Better Sports Parents

Steve Mesler is an Olympic gold medalist, a former member of the USA Olympic Committee and the co-founder of Classroom Champions. He's also a father navigating today's youth sports landscape and comes face to face with what many consider conventional wisdom with respect to sports parenting.In this segment, Steve challenges a common question he hears in the youth sports ecosystem and advocates for the importance of sport in building self-worth, confidence, and the skills needed to be successful in life.Listen to the entire episode:⁠Spotify⁠⁠Apple⁠Watch on ⁠YouTube

Kara Kalin competed at the national level in artistic swimming, coached the sport from club to the Canadian team, and became a clinical counselor and certified EMDR therapist. She then founded Shift Change, a platform for trauma processing in sport and beyond. Kara is also a mother of four children all active in sport, so she has seen the youth sports environment from every angle. And what she sees concerns her deeply.In this conversation with Scott Rintoul, Kara shares the moment a coach publicly shamed her on a pool deck at eleven years old, and how that single experience planted a seed of "I'm not good enough" that drove her career for decades without her knowing it. She explains what trauma actually is, why sport is full of it, and why policies and documents change nothing if the brain never gets to process what happened.She also shares some of the most practical parenting wisdom on the podcast to date: how she developed the Sweaty Head Test for her son, why she built a program called The Power of the Drive Home, and what parents can do in ten minutes after a game that changes everything.Kara makes the case, plainly and without apology, that threat does not need to be the driving force in sport. If the conditions are right, the greatness comes anyway. Chapters00:00 Opening01:35 Introducing Kara Kalin03:15 Being Inside a System That Resisted Change04:35 The Olympic Dream08:22 Choosing Her Kids Over Her Sport11:29 Training Beside Olympians13:29 How She Found Synchro Swimming14:19 One Moment Changed Everything16:19 Public Shame on a Pool Deck17:04 Fear of Holding Her Breath18:07 Smiling While Dying19:04 Straight Into Coaching at 1620:02 Finding Joy in Sport Again20:34 Her Parents: A Quiet Champion, a Pacing Dad26:07 Should Parents Fight Their Kids' Battles?28:15 The Sweaty Head Test30:04 Asking for Feedback After Practice31:25 Threat Doesn't Need to Drive Us33:24 Why Sport Is Full of Trauma35:27 The Car Ride After a Coach Yells39:48 The Sweaty Head Test40:28 Recognizing Trauma in Yourself41:06 The Definition of Trauma That Changed Her Life44:21 What Unprocessed Trauma Does to the Body46:40 When Her Body Finally Said "Enough"48:00 Do We Pass Unprocessed Trauma to Athletes We Coach?52:13 Children as Mirrors54:47 Safe Sport: Too Much Talking, Not Enough Doing56:14 The 90-Day Window for Processing Harm57:12 How Shift Change Was Born1:00:00 Mental Health in Sport1:01:32 Why Sport Is Stuck1:05:28 Why LTAD Never Took Hold1:08:08 Kara's Biggest Issue in Youth Sport1:11:33 What Often Happens to Those Who Try to Change the System 1:15:25 What She Hopes Her Kids Get From SportResources⁠Kara Kalin ⁠⁠Shift Change⁠ ⁠Better Sports Parents⁠

Three-time Olympic gold medalist and Canadian Senator Marnie McBean sees many of the problems with youth sports in Canada and she's intent on figuring out what we can do about it. From her international rowing career to raising her 10-year-old daughter Isabel, Marnie has seen sport at every level and has a very current view on what's currently happening in youth sports today.In this segment, Marnie shares insights on why multi-sport participation matters and why early specialization may be preventing a lot of boys from finding their true calling in sport.Listen to the full episode:⁠Spotify⁠⁠Apple⁠Watch on ⁠YouTube

