Join us in celebrating the 20 winners of the PCA Double-Goal Coach Award Presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance from throughout the U.S. for 2010, which are recognized for their positive impact on youth athletes, including Monica Smith of Saddleback United Soccer Club (Mission Viejo, Calif.) and Bryan Yorke of Federal Way United Soccer Club (Puyallup, Wash.).
“Both Monica and Bryan win on the scoreboard, and more importantly, they win by creating a positive, character-building sports experience for youth athletes,” said Jim Thompson, PCA’s founder and executive director and author of several books on coaching and sports parenting. “Ultimately, the youth athletes Monica and Bryan coach are the real winners, and as those athletes become tomorrow’s leaders our society as a whole wins.”
The award – named for coaches whose first goal is winning, and who’s second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports – carries a $250 prize, a trophy and mention within the websites and newsletters of Positive Coaching Alliance and Responsible Sports.
Award nomination letters from players’ parents hailed Smith for such practices as distributing “Spirit Cards.” Each parent before a game chooses a card with a name on it other than their daughter’s; parents then write notes of praise for specific actions that player takes during the game. The players receive their cards after the game and affix them to their gear bags…near the “Goal Cards” they have fashioned to constantly remind themselves of individual and team goals.
Smith also consciously and proactively uses sports to teach life lessons, even to her players as young as ten. For example, one season she assigned players to read books about notable athletes and led a discussion that focused on each athlete’s determination to overcome obstacles and reliance on a support system in such cases.
Within weeks, one of Smith’s players was diagnosed with diabetes, Smith said, “and it was an opportunity for me to sit down with this team, and this particular player, and say, ‘Either this player is going to quit or she’s going to continue, and you guys are going to be her support system, just like we’ve been reading and talking about.’ The player continues to play and is an example to her teammates that they’re always going to remember.”
Yorke, whose Federal Way United Reign won the 2008 US Club Soccer National Cup, also capitalizes on teachable moments in soccer. One of his players wrote in her nomination letter: “I have learned that it is possible to find a happy medium at soccer practices between serious and fun. Bryan always talks about having fun, but serious fun. This not only applies to soccer but life off the field as well.”
Yorke explained his motivation and mission as a coach: “I want the kids I coach to be more than just good soccer players,” he said. “I want them to be good people, good students, good family members…people who have goals and things they are striving to achieve and who are giving back to society and their community.”
“As an insurance company that celebrates people who choose to do the right thing, we believe that youth sport coaching is a clear example of how individuals can promote the fundamental ideals of community,” said Greg Gordon, Liberty Mutual’s Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing. “By focusing on positive mentoring, Monica and Bryan have created a culture of responsibility among young athletes and parents. And by doing so, they have earned increasingly hard-to-find funding for their teams.”
To learn more about the award and how you can nominate a coach you know, visit the
Double-Goal Coach Award page and tell us about a coach who deserves recognition!
The
Liberty Mutual Responsible SportsTM program supports volunteer youth sports coaches and parents who help our children succeed both on and off the field. We offer many
youth sports resources including $2,500 community grants, instructional videos, weekly tips, peer and expert advice, and coursework for those interested in improving the youth sports experience for all involved.
