We are proud to announce that, for the second year in a row, Somers Lacrosse, working with the Somers Recreation Commission, has been awarded a partnership grant with the Positive Coaching Alliance!

Only a handful of these grants are awarded by US Lacrosse, the Governing Body for the sport of lacrosse in the United States, and it is with great pride that Somers once again is recognized for providing strong leadership and support in our goal to provide our youth with positive and rewarding experiences in playing sports.

The Positive Coaching Alliance is a non-profit organization that was formed at Stanford University in 1998 to transform the culture of youth sports to ensure that all youth athletes can have a positive, character-building experience.

Why is Positive Coaching Alliance Needed?

Youth sports offer a virtual classroom for teaching life lessons, but only if the adults who work with athletes recognize and seize the endless procession of teachable moments sports provide.  Research shows participation in youth sports improves academic performance and school attendance, results in better behavior and decreases risk-taking behavior, such as experimenting with drugs and alcohol.  But kids are dropping out of sports at an early age, and if kids don't stay in sports, they won't reap these benefits.

How Does Positive Coaching Alliance Address the Problem?

PCA has a comprehensive strategy that addresses root problems with a program that works. PCA looks to make its "Double-Goal Coach^®," strategy the national standard for youth sports. The Double-Goal Coach is one who wants to win (goal #1) but has a second, more important goal of using sports to teach life lessons This model is based on research from sport psychology, moral education and other disciplines, as well as the best practices of some of the greatest coaches in the world (including Phil Jackson, Larry Brown, Dean Smith, Summer Sanders, Bart Conner, Nadia Comenici, Ronnie Lott, Herm Edwards, Shane Battier, Doug Wilson and Barry Zito).  PCA’s interactive workshops, delivered by dynamic trainers with deep coaching experience, help even initially skeptical coaches get excited about becoming Double-Goal Coaches who help youth achieve their potential as athletes and as people.

Our partnership grant will involve many elements, including:

(1)  Subscription to PCA Connector – an electronic newsletter. These newsletters will be distributed to all coaches and parents in the Somers Lacrosse organization. Please look for these each month, and take the time to read them. They often include many interesting and informative articles, blogs, and open discussions on youth sports and dealing with the challenges of youth sports.

(2)  Monthly “2 minute drill” tips. These tips will also be distributed to our membership and posted on our website to share with coaches, parents and student-athletes.

(3)  Three Live workshops, held in Somers - one each for Leadership, Coaches, and Parents. The focus of the program is to cultivate an environment for our youth and high school sports coaches to become Double-Goal Coaches®, whose first goal is winning, and whose second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports.

We have scheduled the workshops to be held on January 28 for Leaders, February 18 for Coaches (note the date change!), and March 11 for Parents. We hope that EVERYONE will participate in one or more of these workshops. Please look for further information to be announced in the coming weeks, and plan on attending the workshops before our season begins! Also – feel free to learn more about the PCA at their website, http://www.positivecoach.org/.