1. To Know Christ To Make Him Known
Press Release
School
4353 Butler Hill Road
St. Louis, MO 63128
314-892-4408
314-892-4469 fax
Principal
Mr. Zachary Klug
Director of Marketing
Mrs. Susan Roberts
Church
4355 Butler Hill Road
St. Louis, MO 63128
314-894-9200
314-894-0212 fax
Pastor
Rev. David McBurney
Abiding Savior Lutheran School
Earns Sportsmanship Award at LSAM
(St. Louis, MO) March 9, 2015 --Abiding Savior Lutheran School presented the
LSAM Good Sportsmanship Award to the 7th
and 8th
grade Boys Basketball team at
their kick off service for Lutheran Schools Spirit Week on March 9. The award is
given to the team earning the most votes from tournament officials of the Lutheran
Sports Association of Missouri during the State Championship games Feb.27- 28 in
Jefferson City. Having finished their season 17-4, ASLS entered the competition as
true contenders, but Head Coach and Pastor David McBurney had a higher hoop in
mind. Win or lose, he wanted his team to internalize and apply the lessons of respect
and self-control that exemplify good sportsmanship. In basketball you “can’t control
the bounce of a ball or the height of your guard,” McBurney explained, “but you can
control your own actions and reactions to competitive results. Sportsmanship should
be a proactive choice of not just what we don’t do, but what we choose to do.”
McBurney had a plan. At his direction, the team went above and beyond standard
game etiquette by requesting to pray with opposing teams AFTER competition – a
time when tempers can be high, disappointment can be great, and brotherhood of
faith can be challenged. The goal reflected a common approach to discipline at
Abiding Savior Lutheran School: teaching children to be accountable for their own
actions, to resolve conflict through forgiveness, and to reconcile relationships by
recognition of the individuality of each person as a child of God. Intentional attention
was directed at seeing the referees as people and to appreciate their service – a far
cry from their typical thankless role as hovering shadows making disagreeable
decisions. The players were asked to visit with a referee following the game. Initially,
Coach McBurney modeled this by introducing his team to the refs and asking them
about themselves – particularly what they did when they weren’t “reffing”. By the third
game, he was pleased to see his players actively engaging refs in conversation to the
point that he had to intervene so the officials could get a break.
Jacob Martinez, a 7th
grader at ASLS, was also able to extend the fellowship to the
referees of the girl’s basketball team. “It helped me realize what everyone’s role was
in making a game happen and to appreciate their service.” Jacob commented. “And I
think it helped me focus on my own attitude and spirit in the game and to play a good
mental game by controlling my emotions.” Brad Fritsche, a graduating 8th
grader,
added, “It helped me keep from taking the calls personally and keep from getting
angry at unexpected calls.” The team wrote thank you notes to give the officials after
each conversation. The notes were encouraged to be personable and to reflect the
true connection they had made with the person serving as a referee. “It felt good to
show them we were thankful for their work. They probably don’t get thanked” Brad
Fritsche commented. “And they were serving and donating their fee to the Missouri
High School Athletic Association. I wouldn’t have known that if I hadn’t met with
them.”

2. To Know Christ To Make Him Known
The exercise received overwhelming response from parents, coaches on competing
teams, and the officials themselves. Brad Fritsche received an email via Coach
McBurney, from Scott Kemna, one of the officials with whom Brad met. It praised him
for “representing (his) faith community well” and indicated an appreciation for the effort
being made and the integrity with which it was approached by the team. “wish we
could have had more time” he added. The conduct of the team was noticed beyond
the referees. Mr. Chuck Dreessen, President of LSAM, shared one observation during
the presentation of the trophy at the school’s assembly. One of the scorekeepers had
spontaneously remarked to him during the tournament that they were impressed with
the behavior of the ASLS players when they were switched out – particularly when one
of the more experienced players was removed toward the end of a close game and
was not likely to be brought back in. His natural reaction was support for his teammate
and not egocentric frustration and was noted by the observing scorekeeper. Coach
McBurney remarked, “It just goes to show the students that you never know who your
behavior is going to affect and how we can all be a witness to Christian values in our
daily acts.” Mr. Dreessen was presented with the thank you letters written by the team
and personally addressed to the refs. He was able to forward to them at the officials
meeting at the conclusion of the tournament and commented to Coach McBurney his
surprise at receiving them. In his 16 years of experience, none of the officials had ever
received thank you notes from a competing team, let alone individual players. Hearing
how much it meant to the refs substantiated Brad’s conclusion that they aren’t often
thanked.
While the team may have been a little surprised by being given a lesson in the midst of
what they consider a fun road trip opportunity, their parents were not surprised at all.
“Because that’s his (Pastor McBurney’s) nature” Julie Schmid explains. “Looking at the
human condition from all aspects and being intentional about practicing what he
preaches - which is being good Christian stewards with everything we do in life.” As
Pastor McBurney said, “…you can’t just turn on a sportsmanship switch. It has to be
practiced in real life situations to be internalized.”
Abiding Savior Lutheran School is fully accredited with the Missouri Non-Public School
Accreditation Association and the National Lutheran School System – recognized as
the top performing school system in the nation per the National Association of
Educational Progress. Abiding Savior offers Early Childhood, Pre-school and K-8
grade curriculum. Enrollment is open to children of all backgrounds seeking a rigorous
academic program in a Christian environment. Please call (314) 892-4408 for more
information, or visit us at www.aslsonline.org