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Youth sports offers teachable moments, life lessons that help children succeed in sports and throughout their lives.

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Parents should define “winning” not in terms of the scoreboard but by focusing on the bigger picture of their children’s efforts and learning life lessons.

Apply the Principle

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The acronym “ELM” helps people remember the values of Effort, Learning and bouncing back from Mistakes.

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For simple visualization, you can put a photo of an ELM tree on your Share Site next to the acronym “ELM” to reinforce the values.

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People’s “Emotional Tanks” are like cars’ gas tanks: when full we can go anywhere, but when empty we can go nowhere.

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Fill your children’s Emotional Tanks with a Magic Ratio of five specific, truthful praises to each specific, constructive criticism.

Apply the Principle

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Post Share site photos of your players posed on the flatbed of a pick-up truck or at a gas station to remind teammates to keep each other’s tanks full.

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Use your Share site’s roster and team communications capabilities to send tank-filling messages to players, parents and coaches.

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Children perform best, learn the most and stay in sports longer in an environment where Honoring the Game is a paramount value.

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The “ROOTS” of Honoring the Game lie in parents, coaches and athletes respecting Rules, Opponents, Officials, Teammates and Self.

Apply the Principle

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Post a Share site photo of an Honoring the Game trophy with a caption underneath congratulating the player from your team who shows the best sportsmanship each week.

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Use your Share site’s roster and team communications capabilities to send pre-game reminders about ROOTS.

Positive Coaching Alliance is a non-profit founded within the Stanford University Athletic Department in 1998. PCA leads a movement to provide all youth athletes from pre-school through high school with a positive, character-building youth sports experience. Each year PCA holds 1,000+ workshops nationwide for organizational leaders, coaches, parents and athletes. Courses also are available at www.positivecoach.org. You also can Ask PCA your youth sports questions at
www.positivecoach.org/Ask-PCA.aspx.