Ski Bailey talking with children in Play Rugby USA in New York City.
“What I enjoy most about my work is being able to have a positive impact on young athletes,” says Ohio University alum Ski Bailey ’13, who lives in New York City and works at a sports-based youth development nonprofit called Play Rugby USA.
“I have various roles including my office position of Monitoring & Evaluations Manager, where I do qualitative and quantitative research design and implementation capturing the benefits for our participants and beneficiaries to enhance our programming and report to key stakeholders and possible donors.
“I also act as a youth development mentor, which is what we call our coaches due to our holistic positive coaching methodology,” continued Bailey, who earned a B.A. in Sociology from the College of Arts & Sciences. “In this capacity, I coach a multitude of youth rugby teams across the five boroughs in ages varying from kindergarten to high school and from flag to tackle.”
Play Rugby USA ‘Opens Their Eyes to Much Wider World’
“Sport allows many of these kids an opportunity to make mistakes and deal with the consequences in a safe environment, rather than get swept up in the delinquent behavior that is all too familiar in the city,” Bailey said. “Many in our programs have never heard of rugby and rarely think beyond the couple blocks around their home, so an international sport opens their eyes to being connected to a much larger and wider world.
“The prosocial connections made on a team can benefit not only those involved, but society as a whole. Teammates learn to respect one another and solve conflict, overcome adversity, negotiate between opponents on the pitch, and build the skills to traverse the dynamic social structures of the city.
“Life lessons can be taught through sport and fostering the vital connections between coach and athlete,” Bailey said. “There’s something amazing in seeing a young athlete be incapable of completing simple passes at the beginning of a season build the ability to complete effortless fluid passes by the end.”
Visiting Henderson’s Sociology of Sport Class
Bailey visited OHIO’s Athens campus to talk with Dr. Debra Henderson’s Sociology of Sport class during spring semester.
He talked about some of the research he has been involved in regarding the impact of sports-based youth development and Play Rugby USA. He was glad to share his interest in the field of sports with a focus on positive social impact at the youth level.
“I highlighted not only our findings and my experiences, but also other possible opportunities in the field for other sports. My goal is to get at least one person interested in the idea of a career in the SBYD field.
“We had a chance for a less formal conversation regarding their passion for sport and how that can translate into a career, especially with a degree focusing on sociology.
“I directly contribute much of my success in my chosen field to the fact that I studied sociology at Ohio University, and that education gave me a platform to understand the dynamic social structures of community, team, and the ranges of individuals within those structures. It also gave me an educational base in statistical analysis and understanding data even though while I was an undergrad I asked myself, ‘When will I ever use any of this stat work?’
“Little did I know where I would end up!”
Ski Bailey and Leah Butler
Later Bailey also spoke with several undergraduate and graduate students over pizza and answered questions they had about the sports programs, working with children, and life in New York City.
Leah Butler, one of the graduate students said, “Lunch with Ski was really interesting.
“It was great to hear about how sociological theory and research methods are being used in an applied setting to help create better lives for disadvantaged youth.
“I was surprised to hear how important Ski’s knowledge of statistics is in his work and in securing funding for the program.”
OHIO’s Men’s Rugby Team
“While visiting Athens, I was able to catch up with some old friends who are getting their master’s, as well as meeting many of the men’s rugby team. I am extremely proud of the work OURFC’s coach, Willie Griffes, has put in to lead the team to national recognition as the MAC South champions this past year and look forward to where the young squad will go from here.
“I also had the chance at that Saturday game to visit with some of the founding members of the team from 1972, some of whom I consider good friends. It is always a pleasure to see a mix of Bobcat generations gathered to celebrate a common passion.”
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