Officially Speaking: Sports & Athletes…..from an Official’s Perspective
The Positive Youth Sports Alliance of Essex (PYSA) presents: Officially Speaking: Sports & Athletes…..from an Official’s Perspective, on Tuesday, April 2, at 7:00p.m. in the Essex High School auditorium.
As fans in the stands, coaches on the sideline, or players on the court, everyone seems to know the rules and wants to help enforce them. But, only the officials are the ones who get to make those determinations. This is an opportunity to hear things from their perspective. “We expect that this will be both enlightening and entertaining,” said panel moderator and EHS Athletic Director Ed Hockenbury. “This is a rare opportunity to hear what it is like to be the one with the whistle. We think that there will be valuable lessons for athletes, coaches, and parents to listen, laugh, and learn from these folks who play an important role in our sports experience.”
A panel of officials, umpires, and referees of a variety of sports will be sharing their experiences, stories, and perspectives. Panelists will include Eileen Powers (basketball & softball), Scott Slocum (soccer), Paul Trono (lacrosse and football), Lynn Vera (field hockey), and Keenan Weischedel (soccer). The intended audience is local parents, coaches, and middle & high school student athletes.
Additionally, the PYSA will be presenting the 2012 Coach and Friend of the Year Awards. Previous recipients of the Coach of the Year Award include Dan Couture (ADL basketball), Amanda Eldridge (EHS women’s rugby), Ed DeMulder (Essex United Soccer), and Dean Corkum (EHS lacrosse). The Friend of the Year Award is new this year.
For those athletes too young to sit for the presentation, the Essex High School Athletic Leadership Council will be hosting Athletes Afoot!, a fun time to unwind for kindergarten through sixth grade students in the cafeteria/gymnasium. The free event will feature arts & crafts, board games, sports, games, ping-pong, and fun. Participants will have free reign to play and hang out with EHS varsity leaders and athletes. The PYSA is promoting the opportunity as an option for parents with young children to attend the panel discussion, while their children get to play.
The Positive Youth Sports Alliance of Essex was formed in November 2007, and represents 14 Essex community sports organizations, with the mission of “promoting a positive sports experience that will teach lifelong lessons through personal growth and healthy competition.”
Both events are free and open to the public. No pre-registration is required. For questions about the Positive Youth Sports Alliance of Essex or either event, please contact Essex Junction Recreation and Parks at 878-1375 or go to www.pysaessex.org.
As fans in the stands, coaches on the sideline, or players on the court, everyone seems to know the rules and wants to help enforce them. But, only the officials are the ones who get to make those determinations. This is an opportunity to hear things from their perspective. “We expect that this will be both enlightening and entertaining,” said panel moderator and EHS Athletic Director Ed Hockenbury. “This is a rare opportunity to hear what it is like to be the one with the whistle. We think that there will be valuable lessons for athletes, coaches, and parents to listen, laugh, and learn from these folks who play an important role in our sports experience.”
A panel of officials, umpires, and referees of a variety of sports will be sharing their experiences, stories, and perspectives. Panelists will include Eileen Powers (basketball & softball), Scott Slocum (soccer), Paul Trono (lacrosse and football), Lynn Vera (field hockey), and Keenan Weischedel (soccer). The intended audience is local parents, coaches, and middle & high school student athletes.
Additionally, the PYSA will be presenting the 2012 Coach and Friend of the Year Awards. Previous recipients of the Coach of the Year Award include Dan Couture (ADL basketball), Amanda Eldridge (EHS women’s rugby), Ed DeMulder (Essex United Soccer), and Dean Corkum (EHS lacrosse). The Friend of the Year Award is new this year.
For those athletes too young to sit for the presentation, the Essex High School Athletic Leadership Council will be hosting Athletes Afoot!, a fun time to unwind for kindergarten through sixth grade students in the cafeteria/gymnasium. The free event will feature arts & crafts, board games, sports, games, ping-pong, and fun. Participants will have free reign to play and hang out with EHS varsity leaders and athletes. The PYSA is promoting the opportunity as an option for parents with young children to attend the panel discussion, while their children get to play.
The Positive Youth Sports Alliance of Essex was formed in November 2007, and represents 14 Essex community sports organizations, with the mission of “promoting a positive sports experience that will teach lifelong lessons through personal growth and healthy competition.”
Both events are free and open to the public. No pre-registration is required. For questions about the Positive Youth Sports Alliance of Essex or either event, please contact Essex Junction Recreation and Parks at 878-1375 or go to www.pysaessex.org.
About the Positive Youth Sports Alliance of Essex
In August 2007, several community leaders came together to discuss creating a more cohesive athletic community in Essex Junction. Specifically, we examined how to better align our expectations of parents, coaches, and players, and the training opportunities available to coaches. In October 2007, we hosted four Positive Coaching Alliance workshops in Essex Junction for community coaches, parents, athletes, and organizational leaders. As a follow-up, we held our first meeting of Essex youth sports organizations in November 2007 and held seven meetings from November to June 2008. In that time we developed a wide range of supporting organizations, developed a mission and guiding principles documents, and created a list of goals and priorities.
