The Peer:Pair Model Makes the Good Sport Nation Prime Time Games Work

One challenge in creating a free-flowing basketball game that combines special needs athletes and non-special needs athletes is the wide range of playing ability. Some Athletes bring great experience and skills and others enter with more limited abilities (but still energy!).

To address this we use a Peer: Pair model that was pioneered at Team Prime Time (Prime Time Games). Amongst other things the Peer:Pair model is set up to allow each Athlete to play up to his/her level of ability. It also simplifies training by keeping it centered on the on-court coaching and guidance (from Peer Coaches). Athletes focus on drills, skill and then games — less on rules and setup.

Peer Coaches!

Peer Coaches pair with special needs athletes to ensure that games are fluid and that every participant at any level (novice to expert) is participating to their maximum capability. Peer Coaches are specially trained for the custom rules that we use, and which were developed by our partner Team Prime Time. (and then customized by us).

At the start of training, we met many new Good Sport Nation participants, and like most new programs we spent time getting to know eachother an talking about our core goal: “Everyone Plays.” Those new faces soon became fully trained Peer Coaches who understood the rules of our games and how to work with a range of game situations.

We are grateful to our partner, Prime Time commissioner Pete Straus. We practiced in game scenarios as well as passing and shooting drills. I noticed how much excitement there was within the Peer Coaches to get out there and compete alongside the athletes.

It was great to bond with the other peer coaches and get to know the people who would be my teammates in the coming weeks!

The NYC Prime Time Games training of Peer Coaches

Good Sport Nation is excited to be hosting Peter Straus from Team Prime Time. We’ll have over 25 Peer Coaches — the largest single training event for an integrated sports league of special needs athletes and Peer Coaches.

What is the Source of Mentorship?

Mentors help you to become your best self. They can share new paths and ideas, inspire confidence, and share their experience so you can get the most out of yours.

The idea of mentorship is at the center of Good Sport Nation. Peer Coaches act as mentors in many ways to Special Needs Athletes. The Special Needs Athletes are also mentors to eachother and their Peer Coaches. We say “Everyone Plays” but it’s also true that “Everyone learns.”

I have several mentors and I’m grateful to each one for being generous and thoughtful.

I’ve had opportunities to become a mentor several times and I really enjoy it. One that comes to mind is at my camp, Mah-Kee-Nac, where I participated in a program called “Mini Camp.” At Mini Comp, I and a few other peers were the counselors for new campers who were under the age of nine, meaning they needed extra care and attention.

Taking care of these kids every hour of the day not only taught me patience but helped me to become a better leader. I had to be a good mentor for each of them at all time, and also lead and teach them how to be not only good campers but to be respectful and considerate. It’s a different type of training and practice.

I incorporated some of the Mini Camp approaches into the way we conduct Training and Good Sport Nation. It’s theory and training, followed by lots of practice. This makes our Peer Coaching better.

We are planning to expand our Peer Coaching to at risk coaches who will act as mentors. We have a lot to learn and teach eachother, and a lot to be thankful for on the way to becoming better leaders, teammates and mentors.