Parents are very important to the success of Honoring The Game. Honoring The Game is committed to the principles of Positive Coaching and expects parents to follow and maintain the highest degree of sportsmanship.
Parents will get their child to practice and games on time. Parents understand that it can be embarrassing for a child to be late and that a parent may be putting him/her at risk by not providing adequate time for warm up. Parents will be on time to pick up their child from all games and practices. This shows respect for the coach, and it tells each child that he or she is the parent’s top priority.
Parents will use positive encouragement to fill each child's Emotional Tank because athletes do their best when their “Emotional Tank” is full. Parents understand that fewer than 1% of youth sports participants receive college scholarships and that the top three reasons kids play sports are a) to have fun, b) to make new friends, and c) to learn new skills. Parents understand that the game is for the players, and parents will keep sports in the proper perspective.
Parents will pledge to reinforce the ELM Tree of Mastery with every child (E for Effort, L for Learning and M for bouncing back from Mistakes). Winners are people who make maximum effort, continue to learn and improve, and do not let mistakes, or fear of making mistakes, stop them. Parents will understand that mistakes are an inevitable part of any game and that people learn from their mistakes. Parents will understand that children are born with different abilities and that the true measure is not how my child compares to others but how he/she is doing in comparison to his/her best self.
Parents will Honor the Game. Parents understand the importance of setting a good example for each child. No matter what others may do, parents will show respect for all involved in the game including coaches, players, opponents, opposing fans, and officials. Parents understand that officials make mistakes. If the official makes a "bad" call against any team, parents will Honor the Game and be silent!
Parents pledge to refrain from yelling out instructions to any child. Parents understand that this is the coach's job. Parents understand that games are chaotic times for children trying to deal with fast-paced action and respond to opponents, teammates and coaches. Parents will limit their comments during the game to encouraging every child and every player for all the teams.
Parents pledge to refrain from making negative comments about any child's coach in the presence of any child. Parents understand that this plants a negative seed and that it can negatively influence children’s motivation and overall experience.
Parents will honor the PCA Parent Pledge by their words and actions.
If parents or fans find this a difficult policy to live by, they will be asked to remove themselves from our events.
