Positive Coaching Alliance News

Joy Fawcett Mother's Day Tribute

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

In honor of Mother's Day, here are videos featuring Joy Fawcett -- former U.S. National Women's Soccer Team star, "Ultimate Soccer Mom" and PCA National Advisory Board Member. Thanks to Joy and all the sports moms out there doing great things in youth sports...and Happy Mother's Day!

PCA to host the 4th Annual PCA 7on7 High School Football Tournament >>

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

HOUSTON, TX (Thursday, May 10, 2012) – On Tuesday, June 5, the Positive Coaching Alliance will host the 4th Annual PCA 7on7 High School Football Tournament presented by The Methodist Hospital Center for Sports Medicine. The tournament will be held at the South Campus Sports Association Facility on West Bellfort, between Stella Link and Main. The tournament is comprised of 16 Houston-area schools, including Chavez, Davis, Furr, Humble, Kashmere, Kinkaid, KIPP Houston High School, KIPP Sunnyside, Madison (2010 Champion), Marshall (2009 Champion), Reagan, St. John’s School, Strake Jesuit, Waltrip, and Westside (2011 Champion).All participating student-athletes and coaches will discuss sportsmanship and receive PCA character education training prior to the tournament. The tournament officials will emphasize PCA messages and teaching life lessons through sports.

In addition to The Methodist Hospital Center for Sports Medicine, other partners include Old Republic Title, 1560am The Game, South Campus Sports Association, Aztec Events & Tents and WissTech Enterprises.

WHAT: 4th Annual PCA 7on7 High School Football Tournament presented by The Methodist Hospital Center for Sports Medicine

WHERE: South Campus Sports Association Facility 9825 Stella Link, Houston, TX 77025

WHEN: Tuesday, June 5 9am-12pm: Pool Play 1-3pm: Championship Rounds

WHO: Positive Coaching Alliance PCA Houston Executive Director Ben Rose, 16 Houston-area high schools

CONTACT: Ben Rose at 281-733-8555 with questions.

Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission to transform the culture of youth sports so every youth athlete can have a positive, character-building experience. Youth sports provide an endless procession of teachable moments that can enhance youth’s sense of self, if the adults who work with athletes see themselves as character educators able to take advantage of such learning opportunities. PCA has developed research-based content and a national distribution channel of PCA trainers and partner organizations that is changing the way the game is played and the way youth are enriched, one youth sports organization at a time. For more information, please log on to www.pca-houston.org.

Welcome to PCA-Sacramento!

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

PCA-Sacramento's new website continues to thrive! Sacramento.PositiveCoach.org already features the PCA-Sacramento Facebook page, and will continue to expand to bring you all the latest and greatest information and inspiration from PCA's effort to impact youth sports throughout the Sacramento area.

For now, enjoy this brief welcome from PCA-Sacramento Executive Director Bill Herenda and the PCA-Sacramento Board of Directors:

Hayes Barnard
Carl Calnero
Andrew Cloninger
Billy Downing
John Finegan
John Frisch
Hunter Greene
Chris Johnson
Doug Kelly
Brent Lawrence (Chair)
Paul McClure
Caryn Ng
John Rinehart
Laurie Rood
Clay Sigg
Jim Sochor
John Stone
Doug Van Order

Thank you for your support!

Deloitte Adds $100,000 in Scholarships >

Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

PCA's Triple-Impact Competitor® Scholarship Program offers $100,000 in new scholarship opportunities, thanks to Deloitte, the global accounting and consulting firm that helped found and fund the program in 2008, along with Thrive Foundation for Youth.

The new $100,000 from Deloitte expands the program to the Boston and Dallas areas, where high school junior (class of 2013) student-athletes may now apply for scholarships through June 30. Deloitte's additional funding also raises the value of each scholarship to $2,000.

Scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who exemplify PCA's model of the Triple-Impact Competitor, impacting sport on three levels by improving oneself, teammates and the game as a whole.

“The power of the Triple-Impact Competitor model is hard to overestimate,” said PCA Founder Jim Thompson, author of eight books on youth sports, including one for student-athletes titled Elevating Your Game: Becoming a Triple-Impact Competitor. “We are delighted that Deloitte continues to expand its support of this program, from the pilot in the Bay Area to now running this program in seven of the largest metro areas in the U.S."

The program now encompasses the metro areas of: Boston (Eastern Massachusetts), Chicago, Dallas (NorthTexas), Houston, New York City Tri-State Area, San Francisco Bay Area/Sacramento and Washington, DC. The application deadline for Boston and Dallas is June 30; in all other regions, the deadline is May 31.

Olympians Join Mentoring Program >

Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

A May 6 luncheon for San Francisco Bay Area Triple-Impact Competitor® Scholarship finalists and their mentors from program sponsor Deloitte featured a panel discussion of Olympic-caliber athletes.

Back row (L. to R.) are 2012 U.S. Olympic contenders Peter Varellas (2008 Olympian, Water Polo), David Banks (2008 Olympian, Crew), and Bobbie Bollier (Stanford University swimmer). Front row (L. to R.) are scholarship finalist Camille Erskin (Sequoia High School, Cheerleading) and Deloitte Mentor Stephanie Smith.

As part of PCA's Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship Program Sponsored by Deloitte and Thrive Foundation for Youth, during the 2011-2012 school year, PCA has piloted a mentoring program. Each of the 50 Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship finalists in Northern California had the opportunity to be paired with a mentor from Deloitte, the global accounting and consulting firm.

Windy City Shootout A Success>>

Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

While the Big Ten Network team was crowned champions at the end of the 2012 Windy City Shootout, PCA-Chicago came out on top, raising over $20,000 to support programs that will improve the youth and high school sports experience for kids in the Chicago area.

This year's event was held on Saturday, April 28th, at the Flames Athletic Center on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago.

"It was a great day for PCA-Chicago," said Chapter Executive Director, Jason Sacks. "Not only did we raise some money and awareness for PCA-Chicago, but we brought together a group of people from some of the top companies and organizations in the city of Chicago. All of them in one place, playing basketball, for a great cause."

After a round-robin pool play format in which every team played four games, the field was seeded and placed into a single-elimination playoff bracket. The Big Ten Network and LTS-Chicago made it through pool play unbeaten, but LTS then suffered a loss in the first round of the playoff bracket.

The Final Four featured Big Ten Network defeating Goldman Sachs, and ChicagoSide inching by JGE. In the end though, Big Ten Network, which included on-air analyst and former Northwestern basketball player Tim Doyle, proved to be too much and ended the day with an undefeated run to the championship.

PCA-Chicago would like to thank all of the participants, supporters, sponsors and volunteers that made the 2012 Windy City Shootout such a great event.

Tournament supporters included: Goldman Sachs, MK Capital, Madison Dearborn, Skadden LLP, Big Ten Network, Security Benefit, Wilson Sporting Goods, Gatorade, LTS-Chicago, Chicagoside, Social Innovation Advocates and the UIC Athletics Department.

To view pictures from the event, please visit the tournament's photo share site here.

Andrew Luck >>

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

Oliver Luck, former NFL quarterback and current athletic director at West Virginia University, explains how he helps his son, Andrew Luck, the NFL's top draft choice.

Three Values of Coaching According to Boise State's Chris Petersen

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

April 25 was an event to remember - PCA's 2nd annual "Winning On and Off the Court" - a Sports and Business forum with the Sacramento Kings. Guests from all over the Sacramento region had the opportunity to hear from two-time National College Football Coach of the Year, Boise State University Head Football Coach and former UC Davis Aggie, Chris Petersen, who shared his coaching values during the "On the Court" panel.

Joining Petersen were two-time Olympic Gold medalist and Former WNBA star Ruthie Bolton, Kings Head Coach, Keith Smart, and Kings President of Basketball Operations, Geoff Petrie.

PCA ended the event with the "Off the Court" panel, from which guests gleaned valuable insights into success from prominent business minds, including Former River City Bank CEO, Jeanne Reaves, CEO of Pacific Coast Building Products, Dave Lucchetti, and CEO of Guthy-Renker, Ben Van de Bunt.

Bill Herenda, Executive Director, PCA-Sacramento, commented, "Winning On & Off the Court was successful on every level. I'd be remiss to not thank the event attendees and corporate partners, as well as all of our donors, our Board of Directors, and the Sacramento Kings for their support, which is propelling our growth here in Sacramento. With Chris Petersen, Keith Smart, Ruthie Bolton, Geoff Petrie, Jeanne Reaves, Dave Lucchetti, and Ben Van de Bunt, along with Hayes Barnard moderating the discussion, we continue to attract top-tier panelists and we're also grateful for their support. This event, which originated with our current Board Chair, Brent Lawrence's vision, continues to grow and become wildly popular."

PCA-Chicago and Chicago United Hoops Classic>>

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

Positive Coaching Alliance-Chicago has announced its marketing alliance with the Chicago United Hoops Classic (CUHC), the annual South Side vs. West Side All-Star high school basketball game.

As part of the relationship with CUHC, PCA-Chicago – a non-profit dedicated to providing all youth and high school athletes with a positive, character-building youth sports experience – will present the first ever Norm Van Lier Triple-Impact Competitor Award to the player who best exemplifies the model of a Triple-Impact Competitor: striving to improve oneself, teammates and the game as a whole.

The Chicago United Hoops Classic, a primary funding source for The Norm Van Lier Scholarship Fund, tips off Saturday, May 5 at 3:00 p.m. at the University of Chicago’s Gerald Ratner Athletic Center, 5530 South Ellis, Chicago.

“The CUHC is a great sports event for the city, and we are thrilled to be a part of it,” said Jason Sacks, PCA-Chicago Executive Director. “This event is about more than just basketball. It’s about honoring well-rounded student-athletes and raising awareness on how we can make the city a safer place. There is no better way to be involved than to recognize one of these student-athletes for representing what it means to be a Triple-Impact Competitor ”

In order to play in this year’s CUHC, each participant must sign the Norm Van Lier Scholarship Fund Non-Violence Legacy Pledge. By signing the 125-word pledge, each individual vows to avoid fighting with weapons, fists, or language and declares, “The violence stops with me.”

“I am thrilled to carry on my late husband’s legacy,” said Susan Van Lier. “I am so proud to witness the growth of our game and fund. Norman cared so much for Chicago’s youth. To see these fine young men compete in the same sport my husband loved so much is wonderful. Bringing in PCA as one of our partners will help us not only honor a player in the game, but also honor what my husband stood for on and off the court.”

The second annual event features the top prep stars in the state, including six Illinois All-State boys basketball players: Keith Carter (Proviso East High School); Michael Orris (Crete-Monee High School);, Milton Doyle (Marshall Metro High School); Devin Foster (Currie Metro High School); Eddie Alcantara (Hales Franciscan High School); and Rashaun Stimage (Farragut Career Academy). Stimage will face another All-State player, Steve Taylor of State Champion Simeon Career Academy.

Tickets will be available game day at the box office or online at www.Chiunitedhoopsclassic.com ($10 adults, $7 students). Advance purchase is recommended. The CUHC will be streamed live on Comcast SportsNet and ClickStreamTV.

Hiring PCA-Colorado Chapter Executive Director

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

PCA-Colorado seeks a Chapter Executive Director. If know of qualified, interested candidates, please refer them to the description of this prestigious, impactful position.

Meet the PCA-Colorado Board >>

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

PCA-Colorado has a power-packed local board, comprising top-notch athletes, coaches and business leaders. Three of them recently took time to explain their motivation for supporting PCA-Colorado. Beneath the videos, view the full PCA-Colorado Chapter Board Roster.

Eric Aafedt, President, Online Investment Services Marcelo Balboa, Executive Director, Trebol Soccer Club Tad Boyle, Men’s Basketball Coach, University of Colorado Lacey Brooks, Executive Director, Youth Roots Mike Clouthier, Director, New Opportunities, Covidien	Aaron Finch, Chief Operations Officer, Otterbox Bill Hussey, Owner, Bill Hussey & Associates Rachel Isaacs, Sports Performance, U.S. Olympic Committee Hendrik Jordaan, Managing Partner, Morrison & Forrester BJ Miller, Territory Manager, ActSoft	Kevin Mortimer, Business Manager, Labor, United Airlines Joe Schieffer, Solutions Architect, Uncommon Solutions Greg Spiers, Partner, Deloitte Karl Wimer, CMO-Floyd’s 99 Barbershops Rich Young, Partner at Holme, Roberts & Owen

2nd Annual North Texas Double-Goal Coach Awards Dinner a Success!

