Never Take Talent Over Character

Never Take Talent Over Character
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A recent article on Mark Christensen documents the life of a very talented youth soccer coach who has had a problem-plagued career in Montgomery Alabama, Columbus Georgia and now in Detroit. With run-ins with the law in virtually every league he’s been involved in you have to wonder why anyone would allow him to be around their children.

In some cases it’s a problem with obtaining a good background check. But in other cases you have to wonder if it’s a case of ignoring Christensen’s problems because of his talent for coaching. At the very least, a reasonable man with the use of a search engine could "google" the words Mark Christensen soccer coach and see there might be a problem.

In an interview with Barry University soccer coach Steve McGrath (March/April issue of Soccer Journal magazine), coach McGrath emphasizes how important it is to recruit character over talent.

That same point comes up time and again in interviews with college coaches. Almost every coach at one time or another ignores his own conscience and takes a player with the aim that he can change the player's evil ways or in hopes that the talent and wins are enough to overcome any potential problems.

The coach is usually disappointed when team unity is disrupted.

If you watched the NFL Draft this weekend you heard different experts talk about how some really hot player had fallen from a sure-fire first round draft choice to anonymity because of his character flaws off-the-field.

I’m not a pessimist, but I truly believe most “moral compassesâ€￾ are set by the time they reach 18. There can be some adjusting done and miracles do happen. But people are what they are.

Albert Einstein once said, “Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character.â€￾

I would paraphrase him by saying that “Most people say that is it is talent which makes an athlete great. They are wrong: it is character.â€￾

Another apt paraphrase would be, "Offense wins games but character wins championships."

Ken Gamble

Christensen released early from prison

Talking Soccer Forum

http://www.al.com/hssoccer/touchlines/i ... tml#137048

Southern Soccer Scene article

Georgia Coach Receives 10-Year Prison Sentence
April, 1999

Mark Christensen, Director of Training for the Columbus Youth Soccer Association, has been found guilty of aggravated battery by a Muscogee County Superior Court jury and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The sentence, of which nine years must be served before Christensen, 41, is eligible for parole, also carries another 10 years probation.

The charge resulted from a punch Christensen threw during an adult indoor soccer game on January 28, 1998 in the Columbus State University gymnasium. That punch broke the left eye socket of Chris Fagerberg, 34. Christensen was charged with aggravated battery. The jury found him guilty of felony battery, and had the option of also finding him guilty of the lesser charge of misdemeanor battery or acquitting him of all charges.

Fagerberg also has a civil suit pending against both Christensen and CYSA.

The case has taken its toll on the entire soccer community in the Columbus area, and in many ways polarized the community between supporters of Christensen and his detractors.

During the trial prosecutors presented a list of a half-dozen convictions, arrests and allegations of battery and assault against Christensen in an attempt to establish a pattern of violent behavior over an extended period of time. Among those called to testify against the coach was his former wife, Lynda Christensen, who told of incidents of spousal abuse and battery, including an April 3, 1996 incident in which she alleges that her husband choked, hit and kicked her.

Christensen was hired by CYSA without an extensive background check, which would have shown a number of suspensions by state and local soccer groups in states outside Georgia. Christensen was suspended in 1993 when he was a coach, by the Michigan Youth Soccer Association, for verbally attacking officials at a tournament in Ohio, and was suspended again in 1995 for coaching his Michigan youth team in violation of the 1993 suspension.

At the time of sentencing Judge Robert Johnston said, "Mr. Christensen has been throwing sucker punches for 20 years, and he 's finally come somewhere he can't throw sucker punches any more - the bar of justice."

http://www.southernsoccerscene.com/stat ... 20Sentence

Organizations Must Respect Each Other's Disciplinary Actions

USYS, AYSO, US Club, Must Respect Each Other's Disciplinary Actions

Posted by Ken Gamble July 06, 2007 12:43 PM

USSF requires AYSO, USYS, US Club, etc. to Recognize and Respect Each Organizations' Disciplinary Actions

The USSF passed an amendment at the May 19, 2007 Board of Directors Meeting which requires all of the organizations under the USSF umbrella to recognize and respect the bans of players and coaches of other USSF-affiliated organizations.

