Positive Coaching Alliance helps Mater Dei spread message of teamwork, equality
The Positive Coaching Alliance has a simple, but effective mission statement: Better Athletes. Better People.
Founded in 1998, the PCA assists high school sports coaches, parents, administrators and student-athletes in spreading the message of positivity and teamwork, reaching more than 8.6 million youth to date.
Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana is one of the 3,500 schools and youth sports organizations across the nation which partake in online courses, live workshops and more.
The Monarchs receive four yearly workshops for the athletes and two/year for the coaches for the next three school years.
"Our goal is to really help the athletes develop, not just on the field, but beyond sports. In the classroom. How they define leadership roles within their own teams. How to show appreciation to teammates," said Marti Reed, development manager for the Southern California chapter of PCA.
Reed recently held a Character & Leadership Development workshop on the Mater Dei campus, where the school's athletic teams were represented by two members from each grade (9-12) representing every sport.
The various student-athletes were then mixed together in order to break up the 'cliques' and encourage engagement and fun.
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"We like to spread (the kids) around," Reed said. "Leadership goes beyond seniority.
"With Mater Dei, it's a highly competitive school. These are winning coaches. They win on the highest levels. We make sure we are diving deep."
The feedback from coaches and administrators at Mater Dei has been overly positive.
"The relationship between PCA and Mater Dei High School has been fantastic. The kids keep giving us lots of positive feedback and are always excited for our next meeting. We love the message that PCA spreads and we love that our kids are excited to keep learning and growing as athletes and leaders," said Jessica Perry, Associate Athletic Director, Mater Dei.
"Anytime an athlete comes up to me after and thanks me for speaking, that fills my emotional tank," added Reed, who won a national title as a member of the UCLA softball team in 2010.
While PCA does discuss the importance of winning, there are other aspects which have a greater value for the student-athletes.
"We want to help them unlock their potential. To make positive contributions throughout lives. It is a culture of positivity," said Reed.
The PCA National Advisory Board consists of current LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers, former Lakers coach Phil Jackson, World Cup winner Brandi Chastain and swimming gold medalist Summer Sanders.
To learn more about the PCA, please click here.
On Friday night, Mater Dei will take on Centennial in the CIF Southern Section football semifinals. Coverage begins at 8:30p on FOX Sports West & the FOX Sports App.
