Community Corner
Inspiring Coach Wins Coveted Award
"You come to this field with a smile on your face, and you leave this field with a smile on your face. Nobody worries about wins and losses but the coach."
This article was submitted by Nancy Peter
Stanford, CA – Gerald Caldwell, a coach for Mt. Airy Baseball, has won Positive Coaching Alliance’s coveted Double-Goal Coach Award presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance for his positive impact on youth athletes.
The award – named for coaches who strive to win while pursuing the more important goal of teaching life lessons through sports – carries a $250 prize, a trophy and mention within the websites and newsletters of Positive Coaching Alliance (www.PositiveCoach.org) and the Liberty Mutual Insurance Responsible Sports program (ResponsibleSports.com).
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“Gerald helps youth athletes win on and off the field,” said Jim Thompson, founder and CEO of Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) and author of eight books on youth sports, including The Power of Double-Goal Coaching. “By creating a positive, character-building youth sports experience, and serving as a Double-Goal Coach, Gerald helps youth develop into better athletes and better people.”
Caldwell keeps a focus on fun with his players. “If you can’t enjoy this, then why do it?” he said. “You come to this field with a smile on your face, and you leave this field with a smile on your face. Nobody worries about wins and losses but the coach. You want to blame somebody, blame me. Kids of eight, nine, 10, 11, 12 years old can’t walk around with that on their shoulders.”
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Caldwell – a grandfather of three, who moved to Mt. Airy in 1987 – also noted some more serious aspects of youth sports. “Being in the part of the city I’m in, we’ve worked through some racial tensions,” he said. “Bringing cultures together is one of the biggest life lessons. Kids don’t pick these things up automatically in the streets. Some of these things are taught. I try to teach that color doesn’t matter. Whatever you want out there, you can get it if you focus.”
Caldwell’s approach embodies the shared values that are central to Liberty Mutual Insurance and PCA, which also have partnered to help youth sports coaches and parents through the Liberty Mutual Insurance Responsible Sports Program Powered by Positive Coaching Alliance.
“This prestigious award celebrates coaches who are doing the right thing, by promoting the fundamental ideals of community through positive mentoring,” said Julie Brassard, Liberty Mutual Insurance manager of sponsorships. “We applaud coaches like Gerald Caldwell for effectively using sports to teach valuable life lessons to our youth.”
Founded in 2007, the program serves as a means to highlight the positive impact that everyday, responsible actions can have on our youth. The program provides resources for parents and coaches at ResponsibleSports.com to help children reap the full benefits of playing a team sport. The online community incorporates podcasts, videos, and best practices on youth sports topics that provide practical, real-world advice. Parents and coaches also can complete guides on positive sports mentoring that offer best practices for handling challenging sports scenarios.
About Positive Coaching Alliance
Since its founding within the Stanford University Athletic Department in 1998, Positive Coaching Alliance has helped develop “Better Athletes, Better People” primarily through live group workshops, online courses and books by PCA Founder Jim Thompson for youth and high school sports coaches, parents, student-athletes and school/organizational leaders.
In partnership with nearly 2,000 schools and youth sports organizations nationwide, PCA has conducted more than 11,000 live group workshops and impacted nearly 5 million youth.
PCA workshops and courses strive to establish these 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 has the support of elite coaches and athletes on a National Advisory Board, including National Spokesperson and 11-time NBA Champion Coach Phil Jackson.
About Liberty Mutual Insurance
“Helping people live safer, more secure lives” since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Insurance is a diversified global insurer and the third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2011 direct premiums written as reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Liberty Mutual Insurance also ranks 84th on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. corporations, based on 2011 revenue. The company has over 50,000 employees located in more than 900 offices throughout the world.
The eighth-largest auto and home insurer in the U.S., Liberty Mutual Insurance (libertymutual.com) sells full lines of coverage for automobile, homeowners, valuable possessions, personal liability, and individual life insurance. The company is an industry leader in affinity partnerships, offering car and home insurance to employees and members of more than 13,500 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.
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