Character Loves Company: Defining the "Teachable Moments" in Sports - A Guidebook to Character Literacy Development - Paperback

by Pete Paciorek (Author)

"Pete Paciorek has taken on an important leadership role with his character curriculum to teach the important lessons that at the end of the game, and at the end of the day, identify the true winners." --Fred Claire, Los Angeles Dodgers World Series Champion General Manager. "Pete Paciorek is a trailblazer in character development in youth sports. He has conducted extensive research on character literacy and I feel that he has crafted the most impactful character development curriculum available in the youth sport industry today." --Dr. Michael Sagas, Professor and Chair of Department of Tourism, Recreation, and Sport Management at the University of Florida. Sports play an integral role in the development of our children and young adults in America. Yet, over the past decade, the delivery system of character through sports has gone off course. The author, long-time coach Pete Paciorek, provides a thorough analysis of the two major causes for this decline and, more importantly, he provides systematic solutions for parents, coaches, and sports managers to help bring back the sanctity of youth and amateur athletics. This guidebook is designed for facilitating a building-block approach for the user in promoting and assessing life-long character growth through the vehicle of athletics. The content provides a unique blend of the theoretical studies on youth and amateur sport, the author's University of Florida supported research projects, and 25 powerful contributions from the likes of Olympic gold medalists, World and National Champions, and 40+ year veteran youth coaches. The triangulation and intersection of these three components supports the author's 25 character value curriculum. This book makes for an inspiring and motivational read through personal narratives and real-life defining moments in sports that translate into success in life after sports. The content of this guidebook provides the foundation of Pete Paciorek's non-profit organization, "Character Loves Company," which he established as a means to mentoring junior high school and high school students across the country through his 8-week Character Literacy Development (CLD) curriculum. Find the supplemental guide for coaches and parents at the end of the book.

Author Biography

Pete Paciorek has been involved in coaching and mentoring youth through sports for the past 20 years. As a previous professional baseball player for nine years (Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres organizations), and a member of a family that has produced eight professional athletes who have been members in MLB organizations, as well as 11 collegiate student-athletes, Pete knows what it takes to succeed in the athletic arena, as well as in life. Pete has helped hundreds of amateur athletes advance their careers to the next level, as the previous head instructor for baseball at IMG Academy, as well as a previous collegiate head coach and currently as a D-III college Athletics Director. However, Pete's emphasis with youth and amateur athletes has always placed character development as the highest priority. Pete holds a master's degree in Organizational Communication and Leadership with an emphasis in Public Speaking (CSULA, 2006), and a master's degree in Sport Management (University of Florida, 2017). This book on the topic of character development in youth and amateur athletics is geared toward parents, coaches, administrators, sport management students, and advanced-level student-athletes who seek to better understand the many life-long values of sports. Over the past several years, Pete has given more than 100 grassroots-level community talks at schools and recreation centers on the need to instill more deliberate character emphasis through the vehicle of sports. Through his non-profit, Character Loves Company, Pete is active in the sports community facilitating his 8-week character development curriculum for various groups of young high school and junior high school student-athletes at local recreation centers and schools. Pete strongly believes that character development builds toughness and resiliency that will promote the future success in our youth. Discussing character with young student-athletes is his passion. Pete is an Affiliated Scholar and Athlete Development Ambassador for the University of Florida's Sport Management program, where he has also served as a graduate research assistant.