askcoachnick.com

Remember the days, running around the backyard shoeless with the sputtering sound coming out of your mouth, trees passing by as you zoomed past your friends like a jet fighter pilot?  For many, the world of youth sports can be one of the most exhilarating experiences in the world. Sports is also one of the craziest worlds I have ever experienced. For me, performing at a high level or running fast was the closest experience to flying since my kids and my wife won’t let me jump on the bed anymore. Now that I’m grown up, although my wife doesn’t think so, that feeling has never left me as I proudly fight to hold onto to being one of fastest or at-least not the fattest Dad on the block.  There’s nothing like the pure joy of sports.   It’s real when fewer things are staying “real”. Reality shows? Texting? Stalemate politics? Fake friends? Imaginary pressures created by you or someone else? TV watching you?  Video games droning on and on?

As parents, we face the daunting task daily to juggle schedule conflicts between tournaments, recitals, tryouts, and practices. As kids, they must face the unnecessary pressure to commit to a specific sport early in life and regimen we used to perform in our backyards until the lights came on in the neighborhood. As coaches you must compete for kids that commit to one or maybe two given sports for an entire year. Is this good?  Will my child lose his desire?  Am I promoting a phenomenon I don’t believe in? Missed church again for the tournament? Have I placed my child’s quest for sports above their spirituality? Are we really having fun as Mom and Dad head in separate directions for the three holiday tournaments for four kids? How much did we spend last year on Johnny’s camps?!  What kind of chance does my child really have to get a scholarship? Is it worth it? Did we actually spend more than the college gave us?!!! What’s too much?! We try to keep to keep the recipe simple to help you become that STAR God intended.  Really it has very little to do with sports.  It’s about you finding YOU!

Finding Yourself Our Way

Since there are many paths to success, our purpose is to not answer these questions but at least act as guides to help you as student-athlete or parent,  and/or your child navigate through the forest of sports and more importantly life to TRANSFORM and keep a balance as best you can to feel great about what you accomplish and give yourself options in all aspects of life.  To use the sport of life instead of the sport of life using you!