Fund Raising Ideas ...

In order to raise funds for these projects, to suggest the following ideas: Sports Tournaments (such as the W.P.B. Tournament); Casino-Nights Benefit Dances I would like

FLORIDA

JAYCEES
and

NYSCA
Jaycee Softball

Car Stops Dunking Booth

Concessions and any other projects each chapter conduct. may be able to

Please feel free to contact Tony Lofaso, West Palm Beach Jaycees, P. O. Box 122, West Palm Beach, Florida 33402, (305) 840-0584, if you have any questions or comments concerning the Florida Jaycees and NYSCA or contact the NYSCA National Office, 1509 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, Florida 33409, (305) 684-1141.

HERE'S HOW YOUR CHAPTER CAN GET INVOLVED

The Future Direction Committee of the Florida Jaycees at its February meeting in Daytona Beach, authorized chapters in Florida to conduct community projects in cooperation with the National Youth Sports Coaches Association. In order to fulfill the Tony Lofaso requirements of acceptance, Tony Lofaso, past President of the West Palm Beach Jaycees accepted the position of State Project Coordi nator. During the spring of 1982, the members of the West Palm Beach Jaycees accepted the NYSCA as a community program and began immediately planning a fund raising project. The NYSCA is a non-profit organization with a mission of training (certifying) volunteer youth sports coaches through a unique six hour video tape program. This program is conducted by recreation professionals or professionals in a related field who are NYSCA Certified Instructors. The NYSCA Volunteer Youth Sports Coaches Certification Program has been adopted worldwide by the U.S. Air Force and Army. The NYSCA works in cooperation with the National Recreation and Parks Association and there are 316 Official Training Centers throughout the country and over 10,000 volunteer coaches have completed the training program. Realizing the need for volunteer youth sport coaches within their commuity, the West Palm Beach Jaycees were determined to have a fund raising project to purchase the six hour program for baseball to be donated to the Palm Beach County Recreation Department. The project selected to raise the necessary funds for purchasing the tapes was a Class B softball tournament. A field of 16 teams participated in the First Annual West Palm Beach Florida Jaycees Benefit Tournament held at Okaheelee Park on Saturday, August 7, and Sunday, August 8, 1982. Team trophies were presented to the top three teams, as well as individual trophies for the first place team. Tony Lofaso states, "We were very proud to have sponsored the tournament in support of the NYSCA

After receiving the tapes donated by the West Palm Beach Jaycees, Kim Logan, Supervisor of Recreation in Palm Beach County and a NYSCA Certified Instructor conducted numerous clinics to certify volunteer youth sports coaches in Palm Beach County. NYSCA will present special cooperating with NYSCA. awards to chapters

How Can Your Chapter Help?

As Florida Jaycee Coordinator for the NYSCA program, Tony Lofaso encourages each chapter to get involved in helping to provide the necessary funds for this program to exist in your community. The State of Florida has approximately 240,000 children between the ages of 6-14 participating in youth sports. There are also 14,000 volunteers acting as coaches for these youngsters. In order to fulfill the needs of these coaches, the Jaycees Chapter in Florida must get involved in providing the NYSCA training program for your community youth sports programs and to be identified within the community as an organization who cares about providing a positive growth environment for the children participating in youth sports. Some suggestions as to ways of promoting training of volunteer youth sport coaches within our community are: Raise funds to purchase the video tape program to be used by your local recreation department (If tney are qualrfied NYSCA Instructor);

Raise funds to pay for each coaches NYSCA membership certification) fee of $10; Establish a "Volunteer Coach of the Year" award to be presented to the volunteer coach who exemplifies good sportsmanship, good leadership, teaching ability, etc. and is a NYSCA Certified Coach.

program to train volunteer coaches. It is our hope

that this West Palm Beach Jaycees Tournament Will be the forerunner in setting the pace for all Jaycees throughout Florida and the nation to help locally to improve youth sports for children."

How Can You Help? If you are a recreational professional, set up a meeting with the officers of the local youth league's that use your facilities. Encourage them to consider certifying their coaches and managers under NYSCA, pointing out the benefits it willbring to their league in the form of better understanding in their dealing with children, and the increased knowledge they will derive on teaching techniques, that will give kids a more positive sports experience.

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If you are now a youth league coach, or parent of a child participating in youth league sports, talk to your league president or recreation professional, and ask them to get information on how they can conduct a program in their area to have their coaches certified, or you can write NYSCA, and we willsend you materials you can pass on to your league or community recreation department professional. Contact National Program Director, National Youth Sports Coaches Association, 2611 Old Okeechobee Road, West Palm Beach, Florida 33409. (305) 6841141.

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What its all about ...

