“[We] strive to maintain a ministry of personal presence both in and out of sport. Making ourselves accessible to athletes; embedding ourselves (with permission) into team workouts and competition; supporting and serving the official coaching staff.”
– Dr. McNeal
A strategic position within WPDSports is the Sports Mentor – a leader who specifically facilitates holistic and integrated one-on-one and small group mentoring for the sake of the collegiate and post-collegiate athlete. A Sports Mentor engages the sport, its culture, and all those who participate in it to be an effective and transformational force in student-athletes’ lives.
WHO DO WE SERVE?
Collegiate and post-collegiate athletes who come from all walks of life with each bringing their own set of assumptions, expectations, and sport and life stresses.
Images Bearers on the Beach. pc: T. Talley
“Sports people live in a world that is anxiety and performance driven. Performance is what defines them, and their self-esteem is obtained through their success or failure. Winning is what matters and is often the only focus and goal. Their worth is oftentimes based on their achievements and the more they succeed / achieve the more worthy they are in their own eyes and in the eyes of outsiders, fans, family, team members, other sports people and the media.”
– Profile of a Sports Person. Global Sports Chaplaincy.
HOW DO WE SERVE?
WPDSports utilizes and coaches a whole person development or holistic, integrated one-one-one and small group mentoring approach that undergirds the whole person, including, but not limited to, athletic, social, academic, and spiritual (faith) well-being. Like four wheels on a car, each wheel must be properly maintained lest one goes low and throws off the entire car.
- Athletically – Prepare physically and mentally to compete in competition.
- Academically – Complete an education for life after athletics.
- Socially – Encourage positive interaction with fellow students, faculty, and community.
- Spiritually – Foster spiritual growth through biblical truths, disciplines, and character development.
Whole Person Development
WPDSports embraces and coaches the biblical directive to love God, others, and self with all your: HEART, SOUL, MIND, AND STRENGTH (Mark 12:30-31).
Jesus said the essence of life is to love God, others, and self with all your:
- HEART – Feelings. Needs. Connections.
- SOUL – Identity. Purpose.
- MIND – Truth. Stability.
- STRENGTH – Action. Achievement.
By integrating these areas within themselves through one-one-one and small group mentoring sessions, athletes can better experience God, others, and self both in and beyond sports, igniting hope within themselves to serve their families and communities.
Meet Pneuman, WPDSports‘ “soul” mascot. Pneuma (πνεῦμα) is an ancient Greek word for breath,” and in a religious context for “spirit” or soul.” Created by Beta WPDer, Carter “TAOG” Adams.
LIMITATIONS:
WPDSports does not offer, nor claims to provide, psychological or psychiatric therapy. PARTICIPATION IN A GROUP EXPERIENCE IS NOT TO BE USED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR THERAPY OR COUNSELING BY A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL, LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER, OR OTHERWISE QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL. Participation in a group or experience offered by WPDSports is optional and does not create any protected privilege, including, but not limited to, the psychiatrist-patient, therapist-client, or clergy-penitent privileges. WPDSports does not guarantee results from group experiences, and any prior results achieved in previous group experiences, whether offered by WPDSports or another entity, should not be relied upon as a guarantee of future results.