Adam Bighill made more tackles than all but five players in the history of Canadian football. He won three Grey Cups, was named the CFL's most outstanding defensive player three times, and is a shoe in for the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.But the most revealing thing about Adam's relationship with football can't be found on the stat sheet. Born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate, Adam was bullied as a kid and used sport to do the one thing it does better than almost anything else: earn respect and build belonging. His proclivity for sport and his relentless work ethic meant he was always one of the first picks. Sport levelled the playing field and gave him a place where he fit.Now retired from the CFL and coaching his three kids in flag football, Adam has a clear-eyed, no-nonsense view of what's wrong in youth sport today: parents with mismatched expectations, a money grab masquerading as development, and coaches who yell instead of teach. His philosophy is simple, and the results speak for themselves. His team went from chaos to competing at the national level on one practice and one game per week, and more importantly, every player improved and contributed to the best of their ability.Adam is very direct on the importance of coaching, the need for more resources, and his belief that sport can help everyone build confidence and self-worth. 🎙️ Better Sports Parents is helping parents positively contribute to the youth sports environment. Subscribe for new episodes every week.Chapters00:00 Opening02:07 Introducing Adam Bighill03:32 Why He Retired04:08 Three Kids, All Multi-Sport06:03 Early Specialization07:47 Too Many Games, Not Enough Practice08:39 The Money Grab09:25 The Power of the Coach11:07 His Coaching Philosophy14:41 How to Make Practice Fun Without Losing the Work17:27 What Bad Youth Coaching Actually Looks Like17:43 The Best Coaching Advice He Ever Received20:08 Managing Parents 21:48 The Context of Team23:47 The Word Every Coach Needs: "Yet"23:59 Being a Sports Parent on the Sidelines24:47 What His Dad Taught Him Just by Showing Up26:41 Applauding Everyone on the Field29:12 Conditional Love and What It Does to Kids30:39 Youth Travel Sports32:43 What Happens Outside Structured Practice34:40 How Much Commitment Is Too Much at a Young Age?37:05 Why Kids Play and Why Parents Should Ask39:12 How Sport Gave Adam Belonging41:28 Sport Broke Down Every Barrier43:43 Sport Builds the People Your Community Needs45:56 "Some Kids Need Football More Than Football Needs Them"46:23 Canada vs. the US48:50 Privatization in Youth Sports52:33 Sport Should Be a Meritocracy55:11 The Pressure Parents Feel57:35 What Adam Expects From His Own Kids59:02 What 14 Years of Pro Football Built in Him01:01:29 The Mindset That Lasted Beyond Sport01:03:45 Adam's Biggest Issue in Youth Sport TodayResources⁠Adam Bighill⁠⁠Operation Smile Canada⁠⁠Better Sports Parents

Trevor Linden played 19 seasons in the NHL, captained the Vancouver Canucks to the 1994 Stanley Cup Final, and performed under the most intense pressure imaginable. But as a sports parent to his 8-year-old son? He's about as low-pressure as it gets.In this segment, Trevor discusses the advent of travel tournaments to major markets for teams with very young players, the rising cost of youth sports, and how adults set the example of what is acceptable with their behaviour.Listen to the full episode:⁠Spotify⁠⁠Apple⁠Watch on ⁠YouTube

Shannon Winzer has coached volleyball at the highest level on two continents:national teams in Canada and Australia, and now as head coach of the Dallas Pulse in Major League Volleyball. She's also a mother of three kids actively playing youth sports and a volunteer lacrosse coach in her community. That combination gives her a perspective on youth sport that very few people have.What she sees frustrates her deeply. Coaches who have lost sight of the developmental needs of young people. Organizations selling dreams to parents who don't know enough to question them. A volunteer coaching workforce that is expected to do everything and supported to do almost nothing. And a youth sports culture so focused on winning, medals, and the next academy program that it has completely forgotten why kids play sport in the first place.In this conversation with Scott Rintoul, Shannon is direct, honest, and at times quietly furious. She talks about talent identification, the myth of early specialization, what the best professional athletes all have in common, the role of school sport, and the one question every parent should be asking their child but probably isn't. Her diagnosis of the biggest issue in youth sport is simple: we've lost perspective on what the purpose of youth sport actually is. Better Sports Parents is helping parents positively contribute to the youth sports environment. Subscribe for new episodes every week. Chapters00:00 Opening 01:58Introducing Shannon Winzer03:18 Why She's So Passionate About Youth Sports03:59 Her View on Youth Sports Today05:22 Why Parents Lose the Plot07:17 What Shannon Wants for Her Own Kids08:44 Do Parents Understand Their Role in Youth Sport?10:04 Fighting Your Child's Battles vs. Supporting Them Through Their Own11:44 When a Child Approaches the Coach vs. When a Parent Does12:01 What Learning Looks Like: Reframing Failure13:49 Please Don't Coach From the Stands16:23 Why Coaching From the Sideline Adds Noise, Not Help20:26 Why Shannon Got Into Coaching22:03 Shannon's Youth Sports Background24:03 Academies: When They Help and When They Don't28:19 Setting Boundaries as a Sports Family30:09 The Greatest Gift We Can Give Kids: Free Play33:28 How Coaches Can Create Space for Creativity36:21 Ask What They Love, Not Just Why They Play39:27 We Are Failing Our Coaches42:18 Coach Retention, School Sport and the Teacher Problem47:02 The Missing Recreational Pathway in Volleyball51:29 Why Shannon Chose Volleyball Over Basketball52:28 Multi-Sport at the Professional Level55:53 People Selling Youth Sports57:42 Shannon's Biggest Issue: We've Lost Perspective01:01:08 We Need a Framework, Not Just Funding01:04:31 The Number One Purpose of Youth Sport01:08:36 Competition and Participation Can Coexist01:10:48 The Myth Around Talent IDResources⁠Shannon Winzer⁠⁠Long-Term Athlete Development⁠⁠Better Sports Parents⁠

