Our organization is committed to the principles of Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) and against a "win-at-all-cost" mentality.  PCA calls a Positive Coach a "Double-Goal Coach."  A win-at-all-cost coach has only one goal - to win.  A Positive Coach shares that goal (wants to win) but has a second goal that is even more important - to use the sports experience to help young people learn "life lessons" and positive character traits that will help them be successful throughout their lives.

 Help us promote the three PCA principles which have the power to "transform youth sports so that sports can transform youth."  The three principles, explained below, are:


1.  Redefining "Winner,"
2.  Filling the Emotional Tank, and
3.  Honoring the Game.

 REDEFINING "WINNER"
In professional sports (which is entertainment), there is only one goal - to have the most points at the end of a contest.  However, in youth sports (which is education), there is a second goal: to produce young people who will be winners in life.

To help our children get the most out of competitive sports, we need to redefine what it means to be a "winner,"  Winners are people who:

*  Make maximum effort
*  Continue to learn and improve
*  Refuse to let mistakes (or fear of making mistakes) stop them.

This is called a Mastery Orientation.  PCA says that the Tree of Mastery is an ELM Tree where ELM stands for Effort, Learning, and rebounding from Mistakes.

If our athletes keep these things in mind, they will develop habits that will serve them well throughout their lives.  

There is an added benefit.  Athletes who are coached with a Mastery Orientation tend to have reduced anxiety and increased self-confidence.  And when athletes feel less anxiety, they are more likely to have fun playing their sport and to do better!

FILLING THE EMOTIONAL TANK

Research shows that the home team wins about 60% of the time because of the emotional support a team receives when it plays in front of its own fans.  Like gas tanks in cars, athletes have "Emotional Tanks" that need to be filled to do their best.

There will be times when you need to correct and criticize.  Research has shown that "Magic Ratio" of 5:1 (praise to criticism) is ideal.  Help us achieve this Magic Ratio with your child.

HONORING THE GAME
Honoring the Game gets to the ROOTS of positive play, where ROOTS stands for respect for

*  Rules:  We don't bend the rules to win.
*  Opponents:  A worthy opponent is a gift that forces us to play to our highest potential.
*  Officials:  We treat officials with respect even when we disagree.
*  Teammates:  We never do anything that would embarrass our team on or off the field.
*  Self:  We live up to our own standards regardless of what others do.