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

The 2012 North Texas Double-Goal Coach^® Awards sponsored by Liberty Mutual Insurance took place on April 19th, 2012, at the Gleneagles Country Club in Plano, Texas. Featuring Keynote Speaker former Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl great Tony Hill, and emceed by WFAA sportscaster Ted Madden, the event honored nine area youth sports coaches who have made an impact on their student-athletes and who exemplify the Double-Goal Coach ideal, where the first goal is winning on the field but where a second, more important goal is helping youth athletes learn life lessons that they can use off the field throughout their lives.

The evening included inspirational and, at times, emotional acceptance speeches by the winning coaches and enthusiastic expressions by some of their student-athletes about how each coach had made a positive and lasting difference for them.

Click Here For Additional Photos of the Event

PCA wants to thank the Dallas Chapter Board of Directors, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Tony Hill, Ted Madden, and all the coaches, student-athletes, and their supporters for making the 2012 North Texas Double-Goal Coach Awards dinner an evening to remember.

Fitzgerald Joins PCA Movement>>

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

Northwestern University Head Football Coach Pat Fitzgerald has joined the National Advisory Board of Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), a national non-profit dedicated to providing all youth and high school athletes with a positive, character-building youth sports experience. Fitzgerald, a Chicago native who played high school football at Orland Park’s Carl Sandburg High School, starred at Northwestern from 1993 to1996 as a two-time first-team All-American linebacker. Since taking over as head coach at Northwestern in 2006, Fitzgerald has led the Wildcats to four straight bowl game appearances.

“We are very excited to have Coach Fitzgerald join our National Advisory Board,” said PCA Founder and CEO Jim Thompson. “The positive culture he has created within the Northwestern football program reflects the values PCA hopes to see throughout sports and serves as a great example for coaches everywhere.”

Added PCA-Chicago Executive Director Jason Sacks, “Seeing the way Coach Fitz interacts with his players and assistant coaches is very special. The amount of positive energy and encouragement at his practices is something all coaches, at any level, should strive to achieve.”

Fitzgerald, who was hired as head coach at Northwestern by fellow PCA National Advisory Board Member and current Green Bay Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy, credits his own youth coaches for instilling in him the values of positive coaching, and not just focusing on the scoreboard.

“When I was a grade school athlete, playing three sports – football, baseball and basketball – the coaches’ names that I remember were the ones who coached me up,” Fitzgerald said. “They taught me what I needed to learn in the game, but more importantly taught me the right way to play the game, sportsmanship, having a tremendous attitude, being a team player. They really coached me up, instead of tearing me down. To me, that’s what it is all about.”

PCA-Colorado Launches >>

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) -- a national non-profit committed to providing all youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience – has launched its PCA-Colorado chapter with major financial support from the Daniels Fund. As part of the launch, PCA-Colorado will provide close to 50-percent discounts to the first 50 Denver-area schools or youth sports organizations that partner with PCA to train their coaches, athletes, sports parents and organizational leadership.

“The Daniels Fund is providing an unprecedented opportunity for schools and youth sports organizations to affordably introduce PCA training that will immediately benefit youth and high school athletes,” said David Shapiro, PCA’s chief revenue officer. “Our training, which results in youth taking life lessons from sports as they compete, comprises three models: the Double-Goal Coach®, whose first goal is winning, and whose second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports; the Second-Goal Parent®, who concentrates on life lessons, while letting coaches and athletes focus on competing; and the Triple-Impact Competitor®, who strives to impact sport on three levels by improving oneself, teammates and the game as a whole.”

Double-Goal Coach training occurs through a combination of live group workshops for all the coaches of a partnering school or youth sports organization, online courses that complement the live training, books by PCA Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jim Thompson, and follow-up electronic communications that reinforce the training year-round. PCA provides similar tracks of training for sports parents, student-athletes, and school or organizational leaders.

Interested schools or organizations should e-mail PCA-Colorado Partnership Manager Tyler Johnson or phone him at 563-343-0336.

“Participation in sports can help change the direction of a young person’s life,” explains Linda Childears, president and CEO of the Daniels Fund. “It’s important for young people to have access to quality coaches and well-designed programs that teach discipline, confidence, teamwork, and sportsmanship.

“The players, coaches and parents of PCA-trained teams are recognized by others for their respect of the game,” she continued. “There are no other organizations of the caliber of PCA offering similar coaching and character-education training in the Metro Area so we are delighted to help them bring their program to this area.”

PCA-Bay Area Launches >>

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) has launched its PCA-Bay Area chapter with major financial support from the Morgan Family Foundation, a long-time supporter of PCA's national movement to provide all youth and high school athletes with a positive, character-building youth sports experience.

"We have achieved great success with the PCA Chapter model in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Sacramento," said David Shapiro, PCA's chief revenue officer. "And, due to the generosity of the Morgan Family Foundation, we now have the chance to replicate that success in the Bay Area, reaching many more coaches and ultimately impacting more youth athletes."

The next step in developing PCA-Bay Area is hiring a Chapter Executive Director, as described here.

Members of the PCA-Bay Area Chapter Board are:

Brad Fox, VP/Treasurer, Safeway Inc.
Kirk Lacob, Director of Basketball Operations, Golden State Warriors
Al Leck
Matt McWright, Psychologist/Counselor, Woodside Priory School
Wendy Petersmeyer, Independent Consultant
Mark Pitchford, Cooley LLP
Chip Wadsworth, Managing Director, Equity Capital Markets Group, UBS
Neda Weems, Attorney, Bingham McCutchen.

Bay Area schools and youth sports organizations interested in partnering with PCA may e-mail PCA-Bay Area Partnership Manager Brian Watson or phone him at 650-210-0814.

Apply for Student-Athlete Scholarships! >>

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

Student-athletes may now apply for PCA's Triple-Impact Competitor® Scholarship Program Presented by Deloitte and Thrive Foundation for Youth.

The program is open to high school juniors (class of 2013) in the metro areas of Chicago, Houston, New York City, San Francisco Bay Area/Sacramento and Washington, DC.

Learn more about rules and eligibility.

Click here for the application form.

Please share this news, using the social media links above, with any eligible student-athletes who embody the model of a Triple-Impact Competitor: striving to impact sports on three levels by working to improve themselves, teammates and their sport as a whole.

Subscribe to Talking Points for Coaches >>

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

PCA's revised website features a new e-mail series, Talking Points, that helps coaches guide discussions with their teen athletes. The 13-week series is designed to match the length of most high school sports seasons, so that there is one Talking Point per week for coaches to share with their players.

"The true art of coaching occurs when coaches talk to players not just about their sports, but also life lessons that are inherent in sports," said PCA Founder and CEO Jim Thompson. "Our new series helps enable those discussions.

A coach who subscribes to Talking Points learns more about the model of the Double-Goal Coach®, whose first goal is winning, and whose second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports. Those coaches, in turn, are better equipped to teach each athlete how to become a Triple-Impact Competitor®, focused on impacting sports on three levels by improving oneself, teammates and the game as a whole.

Each Talking Point covers an element of PCA curriculum adapted from PCA workshops, online courses and Thompson's books, such as The Power of Double-Goal Coaching and Elevating Your Game. All can contribute to improved individual athletic performance, better interpersonal relationships among players and coaches, and the absorption of life lessons that will last long beyond a high school sports career.

"I am thrilled that PCA is able to offer Talking Points for free," Thompson said. "Now, potentially millions of coaches have ready access to a tool that will help them help their players, thanks to a generous grant from David Weekley."

42 >>

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

In honor of Major League Baseball's Jackie Robinson Day (April 15), on which every player wore Robinson's jersey number 42, here is an appropriate excerpt from PCA Founder Jim Thompson's book, Elevating Your Game: Becoming a Triple-Impact Competitor^®.

Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese and Finding Your Moral Courage

In 1947 Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier as the first African-American player in Major League Baseball. Today, with every sport racially integrated, it’s hard to imagine how difficult this was. In addition to death threats, Robinson found members of his own team — the Brooklyn Dodgers — didn’t want to play with him because of his race.

When the Dodgers played at Crosley Field in Cincinnati in May 1947, Robinson was the target of racist taunts, jeers, and death threats. The Dodgers’ captain, Pee Wee Reese, made a point of standing with his arm around Robinson as if to say, “This man is good enough to be on my team, and I stand with him.”

Pee Wee’s Moral Courage
We often think of physical bravery when we talk about courage, such as a firefighter going into a burning building to rescue a sleeping child. But many of the injustices in the world happen because observers stand idly by because they lack “moral courage.” Moral courage is standing up publicly for what you believe is right even when others — including sometimes your friends and teammates — don’t.

Jackie Robinson’s physical and psychological courage in facing the pressure that dogged his career was enormous. Pee Wee Reese showed moral courage in standing up against the prevailing norm for many in that era, which valued black people less than white people.

Reese, the only Southern-raised Dodger who refused to sign a petition against Robinson, went against the grain of his up¬bringing to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him. Robinson later credited Reese’s support as helping him succeed against all the pressures of being the first African-American player in Major League baseball. This act of moral courage is commemorated in a statue of Reese and Robinson outside the stadium in Coney Island where the minor league Brooklyn Cyclones now play.

Running Mindlessly With the Herd
Human beings have a deep need to be part of a group. Mostly this is a good thing, and it has helped humankind in important ways. But there is a downside to it. We can want to be part of a group so much we do things we know are wrong to avoid conflict with others in the group. And sometimes we may not directly participate in wrongdoing but stand idly by while others do bad things.

Because being ostracized from a group is so scary to many people, they are willing to compromise their ethical standards to run mindlessly with the herd. Exhibiting moral courage requires real courage.

(Elevating Your Game and the free PDF of the Elevating Your Game Coach's Guide are available here.)

PCA in LA Times >>

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

PCA gets credit for helping to turn around Agoura High School's baseball program in the excerpt below from Eric Sondheimer's article in the Los Angeles Times:

Agoura turns it around

There's no doubt that Agoura is a stunning success story at midseason. The Chargers are 10-2-1 and unbeaten in the Marmonte League. This is the same program that two years ago, when its coach, Dennis Reitz, resigned, he said of the parents, "They're so out of control."

In came Mike Cordero, a former junior college assistant.

"The program was in dire straits," Cordero said. "It was a dysfunctional family. Kids weren't serious and there were a lot of parent issues."

After a 10-16 season last year, Cordero sent his juniors to a positive coaching alliance seminar.

"They've been outstanding leaders," he said. "It's kind of spread. It's been a real good experience. The chemistry is outstanding. We have 18 kids on the roster, and they're still battling for jobs."

PCA in "The New York Times"

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

PCA's Jim Thompson is quoted in Jesse McKinley's article in The New York Times, stemming from the child abuse prevention webinars PCA co-hosted with Kidpower®.

Study Shows Impact of PCA Training>>

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

PCA's Triple-Impact Competitor® training worked to change the attitude and behavior of middle school athletes, according to a study by external evaluator See Change. Among the highlights of a Winter, 2012 survey of 386 student-athletes who attended PCA workshops in partnership with Dallas (TX) Independent School District:

88% believe their sports potential can grow and is limitless
Of those, 76% report that PCA influenced that belief.

"We are thrilled that these student-athletes exhibit a growth mindset," said PCA Chief Impact Officer Tina Syer. "In our workshop, we draw from principles of the book Mindset by Carol Dweck, one of our National Advisory Board Members. Her work explores the difference in lifelong success among those who believe they can learn and grow toward success, compared with those who believe talent is the key determinant of success."

Other statistics of note from the See Change study, which polled athletes competing in baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross-country, football, soccer, softball, track & field and volleyball:

79% agreed with the statement “I treated my opponents better” (than before the PCA training)
72% believed their sportsmanship improved following training
67% felt their treatment of officials improved after training.

"The changes in behavior reported by the student-athletes also is great testimony to the effects of PCA training," Syer said. "We're looking forward to exploring more results from this study and other measures of PCA's impact and effectiveness."

