Avon Youth Sports partners with Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) to better equip their volunteer coaches, as they share in the vision of Thompson. AYS’ 2024 Honor the Game Days for Winter Rec. Basketball and the Avon Youth Basketball Club took place on February 17th and 24th. Teams sat aside a few minutes before the start of each game to be mindful of how each athlete could be a team player, look for ways to help a teammate, display sportsmanship, and celebrate their opponent’s successes. Thompson says he “loves the game so much, but what really makes coaching rewarding is when he sees what a difference it can make in the kid’s lives.” He doesn’t always know what’s going on in the lives of his players, but he can create a structured environment where they can learn teamwork among other things, like how to stay active, and he can teach them that they have the choice on how to respond to winning and losing. He says “We are empowering them to make the right decision!”
When Thompson was asked what he would tell someone who was considering being a volunteer coach with AYS, he said, “You will not regret it. The only regret I think you’ll have is if you don’t do it. If your main priority is to help the kids, you will never regret it.” Thompson hopes AYS athletes walk away with confidence in themselves, a good grasp on how to work alongside others, respect, social skills, and how to stay physically active when they age out of our programs. This helps achieve the third and final element of growth and development. AYS serves over 3,600 athletes and utilizes 800 volunteers each year! If you’d like to learn more about the sports programming offered through AYS, you can visit avonindiana.gov/sports or email sports@avonindiana.gov!
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