I'll start! I have a 12-year-old son who plays club soccer, basketball, flag football and baseball. He's been in travel baseball since age 8 but taking a break from FT travel to preserve love of the sport and remain a multi-sports athlete as long as possible. My 9-year-old son also does all the sports - baseball, flag, basketball and soccer, for which he's most passionate. I'm an asst. soccer coach, on our local baseball baseball, a team manager too many times to count, but mostly a concerned and curious parent. We're in the Bay Area. Look forward to getting to know more of you.
I am a sports parent, coach and author who, like you, has long promoted positive youth development through sports. It should always be about their journey, and not about the parents or coaches.
"Win The Youth Sports Game" is my book which objectively narrates how ORDINARY kids can progress, survive, and thrive within today's youth-sports industrial complex. The book has received many positive reviews and is available from Amazon here for any interested readers:
Hi John, great stuff. Love that your book takes the angle of "regular" kids. Way too much focus on elite athletes and college scholarships and whatnot when sports has much to offer beyond being a top-tier athlete.
Melissa - Indeed most sports books either: 1) tell how a superstar like Brady, Serena or LeBron made it; or 2) have a coach selling their magic "fairy dust" system to sports stardom. In contrast, my book highlights 53 common roadblocks and decision points that essentially all "regular" athletes encounter on their journey from pee-wees to college. The book includes 16 years of research\data and took 3 years to write & have professionally edited. It is published by NYC's Skyhorse, the country's largest sports book publisher.
I have two boys, 11 and 14. They both play travel baseball and club basketball; they previously also played flag football, but it's hard to maintain all three! I'm here because I actually wrote a memoir about Little League, specifically, about a single season I watched my older son play with my dad after my brother died of cancer at age 47. We turned Little League into our grief group, and I think it's a story any sports parent can understand, getting way, way too into a team, for better or worse, and finding practices and games to be lily pads across the pond of life. It's called MAKING IT HOME: Life Lessons From a Season of Little League. https://geni.us/MakingItHomeBook
Hey Melissa! Appreciate all you do in this space! Keep on Leading. Parent of three adult kids who all played high school and at the college level so I've seen it all! I'm also a retired Coach / AD of 41 years who now hosts a podcast where we have leaders (over 500 with HALF of those featuring Women!) share their story, brag a little on their school or program and offer "Tools" for other ADs, Coaches, and Parents! It's called The Educational AD Podcast and it's available on all podcast providers for free! We have also take the tools and they have become The Athletic Director's Toolbox: The Top Twenty Tools for Success which are all available on Amazon - the 3rd Edition just came out in December! Take a listen - and let's get YOU on the Podcast! Shoot me an email at jakestouchdown@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter.
Love all of this, Jake. The tools. The women leaders. I'm particularly interested in the AD element given there isn't an obvious A-to-Z path for the role. Thanks for being here, Jake, and I'll shoot you an email.
Melissa, I’m so happy to have come across your content recently. Youth sports needs as many people as possible advocating for improvements and I’ve enjoyed reading.
I’m the Program Director for our local Travel Softball program that my two daughters participate in. I help coach my 11 year olds team, and my wife is the Head Coach of our 9 year olds team. We are a non-profit program and all coaches are volunteers. We encourage our players to participate in other sports, keep our fees low by utilizing our school districts facilities, and have a Board of other like-minded parents who just want to provide our kids with a positive atmosphere. It’s been a very rewarding experience for me and we’ve enjoyed getting to spend so much family time together on the field.
I’m looking forward to reading more from your page and interacting with others who feel youth sports are a great way to raise well rounded kids!
I’m writing this as I watch my 12 year olds football practice. I’ve been involved in sports all my life, including a career as a professional rodeo cowboy. I’ve had the opportunity to coach all four of my kids in various sports. I’ve coached basketball for 20 years.
I work with mental game coach, Tami Matheny, in an online program we’ve developed called The Confident Athlete Program (www.ConfidentAthleteProgram.com). Tami and I have a new book to be published soon called, “Challenger Deep: Athlete Version”
I love to see how sports can help our youth develop into amazing adults.
Hi! Jenny Stinnett - mom of three - 12 (daughter), 11 (daughter), and 9 (son). All three FT travel swimmers and the girls all FT travel field hockey. They also play all the seasonal sports for their school - field hockey, basketball, and flag football for the girls, football and basketball for my son. He also plays in a local baseball little league in the spring and golfs. Add in summer "fun" swim, and we are basically gas on the pedal all the time. We know something has to give soon for a number of reasons - school getting more challenging and more time, time, money, and the oldest is getting pushed to "pick a sport" now, which stinks but is also seems to just be a fact. Oh and we have jobs too ;). My husband and I coach for the school teams - flag football and football for him and field hockey for me. Oh and we are in Louisville, Kentucky. It. is. a. lot. Love this page Melissa - you speak to me!
You are a rock star, Jenny! FT swim AND field hockey sounds intense but also a fun combo. And yes to your girls playing flag - so so awesome. Hope they get to play all the sports as long as possible. I don’t think our parents and grandparents had to make these choices. Wah!
I'll start! I have a 12-year-old son who plays club soccer, basketball, flag football and baseball. He's been in travel baseball since age 8 but taking a break from FT travel to preserve love of the sport and remain a multi-sports athlete as long as possible. My 9-year-old son also does all the sports - baseball, flag, basketball and soccer, for which he's most passionate. I'm an asst. soccer coach, on our local baseball baseball, a team manager too many times to count, but mostly a concerned and curious parent. We're in the Bay Area. Look forward to getting to know more of you.
