Parents in 2025 are worried about peer pressure, teen mental health, teen addiction to screens, and even childhood ​obesity.

As coaches, our goal is that kids get hooked on fitness and achievement through sport. Being an athlete is one of the best ways to grow up.

Here’s a terrific article by Steve Magness for your parents:

How to Save Youth Sports: A Manifesto

Sports are a great way to establish basic psychological needs: autonomy; mastery and skill development; mattering and belonging

Nobody remembers (or cares) if you won your first-grade league championship.

Youth sports should be about having a space for kids to challenge themselves healthily and explore their interests and limits.

Youth sports should be a place where kids can learn how to be a good teammate, navigate conflict, and develop tools to regulate their emotions.

Perhaps most of all, youth sports should be about developing a positive relationship with physical health and fitness. …