Section 4 of Bylaw 241 of the United States Soccer Federation provides for
the recognition of suspensions and other disciplinary actions imposed on persons by the Federation and Members of the Federation.

This is a very good thing. It closes a loophole whereby some coaches/players who were banned by one organization (i.e. AYSO or US Youth Soccer state associations) merely switched their teams over to US Club status and were able to continue coaching and playing. Now those coaches and players can no longer just move from one organization to another and still play or coach when their previous organization has banned them.

Some of the highlights of the new policy are that:

The Federation shall distribute at least once each month to every Member of the Federation a disciplinary action report that is a list of all persons against whom disciplinary actions have been imposed that are recognized.

The Member must provide to the Federation written information (that may be included in the decision imposing the disciplinary action) that the person on whom the disciplinary action was imposed received a hearing (or declined a hearing) and procedural rights.

Also every USSF organization must now have a risk management plan. No longer can violent or abusive coaches or players or child predators escape justice by playing one soccer organization against another.

http://blog.al.com/touchlines/

Re: Never Take Talent Over Character

*peanut* Christensen = M A R K / C H R I S T E N S E N

Re: Never Take Talent Over Character

They're up here in Michigan, here is what they're up to now...
viewforum.php?f=52
Vardar East GU11 Team, and Lamphere HS

[Unregistered]

2011-002244-CK CHRISTENSEN, MARK A vs. MICHIGAN YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION THE JB2
File Date 06/03/2011 Case Status Open Case Status Date 06/03/2011

Party Information
Party Name Party Alias(es) Party Type Attorney(s) Attorney Phone
CHRISTENSEN, MARK A
PLAINTIFF
AKEEL, SHEREEF H
MICHIGAN YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION THE
DEFENDANT
MICHIGAN YOUTH SOCCER LEAGUE
DEFENDANT
CRAWFORD, ROBIN
DEFENDANT
MICHIGAN STATE YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION
DEFENDANT
FARO, TOM K
DEFENDANT
Financial Entries
Receipt # Date Received From Amount Paid
450348 06/03/2011 CHRISTENSEN, MARK ANTHONY 235,00

Payment
Check 235,00

Fee
FILING FEE 235,00

Docket Entries

Date Text
06/30/2011 SERVICE ON COMPLAINT FILED / PERS / 6-22-11 MICHIGAN YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION THE (DEFENDANT);
06/30/2011 SERVICE ON COMPLAINT FILED / PERS / 6-22-11 TOM K FARO (DEFENDANT);
06/30/2011 SERVICE ON COMPLAINT FILED / PERS & ACK / 6-23-11 ATTY DUANE JOHNSON OBO ROBIN CRAWFORD (DEFENDANT);
06/07/2011 SUMMONS ISSUED AS TO TOM K FARO EXP 9-6-11
06/07/2011 FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT W/ATTACHED EXHS (DELETING DEFT THE MICHIGAN YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION & DEFT MICHIGAN YOUTH SOCCER LEAGUE; ADDING DEFT MICHIGAN STATE YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION AND DEFT TOM K FARO)
06/03/2011 EXHIBIT(S) ATTACHED TO COMPLAINT
06/03/2011 SUMMONS ISSUED
06/03/2011 JURY DEMAND
06/03/2011 COMPLAINT/PETITION FILED
06/03/2011 JURY FEE Receipt: 450348 Date: 06/03/2011
06/03/2011 ENTRY FEE Receipt: 450348 Date: 06/03/2011
06/03/2011 RANDOM JUDGE ASSIGNMENT OVERRIDE DUE TO PRIOR ACTION # 05-2244-CZ The judge was changed from VIVIANO, DAVID F to BIERNAT JR, JAMES M