It was 2:00 am last night, or technically this morning, when my latest round of sleeplessness hit. I had fallen asleep hard, probably because standing in ninety minutes of relentless 50-degree rain for an emotional conference loss had worn me out. For whatever reason, I went from soundly […]
Parents are the most influential adults in an athlete’s life. Let me say that again. PARENTS are the most influential adults in an athlete’s life. The better the relationship is between athletes and their parents, the better the experience is for everyone. Thankfully, building the parent/athlete relationship is not […]
Why is it so hard for Team Adult to value fair playing time over winning? Youth sports teams are NOT High School Varsity, College, or Pro teams and adults need to stop engaging with those games as if they were. Let Them Play. All of them! I talk […]
In these days of significant divide in ideologies, there is at least one thing people can agree upon: life is not fair. We know this. We witness this. The longer we live, the more we experience this. So, why toil at all toward justice? What if I told […]
I overheard a couple parents chatting on the sideline of a soccer game the other day. One of the parents was lamenting a situation for her older daughter who is “stuck” playing volleyball for what the mom felt was a “waste of a season.” “She’s one of the […]
This post is dedicated to all dads of sporting girls who wonder whether their involvement matters. Girls crave connection with their dads, and although my dad didn’t have the capacity to relate in healthy ways, it didn’t change the profound impact his attention had on me. Our yard […]
I’ve been working on this sports book project for over seven years. I have tried to identify the personal places I need to grow and some of what I’ve worked through has been tough to process. I have avoided thinking or writing about this one…until now. I am […]
An Accidental Experiment I am navigating an inadvertant mess for which I am partially responsible, and it has to do with the fact I think the high school team I coach in the fall will be stronger after the players break up for a while. The question for […]
The high school team I coach facilitates a free after school soccer club at the area elementary schools. Third, fourth, and fifth graders stay to play. There is nothing riding on these games, but emotional outbursts can still happen. During yesterday’s games there was sadness, happiness, frustration, anger, […]
No, seriously, check your feelings before you walk out the door. Decide which emotions are useful, to you and to your sporting child, and leave the rest at home. Intentional presence will positively enhance every part of your day, and has potential to be a game changer for […]
The Team Adult Playbook 