The High School Sports Parent: Developing Triple-Impact Competitors [Perfect Paperback]

Jim Thompson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2009

Learning to compete on the stage of high school sports is a big transition for youth athletes and is often perplexing for their parents. In The Double-Goal Coach, Positive Coaching Alliance founder Jim Thompson articulated two goals of sports: winning on the scoreboard and the more important goal of using sports to teach life lessons. Now in The High School Sports Parent, Thompson provides guidance and practical, easy-to-use tools to show how parents can maintain a Second-Goal focus to: - Help their teen thrive and become a Triple-Impact Competitor who makes himself, his teammates, and the game better - Navigate the complicated high school sports landscape - Use high school sports endless procession of teachable moments to teach and reinforce positive character traits - Deal effectively with common dilemmas faced by high school sports parents Done right, high school sports is a meaningful development experience that athletes will remember for a lifetime. But that requires sports parents who understand their role and play it to the hilt. Research-based and reflecting Thompson s 25 years of pioneering work in youth sports, The High School Sports Parent is a roadmap for the tumultuous trip that parents embark upon when their children transition into high school sports.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Every sports parent should read this book. The High School Sports Parent will help parents keep the proper perspective and ensure their kids have a positive and fun experience. ----Marie M. Ishida, Executive Director, California Interscholastic Federation

The High School Sports Parent is a must-read. Some day everyone will recognize the terms Second-Goal Parent, Triple-Impact Competitor, and Double-Goal Coach. When this day comes, all who participate in sport will be assured of a positive experience. ----Tim Flannery, Assistant Director, National Federation of State High School Associations

Ï was thrilled when this book became available. As a high school athletic director, I plan to get a copy of this book into the hands of every parent coming into our building so they can maximize their child's (and their own!) high school sports opportunities. -- --Ken Harkenrider, Athletic Director, Canterbury High, Fort Wayne, IN

Ï was thrilled when this book became available. As a high school athletic director, I plan to get a copy of this book into the hands of every parent coming into our building so they can maximize their child's (and their own!) high school sports opportunities. ----Ken Harkenrider, Athletic Director, Canterbury High, Fort Wayne, IN

Every sports parent should read this book. The High School Sports Parent will help parents keep the proper perspective and ensure their kids have a positive and fun experience. ----Marie M. Ishida, Executive Director, California Interscholastic Federation

About the Author

Jim Thompson is author of six books on youth sports, including Positive Coaching, Shooting in the Dark, and The Double-Goal Coach. He is an Ashoka Fellow and was named by the Institute for International Sport as one of the top Sports Educators in the U.S. He founded Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) in 1998 at Stanford University where he teaches classes in coaching, leadership, and sport and spirituality.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 68 pages
• Publisher: Balance Sports Publishing (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982131739
• ISBN-13: 978-0982131732
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,104,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars must read!, November 4, 2011

By 

mick pagan - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The High School Sports Parent: Developing Triple-Impact Competitors (Perfect Paperback)

I am a huge supporter of the Positive Coaching Alliance. i think their philosophy should be the bench mark for all youth to high school leaders, not just sports. it is not just "feel good" talk and "everyone has a good time". they want to win, but win the right way. through hard work, dedication, teamwork, and respect for the game, your teammates, and your opponents. this book applies to parents and how they act and behave with both their child athlete as well as the coaches and in the stands. this book reinforces the ideas of being supportive and helping your student athlete deal with some "teachable moments", how to listen to them, and not always tell them what you think is right, but to help them come to their own decisions through supportive information and continue to strive to do their best. easy read that can be done in short sections during down time.

5.0 out of 5 stars Help Your Athlete Find the Joy in High School Sports, November 24, 2009

By 

Lynette R. Fleming "Coauthor of Lunch Buddies... (Decatur, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The High School Sports Parent: Developing Triple-Impact Competitors (Perfect Paperback)

This year our football team set a record ... we were undefeated in our conference for the second consecutive year. Then it came time for our playoff game. As a #3 seed playing a #14 seed, we expected to win our first game. Most of the players and coaches were thinking ahead to the third game, where winning would begin to get difficult. Then the flu made the rounds on our football team. Then the rain ... a total of four inches beginning the day prior to and ending three hours before the game. It was difficult to use our greatest assets of speed and agility in the mud, and some of our key players were still ill but trying to play. This loss ended our dreams for a state championship. After the game we made our way onto the field to say goodbye to the seniors. It broke my heart to see their tears, not knowing whether they were because we lost or because they had played their last game, or perhaps a little of both. We had watched these boys grow up, becoming not just fine athletes but also fine young men.

The fact is that most of these young men will not go on to play football in college, let alone "earn" a college scholarship. According to Jim Thompson, only 5.7 percent of high school football players play in college. For basketball, it's 3 percent for boys and 3.3 percent for girls. Of the young athletes who do play sports in college, only about 2.3 percent receive a scholarship, and most receive a "partial scholarship that may be just a sliver of the entire cost of college." Most parents want to believe their young athlete has the talent to receive a scholarship, but after reading this book will set aside some money for college, realizing the "odds" are against it.

The High School Sports Parent is a comprehensive guide, covering everything from higher goals to sportsmanship to injuries, even helping decide when it's time to quit. Ever hear parents screaming when their kids make a mistake? Know a parent who coaches their child's team? When my son played basketball, at practice one night the coach became very frustrated with his son and threw the basketball into his back, nearly knocking him down. The parents who observed this behavior complained to the principal, who asked him to resign. While these types of parents definitely need to read this book, every sports parent will benefit from Mr. Thompson's advice. Some schools are even handing free copies out to parents in an effort to avoid problems later on. This book isn't just about helping your child learn to compete; it is also a tool to help you help your teen athlete thrive, making himself, his team, and the game better.