Jim Thompson on the Saints >>

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

From Bounties to Ubuntu: Why the Saints’ Bounty System Undermines Competition

by Jim Thompson, PCA Founder and CEO

I wanted the Saints to do well in the 2010 playoffs. A Super Bowl victory for the Saints would be big, I thought, for the people of Louisiana, who had suffered the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. But I came away from their victory over the Vikings in the conference championship feeling a little sick to my stomach.

It seemed the Saints’ game plan was to knock Brett Favre out of the game. I was disappointed in the officiating, which seemed oblivious to the mayhem that the Saints were dishing out to Favre, often on questionable hits. I found it hard to root for the Saints after that.

So I was not as shocked as I might have been to learn that the Saints used a bounty system to encourage their defensive players to injure opponents and knock them out of games.

When I speak to coaches I often ask, “What’s the easiest way to win?” Usually the first answer is, “Cheat.” But the easiest way to win is to schedule weak opponents. You “win” but you lose because you aren’t being pushed to play your best. Victory without competition is hollow.

Rather than embracing the challenge of legally trying to beat a team with a great quarterback, the Saints tried to make a strong team weaker by taking its best players out of the game.

Alfie Kohn in No Contest: The Case Against Competition, assembles a wide range of persuasive evidence that competition is harmful in many ways. His evidence is hard to argue against, which is why I was so impressed with an analysis done by David Shields with Brenda Bredemeier of the University of Missouri at St. Louis.

In True Competition, Shields agrees with Kohn that the way people compete in sports is often harmful. But then Shields surprises by arguing that what our society calls “competition” is really a degraded form of competition. He calls it “De-Competition,” which involves war metaphors, viewing opponents as enemies (rather than gifts), and striving not for excellence but for domination of the opposition.

The word competition comes from Latin meaning “to strive together.” I think here of Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers’ use of the African concept of Ubuntu—I can’t be all I can be unless you are all you can be. Doc uses the term to build his team, but the idea goes to the entire meaning of sports.

I also can’t be all I can be unless you—my opponent—are all you can be. If you don’t push me, I won’t get to be as good as I could be. I may win a hollow victory if you are way below my competitive level, but I lose by not seeing how good I could become.

The great rivalries of all time depend on two opponents being great and pushing each other on to greater greatness. Intentionally taking out the top players on an opposing team is just sad.

It reflects a win-at-all-cost mentality that is poisoning not just our sports but our entire society. It also reflects a fundamental lack of confidence: “I am not worthwhile unless I win, so I will do anything to show I am worthwhile.”

I much prefer Herm Edwards’ approach. He once told a group of Positive Coaching Alliance supporters that he won’t always have a particular coaching job but he will always have his name. If it comes down to a choice between his name and his job, he will always choose his good name.

If you want youth sports to be all it can be—true competition rather than De-Competition—I encourage you to get involved with PCA. We are expanding across the country and we are committed to making sports all it can be so that our youth athletes can become all they can be.

Ubuntu!

Saints Bounty Audio >>

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

The latest twist in the New Orleans Saints' pay-for-injury bounty scandal is a sickening audio recording that carries some major implications for youth sports coaches. This Yahoo! Sports article by Mike Silver reveals sections of a speech by former Saints Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams instructing players how to injure specific 49ers players in last January's playoff game.

The article also includes links to audio recorded by filmmaker Sean Pamphilon, who had access to the Saints. The audio is not for the faint of heart, ear, mind or stomach. It includes many expletives, is mind boggling in its inhumanity and disregard for spirit and letter of football rules, and is literally gut-wrenching.

This latest revelation strengthens the argument that youth sports coaches must not blindly emulate pro sports coaches. If your children have youth sports coaches who are untrained and inclined to see themselves as similar to their pro coaching heroes, have your children RUN...while they still can.

Use Our Child-Abuse Prevention Resources >>

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

View Webinar for Coaches and Leaders on Child-Abuse Prevention Co-Hosted by PCA and Kidpower

View Webinar for Parents on Child-Abuse Prevention Co-Hosted by PCA and Kidpower

Download PCA's Child Abuse Prevention Policies and Procedures Template

How PCA Protects Against Child Abuse in Youth Sports

PCA’s mission of providing all youth athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience entails addressing ways to ensure children’s safety. This concern is heightened by the late 2011 allegations of child sex abuse against prominent coaches and youth sports leaders.

A Founding Member of PCA’s National Advisory Board, and Founder of Common Cause, John Gardner, once said, “There isn’t any other youth institution that equals sports as a setting in which to develop character. There just isn’t. Sports are the perfect setting because character is tested all the time. It means a great deal if that time in sports is well used.”

So many parents involve their children in youth sports precisely because it is THE best place to build character and learn life lessons, such as teamwork and overcoming adversity. While the alleged abuses are horrific in and of themselves, they also are troubling because they call into question the safety and trustworthiness of the institution of youth sports.

We all, as leaders in the youth sports community, have the opportunity and obligation to make a difference – to do all we can to protect the kids in our programs by intentionally and deliberately creating organizational prevention measures, reporting policies and procedures for dealing with reports of abuse.

To be clear, PCA is not an expert in the area of child abuse prevention. But we are experts in building positive youth sports cultures, and in that vein, we provide youth sports leaders, coaches and parents with the following resources to make you more aware of and prepared to combat child sexual abuse.

Resources for Youth Sports Parents

Resources for Youth Sports Leaders

Resources for Youth Sports Coaches

-- POSITIVE COACHING ALLIANCE

Essay by Lionel Hollins, New Advisory Board Member >>

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

What I Do Isn't Who I Am

by Lionel Hollins, Head Coach Memphis Grizzlies and PCA National Advisory Board Member
Photo: Joe Murphy (NBAE/Getty Images)

Brett Favre, Allen Iverson, etc...the list is long. Athletes not being able to face the real world of relative irrelevancy. From an over-indulgent life of excess and narcissism as an overhyped sports star hero, to father, husband, carpooling dad.

A classic example of your job becoming your identity...Bill Russell is often criticized for saying, "I'm not a basketball player; it's not who I am, it's what I do. I am a man!" It's true. We are not defined by what we do but who we are as a person.

Our world is full of immature men who are idolized for their exploits in sports and business! Believing what we do is who we are. We have to learn to grow up, and society has to allow it. Bogus behavior shouldn't be ignored simply because you run faster, shoot straighter, jump higher, hit the ball harder, or throw it faster, create a new product, or build a company from nothing to something great.

You are no more important just because your God-given talents are in arenas that are watched by millions and written about on a daily basis.

Sports was an extracurricular activity for exercise, the development of character and teaching of basic life skills -- teamwork, work ethic, perseverance, patience, overcoming adversity, and fair play -- through competition.

Money has obviously changed that, on every level. We see kids ignoring a college experience to jump to a man's world -- where they are immature mentally and socially -- even when the physical talent isn't developed to the level necessary to be REALLY successful. We want it on the field, right now, at the first glimpse of greatness. But you wouldn't want a doctor to operate without the benefit of his residency time, no matter how talented he is perceived to be.

One kid has even forsaken his high school senior year to turn pro overseas. How ludicrous is this? Parents, wake up! This is a life with potential; nurture and develop values that are sustaining. Lay a foundation for success, built on solid ground, not of failure, built on sand. Talent isn't everything.

There is a responsibility that goes with success. There are many examples of "talented" people failing, leaving everyone wondering why they didn't succeed. Every excuse is analyzed, every coach scrutinized for his development or lack of development of said athlete. Without realizing that their unconditional idolization -- and lack of discipline, responsibility and accountability -- is really at the root of that immaturity, and ultimately, failure.

Money is not the panacea to all of one’s problems. Even if you have enough, all your troubles don’t disappear. You need balance, self control, values, and an understanding of how to manage it, before you get it!

Once a child's youth is gone he can't get it back. Then it is time for adult decisions and actions. Responsibilities and expectations are greater. The obligations of being a man or a woman take precedence. In Ecclesiastes, it says there is a time and a season for everything...let's keep things in perspective, and in their due time and season.

Teach your young athlete how to be a giver, rather than a taker...a man or woman for others! A community server, helping to make the world a better place one community and neighborhood at a time. That is what is important, using God's gifts and blessings to be a blessing for others!

Coach Obama >>

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

President Obama, known for his Basketball Jones, is now coaching his daughter's middle school team. As you can tell from this article and video, the President is Positive!

That's because "Barry," as Obama was known to the Punahou High School basketball team, played there under Chris McLachlin, who has been a PCA Trainer and huge PCA supporter.

Apply Today: PCA-Houston Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarships

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

A highlight for PCA-Houston each year is awarding scholarships to high school student athletes who best exemplify the PCA Triple-Impact Competitor principles – making a positive contribution on three levels:

Personal Mastery: Making oneself better
Leadership: Making one’s teammates better
Honoring the Game: Making the game better.

In the past two years at our Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship and Awards Banquet, PCA-Houston has given $28,000 in collegiate scholarships, has honored several youth and high school coaches and has welcomed such inspiring speakers as Texans Head Coach Gary Kubiak and Rockets Vice President of Basketball Operations Sam Hinkie.

The scholarship and coach awards finalists, and their friends and family, are invited to the banquet at no cost. Ticket sales to others provide the resources needed for PCA to spread throughout the Houston area and deliver character-education programming for coaches, parents, and young athletes, particularly in Houston’s underserved communities.

To apply for these scholarships, available to current high school junior (Class of 2013) student-athletes with a GPA of at least 2.5, click here.

PCA-Houston Impact Spreading

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

Since 2009, the number of youth impacted by PCA-Houston has increased tenfold to more than 60,000 last year. In just the past few months, we have certified nearly 2,500 coaches through partnerships with youth baseball organization, impacting more than 25,000 children. Thanks to your support, PCA-Houston now partners with 120 organizations throughout the Houston area, most of which are in under-served communities and receive grant-funding

Much of that work was part of the Houston Tipping Point Project, funded by David Weekley and Bob Graham, which also had the external evaluation firm, See Change, gathering feedback from organizational leaders, coaches, athletes and parents. Among the most telling comments was one from a high school Athletic Director:

“PCA is not necessarily a physical kind of help. It's more the emotional…getting through hard games and coming through as a team. PCA helps us with our mental toughness. It's the weight room for the mental part of the game.”

Houston-Area Coaches Win National Awards

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

St. John’s School Girls’ Lacrosse Coach Angie Kensinger and Clear Lake Lacrosse Association Coach Ray Botto have won PCA’s national Double-Goal Coach^® Award Presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance.

The award – named for coaches whose first goal is winning, and whose second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports – carries a $250 prize, a trophy and mention within the websites and newsletters of PCA and the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports program Powered by Positive Coaching Alliance.

Kensinger has led her teams to either the state title or Southwest Preparatory Conference title or both in each of the last eight years. “My assistant coaches and I make it fun,” she says. “We bring love of the game to the field. We’re so positive. If someone makes a mistake, we don’t punish them. We work really hard. We foster teamwork, and we have a lot of fun traditions that they cherish. There are always challenges and setbacks, and that’s a life lesson. We all know as we get older there are roadblocks and hurdles, but if you believe that everything happens for a reason, you can learn from that. I hope to instill that in the girls.”

In pursuit of wins and life lessons for his team, Botto uses the acronym PRIDE – for Principles, Respect, Integrity, Discipline, Effort – to guide his youth lacrosse players on and off the field. “Tell me where those ingredients don’t lead to success,” he says. “If we’re doing the fundamentals, following the strategy and working as a cohesive team, the scoreboard, nine times out of ten is going to take care of itself.”

Advisory Board's Claudio Reyna in Soccer Hall of Fame >>

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

PCA National Advisory Board Member Claudio Reyna has been elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame. The former captain of the U.S. Men’s National Team was named on 96% of the ballots in his first year of eligibility.

Reyna, now serving as U.S. Soccer’s Youth Technical Director, played for the U.S. from 1994-2006, including four FIFA World Cup teams. He also had a 13-year career in Europe with such teams as Manchester City, Sunderland and Glasgow Rangers.

“I am thrilled for Claudio,” said PCA Founder Jim Thompson. “He deserves this honor both for his stellar career as a competitor and for who he is as a person. PCA is about developing better competitors and better people and Claudio is a great role model for both."

Read Jack Jablonski Update >>

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

The latest chapter in the heart-breaking saga of Jack Jablonski is actually heart-warming.

