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Connector -- September 23, 2008
In This Issue:
 
National Conversation on Good Coaching Case Study #6: "Collision Course"

Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports Program Powered by Positive Coaching Alliance Offers Grants to Youth Sports Organizations
 
WePlay, PCA Launch Online Social Network
 
Congratulations to Winners of Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarships sponsored by Deloitte
 
Winners of DVD of PCA's Film Debut in "Her Best Move"
 
Good Coaching Case Study #6: "Collision Course"

Thanks to all of you who responded to our September "Good Coaching Case Study." We received outstanding comments on the blog, including those from our contest winners named at the bottom of this issue of Connector

 

Now, consider our next Case Study:

 
Collision Course
 
In a game that has grown increasingly out of control with rougher and rougher play, your child is shaken up, though not seriously injured, in a collision with an opponent that seemed intentional and unsportsmanlike.
  • How do you react?
  • What do you expect of your child's coach in this situation?
  • What, if anything, do you say to your child's coach, the opposing coach, or officials?
  • How do you address the incident with your child?

You can "converse" about your answers at the Case Studies blog and by printing out this Case Study for discussion at youth sports events and organizational meetings.

As always, thanks to our co-conveners who distribute Case Studies through their websites, e-mail newsletters and publications, making this a true National Conversation on Coaching:
 
American Medical Society for Sports Medicine
American Youth Soccer Organization
Institute for International Sport
Little League International
Michigan State University's Institute for the Study of Youth Sports
National Association for Sport and Physical Education
National Federation of State High School Associations
Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc.
USA Volleyball
USA Water Polo
US Lacrosse
 
 
Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports Program Powered by Positive Coaching Alliance Offers Grants to Youth Sports Organizations
Help your favorite youth sports organization earn $2,500 - and learn key mentoring principles while you do - through the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports Program Powered by Positive Coaching Alliance!
 
This summer, thousands of youth sport organizations competed for 20 Responsible Sports Community Grants offered by Liberty Mutual. Teams and leagues rallied coaches, parents, administrators and community supporters to take a course and pass a quiz to join the Responsible Sports movement.  Each successfully passed quiz earned youth sports organizations a point. The organizations with the most points in their division at the end of the period were honored with a $2,500 Community Grant.
 
"We really appreciate the emphasis Liberty Mutual places on responsible sports parents and coaches. It is much needed in our society today," said Pam Johnson, Development Director of S.P.O.R.T.S., one of the 2008 Community Grant recipients. "We plan to purchase automatic electronic defibrillators for our fields."
 
Now it's your turn to join the race for a $2,500 grant. The Fall Responsible Sports Community Grant period is now open. Get your organization and community involved before the grant period closes on November 30th.
 
Responsible Sports focuses on providing expert advice and helpful resources for youth sport parents and coaches. Through the Responsible Sports program, Liberty Mutual has also formed strong partnerships with ASA Softball, USA Football, US Youth Soccer, and recently, USA Hockey, to help spread the word about positive sports mentoring for youth athletes.
 
Along with weekly tips and scenario questions to promote youth sport community interaction, PCA Founder Jim Thompson posts a blog on ResponsibleSports.com and PositiveCoach.org. Each week, Jim takes a topic in sports and relates it to parents and coaches, providing insight and advice on how to handle certain situations as they arise during the season.
 
Rally your team, league and community today to win a $2,500 Community Grant!
Join PCA's Online Social Network at WePlay.com
Positive Coaching Alliance and WePlay invite you and your youth and high school sports communities to join us in an exciting new online social network. WePlay lets you connect with your own teams, leagues, family and friends to share schedules, photos, and all the other information and communication that makes the youth sports world go round.
 
Much like Facebook or MySpace -- but in a family-friendly, youth-sports-centric environment -- coaches, parents and players can automatically receive updates for all their teams and groups in one convenient place: their weplay profile. The new service, which is completely free and takes less than a minute to join, has backing from Major League Baseball Advanced Media and Creative Artists Agency and participation from such athletes as Peyton Manning, LeBron James, Derek Jeter, Jennie Finch and PCA National Advisory Board Member Summer Sanders.
 
All new members will get a welcome message from one of these famous athletes. Once you join WePlay and set up your profile, join the Positive Coaching Alliance group to socialize with Double-Goal Coaches, Second-Goal Parents and Triple-Impact Competitors nationwide!
Congratulations to Winners of Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarships sponsored by Deloitte
The pilot year for PCA's Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship Program culminated in a highly-charged ceremony at Stanford University that awarded $3,500 scholarships to these 10 Northern California high school student-athletes, who exemplify the Triple-Impact Competitor ideals of improving oneself, one's teammates and one's sport:
 
Sara Aliotti, Carondelet High School
Matthew Capbarat, De La Salle High School
Christina Cristo, Sacramento High School
Edgar Gutierrez, Tomales High School
Reilly Hall, Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep
Jessica Leong, Alameda High School 
Frank Lima, Half Moon Bay High School
Taylor Lundquist, Willow Glen High School
Sean Nill, Laguna Creek High School
Jose Ramirez, Sequoia High School
 
The ceremony featured a presentation by Tara VanDerveer, coach of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Basketball Gold Medalists and the Stanford University Women's basketball team. Robert Braunstein, host of the Cal-Hi Sports TV show, served as master of ceremonies.
 
"We are thrilled to honor such fine student-athletes," said PCA Founder and Executive Director Jim Thompson. "The example they set as Triple-Impact Competitors is to be emulated wherever and whenever possible. We hope to expand our awards program in the future, and we encourage every school and youth sports organization to set up their own Triple-Impact Competitor awards to honor athletes who Honor the Game."
 
"Character is at the foundation of everything we do at Deloitte," stated Deloitte Vice Chairman and Regional Managing Partner Mark Edmunds. "We recognize that today's students will be tomorrow's business leaders, and we wholeheartedly support PCA's mission to provide positive, character-building experiences through youth sports."
Announcing Winners of "Her Best Move" DVDs
Our previous issue of Connector promised a copy of "Her Best Move" -- the family-friendly soccer film that includes a scene set at a Positive Coaching Alliance workshop -- to the writers of the 10 best responses to "The Hot-Air Fan" on PCA's "Good Coaching Case Studies" blog.
 
The winners, in alphabetical order:
 
Carl Benson
Chris Carroll
Craver-Vii
Ava Goldhaber
Kelly Lehman
Frank Mc Mahon
Jim Paglia
Michael Rando
Hal Tearse
John Thoms

Even if you did not win, in true PCA fashion you and your youth athletes can still learn some life lessons -- by watching "Her Best Move," now available on DVD in stores and at www.HerBestMove.com.

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