Customer Reviews

The High School Sports Parent: Developing Triple-Impact Competitors

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I'm a certified PCA coach and very much admire and appreciate what Jim Thompson created in the Positive Coaching Alliance. My problem with this particular book is that it is nearly identical to his previous book, Positive Sports Parenting.

6 of the 9 chapters are exactly the same between the 2 books (except for minor changes like substituting the word 'athlete' in the high school book for the word 'child' in the earlier book. 2 chapters are very slightly reworked to change the focus from younger kids to high school athletes.

Buy one book or the other; no need to spend money on both.

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.

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.