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Positive Coaching Alliance Connector
October 20, 2010
David Jacobson, Editor |
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Shane Battier Tips for Triple-Impact CompetitorsTM
 In the latest podcast from the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports Program Powered by Positive Coaching Alliance, NBA star and NCAA Champion Shane Battier describes the competitive example he sets for youth players in his interview with PCA Founder and Executive Director Jim Thompson.
"I would hope when young players watch me, they appreciate the discipline and selflessness. My game has never been about scoring points. A lot of young players just want to watch people who score points, or watch people dunk, and that's never my case. "So I hope I can show young players that there's a spot on every team for guys who play hard, play the right way, are good teammates, pass the ball, never give up on a play, and those are the guys who help win championships. "You know, Kobe Bryant's the greatest player on earth, and Pau Gasol is an all-star and a great player. But the guys like Derek Fisher. A guy like Lamar Odom, from the Lakers. A guy like Andrew Bynum. Those are all role players. And when you say role-players, most people say, 'Oh I don't want to be a role- player.' Well, everyone has a role. Kobe Bryant is a role-player; his role is to score a ton of points. So don't get caught up in labels, because if you're a role-player, do your role, do it well, and help the team win." |
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Ask PCA: Abandoned Teammate
Thanks for your responses to our most recent "Ask PCA" question about a youth athlete who does not want to participate in her team's track meets. While opinions varied on how (and whether) to help her compete, nearly all replies were child-centric. To review that question and PCA's answer, you can continue scrolling through this item, but for now, consider this week's question:
How Do We Help a Player Abandoned by Teammates?
We had a recent unfortunate display of sportsmanship within our U9 boys' soccer team. The field players gave up and and left our goalie in a four-on-one situation three times in a row. It ended with the goalie sobbing with fear and disappointment that his teammates let him down. When he expressed his unhappiness a teammate said, "I hate you."
How best do we address this? What words of resilience and encouragement do we give the goalie? What words of sportsmanship and respect do we give the players who stopped trying?
-- Name Withheld by Request Comment on this topic on the "Ask PCA" blog.
Following is the previous "Ask PCA" question and PCA's response:
I coach a middle-school cross country program that participates in meets with other local schools. Except for the championship meet, events are non-scoring and emphasize participation, not place. Our enrollment information states that every child is "required" to participate in at least three meets and the league championship, though exceptions are made, primarily for those with autism, ADHD, etc. One of our stronger athletes does not want to run in meets, because she "doesn't like them," though she competed last season without reservation.
A key value of our program is offering youth competitive experience. Am I too "old school," thinking "life is competitive, you can't duck out on exams at school, because you don't like the exam experience?" Any advice on how to deal with kids who decline to compete, when the requirement was spelled out up front?
PCA Response by Eric Eisendrath, Lead Trainer-New York
This situation comes down to, "How important is it that the rules of the program be followed?" I would be less inclined to place weight on the "learn-to-compete" angle. This athlete will be exposed to that enough in her life. Instead, I would focus on following the rules and expectations of the program. That may be a more-important and less-daunting prospect for an anxious youth athlete.
If you feel strongly that competing in the meets is very important, then you should consider the consequences of establishing a precedent that lets athletes avoid participation. Hopefully, faced with this requirement for inclusion in the program, she will try to compete. Given that she has returned to the program for a second year, she must be enjoying herself on some level.
On the other hand, if the goal for your program is simply to encourage youth to acquire a love for running, and to model an active lifestyle, you may want to revisit the mandatory meet policy. A case could be made that creating a love for the sport is the most important goal in a youth sports program. When this passion is ignited, youth will often seek greater participation, but once they stop having fun in a sport, they tend to quit, often around age 13, which not coincidentally, is the age that you coach.
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PCA Champion Bob Rhein Brings Workshops to School District
Bob Rhein, a PCA Champion, took a unique -- but replicable -- approach toward bringing PCA workshops to his community. The Penn-Air Hydraulics Foundation, related to the company Bob serves as president and COO, is underwriting a series of Triple-Impact Competitor workshops for Pennsylvania's York-Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association (YAIAA). The PCA-YAIAA partnership entails each of the 22 participating high schools sending two student-athletes to the workshops, which run in each of the three sports seasons. Wrote one of the workshop attendees: "Tonight was so helpful and informative for me. I learned so much that I feel I can take back, share, and use with my teammates. I especially liked the section where we learned about making mistakes. Everyone makes them and the whole concept of flushing them away really sounded great. This is something I definitely want to try to enforce with my team. I feel that if we can overcome our mistakes and learn from them, our playing and team atmosphere will become so much better. I look forward to trying this and many other new ideas I have learned tonight! Thank you so much for everything! I really appreciate it." PCA is just as grateful to Bob, whose work with PCA began several years ago, when he led he York County Lacrosse Association into a PCA Partnership, and has since grown into his becoming a PCA Champion, spreading word about our movement and helping it expand. If you are an individual or company representative who wants to follow Bob's example, request information on bringing such a partnership to your area and learn more about the PCA Champions program. |
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