INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 13, 2013 – USA Gymnastics is partnering with Positive Coaching Alliance and Growing Champions for Life to expand its educational offerings for parents and professionals. Both organizations focus on fostering positive sports experiences and building athletes into better people. Positive Coaching Alliance’s program is geared for coaches and club owners. Growing Champions for Life is designed to assist parents in providing a positive and supportive environment for their children who are athletes.


“Education is one of the top priorities for USA Gymnastics,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “We are thrilled to partner with these organizations and expand our educational offerings and information for parents to include the positive aspects that can be created in our gymnastics environment. Materials from these two programs will be provided on a regular basis through several avenues, including Technique magazine, online, webinars and the website.”

Parents are an integral part of their children’s athletic involvement and want their children to succeed. Parents sometimes do not know what to say to their child or how to provide positive support. Growing Champions for Life is dedicated to creating cohesive families and principle-centered athletes who win at life, not just at sports. The materials provided by Growing Champions for Life give parents guidance and advice through inspirational videos, educational webinars, interesting articles and informative newsletters. The information will help parents build positive sport families and healthy athlete development at every level. New information and other resources will be posted each month on usagymclub.com.

PCA, which got its start at the Stanford University Athletic Department in 1998, provides training for coaches that focuses not only on how to win, but also pursuing the even more important goal of teaching life lessons through sports. Beginning in January, three PCA courses will be available through USA Gymnastics University: Coaching for Winning and Life Lessons; Culture Practices and Games; and Developing Triple Impact Competitors. PCA will also provide articles and videos through USAGymnasticsUniversity.org.

"We decided to partner with these two programs because of their excellent reputations and their ties to gymnastics," said Lynn Moskovitz-Thompson, director of educational services. "Wendy Bruce, one of our gymnastics Olympians, is affiliated with Growing Champions for Life, and 1984 Olympic gold-medalist Bart Conner serves on the PCA National Advisory Board. PCA and Growing Champions for Life give us the opportunity to provide ongoing resources for coaches, clubs and parents to maximize teaching life lessons through the sport of gymnastics. Incorporating this positive gymnastics content into a parent-child relationship and in a coach’s lesson plans and strategies will make a more positive sports experience for all."

Background information

  • Growing Champions for Life. The focus at Growing Champions for Life is to create cohesive families, healthy teams, and principle-centered athletes. Growing Champions for Life provides athletes and their families with positive and practical strategies to improve the youth sport experience, while diminishing the amount of stress it brings into the home. Sports parents witness the wins and the losses. The way parents deal with both is crucial to the proper development of their child. Growing Champions for Life can help with this sometimes-daunting responsibility. For more information, go to growingchampionsforlife.com.

  • Positive Coaching Alliance. Since its founding 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 12,000 live group workshops and impacted more than 5 million youth. 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. For more information, go to positivecoach.org.