. "And I've been doing really well this year. It helps you stay focused on yourself rather then thinking what the other guy's doing."
PASS's success isn't restricted to the athletic arena. The Kirschs’ non-profit American Sports Institute in Mill Valley, which develops and promotes PASS, conducted a study on the program from the 1991-92 to 1994-95 school years. During that span, the Institute found that 53 percent of PASS students increased their GPA at least slightly and 14 percent improved their GPA a minimum of one point.
"It's a good thing," said senior Oliver Lei, who wrestles and runs cross-country. "It keeps you focused—instead of messing around. This is probably my only class where it's always full."
The class is open to all students interested in athletics—not just athletes. At Santa Teresa, the students have covered a variety of topics, such as the differences between athlete and jock and why the term student-athlete can be seen as demeaning.
"A jock was someone who just did their sport and didn't really care about it or focus on grades," Brown said. "They didn't really learn from their sports. They were just jocks. But athletes learn from their sports and incorporate it into other things in their lives. They also take the other things in their lives and use it in their sports.
Guevara Eyes Expansion
While the signs at Santa Teresa indicate a successful start to the program, Guevara sees room for improvement. One of his goals is to balance the gender-equity scale. All his students this year are males. The females we signed up couldn't get their schedules worked out," Guevara said. "I kind of hand-picked the group this time."
Guevara also would like to see the program expanded to other schools in the area. Guevara spent three weeks last summer training for the course at Logan High in Union City, another school that has implemented the program.
"I'm really pushing this idea," Guevara said. "I've talked with other coaches. I believe that every athlete should take this class . . . I've been in athletics all my life and I was never taught to breathe (correctly) and to concentrate and how to balance my academics and athletics. This teaches you to have balance in your life." |