Jablonski, a Benilde-St. Margaret's High School hockey player paralyzed earlier this season in an on-ice checking accident, recently watched his teammates win the Minnesota Class 2A hockey state championship.

Here is a great article from Rachel Blount of the Minneapolis Star Tribune with accompanying video.

Read About USA! Chant Controversy >>

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

Props to Andrew Brewer, basketball coach of the San Antonio area's Alamo Heights High School, for intervening to stop fans of his team from derisively chanting "USA!" after defeating Edison High School, a predominantly Latino team.

According to this article, San Antonio Independent School District Athletic Director Gil Garza filed a complaint with Texas' University Interscholastic League about the Alamo Heights fan behavior.

"I appreciate Coach Brewer taking the action he took to stop it," Garza said. "Our kids try real hard and work extra hard to get to the regional tournament, and then we have to worry about them being subjected to this kind of insensitivity.

"To be attacked about your ethnicity and being made to feel that you don't belong in this country is terrible. Why can't people just applaud our kids? It just gets old and I'm sick of it."

PCA in The Boston Globe >>

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

Welcome to Hot Reads, a frequently updated summary with links to the hottest stories and issues impacting youth sports. Let us know what you think of these video and articles on PCA's Facebook page!

March 12, 2002

In this article inThe Boston Globe, PCA Founder Jim Thompson advises youth sports coaches and organizations on how to handle the fallout from recent sex-abuse scandals involving high-profile coaches.

March 6, 2012: NFL Bounty Controversy

The current controversy about "bounty systems" has implications for youth sports. At about 5:50 into this video on ESPN.com, commentator and former Dallas Cowboys defensive back Darren Woodson recalls being rewarded for "big hits" at "eight, nine years old."

While that statement alone does not mean there was a bounty system set up for Woodson's youth team, it is ample evidence that youth coaches too often try -- usually in all the wrong ways -- to replicate pro coaches.

In this case, don't.

March 1, 2012: Jack Jablonski

Read this Sports Illustrated article written by hockey mom Karen Schneider about Jack Jablonski, a Minnesota high school hockey player paralyzed in a checking accident. Including comments from PCA Champion and Minnesota Hockey Coach-in-Chief Hal Tearse, this article illustrates how swiftly parents and youth sports leaders can band together to change our games for good.

February 16, 2012: Jeremy Lin

What can youth sports coaches learn from Lin-sanity? Evaluate players on more than just "talent." With PCA's proximity to Jeremy Lin's Palo Alto roots, we've heard from coaches who have known Lin since middle school and still "never saw this coming."

PCA workshops emphasize messages from Mindset by Carol Dweck -- PCA National Advisory Board Member and Stanford University professor -- tying success in sports and beyond to effort rather than "talent." As a youth coach, don't just hitch your wagon to the biggest, tallest, most athletic player; also consider the hardest-working, most willing to learn and grow, and smartest (think Harvard-bound)!

You might already be coaching the next Jeremy Lin, and you'll be able to say you knew it all along!

February 8, 2012: Austin and Doc Rivers

Last night, PCA National Advisory Board Member and Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers made PCA Night at the Celtics game extremely special with his comments in this pre-game interview. Tonight, Doc's son Austin hit a buzzer-beating three in the Dean Dome (named for PCA National Advisory Board Member and former North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith), and Doc reaped the rewards of his enlightened approach to sports parenting, seen in the video below.

January 23, 2012: Joe Paterno

What will be your memory of Joe Paterno: 409 wins, character education for hundreds of players, or "With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more"?

Let us know on PCA's Facebook page!

January 5, 2012

Phil Taylor's "Point After" column in Sports Illustrated includes great perspective from PCA's Jim Thompson on how youth sports coaches can respond to concerns raised by the recent sex-abuse allegations against prominent college coaches.

Here are PCA's resources on fighting sex abuse in youth sports, as referenced in "Point After."

January 4, 2012

Kudos to Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin for putting Ryan Clark's health ahead of winning a playoff game. "It's a big game for us," Tomlin said, "but it is a game, and we'll keep it in that perspective. It was really kind of an easy decision for us."

Yes, Ryan Clark is the Steelers' leading tackler. Yes, it's a cruel twist that the Steelers, with a record far superior to Denver's, must travel to the one place in the league where high altitude aggravates Clark's sickle cell trait.

But it was an easy decision for a coach whose fear of putting a player in harm's way exceeds his fear of losing. If only more youth coaches could make such an easy decision!

December 7, 2011

A must-read from SoccerAmerica's Youth Soccer Insider for anyone concerned with bullying and how coaches, parents and athletes can respond a gay youth athlete in their community.

November 30, 2011

Ndamukong Suh -- fined for a questionable pre-season hit on Andy Dalton, criticized for trash-talking Matt Ryan -- was praised for initiating a meeting with Roger Goodell to better understand league rules. Goodell must have failed to mention rules against stomping downed opponents. Is the two game suspension enough? Let us know on PCA's Facebook page!

November 18, 2011

The video below covers the extremely touching and inspiring story of Mike Whittles, football coach at PCA Partner Archbishop Spalding High School (Severn, MD), who is fighting cancer, and Biff Poggi of rival Gilman School, winner of a 2011 PCA Double-Goal Coach® Award.

Here is another article about Mike Whittles and Biff Poggi.

November 3, 2011

Great interview of U.S. National Women's Soccer Team star Alex Morgan in SoccerAmerica's Youth Soccer Insider. Get Alex's views on college recruitment and how it affects decisions about when to specialize in a sport.

Inspiring article by Ken Hoffman of the Houston Chronicle about a youth baseball tournament dedicated to raising funds for a cancer-stricken player.

View Alexi Lalas Webinar >>

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

Double-Goal Coach Award Winner: Mike Burzawa>>

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

In December of 2007, Mike Burzawa had just completed his third season as head football coach for his alma mater, Driscoll Catholic High School. He had also just led Driscoll to its seventh straight state title, a feat that only nine schools in the entire country have accomplished.

And after compiling a 41-1 record over his three years as head coach (he served as offensive coordinator for the team from 1998-2004), Burzawa left the dynasty he had helped to create.

He left the only high school he’d known, and headed east to Evanston Township High School (ETHS), where the Wildkits had just wrapped up 1-8 campaign on the football field.

“He had Illinois’ best active winning percentage (.976), and traded that in for a sure-fire losing season at a program in turmoil,” explained ETHS Athletic Director Chris Livatino.

“Why did he do this? Because he wanted to rebuild a legendary program, and most importantly he wanted to make a difference in the lives of kids who truly needed his help on and off the field.”

It was this rebuilding project, which extended far beyond the turf football field at ETHS into its hallways and classrooms that earned Coach Burzawa the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) Double-Goal Coach® Award presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance.

PCA is a national nonprofit organization, which includes a local chapter in Chicago, with the mission to transform the culture of youth and high school sports so that all student-athletes have a positive, character building experience. Each year, PCA honors 20 coaches from around the country through its Double-Goal Coach Awards program, recognizing coaches who strive to not only win, but more importantly to teach life lessons and character education through sports.

“For all the success that he has had winning football games,” Livatino said, “it’s focusing on that second goal of developing the complete student-athlete that makes Coach Burzawa stand out.”

Call him Coach Buzz
In the hallways and athletic offices of ETHS, the Double-Goal Coach Award winner is best known as "Coach Buzz."

“It’s a name I’ve always had,” he said. “They used to call my dad Buzz, and then that just got passed on to me. It’s something everyone has called me, mostly because they can’t pronounce Burzawa.”

No matter what you call him, he’s a great football coach and a better role model.

Coach Buzz played running back and defensive back at Driscoll Catholic, before going on to play for legendary coach Gordie Gillespie at the University of St. Francis, a Division II school in Joliet.

After graduating from college, Buzz returned to Driscoll where he was a physical education teacher and football coach. He worked his way up from assistant coach, to offensive coordinator, to the eventual head-coaching role in 2005.

In 2007, Burzawa’s final season at Driscoll, his mentor and one of the architects of the Driscoll football dynasty, Mike Loconsole, lost a two-year battle with mantle cell lymphoma.

“He was my coach and he was the first guy I called to help me with the offense when I took over as coordinator," said Burzawa. "We dedicated that 2007 championship season to ‘Coach Loci.’ At the end of that season, I just felt in my heart it was time to move on.”

After 16 years as both a player and coach at Driscoll, Burzawa left behind a 41-1 record in his three seasons as a head coach and headed to Evanston, where the Wildkits had won a total of eight games in that same time period, including just one victory in 2007.

Changing the Culture
As the Evanston football team finished its summer camp in 2008 after Coach Buzz’s first few months on the job, he learned they would be losing 24 players because they did not pass summer school.

ETHS has high standards for their student-athletes, requiring all to have at least a 2.0 GPA, a full point higher than the state requirement (1.0).

The Wildkits would go onto a 2-7 season during Burzawa’s first campaign. It was a humbling experience for the former state championship coach.

“I remember sitting in our postseason meeting with the coaches planning out our offseason schedule, lifting and workouts,” Burzawa explained, “and then one of our assistant coaches, Denny Hall (former New Trier football coach and a 2007 inductee into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame) said none of this is really going to matter if we don’t take care of the grades in the classroom.”

With that, the mantra of “Academics before Athletics” was born within the ETHS football program. T-shirts were made, study groups were formed, and kids were held accountable for their academics year-round. Three days a week during the season, football players would start school 30 minutes early to take part in study tables or extra support sessions with teachers.

Even in the weight room, where in most schools records hang on the wall for bench press and dead lifts, the Wildkits have a chart that tracks team GPA. In his office, Burzawa’s walls are decorated with certificates of players who were named to the All-State Academic Team.

The high standards haven’t come without some tough decisions, though. During one of Burzawa’s first seasons at Evanston, he was prepared to bring up a sophomore to start in one of the biggest games of the year against rival New Trier.

“The night before the game, I checked over the student-athlete’s grades, and he wasn’t where he needed to be. He was really struggling. We basically ended his football season so that he could focus on his school work and get things back on track.”

That decision changed the student-athlete’s life. Not only did he go on to become an All-State running back his senior year, but school became his top priority, as he earned mostly A’s and B’s the rest of his high school career.

“Prior to Buzz, our program averaged 20-25 academically ineligible players a year,” said Livatino. “After just one year, that number dropped and has remained at 1-2 players each season.”

“The team as a whole really started to buy in to what Coach Buzz was trying to do with this program,” said Leonard Garron, a senior linebacker and defensive lineman who played varsity for three years. “He really wanted us to be successful outside of football, as well. Those guys that didn’t buy in to that idea aren’t around anymore.”

Garron, who served as one of the captains of the football team and also starred on the school’s basketball team, will head to Southern Illinois University next year, where he’ll play football and study mechanical engineering.

Senior lineman and fellow team captain Max Anderson echoes Garron’s sentiments, and recalls what the focus was at practice during the week leading up to this year’s tilt with New Trier.

“Midterms,” Anderson said. “It was midterm week and every day he was making sure we were doing OK with our tests, and let us know if we were having any problems to come see him. Obviously he wanted to win that game, but just as important if not more important was making sure that we had another year of a team GPA over 3.0.”

Anderson was recently accepted and will attend Indiana University’s School of Business after graduating from Evanston this spring.

The Moment
Malcolm Gladwell called it the Tipping Point; Burzawa called it “The Moment”. It was the moment when everything clicked for his team, when all of his positive energy, all of his talk about "effort equaling excellence,’" and all the ideas of learning something from each loss and getting better each day, came together.

“We needed a win to clinch a playoff berth, against a team (Glenbrook South) we had not beaten in over a decade,” remembered Livatino. “Playing on the road, with three minutes to go in the third quarter, our team was down 31-0. Buzz never stopped believing.”

Thirty-four unanswered points later, Coach Buzz and the Wildkits had a victory and a playoff berth.

“It was crazy. Half of the crowd had already left the stadium,” said Burzawa, as he sat in his office this past February remembering the game. “That was really the moment when I realized we changed things at Evanston. The kids knew it, the coaches knew it. That was the moment we had officially changed the culture. Everything we had done the previous two years enabled us to do what we did that night.”

That night not only marked a playoff berth, but it marked the turnaround of an historic football program. In 2008, Burzawa’s first season as head coach at Evanston, the Wildkits went 2-7. Two seasons later, they were playoff bound.

