Legends and legacies: CYO honors dedicated volunteers for service

St. John Bosco Award recipients from Indianapolis pose for a photograph with Msgr. Joseph F. Schaedel, vicar general, after the Catholic Youth Organization Awards ceremony on May 8 at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis. They are, from left, St. Lawrence parishioner Tom O’Brien, St. Matthew parishioner John Sahm, St. Luke the Evangelist parishioner Dan Wagner, St. Joan of Arc parishioner Dr. Charles Hasbrook, Our Lady of Lourdes parishioner Colleen Kenney and St. Pius X parishioner Rob Doyle. St. Malachy parishioner Lori McFarland of Brownsburg was not able to attend the awards ceremony. (Submitted photo/courtesy CYO)

By Mary Ann Wyand

Life lessons. Sportsmanship. Teamwork. Friendship. Fitness. Fun.

Seven Catholic Youth Organization volunteers honored with St. John Bosco Awards on May 8 for their longtime service to children and teenagers as coaches at archdiocesan parishes clearly enjoy talking about the many intangible benefits of serving others. (See list of award honorees)

CYO coaches receive much more than they give to others, the Bosco Award recipients agreed, and they have priceless memories to prove it.

The five men and two women were thrilled to accept the coveted Bosco Award presented by Msgr. Joseph F. Schaedel, vicar general, during the CYO Volunteer Awards Ceremony at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis.

Even more exciting, the honorees said during interviews, are the countless opportunities to help children and teenagers learn sports fundamentals and have fun with new friends in the process.

It’s not about winning or losing, they said, but about creating opportunities for personal growth through achievements that affirm each CYO participant.

Edward J. Tinder, CYO executive director, noted during the program that the archdiocesan youth organization was founded nearly 70 years ago.

Thanks to dedicated volunteers, Tinder said, CYO is able to serve 20,000 boys and girls who annually participate in one or more of the 14 sports offered as well as the science and music contests.

“Each year, we have probably 2,500 volunteers in various CYO programs,” Tinder said. “These seven [Bosco Award recipients] have given many hours of their lives helping young people and influencing their lives in the Catholic traditions.”

In doing so, he said, these distinguished volunteers join the legendary list of Bosco Award recipients from the past six decades who have left amazing legacies by sharing their time and talents with young people.

St. Matthew parishioner John Sahm of Indianapolis has coached CYO football and basketball teams for 17 years and served as the parish football coordinator.

It’s a legacy that he learned from his father, William Sahm, the legendary CYO director from 1954 until his death in 1973.

“CYO was a big part of our family life,” Sahm recalled. “I’m the eighth of nine [children]. … My brothers and sisters have been involved, and it’s kind of paying tribute to him in terms of being a volunteer. I think he would expect it.”

Life lessons learned through CYO sports help young people gain confidence, he said, and prepare them for the difficult challenges of adult life.

“I think more than anything [coaching] means being a teacher and mentor,” Sahm said, “and also setting a strong Christian example for the kids.”

St. Joan of Arc parishioner Dr. Charles Hasbrook of Indianapolis keeps busy with his medical practice, but can’t imagine not coaching CYO basketball for 23 years, organizing basketball skills clinics or providing free physicals for children and teenagers so they can play CYO sports.

Spouses should also be recognized with Bosco Awards, Hasbrook said, because CYO volunteer service is a commitment that adds to the busyness of family life.

Coaches and doctors share the same goal, he said, to help people get better.

“I love watching a [new] team come together,” Hasbrook said. “Obviously, the goal is to learn the system and play as a team. It’s fun to watch that happen. … The CYO rules on playing time are very important. Everybody gets to play. … CYO understands what sports can give people in life. The life lessons are really important.”

Our Lady of Lourdes parishioner Colleen Kenney of Indianapolis has played kickball since the fourth grade and coached kickball for 23 years.

“Kickball is a wonderful tradition at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish,” Kenney said. “I enjoy coaching kickball because it’s a sport that everyone can participate in and feel good about themselves.”

Coaching CYO teams involves “camaraderie and opportunities to share your faith,” she said, “and teaching the kids life lessons about getting along with people and that winning is not always important. It’s about having fun.”

St. Pius X parishioner Rob Doyle of Indianapolis is a busy attorney who learned the value of coaching CYO sports from his late father, Jack Doyle.

Doyle said he teaches his teams that “true leadership is about service, and you will be a leader of people if you serve them in many different ways.”

He has coached CYO teams for 17 years and believes that coaching is mostly about “being a symbol of Christ to the kids.”

St. Luke the Evangelist parishioner Dan Wagner of Indianapolis has coached CYO girls’ basketball teams for 17 years and enjoys working with fourth-graders as well as teenagers.

“They learn about teamwork,” Wagner said. “They learn about getting along. They learn about hard work. They learn about trying their best. They learn about sportsmanship. … We never talk about winning. We tell the girls to play their hardest, to constantly try to get better and to not measure themselves against the other team. So many life lessons come out of doing that.”

St. Malachy School teacher Lori McFarland of Brownsburg has coached parish CYO girls’ basketball and volleyball teams for 12 years and plans to coach a girls’ softball team next year.

Coaches are teachers, mentors and role models, she said, who inspire children and teenagers to set goals, work hard to accomplish them, make new friends and learn how to get along with other people.

“Other than my parents, my coaches were some of the most important people in my life [while] growing up,” McFarland said. “I was involved in athletics all through school, and they were role models for me. That’s something that I hope I can be to the kids I coach at St. Malachy.

“Sportsmanship is a very important part of the message that I try to get across to the kids,” she said, “not only getting along with the people who are on your team, but also representing your school and parish with the people that you play against and interact with from other schools.”

St. Lawrence parishioner Tom O’Brien of Indianapolis is a retired teacher and coach known as a basketball, football and baseball coaching legend on the high school and college levels as well as a longtime CYO coach at four parishes.

As an assistant basketball coach at the University of Evansville, O’Brien helped coach Division II national championship teams in 1964 and 1965. Jerry Sloan, the head coach of the Utah Jazz for 20 years, was a member of that undefeated team.

O’Brien grew up in St. Therese of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower) Parish in Indianapolis and played CYO sports there.

“I was fortunate to get to play in grade school in a good program with good coaches,” O’Brien said. “I got started in CYO. … There are so many lessons you learn when you play sports. As a coach, I stress academics and discipline and respect. I try to prepare them for later in life and make them better citizens. That’s what life is all about—helping kids.” †