Friday, April 12

"What are the benefits to having kids ride the bus home after games instead of going with their parents?"

PCA Response by Mike Farley, PCA Trainer-Milwaukee
Plain and simple, riding the bus improves team unity. Of course, there may be a few exceptions when riding with mom & dad is OK, but heading out or coming back with the team is best. From a PCA point of view, it's all part of being a Triple-Impact Competitor®, athletes who make themselves, their teammates and the game better.

So how does riding the bus fit into being a Triple-Impact Competitor®? For starters, riding with the team to games relieves the stress for coaches and teammates, who are assured all players will arrive on time. Secondly, pre- and post-game talks often happen on the bus: game plans, practice changes and more get relayed to players on the bus, which helps to avoid confusion or repetition.

Riding the bus avoids the prima donna status that can occur when children selectively remove themselves from team environments. And lastly, a missed chance to share in the joy or pain that comes with a post-game bus ride is a missed chance for the player to absorb one of the key life lessons of sports: "the team comes first."