Kim Gaucher was a member of the Canadian Women's Basketball Team for more than 20 years, captaining the team in multiple Olympic Games. Her prolific NCAA and professional career led her into coaching and eventually her current role as Head of the Players Unit with FIBA, the governing body of international basketball. In this segment, Kim discusses the benefits of kids playing in unstructured environments, how players benefit when they're not coached during games, and how the focus on individual skills has taken away from team play.Listen to the full episode:⁠Spotify⁠⁠Apple⁠Watch on ⁠YouTube⁠

Brian Johns is a three-time Olympian and was a world record holder in the pool. He also thought he knew what youth sport looked like — until he became a parent.What he found when he put his daughters into youth sports was an eye-opener even for someone who has spent decades in sport at every level. Sports operating in silos, parents left to figure everything out alone, nine-year-olds being tiered into competitive groups without equal resources. He started writing and speaking about it because the problems were obvious but the solutions felt stuck.In this conversation with Scott Rintoul, Brian draws on his background as an Olympian, a coach, and Head of Coaching Science at Form Swim to make the case that youth sport isn't failing because people don't care, it's failing because organizations are just trying to survive, and nobody is coordinating the bigger picture. He argues that the answer isn't just more funding or more facilities. It's collaboration, purposeful programming, and a willingness to put the child in front of the organization.🎙️ Better Sports Parents is helping parents positively contribute to the youth sports environment. Subscribe for new episodes every week. Chapters00:00 Opening02:09 Introducing Brian Johns03:05 What Made Him Start Writing About Youth Sport05:57 The Biggest Revelation: Everything Is Siloed08:23 Brian's Youth Sports Background09:33 His Parents' Approach: Let Him Choose11:07 Why He Kept Playing Other Sports Despite Excelling at Swimming12:55 How the Culture of Swimming Has Changed15:45 Purposeful Practice vs. Empty Volume16:06 Peak Performance Ages in Swimming: A Unique Challenge19:55 Managing Young Phenoms: Communication Is Everything24:14 Creating Community in an Individual Sport27:41 Competing Against Other Sports for Kids' Time32:26 You're Not Just Competing With Other Clubs37:45 Can Sports Organizations Work Together?43:00 The Death of School Sport and What It Cost Us45:13 Reframing Sport: Accessibility vs. Competition Is a False Choice48:29 Pathways for Kids Who Don't Make the Team53:21 Zoom Out: We All End Up at the Rec Center54:11 Unprecedented Funding: Can Canada Actually Deliver?56:10 The Infrastructure Problem Nobody Talks About01:01:24 Free Swimming Lessons: Vancouver's Experiment01:03:09 Who Is the Youth Sport System Actually Designed to Serve?01:07:07 Who Needs to Step Back and Why01:11:17 Brian's Biggest Issue in Youth Sport: Lack of Collaboration01:13:59 Identity Beyond Swimming: How Coaches Can Help01:16:48 Performance vs. Learning: The Flip Turn StoryResources⁠Brian Johns ⁠⁠Vancouver's Free Swimming Proposal ⁠

Brendan Morrison played over 900 games in the NHL and centred a line known as The West Coast Express, the league's highest scoring line for a couple of seasons. As a parent, he and his wife Erin have raised four children, all of whom became NCAA Division I athletes... but that was never Brendan's or Erin's goal. In this segment, Brendan discusses the pressure too many parents place on their kids in youth sports and how to keep a realistic perspective without killing your child's dreams.Listen to the full episode:⁠Spotify⁠⁠Apple⁠Watch on ⁠YouTube⁠

