Coaches in Garden City Public Schools recently received the latest tool designed to help them teach the young athletes on their teams: a lollipop. "You stick it in your mouth any time an official makes a bad call against your team and you're on the verge of losing control," Athletic Director Nancy Kalafus said. "A lollipop might also come in handy when a coach is tempted to try to correct an athlete at a moment when he or she is not going to be receptive to the comment."

Parents also may find a lollipop helpful now and then. The lollipops were issued to athletic department staff in connection with a renewed, district-wide emphasis on positive coaching. Also known as double-goal coaching, positive coaching focuses on two major goals; winning is the first goal. Using sports to help young people learn and positive character traits that will help them be successful throughout their lives is the equally important second goal.

To help parents and coaches implement the technique, the district recently joined the Positive Coaching Alliance, a nonprofit organization based at Stanford University dedicated to giving all young athletes the opportunity for a positive, character-building experience through sports. In the view of the Alliance, positive coaching involves replacing the "win-at-all-cost" model of coaching with an attitude that also values the role sports can play in teaching life lessons.

Parents can best support positive coaching by focusing primarily on goal number two: life lessons. This can be done with specific, scientifically proven techniques that are relatively easy to learn. For example, parents should practice their listening skills and encourage athletes to talk about their sports experiences. An adult who employs open-ended questions such as, "What was the most enjoyable part of today's practice or game?" or "What did you learn today that might help you in the future?" is more likely to stimulate a productive conversation than an adult who takes a more didactic approach.

Young athletes also should know that their parents are proud of them for trying, regardless of the outcome of a game. They should know that their parents recognize that mastery of any sport is hard work. These and other positive coaching techniques are based on business research conducted at Stanford and elsewhere. They were presented to parents at a recent double-goal workshop held at Garden City High School.

"You can't underestimate the influence that you as parents have on your young athletes," Alliance Associate Bobby Moran told parents. "The bleachers can be packed, and your children can pick out your voice. I guarantee that they know exactly where you are."

Each semester, the athletic department plans to offer parent workshops brimming with many practical suggestions about how parents can help their children through positive coaching. Announcements will be posted on the athletic page of the school's website (www.gcathletics.org) and in the weekly newspapers.