“BETTER ATHLETES, BETTER PEOPLE” THROUGH POSITIVE YOUTH ATHLETIC CULTURE University Liggett School has recently stepped up to the plate to share coaching best practices with the broader community. On March 2nd, the school held its second University Liggett School Coach Academy, a workshop focused on positive coaching strategies for volunteer coaches of youth sports and made possible by a grant from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Legacy Funds for Youth Sports. The event featured a combination of technical sessions led by the school’s own coaches and an in-depth discussion on youth coaching strategies led by a trainer from the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), a national nonprofit that works holistically with coaches, studentathletes, parents and administrators to develop “Better Athletes, Better People.” Approximately 50 coaches from a broad range of sports attended the half-day session, eager to learn from the experts — and each other — in order to provide the kids they coach with positive athletic experiences. University Liggett School will continue to provide and expand upon its positive coaching training, powered in large part through its PCA partnership, which kicked off in March, as well. The partnership is a positive step, said Alan Parish, director of athletics. He has been familiar with PCA for several years, and encouraged the relationship as a way to enhance the sports culture, which is an integral part of the University Liggett School life. “The primary purpose of PCA is to help coaches become better coaches, but part of it is getting coaches, athletes, and parents on the same page with continued training,” Parish said. By shifting the focus of youth athletics from outcome to process, the positive sports experience can become something students carry with them for the rest of their lives. “Wins and losses are secondary to that impact,” Parish explained. “This is about helping coaches shift the focus to what are they doing to make radical positive impacts in the kids’ lives.” PCA has partnered with some 3,500 schools and youth sports organizations in the United States, and delivers workshops that blend sports psychology, education, and practical advice about athletic performance from top coaches and athletes. One particular goal for Parish is to help University Liggett School coaches learn to coach in the moment. “When coaches coach in the present, they are better able to give athletes the best experience this year, whether or not they continue beyond that. They are not focusing on the elite athletes that they might play in college, but what the student is doing right now,” he said. This is especially important for an independent school that requires students to participate, and doesn’t turn away any student from joining a team. Diversity of student-athlete ability is fostered and celebrated on every team, with positive outcomes for everyone involved a top priority, he said.
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