The Ride Home Matters Issue 006 - Fall Lead-In Series There are two very different versions of the ride home in youth sports. After a game, parents have often seen almost everything. We watched the great play, the missed opportunity, the interaction with the coach, the questionable call, and the body language on the bench. By the time our athlete gets in the car, we may have spent the last hour accumulating things we'd like to talk about. After a practice, tryout, or open gym, the opposite...
21 days ago • 4 min read
Don't Let Pressure Set the Agenda Issue 005 - Fall Lead-In Series The season has a way of speeding everything up. For some families, this is the first week of official practices. Others have already started settling into the rhythm of games, carpools, and evening routines. Still others are counting down the days until the season begins. Wherever your family falls on the calendar, this is often the point where youth sports start asking for more of your attention: schedules fill up,...
28 days ago • 3 min read
Start With Curiosity Instead of Conclusions Issue 004 - Fall Lead-In Series The waiting is almost over. For many families, the next couple of weeks are when the season starts to feel real. Practices will start popping up on the family calendar. Team group chats are getting more active. It's time to break in the new equipment. After weeks of anticipation and offseason work, everyone is eager to see how the next season unfolds. The back-to-school period can bring a wide range of emotions, from...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Use the Rest of Summer Wisely Issue 003 - Fall Lead-In Series Summer gradually slips away one ordinary day at a time ... until suddenly the fall season begins. As you squeeze in any final trips, family get-togethers, late nights with no alarm clocks in the morning, it's not long before backpacks reappear, practice schedules arrive, and another sports season is underway. Depending on where you live, your athlete may already be starting fall sports practices, or gearing up to start, or still...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Every Great Athlete Started Somewhere Ordinary Issue 002 - Fall Lead-In Series With the World Cup winding down, it's easy to watch the best players in the world and only see the finished product. Their skill, speed, and composure under pressure can look like something that was always going to happen for the athletes who reached that stage. But every athlete started somewhere far more ordinary. A field, a ball, a few friends, maybe a coach, maybe a corner of the playground. And plenty of fun...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Before the Schedules Take Over Issue 001 - Fall Lead-In Series Schedule announcements, equipment lists, a team group chat already. Fall sports move fast once they start. Before the schedules take over, it helps to slow down long enough to ask what kind of season your athlete is entering. Not just what team they're on or what the calendar looks like. What they're carrying into it. 1 Idea Your athlete may need a different scoreboard than the one everyone else is watching. Wins, stats, team...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read