An open letter to the youth and high school sports world, Part 1

An open letter to the youth and high school sports world,

 Our company is named Frozen Shorts, for all the kids who sit on the bench needlessly, appreciates the opportunity to speak with you about our program and paradigm. (F.S.L.M.) Our services include seminars, workshops, in season mentoring services for coaches, and one on one family and player consulting. We have been asked about putting a certification program together, and we are always open to looking at new ways to do things.

Certification has been happening for a while now. Whether it is a national program, the NYS initiative, or the one this guy is thinking of forming in Los Angeles, they all bring needed information to the process. Keep sprinkling the ground with seeds, keep educating. I’m all for it. But the problem still grows. I am not completely sold on certification. I have been to numerous certification programs and have learned a lot. I still think the classroom is a good start.

 But what we do, by actually going out on the field, court, or rink, and working one on one with these coaches, after our orientation program, or our family and individual player consulting services, seems to be having the most impact. We do workshops, presentations to churches, Pediatricians, Hospitals, Rotarians; youth sports groups, churches, elementary schools, Middle schools, high schools, colleges, and national organizations of surgeons, and USA Hockey. I really enjoy seeing the results, and the “light” goes on when we mentor a coach or program.  Watching that individual take what they have learned and teach and or model it to others and see it continuing to grow is truly rewarding.

We are trying to change a culture. People believe in the win now, play one sport year round at the elite level model, and all its imagery and status. The chase for the extremely elusive almighty athletic scholarship powers this justification and entitlement to behave and train in a certain myopic way. But it truly is a race that doesn’t exist when you have all the facts.

 We feel we have a deep understanding of the problem, the ability and desire to learn more, and the time it will take to accomplish our goals, along with many others to change this culture.

 There is a mental and physical epidemic inherent in this culture that has been cultivated and nourished by television, organizations, mega contracts and people profiting from its existence and enhancement. The culture can and is being measured, analyzed, debated, and changed even as the problem grows.

Type II diabetes is on the rise and obesity has quadrupled over the last twenty years. More kids are playing video games than youth sports, and they are not just gamers. Even the kids playing sports are getting hurt in epic proportions. $2.5 billion was spent last year on youth and high school sports injuries and $1.25 billion was spent on overuse injuries. 40% of that money was spent on kids under the age of 14.  Of those kids who play, 70% are quitting by the age of 13.So I ask parents, coaches, athletes, and organizations all the time,” how is your way working for you?”