The success on the field would continue to the 2011 season. With a 5-4 record, the school qualified for the state playoffs for the second straight season. This marked the first time the team had consecutive playoff berths since the 1990s. Coach Buzz expects the Wildkits to continue their winning ways in 2012.

“We return a lot on both lines, which is important. We lose some of our skill players, but we’ll be good up front.”

Senior running back and team captain Aaron Potts doesn’t think it will be too difficult to replace some of those graduating athletes.

“Each year under Coach Buzz, we’ve gotten better. One of the things Coach Buzz is great at is cultivating athletes. He pushes everyone on the team to get better each day, to improve as a team and individually. When we’ve lost people in the past, others have stepped up.”

In his spare time, he coaches
For a high school football coach and assistant athletic director (a position Burzawa took over this year), there isn’t really such a thing as spare time. During the season, there is practice, film session and game planning to be done after the school day is over. In the off season, his duties in the athletic department keep him at school long past normal operating hours as a site supervisor for other events, among other responsibilities. Throw in the hour commute each way to his home in Bartlett, and Burzawa has to carefully carve out time for his family, including his daughter Alexa, who is in second grade.

“Last spring, I volunteered to be the head coach of her softball team,” Burzawa said with a smile. "You can get a whole football program to listen to you, and then you can go out there with 12 six, seven and eight-year old girls, who don’t listen to you at all! But I really enjoyed that, and I know I’m going to have guaranteed time to spend with my daughter. It’s been really special.”

Family has always been something important to Burzawa. His parents owned and operated the family business, a catering company, for over 30 years. His father was a head chef for 57 years, with gigs including the Drake Hotel in downtown Chicago. After graduating from college, Burzawa worked in the family business, while teaching and coaching at Driscoll.

“That’s really where I learned my work ethic and my values, from my mother and father,” Burzawa explained.

“It was great to see the passion from my Mom and Dad and what they did in their life. I’m just really blessed that I get to do something that I love and that’s coach football, and hopefully make a difference in student-athletes’ lives.”

It’s safe to say that the Evanston Township High School community loves having Coach Buzz around not only as their football coach, but more importantly as an individual who is truly making his student-athletes better people.

“I want to be remembered as a coach that really cared for the kids, and did everything I could for them in football and in life.”

Cavs GM Chris Grant Joins Advisory Board >>

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant -- who played basketball at California's Cañada Junior College for long-time PCA Trainer Mike Legarza -- has joined PCA's National Advisory Board.

"I am thrilled to welcome Chris to our National Advisory Board," said PCA Founder and CEO Jim Thompson. "His passion for PCA's mission is obvious, and his focus on building a positive culture with the Cavaliers is something that PCA can learn from to help us in our goal of transforming the culture of youth sports."

Said Grant: "I am excited to be part of the Positive Coaching Alliance movement. I have benefitted greatly from sports and I want to help PCA create an environment in which every youth athlete can thrive and become a better competitor as well as a better person."

Grant played three years for the University of San Diego where he earned his undergraduate degree in psychology and a master’s degree in educational leadership. Before becoming GM of the Cavaliers, Chris worked for nine years with the Atlanta Hawks where he worked his way up from video intern to become Vice President of Basketball Operations & Assistant General Manager.

Hot Reads: Inspiring Story of Chicago Area Wrestling Coach>>

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

Mike Powell, Head Wrestling Coach for Oak Park River Forest High School, was featured in the February 13 issue of Sports Illustrated, detailing his inspiring story of building a state championship program while personally battling a rare, life-threatening muscle disease.

Oak Park River Forest High School, a partner of PCA-Chicago during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years, hosted Double-Goal Coach® workshops for all of their coaches, including Coach Powell.

The entire Sports Illustrated article is featured here. Throughout the article, you will see that it's not all about winning and losing on the mat with Coach Powell. Instead, he focuses on every member of the team giving their best effort, regardless of the result. He dismisses some of the stereotypes that come along with being a wrestler, and encourages his student-athletes to be well-rounded, sensitive, respectful individuals.

Powell was also featured on WGN and the Chicago Tribune website with a brief video highlighting his story. Click here to watch the video.

PCA-Chicago to host Windy City Shootout>>

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

PCA-Chicago Windy City Shootout Details

What: 3on3 basketball tournament for adults, to help raise money for PCA-Chicago
When: Saturday, April 28th at 10 am-2 pm.
Pre-tournament event to be held on Monday, April 23rd at Chicago Cubs game (paid sponsors will receive 4 tickets to the game)
Where: The tournament will be held at UIC Flames Athletic Center
How to get involved: Team sponsorship - $5,000, which includes: Four participant bags which include tournament jersey, tournament dri-fit long sleeve shirt, as well as other items from local sports teams. Each team is guaranteed at least 3 games. Lunch and refreshments will be provided
Additional sponsorship levels available; also accepting in-kind sponsorships.

For more information, please contact Jason Sacks, PCA-Chicago Executive Director.

Additional Information about PCA and the Windy City Shootout
Positive Coaching Alliance is a national non-profit organization, based at Stanford University, including a local office here in Chicago, with the mission to help transform the culture of youth and high school sports so that all children involved have a positive, character building experience.

The Windy City Shootout will look to raise $50,000 to help support PCA-Chicago partnerships and workshops in under served communities throughout the city of Chicago, as well as as well as scholarships to recognize deserving high school student-athletes that represent PCA’s values.

This tournament will feature an Open Division for adults (male and female) in a pool-play, round-robin format with the top teams from each pool advancing to a single elimination playoff bracket. All teams will be guaranteed at least 3 games.

Leading up to the Shootout, PCA-Chicago will host a pre-tournament get together to welcome athletes and corporate sponsors, along with other PCA supporters. This will take place at the Chicago Cubs game on Monday, April 23rd. All team sponsors will receive four (4) tickets to the game.

The Windy City Shootout is based on the 10-year success of PCA’s Silicon Valley Shootout, which is held in California’s Bay Area. With support from companies like Bank of America, Bain and Company, Deloitte, eBay, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Silver Lake Partners, Sullivan and Cromwell, UBS and many more, the Silicon Valley Shootout has been able to raise over $1.6 million to benefit Positive Coaching Alliance.

For a complete list of the PCA–Chicago Board of Directors, click here.

SF RBI Partnership

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

San Francisco RBI Partners with Positive Coaching Alliance to Train Baseball and Softball Coaches, Parents and Organizational Leaders

Stanford, CA – Feb. 23, 2012 – Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) and San Francisco RBI (SF RBI) are partnering to ensure that every SF RBI baseball and softball coach is trained as a Double-Goal Coach®, whose first goal is winning, and whose second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports.

PCA, a national non-profit dedicated to providing all youth athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience, is providing its Double-Goal Coach training pro bono to SF RBI, an affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Reviving Baseball in the Inner-City (RBI) program.

Training will occur Monday, February 27, from 5pm to 7pm at Bessie Carmichael Middle School – Room #5; 824 Harrison Street in San Francisco.

“The potential impact of SF RBI on hundreds of youth athletes in underserved communities makes PCA excited to partner with SF RBI,” said PCA Founder and CEO Jim Thompson. “We look forward to helping ensure that every SF RBI player gets the best possible coaching to make them better competitors and better people.”

In coming weeks, PCA will lead live, group workshops to train all SF RBI coaches, parents and organizational leaders. Workshop participants will receive copies of Thompson’s books, such as The Power of Double-Goal Coaching and Positive Sports Parenting, as well as access to online resources that reinforce PCA techniques and keep coaches, parents and leaders mindful of helping their youth athletes improve their on-field performance while also taking valuable life lessons from competitive sports.

“We are so fortunate to have a partnership with Jim Thompson and his entire PCA team,” said Jim Messemer, founder and executive director of San Francisco RBI. “Their organization is one of excellence and will ensure that we can give our students, coaches and parents the absolute best team experience this season and for many seasons to come.”

About San Francisco RBI

San Francisco RBI, in a partnership with Major League Baseball, was created in 2010 to help ensure that local at-risk youth in underserved areas of San Francisco have the opportunity to learn essential life skills and the fundamentals of baseball and softball in an organized system. San Francisco RBI provides year-round programs to the students at Bessie Carmichael School, with a focus on promoting literacy, the arts, health, nutrition, and baseball and softball skills.

The goal of San Francisco RBI is for every one of their program participants to graduate high school, attain a college degree and become a high-performing citizen. Their program promotes education, literacy, teamwork and citizenship. San Francisco RBI stands by a mission to encourage every child to Reach for their dreams, Believe in themselves and their ability to achieve academically and Inspire personal success. For more information or to donate, visit www.sfrbi.org.

For more information, contact:

David Jacobson
PCA Marketing Communications Manager
650-210-0808

or

Jim Messemer
San Francisco RBI Founder and Executive Director
415-524-7554

Local Coach Named Winner of Double-Goal Coach Award>>

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Mike Burzawa, who has led a turnaround for the Evanston Township High School football team, has won Positive Coaching Alliance’s coveted Double-Goal Coach Award Presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance for his positive impact on youth athletes.

The award – named for coaches whose first goal is winning, and whose second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports – carries a $250 prize, a trophy and mention within the websites and newsletters of Positive Coaching Alliance (www.PositiveCoach.org) and the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports program (ResponsibleSports.com).

“Mike helps youth athletes win on and off the field,” said PCA Founder and CEO Jim Thompson, author of eight books on youth and high school sports, including Elevating Your Game (for student-athletes); The Power of Double-Goal Coaching and Positive Sports Parenting. “By creating a positive, character-building youth sports experience, and serving youth as a Double-Goal Coach, Mike helps his athletes become better competitors and better people.”

Burzawa, who led Driscoll Catholic to a state title three-peat from 2005-2007, inherited an Evanston squad that went 1-8 and has since led the Wildkits to repeat playoff appearances for the first time in 12 years. He maintains standards off the field, as well.

Implementing a program titled “Academics Before Athletics” has helped Burzawa strengthen the culture at ETHS. For example, Burzawa said, one player rebounded from a 1.75 grade point average – “and big credit goes to one of his teachers, Janice Jenkins, who worked with this young man until he started to understand how important academics are” – to a 3.8 GPA.

“All of us working collaboratively helped him realize he could do this work, and it was just miraculous to see….Our mission statement is to teach our student-athletes to have a purpose beyond the obvious, personally, academically and athletically. Teaching them those values of dedication, hard work, commitment and teamwork, football becomes a microcosm of life.”

Burzawa’s approach embodies the shared values that are central to Liberty Mutual Insurance and PCA, which also have partnered to help youth sports coaches and parents through the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports program. Founded in 2007, the program serves as a means to highlight the positive impact that everyday, responsible actions can have on our youth.

The Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports program provides resources for parents and coaches at ResponsibleSports.com to help children reap the full benefits of playing a team sport. The online community incorporates podcasts, videos, and best practices on youth sports topics that provide practical, real-world advice. Parents and coaches also can complete guides on positive sports mentoring that offer best practices for handling challenging sports scenarios.

See Who Won Double-Goal Coach Awards >>

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Congratulations to the 20 winners of PCA's 2012 Double-Goal Coach® Awards Presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance. View the list of winners!

Area Coaches Named Double-Goal Coach Award Finalists

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

PCA has named it's list of 50 finalists for 2012 Double-Goal Coach Awards Presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance.

The list of finalists includes Richard Binney of Delta Little League Baseball in Stockton, Mark Broers of Eureka Select Girls Shamrocks Soccer in Granite Bay, and Brett Stauffer of Rocklin "Hot Tamale" Girls Soccer in Rocklin.

"We commend and congratulate these youth coaches who embody our Double-Goal Coach model of not just winning but reinforcing life lessons through sports," commented, Bill Herenda, PCA-Sacramento, Executive Director. "They are truly making a difference in their respective communities developing the next generation and preparing them to be successful athletes and people on and off the athletic courts and fields of our neighborhoods."

PCA each year names 20 youth or high school sports coaches from throughout the U.S. as Double-Goal Coach Award winners, honoring them for pursuing the goal of winning, and an even more important goal, teaching life lessons through sports. Award winners - to be announced in mid-February - receive a stunning trophy, $250, and recognition in PCA's media campaigns, website and e-mail newsletters.

