Mountain View, CA – March 10, 2015 – Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) -- a national non-profit developing “Better Athletes, Better People” by providing all youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience – is establishing a PCA-Portland chapter with major financial support from the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC, Portland Trail Blazers, Eid Passport, Inc. and the King-Guffey Family Foundation.
PCA-Portland – which soon will be led by a local Chapter board including Trail Blazers President and CEO Chris McGowan and Timbers President of Business Operations Mike Golub – will impact youth and high school sports in the area through educational resources, such as workshops, online courses, books and e-communications for coaches, sports parents, student-athletes and administrators.
“We help establish a Development Zone culture for developing better athletes and more importantly better people,” said PCA Founder and CEO Jim Thompson, author of nine books that instruct and inspire youth and high school sports participants to pursue both winning and the more important goal of life lessons through sports. “Sports provide an endless procession of teachable moments, but only if the adults involved see themselves as character-educators. PCA’s live and online training and other resources explain why and how that can and should happen.”
As in many of PCA’s 12 other Chapters throughout the U.S., pro sports leaders are early adopters and advocates. “The Trail Blazers are thrilled to help bring PCA to Portland,” McGowan said. “We always want to have a positive impact on youth in our community, and advancing PCA’s mission is a great way for us to create that sort of impact.”
Golub, whose Timbers in September announced a historic partnership with the Oregon Youth Soccer Association, understands what is at stake in youth sports. “PCA-Portland is exactly what’s needed to make sure the youth in metro Portland capitalize on every possible opportunity afforded by youth and high school sports. There is so much known about how to get the most out of kids, and how to help them get the most out of sports as players and as people. PCA harnesses and directs that information to get everyone in a given school or youth sports organization onto the same page, and we’re all tremendously excited to see that happen here.”
One focus of PCA-Portland will be to “reach and support a meaningful number of socio-economically diverse kids,” said Cynthia King-Guffey, explaining her family foundation’s interest in supporting the Chapter. “It is a top priority to provide practical tools and specific strategies to directly engage and strengthen youth and families.”
Similarly, Eid Passport CEO Steve Larson is helping found PCA-Portland because he sees a direct tie to his company, which has served nationally as PCA’s trusted resource for identity verification and background checks that help ensure personal safety in youth sports. “Nothing in youth sports can be more important than kids’ physical, mental and emotional safety,” he said. “And there is no greater organization than PCA to see that youth and high school sports are a safe haven for developing better athletes and better people.”
In coming weeks, Golub and McGowan will help recruit fellow board members, followed by the hiring of a PCA-Portland Chapter Executive Director, Thompson said. “I am very grateful for the generosity and drive that Chris and Mike show in establishing this new Chapter. The entire PCA Movement of millions of people throughout the U.S. also thanks Cynthia King-Guffey and Steve Larson for their roles in making this possible.”
About Positive Coaching Alliance
Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) develops BETTER ATHLETES, BETTER PEOPLE through resources for youth and high school sports coaches, parents, administrators and student-athletes. In addition to hundreds of free audio-video and printable tips and tools at www.PCADevZone.org, PCA has partnered with roughly 3,000 schools and youth sports organizations nationwide to deliver live group workshops, online courses and books by PCA Founder Jim Thompson that help those involved in youth and high school sports create a positive, character-building youth sports culture.
PCA workshops and courses, which have impacted more than 7.5 million youth through 2014, strive to transform high school and youth sports into a Development ZoneTM, where the goal is to develop Better Athletes, Better People and the following become the prevailing models in youth and high school sports:
· The Double-Goal Coach®, who strives to win while also pursuing the more important goal of teaching life lessons through sports
· The Second-Goal Parent®, who concentrates on life lessons, while letting coaches and athletes focus on competing
· The Triple-Impact Competitor®, who strives to impact sport on three levels by improving oneself, teammates and the game as a whole
PCA gains support from a National Advisory Board, including National Spokesperson and 11-time NBA Champion Coach Phil Jackson, and many other top coaches, athletes, organization leaders and academics who share PCA’s mission.
