Liberty Mutual Insurance Announces Search For 2013's "Top 10 Responsible Sports Moments"

BOSTON, March 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Liberty Mutual Insurance today announced the annual search for the most responsible youth sports moments of the year, in partnership with Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA).  Now in its third year, the "Top 10 Responsible Sports Moments" of 2013 seeks to identify and applaud acts of sportsmanship, selflessness, integrity, fairness, and honesty from youth sports fields, rinks, courts, mats and pools around the country.   This year, with the help of U.S. Olympic skiing legend and youth sports parent Picabo Street, Liberty Mutual Insurance will name the "Top 10 Responsible Sports Moments" at the close of 2013. 

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Aligning with the brand's ongoing commitment to responsibility, Liberty Mutual Insurance recently announced its partnership with the United States Olympic Committee and Team USA as the Official Property and Casualty and Life Insurance Partner of the 2014 and 2016 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams that will compete in Sochi, Russia, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Street, best known for her gold medal performance in the super-G at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, and silver medal downhill performance in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway, joins Liberty Mutual's commitment to youth sports as a mother and avid supporter of sportsmanship at all levels.

"As an athlete and now a mother of four young sons, I know first-hand the influence youth sports have in enriching a child with the values of sportsmanship and responsibility," said Street.  "To see U.S. Olympic Team partners like Liberty Mutual Insurance celebrate responsibility on the youth sports level is something I am proud to be a part of, and I urge fans across the country to share their examples of selflessness with us as nominees for 2013's 'Top 10 Responsible Sports Moments.'"

Now through November 30, coaches and parents can submit a moment that celebrates the inherent goodness in youth sports at ResponsibleSports.com or by tweeting a nomination using #RSMoments.  In addition, throughout 2013, Liberty Mutual Insurance and PCA will scour local headlines across the country and identify additional moments that exemplify sportsmanship within local communities.  Each month, three nominees will be highlighted on the Responsible Sports site where fans can tweet their vote for the most responsible "Moment of the Month."

The March 2013 "Moment of the Month" nominees exemplify the spirit of sportsmanship, selflessness and responsibility on the basketball court, at the ice rink and even on the gymnastics floor, with a touching display from El Paso, Texas, voted the "Moment of the Month":

• "Moment of the Month": Act of Sportsmanship Surprises Texas Hoops Player – On the last game of the regular season, Coronado High basketball coach Peter Morales told developmentally disabled team manager Mitchell Marcus to suit up.  While wearing a jersey may have been a dream-come-true for Mitchell, what he didn't know was that the coach intended to play him in the closing moments of the game.  With a minute-and-a-half remaining in the game, Jonathan Montanez of rival Franklin High School inbounded the ball to Mitchell under the Franklin High basket and Mitchell promptly scored to end the game.
• Finalist: Rinkside Sign Promotes Responsibility on the Ice – What has circulated the internet as a viral photo is more than just a joke to Jeff Doschadis at Hoffman Estates Park District's ice rinks in Hoffman Estates, Ill.  Doschadis, the general manager of the rink, posted a simple sign to remind parents and youth athletes of the good in youth sports: 1. These are kids.; 2. This is a game.; 3. Parents should cheer for everyone.; 4. The referees are human.; 5. You and your child do not play for the Blackhawks.  So far, the sign has been met with great reviews from parents, with emails coming in from all over the world asking about the sign.
• Finalist: Gymnastics Team Honors Fallen Coach - In December 2012, Matt Shetka, a longtime teacher and coach in New Prague (Minn.), suffered a deadly heart attack while clearing his driveway during a snowstorm.  Shetka, the women's gymnastics head coach, left behind a devastated squad who posted their worst score of the season in the wake of their mentor's death.  Since the turn of the new year, the gymnastics squad has discovered a renewed focus, recording their four best scores of the season in their four meets of 2013, and hope to bring home a state title to honor their longtime coach.

