What is "Success" in Competitive Sports?
Examining Values, Power Structures, and New Paths Forward
(Thanks for your patience while this web page is under construction)
Where:
Online via Zoom.
When:
(Dates TBA)
The workshop is two-hours. As sessions fill up, more dates will be added.
What:
This is a small-group, conversational workshop. Yes, participants will actually participate in the conversation! That's why we keep sessions small.
Description:
In 2016, news broke of the biggest abuse scandal in sports history. Over 300 cases of sexual abuse, situated in contexts of emotional abuse, came to light in USA Gymnastics. Since then, the number of reported cases has only grown, covering decades of abuse. The wide response to the USA Gymnastics scandal has revealed that abuse is not just reserved for the sport of gymnastics, nor for elite-level athletes, nor just for girls.
In the stories streaming in from a variety of sports from around the world, we hear a common narrative. Coaches, parents, and athletes turn to popular notions of “success” in sports, and what has been believed to be necessary to achieve it, to explain how such harsh training environments, strict obedience, neglected injuries, starvation, silence, and the acceptance of dehumanizing behaviors could have gone on for so long. The stories point to long-standing cultures that normalize abuse, both physical and emotional, under the assumption that it is necessary for high achievement.
It's become clear that in competitive sports we're dealing with a crisis in ethics.
It's time to slow down and really ask ourselves what our values and goals are (and should be!) in competitive sports and what “success” really means. Let's ask:
This conversation is not easy work, but the basic premise behind the workshop is that ethical understanding, ethical commitments, and ethical practice are not things we can wait around for someone else to require of us or hand to us in an abstract bullet-point style "code". It's our responsibility to critically examine the beliefs, values, and power structures of the sports-cultures we inherited, understand what their effects have been — the good, the bad, and the ugly — come to terms with them, articulate our own commitments, and find creative solutions for the future. This is deeply personal work, and this is community work. it's up to us to figure it out, and to act. Let's work on it together.
This conversation is appropriate for athletes (active and retired), parents of athletes, coaches, athletic directors or owners of gyms, therapists and counselors, and athlete-advocates. Though the conversation is relevant for any sport, I want to make a space for the gymnastics community to really dig in to these questions, so it is likely that many examples will come from the gymnastics world.
The content of this workshop, though experienced first-hand by many minors, can be emotionally difficult and triggering. For now I am putting a 15 year-old age-requirement on participation. I'm open to doing a version of this workshop for 11-14 year olds if there is sufficient interest (contact me through the main menu if you are interested).
Where:
Online via Zoom.
When:
(Dates TBA)
The workshop is two-hours. As sessions fill up, more dates will be added.
What:
This is a small-group, conversational workshop. Yes, participants will actually participate in the conversation! That's why we keep sessions small.
Description:
In 2016, news broke of the biggest abuse scandal in sports history. Over 300 cases of sexual abuse, situated in contexts of emotional abuse, came to light in USA Gymnastics. Since then, the number of reported cases has only grown, covering decades of abuse. The wide response to the USA Gymnastics scandal has revealed that abuse is not just reserved for the sport of gymnastics, nor for elite-level athletes, nor just for girls.
In the stories streaming in from a variety of sports from around the world, we hear a common narrative. Coaches, parents, and athletes turn to popular notions of “success” in sports, and what has been believed to be necessary to achieve it, to explain how such harsh training environments, strict obedience, neglected injuries, starvation, silence, and the acceptance of dehumanizing behaviors could have gone on for so long. The stories point to long-standing cultures that normalize abuse, both physical and emotional, under the assumption that it is necessary for high achievement.
It's become clear that in competitive sports we're dealing with a crisis in ethics.
It's time to slow down and really ask ourselves what our values and goals are (and should be!) in competitive sports and what “success” really means. Let's ask:
- Why do we get involved in sports in the first place, and what do we really want out of them?
- In what circumstances are sports joyful and enriching, and in what circumstances do they become toxic?
- Which risks and sacrifices are we willing to endure to achieve our goals, and where do we draw the line?
- How can we distinguish between discipline and abuse?
- How do we develop positive experiences for young athletes and treat them as whole persons, with an eye toward cultivating healthy adults?
- How do we empower young athletes to have a voice in this conversation and in their own training?
This conversation is not easy work, but the basic premise behind the workshop is that ethical understanding, ethical commitments, and ethical practice are not things we can wait around for someone else to require of us or hand to us in an abstract bullet-point style "code". It's our responsibility to critically examine the beliefs, values, and power structures of the sports-cultures we inherited, understand what their effects have been — the good, the bad, and the ugly — come to terms with them, articulate our own commitments, and find creative solutions for the future. This is deeply personal work, and this is community work. it's up to us to figure it out, and to act. Let's work on it together.
This conversation is appropriate for athletes (active and retired), parents of athletes, coaches, athletic directors or owners of gyms, therapists and counselors, and athlete-advocates. Though the conversation is relevant for any sport, I want to make a space for the gymnastics community to really dig in to these questions, so it is likely that many examples will come from the gymnastics world.
