Princeton youth sports organizations team up for COACH

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By definition, the word alliance is a cooperation, a partnership and a connection.

On Saturday, coaches from all four Princeton youth organizations and a small group of high school coaches connected for the Positive Coaching Alliance seminar at the Bureau County Metro Center.
Princeton Youth Soccer, Princeton Youth Baseball and Softball, Princeton Junior

Football and the Tiger Town Tanglers wrestling each signed on in partnership over the winter with PCA to form a local chapter titled, the Council On Athletic Character and Honor (COACH).
The PCA clinic was also open to any other sports organization, and St. Bede Academy came aboard, sending three wrestling coaches, including head coach Blair Tiger and two assistants.
There were 31 coaches in attendance.

Heather Wallace, a clinician for PCA based out of Chicago, presented the program. Her emphasis was asking coaches to look beyond the game and winning and losing, instilling life lessons at the same time.
PCA refers to that individual as a “Double-Goal Coach.”
Reviews were mixed by those in attendance.

There certainly was some good discussion and ideas presented that could be taken from the clinic and used immediately. Other concepts will take time to develop as coaches seek to become the double-goal coaches.
COACH kicked off with a PCA seminar for its organizational leaders. A third seminar is being planned for the future, either for coaches or parents, Egan said.

• Spring into action: It’s the favorite time of the year for those like me, who like to hear the crack of the bat (or I guess more like ping around here), the bang of a starter’s gun, the thud of a foot against a soccer ball or the clatter of running feet around the track.
I know I can’t wait to see all the talented area athletes we have on the ball diamond, the soccer pitch and the track and field.
Be sure to get out there and watch. Get in the game.

• Happy fishing: Good luck to all the fishermen this weekend trying to catch the big ones in the Masters Walleye Circuit Tournament in Spring Valley. I sure  hope the weather cooperates and allows the tourney to go on with no snags.
Tournament Director Mike Hurless and his staff sure do a great job each year bringing this event to the Valley.

• Hall happenings: It’s certainly been a whirlwind of events around Hall High  School and its coaching staff recently. Hall thought it had a new volleyball coach, then lost their pick to IVCC. The Red Devils needed an athletic director and football coach to replace Gary Vicini, who announced his retirement three years ago. They got their A.D. from the outside and the new coach from the inside.

From what I’m hearing, there was a lot of activity the night of the board meeting to name the football coach as Hall continued to explore avenues for a new basketball coach, should Mike Filippini land the football job.
Instead, Jason Bland got the football job; Filippini remains as basketball, and now Hall also needs a new varsity head girls’ coach. Oh, Hall is also implementing a new bowling and soccer programs next year and will need coaches there as well.

• Happ-y days: St. Bede’s J.A. Happ has done all he can do to lock up the fifth starting role for the defending world champion Phillies. Now it’s up to manager Charlie Manuel to decide.
Monday, in Clearwater, Fla., Happ allowed one earned run, five hits and three walks in five innings of work against the Yankees, while striking out five. He has a 3.17 ERA in six spring appearances, including three starts, but has been touched for the long ball (four homers).
Problem is, his chief competition in camp, veteran free agent Chan Ho Park, also is pitching very well. Park, 35, is 1-0 with a 2.87 ERA in four Grapefruit League starts.
Park has pitched his way onto the team no matter what, either as the fifth starter or out of the pen. It would appear Happ, 26, would be better suited going back to Triple A to get his regular starts, but pitching coach Rich Dubee is not ruling out him pitching out of  the pen as well. The Phillies only have one lefty relief pitcher for now.
Happ’s case was helped when Kyle Kendrick was sent out to the minor league camp during the weekend.
In any case, Phillies fans should be seeing a lot of Happ this summer.
The Phillies open the season April 5 in Philly against Atlanta.

• Glory days: My pal Dave Nanninga was a guest on WGN’s Mid-Day Show Wednesday, speaking about his high school glory days Web site, illinoishsglorydays.com. The idea was spawned by Dave’s hometown Mineral teams being inducted into the Bureau County Sports Hall of Fame in 2005, recognizing what is now more than a thousand small town high schools, like Mineral, that have closed its doors. I must say ol’ Dave cleans up rather well for an old small town boy.

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