During the 2008-2009 school year, we had 13 community organizations formally sign-on as partners. We created a common list of expectations for member coaches, parents, and players, that will be used within each partner organization. We recognized the first annual Coach of the Year Award for Dean Corkum, Essex High School football and lacrosse, and held a successful parent and coaching workshop, featuring nationally acclaimed presenter Bruce Brown. We created a logo, designed a brochure, and launched the pysaessex.org website.
In 2009-2010, we hosted a panel presentation for middle & high school athletes, parents, and coaches entitled “Positive Performance: achieving the mental and physical advantage in athletics.” We spread the word about PYSA through our partner websites, and one of our member organizations, Essex Youth Hockey, created PYSA helmet stickers for their players. We recognized the second annual Coach of the Year, Ed DeMulder, Essex United Soccer, and held a spring parent and coach workshop titled “Developing Athletes with Integrity.”
In 2010-2011, we hosted a panel presentation for middle & high school athletes, parents, and coaches entitled “The Making of Me: How Athletics Builds Confidence and Character.” The panel included Mike Trimboli - star point guard at UVM from 2005-2009, Bill Beaney - head coach for Middlebury College Men’s Hockey, Ted Castle - owner and president of Rhino Foods, Heather Taft Garrow - varsity field hockey coach and English teacher at Essex High School, and Mary Parmenter - EHS and varsity gymnast and lacrosse player. In conjunction with the event, we held the first “Athlete’s Afoot!” a free, fun-filled open gym night for K-6 graders in the gymnasium, hosted by the EHS Athletic Leadership Council. In March 2011 we featured Brian Cain with a workshop “It’s All in Your Head: Mental Preparation and Concentration for Excellence in Athletics.” The 2010 Coach of the Year Award was presented to Amanda Eldridge, Essex High School Girls’ Rugby Coach.
In 2011-2012, we held a fall educational opportunity featuring renowned professional speaker, Ed Gerety, with a presentation called “Playing Big in the Game of Life,” again in conjunction with what has become a staple opportunity for younger children: Athlete’s Afoot! In the spring our panel focused on: Youth Sports: Balancing Winning with Character Development, featuring Jessica Barnett – EHS varsity athlete, Dean Corkum – EHS coach, Dan Marlow – BFA Athletic Director, Laura Matuszak – Green Mountain Aquatics owner and coach, and Peggy Lynne & Guy Palker – Westford parents. The 2011 Coach of the Year Award was presented to Dan Couture, Essex Mini Metro, Essex United Soccer, and ADL Girls’ Basketball.
During the 2008-2009 school year, we had 13 community organizations formally sign-on as partners. We created a common list of expectations for member coaches, parents, and players, that will be used within each partner organization. We recognized the first annual Coach of the Year Award for Dean Corkum, Essex High School football and lacrosse, and held a successful parent and coaching workshop, featuring nationally acclaimed presenter Bruce Brown. We created a logo, designed a brochure, and launched the pysaessex.org website.
In 2009-2010, we hosted a panel presentation for middle & high school athletes, parents, and coaches entitled “Positive Performance: achieving the mental and physical advantage in athletics.” We spread the word about PYSA through our partner websites, and one of our member organizations, Essex Youth Hockey, created PYSA helmet stickers for their players. We recognized the second annual Coach of the Year, Ed DeMulder, Essex United Soccer, and held a spring parent and coach workshop titled “Developing Athletes with Integrity.”
In 2010-2011, we hosted a panel presentation for middle & high school athletes, parents, and coaches entitled “The Making of Me: How Athletics Builds Confidence and Character.” The panel included Mike Trimboli - star point guard at UVM from 2005-2009, Bill Beaney - head coach for Middlebury College Men’s Hockey, Ted Castle - owner and president of Rhino Foods, Heather Taft Garrow - varsity field hockey coach and English teacher at Essex High School, and Mary Parmenter - EHS and varsity gymnast and lacrosse player. In conjunction with the event, we held the first “Athlete’s Afoot!” a free, fun-filled open gym night for K-6 graders in the gymnasium, hosted by the EHS Athletic Leadership Council. In March 2011 we featured Brian Cain with a workshop “It’s All in Your Head: Mental Preparation and Concentration for Excellence in Athletics.” The 2010 Coach of the Year Award was presented to Amanda Eldridge, Essex High School Girls’ Rugby Coach.
In 2011-2012, we held a fall educational opportunity featuring renowned professional speaker, Ed Gerety, with a presentation called “Playing Big in the Game of Life,” again in conjunction with what has become a staple opportunity for younger children: Athlete’s Afoot! In the spring our panel focused on: Youth Sports: Balancing Winning with Character Development, featuring Jessica Barnett – EHS varsity athlete, Dean Corkum – EHS coach, Dan Marlow – BFA Athletic Director, Laura Matuszak – Green Mountain Aquatics owner and coach, and Peggy Lynne & Guy Palker – Westford parents. The 2011 Coach of the Year Award was presented to Dan Couture, Essex Mini Metro, Essex United Soccer, and ADL Girls’ Basketball.
