Sportsmanship Circus Style

WRITTEN BY NAOMI SHAFER

Resilience. Teamwork. Coordination. Rigor. These are just a few of the reasons we enroll our kids in sports (and yes, I’m including circus, which I coach for 406Cirque). At our core, every parent wants to see their child thrive, make friends and find the thing that gets them out of bed on gloomy days. Perhaps ironically, one of the best outcomes of sports is not the activity itself, but sportsmanship.

In a world filled with competition, it’s vital to emphasize personal growth over rivalry.

I had the pleasure of witnessing true sportsmanship at the MSU women’s basketball game on March 1, 2025. 406Cirque’s Youth Troupe was set to perform at the halftime show. This was it! The big moment they had been training for. We arrived, unicycles in hand, full of nerves and excitement. During the first half, as the Bobcats battled the Hornets, we practiced in a spare gym. As we made our way through the tunnels, everyone we encountered took a moment to high five our rag-tag group of unicylists. We crossed paths with Champ, headed toward a well-deserved break before bouncing back on the court for halftime…and Champ wholeheartedly agreed to a photo. The marching band and cheer team high-fived the students with exclamations of “You’ll do great!”

As a coach, the pride I felt watching my students ride at halftime is indescribable. I watched one student step into leadership as she kept the troupe on track. Another student, a new rider, took a huge leap of faith, showing off his beginner skills in front of a packed audience. However, the moment I will cherish most is when they came off the court and were greeted with high fives by the women’s basketball team.

In the midst of their own game, a game they crushingly lost in the final 30 seconds, the athletes took a moment to demonstrate true sportsmanship. They made it clear that showing up for one another is the most important part of sports.

Sportsmanship is a skill, and it takes time and patience to teach. At our closing circle, students share not only their personal best, but also something they saw someone else do. We often end camp by saying, “Go find three people and tell them something awesome you saw them do today.” Each day I’m humbled by what gets shared. Sometimes it’s the obvious: “I saw you climb to the top of the silks for the first time.” Or, “You pedaled across the room.” Sometimes, it’s the moments that as a coach I might never have seen, “You let me go first.” “You encouraged me when I was nervous.”

One of our pillars at 406Cirque is “encourage yourself and encourage others.” It is only from this place that we introduce competition (like who can balance a feather on their nose the longest).

Naomi Shafer is the education director at 406Cirque. For more information visit 406cirque.com.