A Brief History The National Youth Sports Coaches Association, a nonprofit program, was formed in January 1981, and is the officially endorsed program of the National Recreation and Parks Association, to train volunteer coaches in youth sports programs throughout America. The NYSCA program is a national campaign to unite recreation professionals in joining forces to eliminate the psychological and emotional abuse directed at children in youth sports by untrained and unqualified volunteers acting as coaches in youth league sports. The NYSCA staff includes personnel with backgrounds covering areas such as sports psychology, pysiology and first aid, but most important, individuals whose background includes the day to day experience in youth sports. NYSCA receives its basic support from recreation department memberships as Official NYSCA Training Centers and the NYSCA Volunteer Coaches Certification program. In addition, it is supported by funds from its founding sponsors MacGregor Athletic Products, Spanjian Sportswear and Puma. These three major businesses were joined in program sponsorship in June 1982, by Stokely Van Camp, Inc., makers of Gatorade Thirst Quencher. NYSCA is a 501(C)3 public, non-profit organization that directs any revenues toward development of the NYSCA program through the coaching certification program. The association returns funds to state recreation associations who are officially associated with NYSCA. The basic philosophy of NYSCA is that all children deserve a wholesome experience in youth sports. This experience, NYSCA believes, can only result when coaches and parents are keenly aware of the Important role they playas volunteers. NYSCA also believes that it is the recreation professional who must meet the responsibilities to educate parents and coaches in their community.

To provide leadership and education to foster youth sport programs in a wholesome atmosphere under conditions which will assure maximum athletic performance through youth participation and competent coaching. To conduct informative activities which will educate the general public about youth sports in America. Fostering high standards of ethics and sportsmanship among athletes, coaches, administrators and the general public. Promoting better understanding and closer cooperation among athletes, coaches, administrators, game officials and the general public. To conduct and disseminate research and information in the operation of youth sports programming.

Training Volunteer Coaches How It Works

program mandatory for each coach to attend and become certified before being allowed to use a recreation department facility. The question is ... should volunteers be allowed to work with youngsters before any training whatsoever? The professional arranges to hold the NYSCA program in the classroom of a local elementary or high school, or even at the local recreation department's facilities if there is adequate space. The actual training program is only six hours long, which is broken up into two three hour sessions, scheduled on two separate evenings. Training sessions are conducted via a unique video tape system, with each tape covering a specific segment of the overall program. Of the six tapes, three are basic and are used at all training sessions regardless of the sport the coach is being certified for. These are Psychology, First Aid and Prevention of Injuries, __ ~.'. ! Organization of Practice . ' and a two tape program on teaching children techni ... .~ ' ques of a specific sport cover the remaining three hours of the NYSCA certification program. The NYSCA certification program covers all major youth sports.

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NYSCA trains volunteer coaches, through its trainers, the recreation professional. Most communities across the country have recreation departments which conduct various programs for children throughout the year. It is these departments and their concern for the future of young athletes that are called on to conduct the NYSCA volunteer coach certification program. The program is simple in scope, yet educational enough to make a volunteer knowledgable and more understanding of his responsibilities in working with young athletes. The NYSCA certification program can only be conducted by an official recreation department (Parks and Recreation, Boys or Girls Club, YMCA, Church Recreation, etc.) that has full time staff members. Working through coaches in their own program or with local leagues in their community, the recreation professional sets up a plan for scheduling and implementing the NYSCA certification clinic. To date, many communitip.s are making the NYSCA training

Following the completion of the six hour program, each coach must complete a simple certification examination that provides him (or her) with information on how well they understood the program. The final step in the program is for each coach to sign a Code of Ethics Pledge stating his (or her) promise to live up to the standards agreed upon when entering the program. When the course is completed, the volunteer coach pays a nominal $10 certification fee to cover the cost of materials which includes: a. Quarterly Newsletter on coaching tips. b. First Aid in Sports booklet c. NYSCA certified coach patch d. Membership card in NYSCA e. $300,000 liability insurance coverage f. certificate of completion of the course. Certification of an NYSCA volunteer does not denote qualifications to coach, per se, but moreso indicates a basic awareness of the important role that each has on the psychological well being, safety and need for basic sports instruction of each child in his (or her) care.

The Purpose Working in cooperation with participating local recreation departments, Boys Clubs, YMCA's, Church recreational leagues, etc., NYSCA provides valuable resource material to train and educate volunteer coaches and parents on the important factors effecting the child in sports. The major NYSCA purposes are: To train and certify youth sports coaches, so they have a better understanding of organization, teaching proper techniques. safety, and to bring them up to a more knowledgable level in the psychological and physical needs of dealing with young athletes.

Serving Youth Sports in America.

Through Education