Checklist for Parents

 Accept the goals, roles, and achievements of your son.

 Release your son to the coach and the team.

 Give athletes time and space after games.

 Focus on team goals and not individual goals.

 Attempt to relieve competitive pressure, not increase it.

 Accept results of each game - don't make excuses.

 Be a role model, not a critic. Model appropriate behavior, poise, and confidence during games. Accept the judgment of the officials and coaches - remain under control.

 Remember that the only guarantee for a sports season is that it won't be perfect.

 Remember that there should be only one instructional voice - the coach's voice.

 Don't try to solve problems best left to the athlete and team.

 Make the focus enjoyment, not pursuit of athletic scholarships.

 Don't question coaches about playing time, strategy, and other athletes.

 Don't let the outcome of a game matter more to you than it does to your son.

 Encourage multiple-sport participation.

-         Bruce Brown, athletic director at Northwest College and a national speaker for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and its "Champions of Character" program.