"All the finalists are to be congratulated for their outstanding service to youth and their communities," said PCA Founder and CEO Jim Thompson, author of eight books on youth sports, including Elevating Your Game, The Power of Double-Goal Coaching and Positive Sports Parenting. "The nomination and testimonial letters submitted on behalf of the finalists are incredibly moving and show the power of a Double-Goal Coach to have a positive impact on young lives."

Chicago Area Coaches Named Finalists for Double-Goal Coach Awards

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST

Three local coaches from the Chicago area were named finalists for Positive Coaching Alliance's Double-Goal Coach® Awards presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance. Each year, PCA names 20 youth or high school sports coaches from throughout the U.S. as Double-Goal Coach Award winners, honoring them for pursuing the goal of winning, and an even more important goal, teaching life lessons through sports.

The list of finalists includes Evanston Township High School Head Football Coach, Mike Burzawa; Ida Crown Jewish Academy High School and Skokie Youth Baseball Head Coach, Ray Asher; Andrean High School and North & South Shore Assault Volleyball Club Head Coach, Julie Wiejak.

"With so many worthy coaches across the country, it's great to recognize three outstanding coaches right here in the Chicago area," said Jason Sacks, Executive Director of PCA-Chicago. "All of these individuals have proven not only to be outstanding coaches in their respective sport, but also great role models and mentors for their student-athletes."

Award winners - to be announced in mid-February - receive a trophy, $250 and recognition in PCA's media campaigns, website and e-mail newsletters.

"All the finalists are to be congratulated for their outstanding service to youth and their communities," said PCA Founder and CEO Jim Thompson. "The nomination and testimonial letters submitted on behalf of the finalists are incredibly moving and show the power of a Double-Goal Coach to have a positive impact on young lives."

PCA on NBC >>

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

As part of PCA winning the Toyota Halftime Handoff -- including $10,000 and a halftime appearance
on NBC's NFL coverage -- NBC produced this video. Thanks to all who voted for PCA on Facebook
to help us win this contest, and thanks to long-time PCA Partner Menlo School for hosting the
video shoot.

Jim Thompson on Inspireum Soccer Awards >>

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

Just before the holiday break, it was my privilege to serve as a panelist for the Inspireum Soccer Awards, which last week gave a total of $25,000 in scholarships to 12 high school age soccer players deemed “most inspirational.”

It was a pleasure to serve on a panel with some of the leading lights at all levels of U.S. soccer. More importantly, reading the stories and watching the videos that you can experience here, was nothing short of inspirational.

It was great to see that one of the finalists, Maritza Valdespino, plays for a PCA Partner, Houston’s Milby High School, whose coaches have had PCA training. Each of these student-athletes is inspiring and would make worthy applicants for PCA’s own Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship Program, which is now accepting nominations.

--Jim Thompson, PCA Founder and CEO

PCA on Sex Abuse >>

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

This space will track PCA's response to the evolving news of sex abuse in sports, including links to PCA media appearances and PCA Founder Jim Thompson's original commentary, Joe Paterno and the Moral Courage Required of Coaches.

Advice from PCA Founder Jim Thompson as contained in this San Jose Mercury News article:

Parents must be the primary advocate for their children. "If you think something doesn't feel right, then you need to take that instinct seriously."
Children need to know the warning signs. "We tend to teach our kids to respect authority, and who has more authority in a kid's life than a coach? Just like we tell our kids not to get into a car with a stranger, parents need to let kids know that whenever they don't feel safe, you will back them up."
Don't let kids be alone with coaches even for individual instruction. "It's not that we even think something is happening. But it keeps everyone involved in a safe situation."

Joe Paterno and the Moral Courage Required of Coaches

By Jim Thompson

The firing of Penn State University Football Coach Joe Paterno in response to sex crime charges against his former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, should heighten public consciousness of the awesome power and responsibility of “coach” – from the top levels of competition all the way down to youth sports – and the need for coaches to exercise moral courage.

Coaches, first and foremost, are responsible for the well-being of their athletes and for setting an example of the type of person they are coaching their athletes to become. That includes protecting children when presented evidence of abuse…even if the accused is charming, powerful or a friend and colleague.

Those working with youth should understand their legal and ethical responsibilities. Many states have mandatory reporting requirements for anyone who is alerted to potential child abuse. In any event, it’s essential to err on the side of caution, rather than turning away and hoping things will be okay.

Doing so requires moral courage, the willingness to stand up for what is right even when others – including your friends, colleagues and teammates – disapprove. We often fail to exercise moral courage because we don’t want to let our teammates down and we fear being ostracized from a group or institution we value.

It is deeply ingrained in our human psyche that being part of a tribe is crucial to our safety, as it has been throughout human history. It seems Joe Paterno succumbed to the pressure to go along with his “tribe” rather than to fulfill his greatest responsibilities as a coach…as a vaunted leader, shaper of young people and exemplar of the institution he helped build.

Let’s hope that the sad end of Joe Paterno’s career will help all of us reach down and find our own moral courage when we face – as we likely will sooner or later – the pressure to protect a friend or an institution we love, even at the expense of those most innocent and vulnerable in our society.

Jim Thompson is founder and CEO of Positive Coaching Alliance (www.positivecoach.org), a national non-profit organization committed to providing all youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience. He is the author of Elevating Your Game: Becoming a Triple-Impact Competitor®.

For more, see PCA-Sacramento Executive Director Bill Herenda on this KCRA-TV report.

Also, hear Bill Herenda on KFBK Radio

Doc Rivers at PCA Workshop

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

Explaining the role PCA played in helping him lead the Boston Celtics to their most recent championship, PCA National Advisory Board Member and Celtics Coach Doc Rivers addressed a group of Boys and Girls Clubs members as part of a PCA workshop. "You're in the right place," Rivers told the gathering of student-athletes, who ranged in age from 12-17. "This is the workshop that brought that trophy (to Boston)."

The Nov. 30 workshop at the Celtics' practice facility tipped off PCA-Boston's partnership with the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation. “PCA-Boston is delighted with the support we have received from the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation and from Doc Rivers,” said PCA-Boston Executive Director Andy Crossley. “The event today exemplified the values shared by PCA, Doc and the Shamrock Foundation. PCA-Boston is very grateful for the Shamrock Foundation’s wide-ranging support, which was key to establishing our presence in the Greater Boston Area.”

The event included a special presentation of PCA's Triple-Impact Competitor® workshop for an audience of children from the Blue Hill Boys & Girls Club, Jordan Boys & Girls Club of Chelsea, and the Waltham Boys & Girls Club. After the workshop, the children played basketball on the Celtics' private practice court -- a replica of Boston Garden's legendary parquet floor -- and took pictures with the 2008 NBA Championship Trophy.

Rivers and Kate Green, Director of the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, also presented a check for $25,000 to Crossley and PCA-Boston board members Bob Sweeney of the Boston Bruins and Louise Packard of the Trinity Boston Foundation.

Doc Rivers and PCA on "Radio Boston"

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST

Listen to this Radio Boston segment featuring PCA National Advisory Board Member and Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers, PCA Lead Trainer Eric Eisendrath and Rob Crawford of Fay School, a PCA Partner.

All three coaches share great insights on this show, which aired Nov. 8 on WBUR, an NPR station in Boston.

PCA Names Scholarship Winners

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST

PCA has named four New York City-area high school student-athletes as winners of the PCA Triple-Impact Competitor® Scholarships Presented by Deloitte LLP and Thrive Foundation for Youth.

The winners are:

David Engel, Westhill High School (Stamford, CT)
Edward Hunt, Shelton High School (Shelton, CT)
Simona Levsky, Leonia High School (Leonia, NJ)
Kelly Anne Sherlock, Cold Spring Harbor High School (Huntington, NY)

At a November 3 event at Fordham University, each received a $1,000 college scholarship for exemplifying PCA's model of the Triple-Impact Competitor:

Personal Mastery -- Making oneself better
Leadership -- Making one's teammates better
Honoring the Game -- Making the game better.

The event also included remarks from PCA Trainer Alan Strachan, who served as Master of Ceremonies, and featured speaker Kris Wiig, a former Brown University athlete, who also is a PCA Trainer.

"PCA thanks our sponsors, our guest speakers, and the parents and coaches who positively influenced all of our scholarship applicants," said Tina Syer, PCA's Chief Impact Officer, who leads the scholarship program. "Most of all, we thank the student-athletes themselves, who are nothing short of inspirational."

PCA congratulates all of the 26 New York City-Area scholarship finalists:

Marina Alfonso, Pomperaug High School (Middlebury, CT)
David Arturi, Somers High School (Somers, NY)
Fabio Castiblanco, Leonia High School (Leonia, NJ)
Allison Chaves, Scarsdale High School (Scarsdale, NY)
Alyssa Cormier, Henry Abbott Technical School (Danbury, CT)
Brendan Crowley, Rye Neck High School (Mamaroneck, NY)
Brianna Curcio, Pomperaug High School (Southbury, CT)
David Engel, Westhill High School (Stamford, CT)
Jessy Garcia, Half Hollow Hills High School (East Dix Hills, NY)
Joey Gates, Connetquot High School (Bohemia, NY)
Taylor Grbelja, Indian Hills High School (Franklin Lakes, NJ)
Edward Hunt, Shelton High School (Shelton, CT)
Oghogho Igbineweka, Teaneck High School (Teaneck, NJ)
Anjali Khetan, Westhill High School (Stamford, CT)
Simona Levsky, Leonia High School (Leonia, NJ)
Kristie Michta, Sachem High School North (Nesconset, NY)
Robert Miskura, Rutherford High School (Rutherford, NJ)
Vedanta Nayak, Clifton High School (Clifton, NJ)
Patrick O’Dell, Woodland Regional High School (Beacon Falls, CT)
Will Pratt-Stephen, Northport High School (Northport, NY)
Vincenzo Recine, Somers High School (Katonah, NY)
Katherine Rooney, Sachem High School (North Lake Ronkonkoma, NY)
Alisan Sartori, Henry Abbott Technical School (Danbury, CT)
Kelly Anne Sherlock, Cold Spring Harbor High School (Huntington, NY)
Allyson Souza, Westhill High School (Stamford, CT)
Taylor Williams, Great Neck South High School (Great Neck, NY)

Red Letter Days for Cardinal and Cardinals

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST

Friday and Saturday were red-letter days for PCA. On Friday, Tony LaRussa (who has lent his likeness to the PCA-Little League partnership in past years) led his St. Louis Cardinals to an inspiring Game 7 World Series win, just 24 hours after the Cards set a dramatic example of life lessons through sports by twice surviving down-to-their-last-strike scenarios.

An article in The New York Times earlier in the Series revealed LaRussa's use of coaching and culture-building ideas he shares in common with with PCA: “Our staff, we believe in being very personal, up-close with our players,” La Russa said. “It’s not a line drawn and you rarely step over it. We really believe in a lot of intermingling and making each other personally accountable to each other. In other words, you care for your players. Actually, it’s a harder way to lead, because you spend a lot of time as a staff thinking about each and every guy, every day.”

With LaRussa announcing his retirement today, we hope he returns to the Bay Area (site of his first World Series victory with the A's) and ups his involvement with PCA.

About 24 hours after the Cardinals triumph, the Stanford Cardinal football team pulled out a thrilling triple-overtime defeat of USC. As PCA was born within the Stanford University Athletics Department, we feel a kinship and were pleased that the Stanford-USC game also had its PCA moments.

For example, Stanford Head Coach David Shaw invoked some PCA language in his assessment of quarterback Andrew Luck: When a bad play happens, he goes completely down in the dumps,” Shaw said in an ESPN report. “He’s so mad, so upset, so furious. Then it’s like flushing a toilet. He flushes it and it’s like it never happened and he moves on more determined. The look in his eye was ‘We’re going to get this done.’ That’s what he said. He went up and down and told everybody, ‘We’re going to get this done.’ He was so mad at himself. He was not going to let that play lose the game for us.”

If there was was a weekend for PCA supporters to "see red" this was it!

PCA in "The New York Times"

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST

PCA and Jim Thompson are the focus of The Power of Positive Coaching, the latest entry in David Bornstein's latest "Fixes" column in The New York Times. Read it here!

And, to read Bornstein's follow-up article, Moving Beyond the Cold War Coach, click here.

