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PCA-Arizona & Thunderbirds Charities Have Joined Forces Once Again In 2020

03.12.2020

PHOENIX, AZ – Positive Coaching Alliance - Arizona (PCA) & Thunderbirds Charities have joined forces once again in 2020 to collaborate on the “Sports Teach – Arizona” Campaign.  Through Thunderbirds Charities and its generous support of PCA with a $50,000 grant, PCA will have the opportunity to expand its work with underfunded schools and Youth Sports Organizations to teach the valuable leadership and life skills/ lessons that can be taught through sport.

“The continued support of Thunderbirds Charities has been a big reason why PCA Arizona has seen the tremendous growth across the State of Arizona over the past 3 years,” said Rich Tomey, Chapter Executive Director “Their continued support helps us to continue to drive our mission forward, and provide much-needed resources for Arizona’s underserved schools and youth organizations. Involvement in sport has been a tremendous predictor for success in school, life and in the business world later in life… this grant will allow us to conduct a wide range of workshops that teach valuable life lessons for coaches, athletes and parents.”

"The Thunderbirds are proud to continue the support for Positive Coaching Alliance," said Thunderbirds Charities President Chance Cozby. "Together with PCA, our goal is to impact thousands of kids, coaches and parents - teaching valuable life lessons that encourage fundamental skill development, teamwork, sportsmanship, positive participation and community involvement.”

Sports ultimately teach us our greatest lessons in life and provide a springboard to excel both in the classroom and in life. The goal is to reinforce positive behaviors at all levels of youth sports by delivering character education resources so that every child can become the best competitor and person that he or she can be. Specifically, partnerships with middle & high schools and underserved Public Parks & Recreation Programs in Maricopa County will create a Development Zone, utilizing a combination of live workshops. It is widely know from research that when kids are allowed to participate in athletics through a Development Zone, they are more likely to stick with their sport. This provides a broader impact to the student beyond athletic endeavors.

Some of the lessons learned will be:

Leadership Training: sets the table for success by aligning School Administrators, Staff and Coaches to achieve great things. Topics include:

  • Culture-shaping skills development for leaders
  • Elements of a positive coaching culture
  • Structural pillars and maintenance of a positive culture
  • Development of an organization-specific development plan

Coach Training: introduces PCA's Double-Goal Coach model and presents research from experts in coaching, education and sports psychology. Every participant gains access to practical, proven tools that they can immediately begin using in their next practice or competition. Topics include an in-depth review of the three principles of Positive Coaching:

  • ELM Approach to Building a Mastery Environment
  • Filling of Emotional Tanks for Optimal Performance
  • Honoring the Game

Athlete Training: educates high-school athletes on becoming a Triple-Impact Competitor who strives to improve themselves, their teammates and the game. Outcomes include:

  • Inspiration to value competitors and respect rules, officials and the game
  • Education of powerful sports psychology techniques to improve performance
  • Player self-confidence, resiliency, response to adversity, self-control and mental toughness

About Thunderbirds Charities

THUNDERBIRDS CHARITIES is a non-profit organization formed in 1986 to distribute monies raised through the Waste Management Phoenix.  The Thunderbirds Charities Board consists of 15 board members from varying professional backgrounds.  The mission of Thunderbirds Charities is to assist children and families, help people in need and improve the quality of life in our communities.  The organization’s giving is directed toward organizations based or with a significant presence in Arizona.  The Thunderbirds were founded in 1937 with the mission of promoting the Valley of the Sun through sports.  The Thunderbirds consist of 55 “active” members and more than 285 “life” members.  For more information on the Thunderbirds or the 2021 Waste Management Phoenix Open, visit www.wmphoenixopen.com.  For more information on the Thunderbirds Charities, visit www.thunderbirdscharities.org.

About Positive Coaching Alliance

Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) is a national non-profit organization with the mission of creating a positive, character-building youth sports environment that results in BETTER ATHLETES, BETTER PEOPLE.

Youth sports currently involves 40M children, which presents a tremendous platform on which to develop youth character and life skills. Research has shown that in order for youth to accrue these benefits from sports, sports needs to be done in a way that creates a positive youth development culture. PCA ensures sports are ‘done right’ with programming that is research-based and designed to have an impact at three levels in a youth sports organization or school:

  • Youth experience improved life skills and character development.  They also perform better!
  • Coaches become more positive and increase their focus on using sports to teach life lessons.
  • Youth Sports Organizations & Schools see their cultures become more positive and everyone involved has more fun.

Since its founding in 1998, PCA has established 18 chapters nationwide, partnered with roughly 3,500 schools and youth sports organizations to deliver more than 20,000 live group workshops, reaching over 20 million youth. PCA offers interactive online courses and has thousands of multimedia tips and tools for coaches, parents, athletes, and leaders available free of charge on PCADevZone.org. PCA also runs two annual awards programs: a scholarship program for high school student-athletes and a coach award program to recognize youth and high school coaches who strive to win and teach life lessons.

PCA gains support from a National Advisory Board of elite coaches, professional and Olympic athletes, organization leaders, and academics who share PCA’s mission including Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach, Lindsay Gottlieb and others such as Joe Thomas, Dusty Baker, Carol Dweck, Herm Edwards, Julie Foudy, Phil Jackson, and Steve Kerr. PCA is proud to partner with more than 50 national governing bodies, youth-serving organizations and professional leagues and teams including the Boys & Girls Club of America, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, and US Lacrosse.

For information on PCA-Arizona, contact Rich Tomey, Chapter Executive Director Rich_Tomey@positivecoach.org or call 602-647-2864.

For more information about Thunderbirds Charities, visit https://thunderbirdscharities.org/