PCA Parent Pledge

PCA Parent Pledge

1 As a Second-Goal Parent I will let players and coaches take responsibility for the first goal of winning. I will relentlessly focus on the second, more important, goal of using sports to teach life lessons to my child and other youth.

2 I will use positive encouragement to fill the Emotional Tanks of my children, their teammates, and coaches. I understand that people do their best with full E-Tanks.
 
3 I will reinforce the ELM Tree of Mastery with my child (E for Effort, L for Learning, M for bouncing back from Mistakes). Because I understand a mastery approach will help my child be successful in sports and in life, I will encourage my child to
• put in a high level of effort to get better,
• cultivate a Teachable Spirit to continue to learn and improve,
• use a Mistake Ritual (e.g., “flushing mistakes”) to quickly rebound from mistakes.
 
4 I will set an example for my child by Honoring the Game and will encourage him/her to remember ROOTS—respect for the Rules, Opponents, Officials, Teammates, and Self. If the official makes a "bad" call against my team, I will Honor the Game and be silent!
 
5 I will use a self-control routine to avoid losing my composure when things go wrong. I will take a deep breath, turn away from the game to refocus, count backwards from 100 or use self-talk (“I need to be a role model. I can rise above this.”).
 
6 I will engage in No-Directions Cheering. I will limit my comments during the game to encouraging my child and other players (from both teams).
 
7 I will get my child to practice and games on time and will be on time picking my child up after games and practices.
 
8 I will refrain from making negative comments about my child's coach in my child's presence. I understand that this will help to avoid planting negative seeds in my child's head that can negatively influence my child's motivation and overall experience.