Use our Facebook and Twitter icons at right to tell your friends!

DC-Area Scholarship Winners Named

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST

PCA has named five Washington, DC-area high school student-athletes as winners of the PCA Triple-Impact Competitor® Scholarships Presented by Deloitte LLP and Thrive Foundation for Youth.

The winners are:

•   Abby Fisher, Whitman High School (View acceptance speech)

•   Katherine Gillis, Academy of the Holy Cross (View acceptance speech)

•   Ashley Grant, Briar Woods High School (View acceptance speech)

•   Robert Ponton, Robert E. Lee High School (View acceptance speech)

•   Michael Strange, Jr., South River High School (View acceptance speech read by PCA's Clint Sanchez)

At an October 6 event at the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center, each received a $1,000 college scholarship for exemplifying PCA's model of the Triple-Impact Competitor:

•   Personal Mastery -- Making oneself better
•   Leadership -- Making one's teammates better
•   Honoring the Game -- Making the game better.

The event also included remarks from PCA Trainer Mark Wiggins, who served as Master of Ceremonies, and featured speaker Bobby Moran, a former Georgetown University athlete, who also is a PCA Trainer.

"PCA thanks our sponsors, our guest speakers, and the parents and coaches who positively influenced all of our scholarship applicants," said Clint Sanchez, PCA Senior Partner Development Associate for the DC/Mid-Atlantic Area. "Most of all, we thank the student-athletes themselves, who are nothing short of inspirational."

PCA congratulates all of the 26 DC-area scholarship finalists:

Jalen Adams, North Point High School (Waldorf, MD)
Quinn Caslow, Episcopal High School (Alexandria, VA)
Dennis Creegan, Damascus High School (Damascus, MD)
Helen Custodio, West Potomac High School (Alexandria, VA)
Alex Fairbanks, Battlefield High School (Haymarket, VA)
Abby Fisher, Whitman High School (Bethesda, MD)
Katherine Gillis, Academy of the Holy Cross (Silver Spring, MD)
Adrianna Gorsky, Washington-Lee High School (Arlington, VA)
Ashley Grant, Briar Woods High School (Ashburn, VA)
Troy Hunsaker, Herndon High School (Herndon, VA)
Adam Hussain, Springbrook High School (Silver Spring, MD)
Brittany Hylander, Woodbridge Senior High School (Woodbridge, VA)
Kathryn Iwanski, Linganore High School (New Market, MD)
Muktaru Jalloh, Wakefield High School (Arlington, VA)
Shane Kelly, Bishop McNamara High School (Upper Marlboro, MD)
Ethan Kruder, Calvert High School (Prince Frederick, MD)
Victoria Kuhn, Whitman High School (Bethesda, MD)
Carly Lyerly, Episcopal High School (Arlington, VA)
Kate Mountain, Yorktown High School (Arlington, VA)
Mary Jordan Nogay, Academy of the Holy Cross (Silver Spring, MD)
Robert Ponton, Robert E. Lee High School (Springfield, VA)
Tim Ryan, Wakefield High School (Arlington, VA)
Shelby Smith, Walkersville High School (Walkersville, MD)
Michael Strange Jr., South River High School (Davidsonville, MD)
Harrison Sweeney, Woodbridge Senior High School (Woodbridge, VA)
David Warburton, Gerstell Academy (Westminster, MD)

Your Take on Harbaugh-Schwartz Handshake

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST

What do you think of the controversy around the post-game handshake between San Francisco 49ers Coach Jim Harbaugh and Detroit Lions Coach Jim Schwartz? Let us know on PCA's Facebook page!

From PCA's perspective, we hope the incident reminds youth coaches to maintain decorum. No matter how emotional your on-field competition during a game, afterward respect the fact that your opposite number probably is feeling the opposite emotion.

PCA Connections at Chicago Ideas Week

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST

PCA connections abounded at the inaugural Chicago Ideas Week (CIW), October 9-16. Along with sessions featuring President Clinton, mayors of major cities, social innovators and business leaders, CIW hosted a Sports Talk, which centered on the values of leadership and good coaching, win or lose.

Featured were PCA National Advisory Board Members Shane Battier and Ronnie Lott. Lott -- who played for Bill Walsh (himself a National Advisory Board Member until his passing) -- said that coaches of that caliber, "invent who we are."

Lott also served as a moderator and talked one-on-one with Battier about life lessons athletes can learn from sports. When asked about playing for a team during a losing season, Battier (practically quoting his lines from PCA's Triple-Impact Competitor® online course) said, "At one point or another, you are going to come up against adversity. Getting through that moment and dealing with the adversity is one of the most important things you learn in athletics."

Joining Battier and Lott as part of the Sports Talk, were Jarrett Payton, who recently spoke at PCA-Chicago's Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship Dinner, and Pulitzer Prize-winner author Jeffrey Marx, whose Season of Life, focused on yet another National Advisory Board Member and online course participant, former NFL star Joe Ehrmann.

PCA is proud to incorporate into its courses and workshops the insights of athletes and coaches with so much to say of such great importance to coaches, parents, organizational leaders, student-athletes.

New Podcast with Jim Mora, Jr.

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST

"I don't think I've heard a more candid, thoughtful and inspirational conversation about coaching, the power of sports and family."
-- Stanford University Men's Soccer Coach Bret Simon on the latest Responsible Sports Podcast, featuring Former NFL Coach and current Fox Sports NFL Analyst Jim Mora, Jr. in a riveting interview with PCA Founder Jim Thompson.

Excerpts are below and the whole podcast is here.

Jim Mora, Jr. on the Power of Sports to Bring People Together
"It’s like a Cuisinart. You throw all different kinds of people from backgrounds that couldn’t be more different. You’ve got black kids, white kids, rich kids, poor kids, Jewish kids, Christian kids, Muslim kids. And yet, they all have to come together and set aside some of their cultural differences and become a team. And I think in doing so, they realize that although we may have come from different backgrounds, we’re all very much the same.

"You can develop a real compassion for people by being a part of a team. Because when you get dressed next to a guy every day, and you’re out in the huddle holding hands with him every day, and you’re working to accomplish the same goal, and yet this guy is different, you have to find a way to set aside any differences that you’ve had, whether they were culturally induced into your life, or your parents taught you a way that maybe we don’t all agree with. You have to set those aside and become a team. And then, when you do that, these barriers are broke down forever. And I think that’s really what’s great about team sports.

On His Junior High Coach, Bruce Brown
"If there is one coach in the world, other than my dad, that had a great influence on me, I’d put Bruce Brown, my junior high coach, number two. And it was because he always coached with a positive spirit. He was always encouraging. He was demanding. He was tough on us. But he was going to tell you how he wanted something done, not how he didn’t want it done.

"And he disciplined with a gentle spirit. He always called me 'Jimmy.' And, if he was a little bit upset with me, if I didn’t do something exactly right -- and he held me to a high standard -- he’d call me 'Jim.' Boy, if he was really mad at me, he’d call me 'Mora.' But the tone of his voice would never change. He wouldn’t yell at me.

"I was 'Jimmy.' If I was not doing so well, 'Jim.' And, if I screwed up -- and by screw-up I mean if I had not tried hard or not listened or not learned from my mistakes -- then it became 'Mora.' And I think that only happened one time. And it still sticks with me. And, when I go out and coach, I try to keep that in mind. You know, teach kids what you want them to do. Don’t teach them negatively. And teach with a gentle spirit, and yet still be demanding."

PCA to Launch Denver Chapter

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST

PCA is establishing a PCA-Denver chapter with major financial support from the Daniels Fund. As part of the launch, PCA-Denver will provide close to 50-percent discounts to the first 50 Denver-area schools or youth sports organizations that partner with PCA to train their coaches, athletes, sports parents and organizational leadership.

“The Daniels Fund is providing an unprecedented opportunity for schools and youth sports organizations to affordably introduce PCA training that will immediately benefit youth and high school athletes,” said David Shapiro, PCA’s chief revenue officer. “Our training, which results in youth taking life lessons from sports as they compete, comprises three models: the Double-Goal Coach®, whose first goal is winning, and whose second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports; the Second-Goal Parent®, who concentrates on life lessons, while letting coaches and athletes focus on competing; and the Triple-Impact Competitor®, who strives to impact sport on three levels by improving oneself, teammates and the game as a whole.”

Double-Goal Coach training occurs through a combination of live group workshops for all the coaches of a partnering school or youth sports organization, online courses that complement the live training, books by PCA Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jim Thompson, and follow-up electronic communications that reinforce the training year-round. PCA provides similar tracks of training for sports parents, student-athletes, and school or organizational leaders.

Interested schools or organizations should e-mail PCA Business Development Manager Carter Jordan or phone 804-512-2274.

“Participation in sports can help change the direction of a young person’s life,” explains Linda Childears, president and CEO of the Daniels Fund. “It’s important for young people to have access to quality coaches and well-designed programs that teach discipline, confidence, teamwork, and sportsmanship.

“The players, coaches and parents of PCA-trained teams are recognized by others for their respect of the game,” she continued. “There are no other organizations of the caliber of PCA offering similar coaching and character-education training in the Metro Area so we are delighted to help them bring their program to this area.”

Your Take on Tack Attack?

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST

We want your take on the latest outrageous act in youth and high school sport, and we hope you will share it on our Facebook page.

An Ohio high school football player, who already had been suspended from play, is accused of wielding a tack in his glove as he passed through a post-game handshake line, drawing blood from 27 opponents, who then required tetanus shots.

What do you see as the roles and responsibilities of the player, his parents, coaches and athletic director?

Let us know on Facebook!

Profile of Past Double-Goal Coach Award Winner Rita Boule

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:00:00 EST

If you want to know what makes a great candidate for PCA's Double-Goal Coach Award Presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance, just read this profile of past award winner Rita Boule.

Then. think of coaches you know, who share Rita's emphasis on both competitiveness and life lessons, and nominate those coaches for our awards!

New Video from PCA-Houston Scholarship Ceremony

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

PCA-Houston proudly presents this video summary of the Triple-Impact Competitor® Scholarship Awards Ceremony presented by Deloitte LLP, September 10 at the Omni Hotel.

These 10 Houston-area high school student-athletes each received $2,000 college scholarships:

Ellen Anderson, Memorial High School (Houston)
Patrick Bailey, Episcopal High School (Houston)
Douglas Berkman, St. John’s School (Houston)
Jenna Dunn, Deer Park High School (Deer Park)
Romina Jara, Westchester Academy for International Studies (Houston)
Aaron Lavergne, Booker T. Washington High School (Houston)
Alyson Ludeke, Pasadena High School (Pasadena)
Kaitlin Noser, BF Terry High School (Rosenberg)
Alfredo Ponce, Galena Park High School (Galena Park)
Brooks Taylor, Memorial High School (Houston)

The event featured guest speaker Sam Hinkie, Houston Rockets Vice President of Basketball Operations, who also won the PCA Triple-Impact Professional Award. Also honored at the ceremony were Scott Disch of Grady Middle School, who won the inaugural Scotty Zornes Coach Award, given to a youth sports coach with less than five years' experience, and PCA Double-Goal Coach® Award recipients Angie Kensinger, St. John’s School (Houston); and Dave Roberts, Spring Branch Middle School (Houston).

The ceremony was marked by a motivating speech from Hinkie, who encouraged all the high school student-athletes to focus on activities they enjoy and to put the necessary time into achieving success.

Deloitte partner and PCA-Houston Board member Troy Falterman added, “The 25 finalists are not only outstanding athletes, but even better people. Their outstanding work ethic and commitment to excellence was evident throughout the selection process. We, at Deloitte, could not be more excited to be associated with this wonderful event and look forward to another successful event next year.”

The student-athlete winners earned their $2,000 scholarships for exemplifying Positive Coaching Alliance’s model of the Triple-Impact Competitor:

•   Personal Mastery -- Making oneself better
•   Leadership -- Making one’s teammates better
•   Honoring the Game -- Making the game better.

Scholarship donors included Deloitte, Robert Snell Family and Friends, StarTex Power and Comerica Wealth Management.

Deloitte Adds Mentorship to PCA Scholarship Program

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

As part of PCA's Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship Program Sponsored by Deloitte and Thrive Foundation for Youth, during the 2011-2012 school year, PCA is piloting a mentoring program. Each of the 50 Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship finalists in Northern California have the opportunity to be paired with a mentor from Deloitte, the global accounting and consulting firm.