The content of this workshop, though experienced first-hand by many minors, can be emotionally difficult and triggering. For now I am putting a 15 year-old age-requirement on participation. I'm open to doing a version of this workshop for 11-14 year olds if there is sufficient interest (contact me through the main menu if you are interested).
About Your Workshop Leader:
Monica Vilhauer, Ph.D. is a former professor of philosophy, a specialist in ethics and political philosophy, a published academic author, and the founder of Curious Soul Philosophy. She has long considered the intertwining issues of values, power, justice, and gender. She is also a former club and NCAA Division I gymnast, and has a long-standing passion for the question of what success really means in competitive sports.
Monica is committed to the practical value of philosophy for everyday life, and for the last few years she has been working to move philosophy beyond academic settings and into the local community. She does this by offering workshops, retreats, and individual philosophical counseling through Curious Soul. Her philosophical counseling work was recently highlighted in Oprah Magazine. She also collaborates with organizations and colleges, like Oregon Humanities, Literary Arts, and Lewis & Clark College.
If you are interested in pursuing individual philosophical counseling on the topic of ethics and sports, and working further to critically examine inherited world views, coming to terms with past experiences, and taking ownership of the future, Monica is happy to work with you! Likewise, if you are interested in having Monica facilitate deeper group conversations on similar topics with your team of athletes, coaching staff, or parent's club, Monica is excited to hear from you. Be sure to contact Monica through the main menu above.
Monica Vilhauer, Ph.D. is a former professor of philosophy, a specialist in ethics and political philosophy, a published academic author, and the founder of Curious Soul Philosophy. She has long considered the intertwining issues of values, power, justice, and gender. She is also a former club and NCAA Division I gymnast, and has a long-standing passion for the question of what success really means in competitive sports.
Monica is committed to the practical value of philosophy for everyday life, and for the last few years she has been working to move philosophy beyond academic settings and into the local community. She does this by offering workshops, retreats, and individual philosophical counseling through Curious Soul. Her philosophical counseling work was recently highlighted in Oprah Magazine. She also collaborates with organizations and colleges, like Oregon Humanities, Literary Arts, and Lewis & Clark College.
If you are interested in pursuing individual philosophical counseling on the topic of ethics and sports, and working further to critically examine inherited world views, coming to terms with past experiences, and taking ownership of the future, Monica is happy to work with you! Likewise, if you are interested in having Monica facilitate deeper group conversations on similar topics with your team of athletes, coaching staff, or parent's club, Monica is excited to hear from you. Be sure to contact Monica through the main menu above.
What to Expect:
This workshop is an adaptation of a Conversation Project facilitated for Oregon Humanities in 2017-2018, sponsored in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. It is different from the other philosophical workshops offered at Curious Soul Philosophy in some important ways. Instead of reading philosophical theory in advance of each session, we will draw on news articles, web pages, videos, and (most importantly!) our own personal experiences. From these resources, we will outline and discuss the ethical problems that need attention, and the various ethical positions that are at work in our stories and in the calls for reform.
Like the other philosophy workshops at Curious Soul Philosophy, this will be a small-group, conversation-heavy session. We will create a welcoming and safe environment to think and brainstorm together, and participants will be able to speak from personal experience to the extent that they feel comfortable. Though we don't expect to have all the answers, we will ask good questions that move our critical and creative thinking forward, so that we may begin to figure out how to articulate clearly and practice for ourselves a "living philosophy" or "living ethic."
This workshop is an adaptation of a Conversation Project facilitated for Oregon Humanities in 2017-2018, sponsored in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. It is different from the other philosophical workshops offered at Curious Soul Philosophy in some important ways. Instead of reading philosophical theory in advance of each session, we will draw on news articles, web pages, videos, and (most importantly!) our own personal experiences. From these resources, we will outline and discuss the ethical problems that need attention, and the various ethical positions that are at work in our stories and in the calls for reform.
Like the other philosophy workshops at Curious Soul Philosophy, this will be a small-group, conversation-heavy session. We will create a welcoming and safe environment to think and brainstorm together, and participants will be able to speak from personal experience to the extent that they feel comfortable. Though we don't expect to have all the answers, we will ask good questions that move our critical and creative thinking forward, so that we may begin to figure out how to articulate clearly and practice for ourselves a "living philosophy" or "living ethic."
Recommended Resources:
(Links to news articles, websites, and online videos coming soon)
Rates:
(Links to news articles, websites, and online videos coming soon)
Rates:
- $25 per participant for a 2-hour workshop session.
- The workshop has limited space to maximize conversation. Sign up soon to save yourself a spot. If your preferred date is full, send a note through the "contact" form in the main menu to voice your interest for future sessions, and we'll work on setting them up.
- Register by clicking the button below and following instructions to use PayPal. You'll receive a personal confirmation and the Zoom link from the workshop leader within 24hrs. Thanks!