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Of far greater significance is what type of character partici- pants exhibit, nine high-profile York Region athletes told students at Moraine Hills Public School in Richmond HillWednesday, 8W8m-W!WL BY MIKE HAYAKAWA Staff Writer Thereismoretosportthanwho wins, loses or scores the most goals or points- Themessagewaspartofanini- tiative launched by the Character Community Foundation of York Region through its Character in Sport program. The sports stars included 0 Paul Jones, radio voice of the Toronto Raptors and a former prin- cipal at Richmond Hill’s Walter Scott and Roselawn public schools; 0 Cody Hodgson, a Unionville resident and Bramption Battalion forward expected to be a high selec- tion in June’s NHL draft; 0 Peter Polansky, a T'homhill resident and member of Canada's Davis Cup tennis team; 0 Jacqui Palm, an Aurora resident and supervisor of oflicials for Hockâ€" ey Canada and the International Ice Hockey Federation; - Brenan Rurak, a member of the York University women’s basketball team and three-time Ontario Uni- versity Athletics all-star; 0 Bill Crothers, a Markham resi- dent and former silver medallist in the 800m at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo; 0 Shelby Anderson, a Huron Heights Secondary School student and ranked player in the Ontario Tennis Association; 0 Adam Smalley, a Newmarket High School student who is a ranked player in the Canadian Junior Golf Association and; 0 Maggie Hall, a three-sport athlete from King City Secondary School “Character in sport does matter,” Mr. Jones said. “I came to the York Region board in 2000 and, at that time, there was a push for character in education, but a lot of it was focused on the curriculum and every day lifestyles. “There are so many other things that can help teach character les- sons through sports. What a better way to learn about the 10 character words that sports teaches in cour- age, honesty, integrity, fairness, n‘ative, respect, responsibility, opti- mism, inclusiveness and perserverâ€" ence. “I like the fact that it is targeted now to spogts. “I think it is a great way to teach all of these things." Hodgson was approached by Paul Titanic, his former minor coach and a Brother Andre Catholic Fair play most important: sports leaders Hotspots are the ideal way to St convenient locations throughout you can check your email or surf Raptor broadcaster and former Roselawn Public School principal Paul Jones (from left) hosted the Character in Sport forum with guest speakers including Bill Crothers, past chair of York Region District School Board; former Olympic silver medallist and 1963 Canadian Athlete of the Year Brenan Ruralt; Olympic hockey referee Jacqui Palm; Moraine Hills Public School student Gabi Pavlovic; Canadian tennis star Peter Polansky; OHL Brampton battalion star Cody Hodgson; Moraine Hill Public School student Abhi Matthews, school golfer Adam Smalley, high school tenâ€" nis player Shelby Anderson and Maggie Hall, a three-sport athlete at King City Secondary School. The focus of the assembly was to teach children sportsmanship and the value of fair play. High School teacher, to speak to the new concept. tions by Moraine Hills Public School A tn'bes school is one that works packed gym. The night before, his “Anything to deliver the message students and other area schools. toward a caring and supportive cul- Battalion lost to We in an OHL to young people," he said. The program is the first of its ture. playofl‘ game. 7 _ _ r who was _an on:i_ce oiii- in Canada, Character in Sport It assures the growth and devel- means a lot. It’s definitely good for them to have role models. I know when I was young, I had some in guys like Steve Yzerman (former Detroit Red ngs player), Mario Lemieux (former Pittsburgh Penguins great) and Wayne Gretzky. They always gave something back to the community," the 18-year-old Hodgson said. “They were great character people.” Playing in the Challengers Cir- cuit and preparing to represent Canada in the Davis Cup, Polansky, 19, acknowledged there were play- ers, to whom he looked up, too. “When I was 11 or 12, I looked up to players like Pete Sampras. Now, I look up to a number of play- ers who respect the game. “Guys like Rogei Federer and Rafael Nadal. The new program’s roots took hold seven to eight years ago when character in education was an ini- tiative of the board, Mr. Crothers, a trustee and former chairperson of the York Region District School Board, said. a But he’s excited with the Log on to YMQETQOIN /business for a list of local hotspots in the York Regi W new concept. “Anything to deliver the message to young people," he said. Palm, who was an on-ice offi- cial at the 2002 Winter Olympics women’s hockey games in Salt Lake City and is the head of physical education at Aurora High School, was excited with the assembly. “I think it was fantastic," the Newmarket resident said. “Charac- ter in sport is what an oflicial is flying to instill that fairness, hon- esty, integrity. It’s why I like doing what I do. “Athletics is what 1 take a lot of pride in." Part of the festivities also included cheerleading and spon demonstra- Hotspots are the ideal way to stay connected, no matter where your work takes you. With many convenient locations throughout York Region, Wi-Fi Hotspots provide high-speed Internet access so you can check your email or surf the Internet away from the office or home. Students lnvlted to partlclpate In Character In Sport contest Students in York Region public, separate and private elementary schools are invited to take part in a Character in Sport contest. Students are being asked to tell their stories about good character in sports. ‘lt could be about someone looking out for other people and doing their best to make sport a positive part of people's ’9 at WW The program is the first of its kind in Canada, Character in Sport chairperson Darren Greenspoon said, adding the program has been in the planning stages since 2007. Initially, groups such as York Region Public Health, the York Region Athletic Association, the Markham Sport Council, the York Region public and separate school boards and York Region Media Group were contacted for their input. The school was approached because it was a tribes school, Denise McLafierty, Moraine Hills Public School principal, said. lives,” said John Havercroft, Character Community Foundation of York Region Council chairperson. “Tell your stories and share your ideas of how character and sports go together. The theme of each entry is character and sport" Participants can range from kindergar- ten to Grade 8. Students can tell their real-life experi- ences on posters, billboards, videos, Tâ€" shirts, collages, pamphlets, scrapbooks announcements, banners or a comic strip. A number of prizes will be up for grabs. Deadline for submissions is May 2. For more contest information, go to charactercommunity.com It assures the growth and devel- opment of all students regardless of skill, ability, academic achieve- ment, race, religion or culture. While Moraine Hills had the honour of hosting the first such proâ€" gram in Canada, Mr. Greenspoon hopes it will set the tone for other regions across the country. “Our plan is to be the leader. You want someone to talk about character in sport and we want to be the leaders, the ones who are the experts in this subject. We want people to say, ‘Look at the York Region model'." he said. STAFF PHOTO/STEVE SOMERVILLE