Exeter, NH (October 20, 2006)—Phillips Exeter Academy’s Athletic Department will host Jim Thompson, founder and executive director of Positive Coaching Alliance, to speak on “Transforming the Culture of Youth Sports” on Thursday, October 26, 2006 in the Assembly Hall, located on the second floor of the Academy Building on Front Street in Exeter. The event is free and open to the public.

Positive Coaching Alliance is a non-profit organization formed at Stanford University, to create a movement to change the culture of youth sports so that all youth athletes have a positive, character-building experience. Thompson’s talk will include coaching, competition, and what he calls, “Honoring the Game.”

Thompson has an undergraduate degree in elementary education from the University of North Dakota, a master’s in Public Affairs from the University of Oregon, and an MBA from Stanford University. Thompson is the author of three books: The Double-Goal Coach, Positive Coaching, and Shooting in the Dark: Tales of Coaching and Leadership. Since its founding in 1998, Positive Coaching Alliance has developed a network of trainers across the U.S., who have delivered more than 3,600 workshops for youth sports leaders, coaches, parents and athletes.

For more information, contact Robert Morris at (603) 777-3548. A complete list of upcoming events is available on the Phillips Exeter Academy public events line at (603) 777-4309 and on our website at www.exeter.edu. For directions to Phillips Exeter Academy, call (603) 777-4330.

Phillips Exeter Academy is a coeducational, independent preparatory school that was founded in 1781 and originated the system of instruction known as Harkness teaching in 1931. In the spirit of its charter to foster both goodness and knowledge, students come from a wide variety of geographic, economic, racial and religious backgrounds. The diverse student body comes from approximately 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and 26 foreign countries.

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