Canada needs change in its sport system; Radha Balani has seen this before. As an expert partner in strategy and leadership at Think Beyond, she spent decades inside the UK's sport system, including its radical 2015 overhaul. Since then, she's worked with several countries and companies directly, including Jumpstart and the Canadian Paralympic Committee. She knows exactly what it takes to change a national sport system at scale because she's lived it.In this conversation, Radha traces her own youth sports journey growing up in a small English village, playing every sport she could find, and the progressive PE teacher who simply refused to put kids in boxes. She's candid that her own success was luck, not design — the system wasn't built for someone who looked like her, and she knows it.Radha breaks down exactly why the UK's 2015 reform worked, why Canada's current moment looks similar but lacks a critical component that made the difference, and what it actually means to measure outcomes instead of outputs. She makes the case for a mixed economy of public, private and community sport, explains why affordability is the single biggest barrier in Canadian sport today, and lays out what model nations like Norway and Australia got right by treating sport as a vehicle for health and wellbeing rather than the end goal itself.Better Sports Parents is helping parents positively contribute to the youth sports environment. Subscribe for new episodes every week.Chapters00:00 Opening02:04 Itroducing Radha Balani03:11 Liverpool, Her Father & John Barnes05:09 Youth Sport Was Luck, Not Design07:18 Injury, Identity & Losing Sport at University09:39 Why She Loved Sport: Safety, Repetition & Belonging11:59 Inclusion, Exclusion & Growing Up Different16:00 Survivor Bias and Realizing How Lucky She Was18:48 The UK's 2015 Turning Point21:27 Canada in 2026: Similar Crossroads, Missing Piece23:52 Why NSOs Can't Carry This Alone27:14 The System Is Fractured — Can It Be Fixed or Rebuilt?30:05 Is Sport in Canada Truly Unaffordable?34:16 What's Missing: A Strategy, Not Just Recommendations40:26 Norway, Sport as a Vehicle, Not the End Goal43:55 The UK Tied Funding to Changing the Rules45:15 Outcomes vs. Outputs: What Actually Changes Lives49:01 Travel Teams, Sport Sampling & the Cliff Edge53:32 Duty of Care: The Governance Piece Missing in North America56:36 Paying Coaches for Training 59:14 Trauma-Informed Coaching 1:03:09 The Mixed Economy: Public, Private & Community Sport Together1:06:14 Canada's Biggest Issue: Affordability1:07:00 What Progress Actually Looks LikeResources⁠Think Beyond⁠⁠Future of Sport in Canada Commission Report⁠⁠Jumpstart⁠⁠Kick4Life

Former CFL centre and Grey Cup champion Angus Reid is now a high school football coach, a keynote speaker, and recently authored his second book, "Teenager: A Story About Finding Your Way". In this segment, Angus shares why he refuses to charge kids for coaching, what children can teach coaches and parents if they take the time to listen, and the critical difference between being demanding and demeaning.Listen to the full episode:⁠Spotify⁠⁠Apple⁠Watch on ⁠YouTube⁠