The Top 10 winners will be chosen from among the monthly finalists by a panel of sports experts, including PCA Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jim Thompson; executive directors from leading youth sports organizations and Responsible Sports partner organizations, ASA Softball, AYSO Soccer, US Youth Soccer, USA Hockey, USA Softball, USA Volleyball, USA Water Polo and USA Wrestling; as well as former and current U.S. Olympic greats, including Street.  Winning moments will be announced at the close of 2013 and be honored by Liberty Mutual Insurance with a charitable donation of $1,000 to the ten organizations that are responsible for each Responsible Sports moment.  The Top "Moment of the Year" winner, as voted on by fans on Twitter, will also earn an extra $1,000 honorarium for their organization.

"Youth sports are a vibrant part of our communities, yet we often fail to recognize the acts of responsibility and sportsmanship by our children and coaches that happen every day," said James MacPhee, senior vice president and Chief Marketing Officer, Liberty Mutual Personal Insurance.  "Responsible acts should be celebrated across the country – at home, in our communities and on the youth sports fields – and we invite parents and coaches to join us in doing just that with our Responsible Sports™ program."

The "Top 10 Responsible Sports Moments" is part of the larger Liberty Mutual Insurance Responsible Sports™ program powered by Positive Coaching Alliance, which supports volunteer youth sports coaches and parents who help children succeed both on and off the field.  Liberty Mutual Insurance recently re-launched the Responsible Sports website with a new look to the vast tools, resources, tips and advice that adults and youth coaches can use to help kids experience the best that youth sports have to offer.  For more information, visit ResponsibleSports.com or join the conversation @RespSports.

About Responsible Sports
At Liberty Mutual Insurance, we constantly look for ways to celebrate the countless acts of responsibility shown by people every day who take personal ownership in ensuring positive outcomes in life.  In 2007, we created Responsible Sports as a part of this belief, to help ensure that our kids experience the best that sports have to offer in environments that promote and display responsibility.  We believe kids can learn valuable life lessons when Responsible Coaches and Responsible Sports Parents come together to support winning both on and off the field.

Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports is a community-based program providing resources, tools, tips and advice for volunteer youth sport coaches and sport parents.  Powered by PCA, the Responsible Sports program offers parents and coaches constructive tips, expert advice and practical examples to help create a positive sports environment for children.  Liberty Mutual also has provided more than $500,000 in grants to youth sports teams, organizations and schools for community participation in the online Responsible Sports curriculum.  Liberty Mutual is proud to support youth sports organizations, including ASA Softball, AYSO Soccer, US Youth Soccer, USA Hockey, USA Softball, USA Volleyball, USA Water Polo, and USA Wrestling.  To access the Responsible Sports resources, see previous Responsible Sports grant winners, and register your league or school for the Responsible Sports grant program, visit www.ResponsibleSports.com.

About Liberty Mutual Insurance
"Helping people live safer, more secure lives" since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Insurance is a diversified global insurer and the third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2011 direct premiums written as reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.  Liberty Mutual Insurance also ranks 84^th on the Fortune 100 list of largest U.S. corporations, based on 2011 revenue.  The company employs over 50,000 people in more than 900 offices throughout the world.

The sixth-largest auto and home insurer in the U.S., Liberty Mutual (libertymutual.com) sells full lines of coverage for automobile, homeowners, valuable possessions, personal liability, and individual life insurance.  The company is an industry leader in affinity partnerships, offering car and home insurance to employees and members of more than 14,000 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.

Liberty Mutual Insurance is the Official Property and Casualty and Life Insurance Partner of the 2014 and 2016 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams.  Liberty Seguros (Brazil) is a National Supporter and Official Insurer of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2013 FIFA Confederation Cup, both of which will be held in Brazil.

About Positive Coaching Alliance
Since its founding  within the Stanford University Athletic Department in 1998, Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) has helped develop "Better Athletes, Better People" primarily through live group workshops, online courses and books by PCA Founder Jim Thompson for youth and high school sports coaches, parents, student-athletes and school/organizational leaders.

In partnership with nearly 2,000 schools and youth sports organizations nationwide, PCA has conducted more than 11,000 live group workshops and impacted nearly 5 million youth.  In 2013, PCA will conduct roughly 1,200 live group workshops across the U.S., while assisting tens of thousands of other individuals via online courses at www.PositiveCoach.org.

SOURCE Liberty Mutual Insurance