Survey of thousands of US travel coaches reports that nearly all are asked for non-sports related advice by their players

April 20, 2010 Goldens Bridge, NY—Athletic coaches have a tremendous impact on the lives of their young athletes, according to a poll taken by the National Coach Survey (NCS).   In a survey taken by more than 1,000 travel sports coaches in the first two weeks of April, coaches responded that more than 80% have been asked by parents to speak to their children about non-sport issues.  Nearly 90% say that their players seek advice about non-sports issues, such as problems with friends, schoolwork or family issues.

In a typical in season week, a third of the coaches polled said that they spend more than 16 hours with their athletes.  Nearly all of the coaches said reported they council their players on nutrition or off-season training, apart from games and practices.  When asked what the most important lesson they wanted to teach their athletes, 40% replied “hard work,” 30% replied integrity, 20% teamwork and 10% said sportsmanship.  Winning was not mentioned

“You can see from these numbers just how important coaches can be to the development and choices that young athletes make, especially at the travel sports level,” said John Kelly, Publisher of NationalCoachSurvey.org. “Our research shows that coaches often rank equal to, and in some cases higher than, parents in terms of influencing the decisions young people make on and off the field. I don’t think the general public has any idea about the level of their influence.”

The National Coach Survey focuses on exploring the issues facing our nation’s athletic coaches and the impact they have on our society.  Twice a month, NCS distributes a new survey on topics that relate directly to how coaches impact and improve the lives of the young athletes they work with so closely.   Full results of this survey can be found at www.NationalCoachSurvey.org

The National Coach Survey is managed by My Sports Dreams, a leading provider of product-less solutions to financial challenges faced by teams at the collegiate, interscholastic and travel levels nationwide.  For more information, visit www.mysportsdreams.com.

January 28, 2010 |  9:54 am

A Reseda park will be renamed today in honor of the first Los Angeles police SWAT officer to die in the line of duty.

At an 11 a.m. ceremony, Councilman Dennis Zine, a former L.A. police officer, will officially re-christen West Valley Park at Vanowen Street and Wilbur Avenue as Randal D. Simmons Park.

A member of the Police Department’s Special Weapons and Tactics team, Simmons was fatally shot in the neck in February 2008 in Winnetka while trying to persuade a 20-year-old gunman who had killed his father and two brothers to surrender.

The 20-year SWAT veteran was 51. The devout Christian was described as “the rock” of the elite tactical team, the first of its kind in the United States.

Simmons was the first officer killed in the pioneering unit’s four decades. About 10,000 people, most of them law enforcement officers, attended Simmons’ funeral.

“Everybody is going to be pleased because it continues his legacy of community service and community advocacy,” said Jane Kolb, a spokeswoman for the L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks.