Add A. Tude™, the IHSA's official sports mascot, promotes good sportsmanship in youth athletics!
Created in the summer of 1997, Add A. Tude represents the vigor and friendliness of proper behavior that is the backbone of good sportsmanship. Add A. Tude is a player, a teacher, a community leader, and a team supporter who willingly volunteers to serve as a positive role model for the elementary and interscholastic athletic and activities programs in Illinois. Add A. Tude stands for self-control, positive support and respect for authority and peers.
The Add A. Tude mascot appears at state tournaments during the school year, and could appear at your next high school event.
Add A. Tude plays a major role in future sportsmanship education and promotion campaigns conducted by IHSA and IESA. Included in the lineup of these concepts is a series of Public Service Announcements and a line of Add A. Tude official "Sport A Winning Attitude . . . Sportsmanship®" merchandise.
Sportsmanship! Everybody should have it . . . Everybody thinks they do . . . but, at the same time, Everybody is concerned that it is not being practiced "by those other guys!"
Those are general perceptions we in the IHSA Office have formed as we have talked about sportsmanship with people across Illinois and around the nation during the last year. We have been engaged in a pointed effort to identify what people think sportsmanship is, whether people believe there are concerns about sportsmanship which need to be addressed by IHSA and its member schools, and what people think ought to be done. It has been an interesting year of information gathering and perception building.
We have concluded that people consistently and seriously believe sportsmanship to be an important issue of concern in interscholastic athletic activities. We have concluded that IHSA can and should be a catalyst in efforts to address sportsmanship concerns throughout the state. And, we have concluded that an important initial step for IHSA to take in response to our schools expressed needs is to provide a resource for ideas schools can use or adapt in their local efforts to stress sportsmanship.
We trust the manual will be helpful and encouraging. Use it well and often, and then let us know of your successes!
Remember, Add A. Tude is for EVERYONE!
Craig Anderson
Executive Director, Illinois High School Association
Add A. Tude Handbook
The Add A. Tude Handbook will be available online in PDF format soon. Contents include:
- Sportsmanship Mission Statement
- By-laws 6.011 & 6.012
- Illustrations
- Add A. Tude is for Everyone Campaign
Sample Sportsmanship Policies:
- Part 1
- Part 2
- Part 3
- Implementation Timetable
Sportsmanship Code of Conduct Samples:
- Coaches Code of Conduct
- Officials Code of Conduct
- Participants Code of Conduct
- Parents/Fans Code of Conduct
Sample Sportsmanship Letters:
- for School Board Members
- for Coaches
- for Student-Athletes
- for Cheerleaders
- for Student Groups
- for Student Body
- for Parents
- for General Public in District Newsletter
- for Parents/Adult Spectators prior to tournament play
- for Print/Electronic Media Sports Editors/Directors
Sample Sportsmanship Programs:
- Guidelines for Behavior & Behavior Expectations
- A Sportsmanship Award Program
- Sportsmanship Survey
- Sample Warning Ticket
- The Parents Sportsmanship Pledge
- The League-Conference Sportsmanship Meeting
- Northwestern IL Conference Sportsmanship Rating form Guidelines
- Northwestern IL Conference Sportsmanship Guidelines
- Sportsmanship: The Corn Belt Conference Way
- A Conference Program to Promote Sportsmanship
- A Conference Program to Promote Sportsmanship--Wolverine Conference
- Mid-Suburban League Program to Promote Sportsmanship
- Captain's/President's Round Table
- NIC-9 Conference
- A Traveling Trophy Program
- Sample Rating Sheet for Game Officials
- Sample Rating Sheet for School Administrators
- The Parent Pledge: We are in it for the kids
- Sample Public Address Announcements
- Crowd Control Planning
- Sportsmanship Support Articles
- The Fundamentals of Sportsmanship
- The Add A. Tude is for Everyone Checklist
- Sportsmanship: 10 ways to get it going in your school & community
- Top 10 Reasons that Add A. Tude is for everyone