3/12/2012
PCA in The Boston Globe >>
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.