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Advice for Youth Athletes from Olympic Softball Gold Medalist Dot Richardson
 Youth sports coaches and parents hoping to inspire their athletes should listen to PCA National Advisory Board Member Dr. Dot Richardson, the Olympic Softball Gold Medalist-turned surgeon, who has taken life lessons from the playing field to an arena where there is far more at stake. In the latest podcast from the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports program powered by Positive Coaching Alliance, Dot defines a great teammate:
"You learn very quickly through sports that there is something within you that has to grow, that wants to commit yourself to what you're doing, whether it's on the field or off, and then a commitment to say, 'I want to be a teammate who is going to lift my teammates, too, because I believe in them.'
"...I don't want to be a teammate who is sucking energy from others, who is distracting others during competition, whether it's crying because I made an error or being upset and throwing the bat because I struck out, you know, the self-pity. You learn very young that it's not about you."
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Ask PCA: How Can I Support Players and Still Speak Honestly About Winning?
Thanks for your comments on last week's question about dirty tactics turning people off to sports. This week's question returns us to the heart of the art of Double-Goal Coaching -- how to put an appropriate emphasis on winning.
Beneath this week's question, you may scroll down to continue reading for last week's question and PCA's reply. But, for now, consider:
How Can I Support Players and Still Speak Honestly About Winning?
"I am struggling with the balance of supporting my players while making sure they always push themselves. Before a game against a team with a comparable record, I told our players we would need to play our best to have a decent shot at winning the game. One player said something like 'Coach, don't you have faith in us?' How can I express faith in my players while still being honest about the team's prospects for winning?"
-- John Henderson, Castro Valley, CA
Following is last week's "Ask PCA" question and PCA's response:
"During my son's high school soccer game, an opponent received a yellow card for pushing one of our defenders. After the game I asked my son what had happened. He said the opponent had reacted to one of my son's teammates, who, while waiting for a goal kick, incited the player into yellow-card behavior by pinching him and making kissing motions and sounds.
"My son said his coaches had told the team that this was a good way to get under the skin of opponents and get them in trouble. After having a long talk with my son about sportsmanship, I then told the head coach I was extremely disheartened that he would encourage such tactics, and he seemed surprised to hear this. However, this is one of soccer's failings: at times, it appears not to be a real sport. Players use these dirty tactics and others such as feigning injury, which turns off many people from enjoying the sport. What do other PCA members think?"
PCA Response by Eric Eisendrath, Lead Trainer-New York
It is really interesting how this type of behavior is "celebrated" and fostered in soccer. As someone who played high school soccer and hockey, and was recruited to play both sports at a Division One college, I was always amazed by the different cultures. I always joked that I played soccer with a hockey mentality, as I too loathed the "magic sponge" approach.
I applaud your stance in not only discussing this incident with your son, but also taking it a step further, by speaking with the coach. At PCA, we talk about coaches being great role models, and teaching life lessons through sports. I would like to know what life lesson this coach thought he was teaching to his players!
Another point we make at PCA is that it takes Moral Courage to uphold a Positive Culture. The easy thing would have been for you to just roll your eyes. However, you had the courage to speak, not only to your son, but also to the coach. I hope it causes him to think more deeply about his approach, and what it is exactly that he is teaching his players.
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eteamz Joins PCA Movement
Those of you who use eteamz for your team or league website might begin noticing some familiar messages and ideas in their eteamzNation newsletter and throughout the eteamz/Active Sports network. That's because PCA now provides tips on youth sports coaching and parenting to the hundreds of thousands of eteamz users.
This unique partnership vastly expands the reach of PCA's three major principles -- Redefining "Winner," Filling Emotional Tanks, and Honoring the Game -- while giving eteamz customers practical tools that they can bring to their youth athletes right away.
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Support PCA
PCA is a non-profit committed to transforming youth sports so that all athletes through high school age can benefit from the life lessons that are uniquely available through sports.
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