2011_Connector_Header_Strip
PCA Connector
 
August 4, 2011
 
David Jacobson, Editor

In This Issue:
Online Course for Officials Launches
Responsible Sports Parenting Tip: Avoiding Athlete Burnout
Ask PCA: How to Handle a Hard Foul

Online Course for Officials Launches  

 

Officials Course Screen Shot

 

You spoke; PCA listened. Now we offer an online course for game officials titled Honoring the Game: The Official's Role in Creating a Positive Youth Sports Culture.

 

PCA's systems-based approach to creating a positive, character-building youth sports environment -- an approach involving all participants in the youth sports experience -- recognizes the critical role officials play. And many leaders, coaches and parents at PCA-partner schools and youth sports organizations agree.

 

For example, one organizational leader said, "(An officials course) is a must-have in my view. If this is available, we will write it into the terms of our contracts with the officials associations we work with." Additionally, Texas' University Interscholastic League, overseeing all of the state's public middle-school and high school sports programs has mandated PCA's online course for officials for all of its 10,000-plus officials.

 

The course features a welcome message from Barry Mano (PCA National Advisory Board Member, Founder and President of the National Association of Sports Officials, and Publisher and Executive Editor of Referee Magazine) and narration by Ted Robinson (PCA National Advisory Board Member and famed broadcaster, now for the San Francisco 49ers).

 

To take the course click here, and if you want to see officials contributing to a positive youth sports culture, spread the word about PCA's latest online course!

   


Responsible Sports Parenting Tip: Avoiding Athlete Burnout

Athlete_Burnout_RS_Screen 

 

Even if your children love the sport they play, a steady diet of just one sport may lead to burnout. Click the screen above for insights on the topic from Ken Martel, Director of the American Development Model for USA Hockey, as part of the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports Program Powered by Positive Coaching Alliance.

 

Ask PCA: How to Handle a Hard Foul 

Thanks for your answers to our most recent "Ask PCA" question about whether a player should quit an all-star team. To review that question and PCA's answer, you can continue scrolling through this item, but for now, consider this week's question:

 

How to Handle a Hard Foul

"Recently, my son's U-12 indoor soccer team played a girls' team, which the girls dominated. My son (cleanly playing the ball) inadvertently committed a hard foul against the boards on one of the more aggressive girls. She stayed down for a few minutes, but was OK and continued playing. Hearing some anger from the other team's parents, my son's coach removed him from the game for the remainder of the period. I wish the coach instead would have talked to my son during the downtime, telling him to play hard but not so aggressively, and left him in the game. Whose approach is preferable? And, should I tell the coach what approach will get the best out of my son?"

-- Name Withheld

 

Comment on this topic on the "Ask PCA" blog. 
 
Following is the previous "Ask PCA" question and PCA response: 
      

Should My Son Quit or Risk Loss of Enjoyment and Confidence?

"My 12-year-old son over-achieved his way onto a very good All-Star team, whose other 12 players are just as skilled and mostly bigger, stronger and a little older. He only plays one or two innings per game, and he puts up a brave front, but we know he's lost his confidence. Should we pull him from the team or try to ride out the rest of the season? We don't want to advocate quitting, but are concerned his confidence and enjoyment of the game will continue to deteriorate. Suggestions?"
 

 

PCA Response by Mike Farley, PCA Trainer, Milwaukee

 

Mike FarleyMaking the All-Star team is a big deal for any athlete, but finding out that you're not the star of THAT team is a truth that can hurt. Even Major League Baseball players face that reality. Most have been stars on all of their teams, and then in MLB, there usually are three stars on the team whose jobs aren't in question while everyone else fights for a spot. Facing that at age 12 is tough, but provides the opportunity for a great life lesson.

 

Your son has two choices, and he just needs to honestly be comfortable with the one he chooses: A) Baseball is no fun at this level and he should either play in a less competitive environment or pick up a new sport; or B) Being on the All-Star team is a big honor and he can accept and benefit from playing any role -- from pinch hitter to base stealing specialist to back up third baseman.

 

If he chooses "A," he still should stick out the season. That may buy enough time for him to realize more of his potential or to fully recognize his weaknesses as a ballplayer. Only in rare cases (i.e., inconsolable grief, not just annoyance or frustration) would I allow a child to quit during the season.

 

One great life lesson is to finish what you start. Good or bad, you should tough it out and find the positive in it all. That's not easy, but the effects can be profound later in life. 

  

If he chooses "B," he should also should ask his coach, "What do I need to do to get more playing time?" and mean it. He should show what PCA calls a "Teachable Spirit." Be a sponge, learn more and improve.

 

Funny thing is, it doesn't take many plays for children to know that their involvement is meaningful to the team. They just need to be the right plays. I suspect he recognizes that he's not as valued on this team as he was on his previous team, but he and his coaches should find that value and tap into it. If they can, your son will thrive and grow as a player and as a young man.

You might also remind him that some great athletes were bench warmers until they got their chance, such as Michael Jordan and Aaron Rodgers. Be patient, work hard and keep a team-oriented spirit. 

 

Finally, you (and he) may find this article of interest about a baseball player who came close to quitting in high school (an overachiever on a superior team) and is now a minor leaguer.  

 

(Mike Farley is a former pro football player and longtime youth sports coach.)

 

Read all the Ask PCA blog comments on this question.  

 

Ask PCA your youth sports coaching and sports parenting questions, at [email protected].  

 

Support PCA and Have Your Donations Matched
 

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.

 

If you value the ideas, tips, and insights we share in this PCA Connector e-newsletter, kindly consider donating to PCA.

 

Thanks to several generous PCA supporters, donations made before August 31 will be matched 1:1 up to $25,000.  Give now and have twice the impact.

 

Your contributions will fund PCA programs that directly impact youth, such as the annual Student-Athlete Leadership Conference, where this year student-athletes from throughout the U.S. (and a contingent from Tokyo!) share insights with each other and with PCA. Pictured below, at last week's Conference at Stanford University, students discuss Jim Thompson's Elevating Your Game.

 

SALC_2011

 

 

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