When we think of a sports contest, we often ask the following questions first: Who won the game, and what was the score?

However, through the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) of Brooklyn and Queens, the values of sport – including teamwork, sportsmanship and fair play – are emphasized more so than winning.

“It’s very important that youth programs in the parishes be recognized and be supported because it can draw the kids closer to God if we get them involved in sports,” said Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Chappetto. “The Catholic Youth Organization is a tremendous means of evangelization for the diocese.”

CYO hosted its fourth annual golf classic June 20 at the North Hills Country Club in Manhasset, L.I. Over 120 golfers came out for a great day on the links followed by a dinner reception in support of the CYO sports programs held each year.

This past year, more than 20,000 kids from over 100 parishes in the diocese competed in 15 different sports. The golf outing is the organization’s main fundraiser each summer in order to provide the resources for the following year’s sports programs.

“The CYO program over the last few years has been improving, and more and more parishes are getting involved,” said Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, diocesan vicar for development. “CYO plays a big role in keeping our youth connected to our faith, to our Church and to our diocese.”

At the outing, a few former professional athletes were on hand to relive their own experiences with youth sports.

Former New York Giants’ tight end Howard Cross captured the attention of the audience with his powerful voice. He came out from behind the podium to give an interactive talk about growing up playing sports in Alabama.

He played football, baseball and basketball as a kid and said there was always one game or another going on. While he played for the legendary Bill Parcells, Cross said his youth league coaches had an even greater impact on his development than the Hall of Fame coach.

“The things you tell the kids at this stage aren’t so much about the game as it is about how to have fun, how to be accountable and how to be dependable,” Cross said. “You’re actually teaching them lessons in life that they can live by and have fun. You can’t go out and say you’re going to win every game because that’s not really what it’s about.”

Cross was a member of the Giants’ Super Bowl XXV championship team and was inducted into the Giants’ Hall of Fame in 2010. He said his experiences with youth sports laid the foundation for his successful athletic career.

“My mom used to say a long time ago, ‘You can’t fight until you get beat up,’” he said. “So you have to get beat up to learn how to fight, and you don’t really learn how to win until you’ve lost a game or two. That is what CYO and all youth sports organizations are supposed to be teaching kids – not winning every championship. It’s how to get up when something goes wrong.”

In addition to Cross, another prominent athlete – former New York Rangers’ right winger Rod Gilbert – made an appearance at the outing. He too discussed how playing youth sports in Montreal and going to Catholic schools taught him necessary life values.

He and his friends played pick-up games in every sport, and since there were a number of large families in the area, there was always a group of kids looking to start a game.

“Someone had to organize it (the games), so the priests of our parish were always making games for the kids,” Gilbert said. “There were so many families that had 10 or 12 kids. So you’d find a number of kids your own age, and we had hockey games, softball games…it was fun.”

Gilbert was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1982 and was the first Ranger to have his jersey number retired in Madison Square Garden. He said he’s continuously applied the lessons he learned in sports to all matters of his life.

“When you lose you congratulate the opponent, and when you win you’re humble,” he said. “All these people here, the supporters of the CYO, have received some type of lessons of that sort when they grew up, and now they’re passing it back on.”

This year’s honoree was Louis Grassi, the president and CEO of Grassi & Co. He played CYO baseball in his youth and has been a supporter of the outing and the CYO for a number of years. He spoke about how playing competitively allows kids to learn how to be part of a team.

“Life is full of teams,” Grassi said. “You’re in a family – that’s a team. You’re in business – that’s another aspect of a team. Learning at a very early age the dynamics that go on within a team really starts you on a mission of what life is really all about.”

Msgr. Gigantiello echoed Grassi’s sentiments on the importance of playing on a team.

“No man is an island,” the monsignor said. “It’s more important to work together and do the best that you can do to live up to the potential that God has given you. That’s all we ask – not to win but to do the best that they can.”

The golf classic once again raised enough funds to benefit the athletic and spiritual needs of the youth of the Brooklyn Diocese.