The Indomitable Spirit of Sports
Photo credit Sungkeel Yamada for BCSF
“There are so many lessons we can learn from playing sports,” said Rev. Naokimi Ushiroda, national president of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU). “Many times in sports, with all the training and preparation on top of what you’re already doing, you may wonder, ‘Is it worth it?’ But we need that kind of indomitable spirit and perseverance in order to do well.”
Rev. Naokimi was among a number of FFWPU USA leaders who attended the final day of the 17th annual Blessed Culture and Sports Festival (BCSF XVII). The program wrapped up August 15 after five days of friendly competition in a variety of sports, gaming, musical performances, and a fashion show.With the pandemic still looming, the program was a hybrid of online and in-person events.
BCSF aims to empower young Unificationists and their friends to share their talents, skills, and values to positively influence the culture of the world. A highlight for many, participants from across North America came out to the Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) property in Barrytown, New York, for the long-held summer tradition founded by Jin Kwon Kim in 2004.
“Many of the athletes here weren’t even born at that time,” joked Rev. Naokimi as he addressed the participants. A former high school athlete himself who ran cross country, Rev. Naokimi shared about the importance of sports and its influence on our lives.
“For me, running outdoors and just being able to reflect and challenge my own limitations was part of the joy,” he said. “But [BCSF] is about sharing our values through culture and sports; it’s not just any sports festival… Athletes work really hard to win the medal, but the same discipline applies to our own life of faith.”
Unificationist Patrick Stinard, a volleyball player, said he was grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with the community while enjoying the competition of his sport. “It was great to play volleyball for seven hours on the first day,” he said. “We played very well despite being a new team, and we played with a lot of team spirit which I appreciate.”
Stinard, who also helped welcome registrants, was happy to see in-person activities after BCSF went virtual last year due to the pandemic. BCSF Director Denthew Learey said his team was committed to creating a fun program for all young people to engage in.
“We’ve created this atmosphere and environment for anyone to come and experience love, friendship, and family,” he said. “We want to keep that going for our younger brothers and sisters so that they have something to help find themselves and their unique value—whether it’s through sports, songs and music—we want them to really be able to express that.”
Dr. Chung Sik Yong, regional president of FFWPU North America, also greeted participants while on a short break from his national tour to revive the spirit of America.
“I was so happy to see so many young people and their families,” said Dr. Yong. “I really want to encourage this BCSF program… It’s very important to create unity between the mind and body and to create team spirit. This helps us to develop a heartistic relationship among all of our brothers and sisters.”
You can learn more about the Blessed Culture and Sports Festival here, and check out updates from the 2021 program here.