Hi Melissa,
I am a sports parent, coach and author who, like you, has long promoted positive youth development through sports. It should always be about their journey, and not about the parents or coaches.
"Win The Youth Sports Game" is my book which objectively narrates how ORDINARY kids can progress, survive, and thrive within today's youth-sports industrial complex. The book has received many positive reviews and is available from Amazon here for any interested readers:
https://lnkd.in/gVmhh32s
Hi John, great stuff. Love that your book takes the angle of "regular" kids. Way too much focus on elite athletes and college scholarships and whatnot when sports has much to offer beyond being a top-tier athlete.
Melissa - Indeed most sports books either: 1) tell how a superstar like Brady, Serena or LeBron made it; or 2) have a coach selling their magic "fairy dust" system to sports stardom. In contrast, my book highlights 53 common roadblocks and decision points that essentially all "regular" athletes encounter on their journey from pee-wees to college. The book includes 16 years of research\data and took 3 years to write & have professionally edited. It is published by NYC's Skyhorse, the country's largest sports book publisher.
I have two boys, 11 and 14. They both play travel baseball and club basketball; they previously also played flag football, but it's hard to maintain all three! I'm here because I actually wrote a memoir about Little League, specifically, about a single season I watched my older son play with my dad after my brother died of cancer at age 47. We turned Little League into our grief group, and I think it's a story any sports parent can understand, getting way, way too into a team, for better or worse, and finding practices and games to be lily pads across the pond of life. It's called MAKING IT HOME: Life Lessons From a Season of Little League. https://geni.us/MakingItHomeBook
Hi Teresa. Reading your book now and it’s amazing. Excited to chat with you about it for Good Game book club!
Hey Melissa! Appreciate all you do in this space! Keep on Leading. Parent of three adult kids who all played high school and at the college level so I've seen it all! I'm also a retired Coach / AD of 41 years who now hosts a podcast where we have leaders (over 500 with HALF of those featuring Women!) share their story, brag a little on their school or program and offer "Tools" for other ADs, Coaches, and Parents! It's called The Educational AD Podcast and it's available on all podcast providers for free! We have also take the tools and they have become The Athletic Director's Toolbox: The Top Twenty Tools for Success which are all available on Amazon - the 3rd Edition just came out in December! Take a listen - and let's get YOU on the Podcast! Shoot me an email at jakestouchdown@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter.
Love all of this, Jake. The tools. The women leaders. I'm particularly interested in the AD element given there isn't an obvious A-to-Z path for the role. Thanks for being here, Jake, and I'll shoot you an email.
GREAT! Looking forward to connecting!
Melissa, I’m so happy to have come across your content recently. Youth sports needs as many people as possible advocating for improvements and I’ve enjoyed reading.
I’m the Program Director for our local Travel Softball program that my two daughters participate in. I help coach my 11 year olds team, and my wife is the Head Coach of our 9 year olds team. We are a non-profit program and all coaches are volunteers. We encourage our players to participate in other sports, keep our fees low by utilizing our school districts facilities, and have a Board of other like-minded parents who just want to provide our kids with a positive atmosphere. It’s been a very rewarding experience for me and we’ve enjoyed getting to spend so much family time together on the field.
I’m looking forward to reading more from your page and interacting with others who feel youth sports are a great way to raise well rounded kids!
Hi Scott - great stuff. Love that you and your wife are so entrenched in the softball scene for all the right reasons. Keep up the great work!
I’m writing this as I watch my 12 year olds football practice. I’ve been involved in sports all my life, including a career as a professional rodeo cowboy. I’ve had the opportunity to coach all four of my kids in various sports. I’ve coached basketball for 20 years.
I work with mental game coach, Tami Matheny, in an online program we’ve developed called The Confident Athlete Program (www.ConfidentAthleteProgram.com). Tami and I have a new book to be published soon called, “Challenger Deep: Athlete Version”
I love to see how sports can help our youth develop into amazing adults.
Hi Jeff! How cool to have a real cowboy among us! Thank you for all the great work you're doing in the space. and can't wait for your book.
Hi! Jenny Stinnett - mom of three - 12 (daughter), 11 (daughter), and 9 (son). All three FT travel swimmers and the girls all FT travel field hockey. They also play all the seasonal sports for their school - field hockey, basketball, and flag football for the girls, football and basketball for my son. He also plays in a local baseball little league in the spring and golfs. Add in summer "fun" swim, and we are basically gas on the pedal all the time. We know something has to give soon for a number of reasons - school getting more challenging and more time, time, money, and the oldest is getting pushed to "pick a sport" now, which stinks but is also seems to just be a fact. Oh and we have jobs too ;). My husband and I coach for the school teams - flag football and football for him and field hockey for me. Oh and we are in Louisville, Kentucky. It. is. a. lot. Love this page Melissa - you speak to me!
What’s up Jenny! Obviously the choice here is to pick golf.
You are a rock star, Jenny! FT swim AND field hockey sounds intense but also a fun combo. And yes to your girls playing flag - so so awesome. Hope they get to play all the sports as long as possible. I don’t think our parents and grandparents had to make these choices. Wah!