Sports-2-STEM

The Connection

Sports and STEM: What's the connection?

My road to STEM programming was paved years prior while developing sports programs. The experience and lessons learned while building sports programs had a direct impact on the way I approached STEM programming.

Three very important fundamental concepts helped drive the development of these programs:

"Build it and they will come" (Field of Dreams)
"It takes a village to raise a child" (African proverb)
Student-Centered/Player-Centered

In addition to the above core beliefs, I have outlined on this site seven important programming tenets which have been instrumental in the success of the many programs I have been blessed to be part of.

#1 Philosophy: The business-education model

Establishment of a philosophical model is necessary to build programs. I believe that both sports and educational programs must be customer-centered.

I created my first non-profit sports program while living in Germany. Disenchanted with the current program, I elected to build a new program based on a player-centric model. As such, I appropriately named the league "The Players League" or "Die Players Liga".

STEM Connection: Students learn best when they have input and choice concerning their learning (student-centered). Teachers transition to the role of coach or facilitator.

Example: Students brainstorm ideas for possible High Altitude Balloon (HAB) experiments to undertake via a Mindmap brainstorming session.

Extra: By the end of my tenure as league president in 2015, the DPL had over 1,100 members and supported nearly 500 league games per year.

#2 Entrepreneurship: Building programs

Designing and developing sports programs allows the "owner" a unique opportunity to control and influence its direction. My passion for sports coupled with an opportunistic eye for change enabled me to see gaps within existing programs and the need for something new or improved.

Over a period of seven years, I have created six hockey programs:

Die Players Liga - The largest non-official hockey league in Germany
Army, Air Force, Adler Alliance - Chapter-based program providing hockey resources to military members throughout central Germany)
Baden Bruins Hockey Team - 2x Armed Forces Europe Champions and 3x DPL Inline Champions [Video]
Province Bruins Hockey Team - DPL Div III Champions
DPL Stars Hockey team - 2x DPL Inline Champions

STEM Connection: Build programs where students can experience hands-on, real-world STEM through collaboration, inquiry, and competition.

Examples: The following programs were created to entice, expose and extend student interest in STEM:

SkillsUSA Europe - NY State SkillsUSA Area VII (Europe), offering ten CTE/STEM Challenges
AFA Near Space Challenge - High Altitude Balloon Contest
Project Horizon - High Altitude Balloon STEM program
STEM Club - Previously known as Technology Club

#3 Program Options: Variety of choice

Organizations need options. The DPL was the largest of my hockey organizations and required a number of programs to meet the needs of the players. As such, I developed the following programs:

Ice Hockey League (Five divisions)
Inline Hockey League (Three divisions)
Pokal (Single elimination tournament, top 4 divisions)
Harder Cup
Summer Hockey
Old Boys Hockey
3-v-3 Tournament

STEM Connection: Students need access to STEM programs. Since one size does not fit all students, a variety of options must exist.

Examples: To provide flexibility of interest, I sponsor(ed) the following programs:

Cyberpatriot
StellarXplorers
Robotics
JSHS (Junior Science and Humanities Symposium)
National Technical Honor Society
STEM Club (Formally Technology Club)
Project Horizon (High Altitude Ballooning)

#4 Leadership: Opportunities for growth

Opportunities must exist for members to hold leadership positions within the organization. Establishment of a cohesive and committed management team is critical for the success of the organization.

As the DPL expanded from eight to sixty two teams, a need for greater volunteer support grew as well. At its peak, the DPL management team consisted of twenty personnel.

STEM Connection: Students need opportunities to develop their leadership skills.

Examples: A number of positions exist within my after-school STEM Club and National Technical Honor Society Chapter. The positions include:

NTHS President
NTHS Vice President
NTHS Administrative Officer
Project Horizon Flight Commander
Project Horizon Operations Officer
Engineering Team Lead
Science Team Lead
Systems Team Lead

DLP_Adler_Logo_3D.mp4

#5 Partnerships: The secret to success

Partnerships are the cornerstone of success. The collective power of collaboration built upon a common belief system having clearly defined roles and targets is essential for a productive partnership.

A common belief to build hockey interest throughout the Rhein-Neckar region prompted the DPL to partner with one of the largest and most respected professional ice hockey programs in Germany - the Mannheim Adler. This 7x German championship team would establish an official Cooperation Partnership with the DPL. The official partnership logo was proudly displayed at the SAP Arena multiple times each game ensuring 13,600 fans knew about this partnership. The DPL's popularity and success can be directly attributed to the Adler-DPL partnership.

STEM Connection: Partnerships within a STEM ecosystem consist of industry, military, universities and non-profit organizations all of whom work collaboratively to support STEM capacity. By connecting students with real-world STEM experiences, internships, mentorships, and career opportunities, ecosystems help bridge the gap between academic learning and workforce needs.

Examples: Here are just a few examples of partners within the KMC STEM ecosystem:

AFCEA Chapter 158
AFA Chapter 507
SAME (Society of American Mechanical Engineers)
Deutsche Telekom
Kaiserslautern Technical University
Military Units within the KMC

#6 Systems of Connectedness

At the heart of each successful program, is a system of connectedness. These systems serve to unite, inform and showcase relevant and exciting news about what members are passionate about.

The DPL website served as a one-stop shop for news and information about team, league and program happenings. Players could access up-to-date statistics, scores and full game reviews. Players spotlights, interactive challenges, raffles and sponsor specials ensured league players regularly visited the site and felt proud to be connected to such a dynamic organization.

STEM Connection: STEM programs need to have informative and supportive websites, social media options, and mobile apps to help support student connectedness.

Examples: Each school and outreach program has an associated website. Our NTHS students helped produce the school's first very own school application for student news and information (KHS_App previously available on Google Play and iOS App Store)

#7 Opportunities to Succeed

Competition is necessary to push boundaries, set goals, and strive for personal and team success. It is through competition that individuals and teams push the envelope of capacity in hopes to find new levels of accomplishment. Those fortunate enough to rise to the top need to be recognized for their efforts.

The DPL has established a very successful program having teams compete against other teams of a similar skill levels (five divisions). Division winners move up and then compete in the next higher division. This modality has proven to be a extremely fair and motivating for players. An opportunity to win a division is at the heart of each player.

STEM Connection: Students love competition when they feel confident in their abilities, comfortable among their peers, and believe in a program of fairness.

Examples: There are plenty of opportunities for students to join competitive STEM programs where recognition of participation and success is showcased. Below are some examples:

Non-Profit Opportunity (1).pptx

Helping Students through Your Experiences

Teaching students is both a privilege and a responsibility. An opportunity to open a students eyes to new possibilities is an amazing feeling. I wanted to help students realize that multiple options exist to truly live out their passion, one of which is through volunteerism via non-profit organizations.

I elected to put a presentation together regarding my experiences in the world of non-profit. The experiences I gained through my hockey passion laid the foundation for what would be become the next chapter in my life - STEM entrepreneurism.

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