By Kenny Henderson LHSAA Executive Director

An ambassador is someone who represents an organization or movement; it is someone who is the face of a greater entity or thing. Athletes are their school’s ambassadors and arguably their institution’s greatest advocates.

Even without their jerseys on, athletes are recognizable faces in their communities and are charged with setting good examples for their peers, fans and other on lookers.

The life of an athlete may seem very glamorous to outsiders or to those interested in becoming athletes.

Although there are various benefits gained through participating in athletics, sometimes making the team presents obstacles.

Occasionally, athletes take their popular statuses too seriously, especially when new comers attempt to join their ranks.

Unfortunately, there are times when the very students and athletes we cheer on and who serve as our schools’ ambassadors are perpetrators of bullying and hazing during team initiations.

Tryouts are normal and expected procedures that every athlete will have to encounter at some point in his or her life in order to make the team of his or her choice.

An athlete’s strength will be tested and his skills and dedication will be pushed to the limit as he competes for a coveted position; however, hazing and bullying prospective teammates will never be appropriate.

In recent years, hazing and bullying in athletics and other extracurricular activities have come to the forefront of conversations in our high school classrooms, the media and even politics.

It is an issue rearing its ugly head due to lack of education, and unfortunately, many are turning a blind eye to the issue. Here at the LHSAA, we certainly oppose all forms of bullying and hazing.

At the beginning of the school year, we wrote a blog drawing light to the issue of bullying in an entry entitled “From Bully to Buddy,” where we discussed the negative repercussions that result from this terrible epidemic.

Despite what the popular phrase says, sticks and stones may break bones, but words may also hurt.

Athletes have a responsibility to not only represent themselves, their teams and their sport to the best of their ability, but they have a responsibility to their schools and communities as well.

The athletic arena is a place where people from all walks of life can come together and cheer on a talented group of athletes.

As an athlete, you are so much more than a talented young adult who wears a particular number; you are an ambassador for your school, your community and the mass of fans that support you now and in the future.

Don’t disappoint them by partaking in bullying, hazing and other activities whose sole purpose is to mentally and physically hurt other people.

I encourage you to reflect upon the following poem the next time you’re tempted to haze a new comer to the team:

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”