The Deloitte employees are matched with our scholarship finalists based on common interests, background, and location. Mentors serve as a resource throughout the scholarship finalists' senior year as they prepare for life in college. PCA and Deloitte will guide mentors through the mentorship process by providing them with materials for bi-monthly mentoring sessions (led by the mentors) and bi-monthly group sessions (led by a guest speaker).

PCA-Chicago Names Scholarship Winners

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

PCA-Chicago, a Chapter of the national non-profit Positive Coaching Alliance, has named six Chicago-area high school student-athletes as winners of the organization's Triple-Impact Competitor® Scholarships Presented by Deloitte LLP and Thrive Foundation for Youth.

The winners are:

David Andrews, Gordon Tech High School (Chicago)
Jackie ElZakhem, Westmont High School (Westmont)
Thomas Hauert, Palatine High School (Palatine)
Daniel Jacoby, Ida Crown Jewish Academy (Evanston)
Anna Kozak, Prosser Career Academy (Chicago)
Rebecca Sutcliffe, Regina Dominican High School (Chicago).

At a September 7 event at US Cellular Field, each received a $1,000 college scholarship for best exemplifying PCA’s model of the Triple Impact Competitor: Personal Mastery, making oneself better; Leadership, making one’s teammates better; Honoring the Game, make the game better.

“It’s great to know that we are being recognized for the things we do to make the games we love better,” said Sutcliffe. “These are the little things that make the difference, and these are the little things that are going to make the difference in what we do when we go onto college.”

The event also included remarks from David Haugh, Chicago Tribune sports columnist, who served as Master of Ceremonies; and Jarrett Payton, former high school and college football standout, and son of NFL great Walter Payton.

“High School is where the game is so pure,” Payton said. “It was where I not only learned how to be a great football player and a great soccer player, but it was in high school where I learned to be a great person. There’s nothing that’s got me more ready for life, than playing sports.

Payton later added a story about his father, and the most important lesson that the NFL great passed along to him. “Growing up playing sports, I was always being compared to him,” said Payton. “But he would always tell me to be better than him. I didn’t understand that as a young kid, ‘hHw am I supposed to be better than the best?’ But he wasn’t talking about in sports, he was talking about in life period.”

"PCA-Chicago thanks our sponsors, our guest speakers, and the parents and coaches who positively influenced all of our scholarship applicants." said PCA-Chicago Executive Director Jason Sacks. "Most of all, we thank the student-athletes themselves, who are nothing short of inspirational."

Congratulations to the 30 Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship Finalists from the Chicago area!

Fayek Ahmad, Edwin G. Foreman High School (Chicago)
David Andrews, Gordon Tech High School (Chicago)
Sarah Bodenstein, Northside College Prep (Chicago)
Melissa Bullard, Bremen High School (Midlothian)
Robin Campbell, Seton Academy (Crete)
Jackie ElZakhem, Westmont High School (Westmont)
Matthew Fazio, Marmion Academy (West Chicago)
Cole Gardner, Batavia High School (Batavia)
Matthew Giuffre, Amos Alonzo Stagg High School (Palos Park)
Thomas Hauert, Palatine High School (Palatine)
Josue Hernandez, Benito Juarez Community Academy (Chicago)
Abby Hodgkinson, Von Steuben High School (Chicago)
Christopher Hoffman, Lakes Community High School (Lake Villa)
Genova Izguerra, UNO Garcia Charter High school (Chicago)
Daniel Jacoby, Ida Crown Jewish Academy (Evanston)
Tayler Janda, Grayslake Central High School (Grayslake)
Anna Kozak, Prosser Career Academy (Chicago)
Bryan Kwitkowski, Thomas Kelly High School (Chicago)
Yanina Mendoza, Notre Dame High School for Girls (Chicago)
Carlos Montero, St. Joseph High School (Cicero)
Olivia Palutsis, Mount Assisi Academy (Lemont)
Samantha Patel, Lyons Township High School (Western Springs)
Kelby Rogers, McHenry High School East Campus (Mchenry)
Rose Silveira, Palatine High School (Palatine)
Christopher Stiegal, Benet Academy (Wheaton)
Philip Strunk, Evanston Township High School (Evanston)
Rebecca Sutcliffe, Regina Dominican High School (Chicago)
Madison Thompson, Zion-Benton Township High School (Winthrop Harbor)
Kasia Wlodarkiewicz, Fenwick High School (Addison)
Sam Wolff, Fenwick High School (Elmwood Park)

Welcome to PCA-Boston!

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

PCA-Boston (Boston.PositiveCoach.org) has opened its doors with Andy Crossley leading the charge as PCA-Boston Executive Director.

Crossley, housed in PCA-Boston office space donated by the Harvard University Athletics Department, will work to bring PCA's impact on youth sports to Boston, in tandem with a power-packed board of directors:

Jon Biotti, Managing Director, Charlesbank
Greg Gordon, SVP, Consumer Marketing, Liberty Mutual
Tom Grilk, President, Boston Athletic Association
Brian Hogan, President, Fidelity Investments
Julie Kahn, VP and NE Market Manager, Entercom
Mark Lev, Managing Director, Fenway Sports Group
Louise Packard, Executive Director, Trinity Boston Foundation
Lee Popper, Managing Director, Benchmark
Bob Scalise Athletic Director, Harvard University
Jeremy Styles, Partner, Cornpoint Capital
Shawn Sullivan, CMO Boston Celtics
Bob Sweeney, Director of Development, Boston Bruins
Jeff Tocci, Owner, Tocci Dental

We hope you return to Boston.PositiveCoach.org to learn all the latest on the local front and access all the great features included in PCA's national website, such as our Ask PCA expert advice feature.

Welcome to PCA-Chicago!

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

PCA-Chicago has a new website! Chicago.PositiveCoach.org already features the PCA-Chicago Facebook page, and the site will expand in coming weeks to bring you all the latest and greatest information and inspiration from PCA's effort to impact youth sports throughout the Chicago area.

For now, enjoy this brief welcome from PCA-Chicago Executive Director Jason Sacks and the PCA-Chicago Board of Directors:

Tracey Benford
Jim Coffman
Gillian Darlow
Louis Hobson
Nancy Olson
Craig Scott
Greg Shannon
Scott Shimamoto
Peter Steinhauser
Larry Stewart
Don Sweeney
Jay Warden

Thank you for your support!

Welcome to PCA-Houston

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

PCA-Houston has a new website! Houston.PositiveCoach.org will expand in coming weeks to bring you all the latest and greatest information and inspiration from PCA's effort to impact youth sports throughout the Houston area.

For now, enjoy this brief welcome from PCA-Houston Executive Director Ben Rose and the PCA-Houston Board of Directors:

Jim Bailey
Brent Bechtol
Rick Beeler
Sandy Bryan
Mitch Cox
Bo Dawson
Dwight Edwards
Troy Falterman
Steve Gibson
Brock Hudson
Todd Johnson
Missy Leget
Kathleen Leonard
John Magness
Bill Mania

We hope you return to Houston.PositiveCoach.org to learn all the latest on the local front and access all the great features included in PCA's national website, such as our Ask PCA expert advice feature.

Welcome to PCA-Dallas!

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

PCA-Dallas has a new website! Dallas.PositiveCoach.org will expand in coming weeks to bring you all the latest and greatest information and inspiration from PCA's effort to impact youth sports throughout the Dallas area.

For now, enjoy this brief welcome from PCA-Dallas Executive Director Barry Smink and the PCA-Dallas Board of Directors:

Rick Aguirre
Franklin Byrd
Greg Clark
Gary Clayton
Alanna Cotton
Jamey Cummings (Board Chairman)
Bill Durham
Steffond Johnson
Chris Kleinert
Paul Olschwanger
Beth Plumlee
Kenny Randle
Jeff Singer
Paul Stewart
Eric Wenick
Ken Yuan

We hope you return to Dallas.PositiveCoach.org to learn all the latest on the local front and access all the great features included in PCA's national website, such as our Ask PCA expert advice feature.

Inside PCA’s Revised Website: More Dynamic Features and Greater Interaction

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

Along with re-staging and re-naming our main e-newsletter as Momentum, PCA has overhauled its website. Major new features include:

• A dynamic slide show that dramatically illustrates the PCA Movement to provide a positive, character-building youth sports experience for all youth and high school athletes

• Increased visibility for PCA’s National Advisory Board of top pro and college coaches, pro athletes, world-class academians and business leaders

• A news ticker that delivers briefs on the latest news and development at PCA and the broader sports culture, including links into deeper coverage

• Increased social media integration, including a Facebook page operating inside the site’s “Our Community” page

• Greater emphasis on the Ask PCA feature, where expert PCA Trainers and the public at large ask and answer questions from coaches, parents, school/youth sports organization leaders and athletes

• Improved navigation, including links to PCA Chapter microsites that will increasingly take on local flavor

• More frequent updates and opportunities for interaction around all forms of PCA content.

“I am thrilled that the PCA Movement has a powerful new tool at its disposal,” said PCA Founder and CEO Jim Thompson. “These improvements to our website make our content much more accessible to many more coaches, parents and leaders, who can help create a positive, character-building youth sports environment. The site also is built to let many more people discover PCA and explore how they can benefit from our work. We are very grateful to the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation for the funding required to rebuild our website.”

PCA and USA Water Polo

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

USA Water Polo, a PCA National Partner, is taking a unique approach to developing a positive youth sports culture: creating an entire PCA-based tournament. The Rock-tober 12 & Under Classic will bring a dozen boys teams and a dozen girls teams from throughout the U.S. to Denver, October 21-23.

According to a tournament flyer: Sportsmanship and positive play will be the focus. Teams that qualify through their zone will be invited to submit their team “theme song” and come to Colorado ready to rock out and honor the game!

Parent support is vital to every athlete’s success in the game of water polo and the game of life. We encourage parents to join their athletes in competing for the Team Sportsmanship Award. The team -- coach/athletes/parents -- that best displays the PCA values of respect for the rules, opponent, officials and each other will receive a $500 gift certificate.

“This is a fantastic idea from our partners at USA Water Polo,” said PCA Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jim Thompson. “I hope many of our national partners and local partners will emulate this approach. It’s an ideal way to incentivize positive behavior, and we would love to see that become the norm.”

PCA-Dallas Focuses on Dallas ISD Middle Schools Under RGK Foundation Grant Renewal

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

PCA-Dallas, a chapter of the national non-profit Positive Coaching Alliance, will focus on Dallas Independent School District middle schools under a grant recently renewed by the RGK Foundation. Through the end of 2011, PCA-Dallas will provide Double-Goal Coach® training to more than 800 Dallas ISD middle school sports coaches.

"A Double-Goal Coach -- whose first goal is winning, and whose second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports -- can have tremendous impact on his or her player," said Barry Smink, PCA-Dallas Executive Director. "The 800-plus coaches we train through this generous grant from the RGK Foundation will impact thousands of youth athletes."

PCA-Dallas also will provide separate workshops for sports coordinators at each Dallas ISD middle school and Triple-Impact Competitor® training for student-athletes. "Our first year of this program was so successful, due largely to the leadership of Dallas ISD Athletic Director Jeff Johnson." Smink said. "We are thrilled to extend this program as far as possible to heighten the impact of PCA-Dallas and the RGK Foundation."

PCA-Boston Hires Executive Director

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EST

PCA-Boston -- the most recently established local PCA Chapter – has hired Andy Crossley as executive director. He will lead PCA-Boston, reporting into a local board of directors, from offices donated by the Harvard University Athletics Department.

“PCA already has had great success in Boston,” said Jim Thompson, Founder and CEO of the national non-profit organization committed to providing all youth and high school athletes nationwide with a positive, character-building youth sports experience. “Our early work with The Boston Foundation’s CHAMPS Boston program just recently received a very positive external evaluation, and under Andy’s leadership, I am sure we will experience even greater results.”

Crossley most recently served as General Manager for the Boston Breakers of Women’s Professional Soccer. His earlier positions included the GM post for minor league baseball’s Brockton Rox and Director of PR/Assistant GM for the Nashua Pride minor league baseball team.

More information on PCA-Boston is available at www.boston.positivecoach.org.