Greg Stewart spent the first 25 years of his life trying to prove to people that he wasn't disabled despite being born without half of his left arm. Once he changed his mindset, he found the sport of shot put and won two Paralympic gold medals.Greg is a three-time world champion in para standing volleyball, a U Sports Defensive player of the Year in able bodied basketball, and he stands seven foot two. But the most interesting thing about him isn't his resume. It's the path he had to walk to get there. A path that ran through able-bodied sport, university, rock bottom, two lost jobs, and an eventual breakthrough: accepting himself exactly as he was.In this conversation, Greg talks about what sport means when you spend years doing it for the wrong reasons, why failure is one of the most important things we can teach young athletes, and what the word inclusion actually means when you strip away the box-ticking. He shares the three values he brings to young athletes — trust, ownership and integrity — and makes a compelling case that the real problem in youth sports right now isn't the coaches or the kids. It's the parents... who he also believes are the solution.Greg is 40 years old, newly married, a brand new father of a three-month-old daughter, and studying for his master's in counseling. He has more to say about sport, identity and mental health than almost anyone we've had on this show. 🎙️ Better Sports Parents: helping parents positively contribute to the youth sports environment. Subscribe for new episodes every week. Chapters00:00 Opening01:36 Introducing Greg Stewart03:46 How Greg Got Into Sport05:03 "You Can't Coach Height" — Using What You've Got05:38 Starting in Grassroots: Soccer, Lacrosse and Everything Else07:15 What His Parents Got Right: Encouragement Without Force08:41 Did Sport Feel Like a Place He Belonged?11:43 25 Years Trying to Prove He Wasn't Disabled13:09 Leaning Into Able-Bodied Sport: What He Was Really Chasing15:02 Having Success Without Having Joy16:51 Chasing External Validation for 25 Years17:16 Rock Bottom: Almost Failing Out, Fired From Two Jobs19:36 How He Found Joy in Sport Again20:26 Failure Is Important22:26 How He Discovered Shot Put25:24 Physical Health and Mental Health Are the Same Thing28:12 Finding Flow State in Sport30:07 What Greg Tells Young Athletes: Trust, Ownership and Integrity33:15 Are Parents Owning the Right Things?35:19 Your Discomfort Is Leading the Way: A Message for Parents 38:17 Mental Health Support in Sport: What's Changed and What Hasn't39:23 Why We Need to Let Kids Fail 41:20 Do All the Sports43:18 Youth Sport Has Become Too Commercialized44:13 The Coaches Who Shaped Greg46:04 Ownership and Trust: Who Really Runs the Team?48:38 What Inclusion Actually Means52:03 Where Does Healthy Competition Belong in Youth Sport?55:56 The Objective vs. The Purpose: A Crucial Distinction57:42 Greg's Biggest Issue in Youth Sport Today: Parent Involvement01:00:04 How to Bring Parents Along: Lead by Vulnerability01:02:32 The Listeners We Really Need to Reach01:03:30 The MindfuleteResourcesGreg StewartThe MindfuleteJumpstart

Jesse Marsch, coach of Canada's National Men's Soccer Team, has seen youth sports development from every angle: as a player, as a coach, and as a parent. Jesse doesn't give parenting advice: he gives coaching insights rooted in decades of professional experience and the lessons learned from watching his own three children navigate sports across the globe. In this segment, Jesse reveals the secret he learned as parent that made him a better coach, how coaches can bring parents alongside them in their child's sports experience, and why a positive environment produces the best results for players of all abilities.Listen to the entire episode:⁠Spotify⁠⁠Apple⁠Watch on ⁠YouTube

Jay Triano has spent almost all of his 67 years in sport. He's a former captain of Canada's Men's Basketball Team, the first Canadian head coach in NBA history with the Toronto Raptors, and a current assistant with the Dallas Mavericks. He's also the son of a high school basketball coach and the father of three kids who all played youth sports, which means he's seen every side of the equation.In this conversation, Jay draws direct lines between how he was raised in sport in Niagara Falls and the NBA coach he became. He talks about playing basketball, volleyball, baseball and track until he was nearly 18, why Steve Nash never acted like the best player in the room despite being exactly that, and what a parking lot practice with no hoops taught him about fundamentals that individual skill sessions never could.Jay is direct about what he sees wrong in youth sports today: parent-driven environments that prioritize exposure over development, social media that skips all the steps, and a growing culture of selfish play filtering down from the professional game. And he's equally clear about the fix: fun, teamwork, open communication, and coaches who understand that they're coaching twelve kids, not just yours. 🎙️ Better Sports Parents: helping parents positively contribute to the youth sports environment. Subscribe for new episodes every week. Chapters00:00 Opening01:35 Introducing Jay Triano03:18 A Life in Sport: 67 Years and Still Going04:16 How Jay's Dad Shaped His Love of the Game05:37 Multi-Sport Until 17: Basketball, Baseball, Volleyball & Track06:44 Unstructured Play: Street Hockey and Stats in the Front Yard07:20 How Multi-Sport Cross-Training Made Jay a Better Athlete08:21 Raising His Own Kids: Let Them Love What They Love10:00 What Youth Sport Looked Like When His Kids Were Young11:32 What Jay Looked for in a Youth Coach12:31 Youth Sport Today: Parent-Driven and Overspecialized13:55 NIL, Agents at Young Ages & Money Changing the Game14:17 Higher Skills, Lower IQ15:47 Too Many Games, Not Enough Practice18:25 Multi-Sport and Learning to Fill a Role19:08 Steve Nash: The Best Player Who Never Acted Like It22:14 The European Model: Growing Together24:15 Canadian Basketball's Rise and the Affordability Problem26:14 If You're Good Enough, You Will Be Found28:04 What Jay Wanted His Kids to Get Out of Sport29:51 Learning From Bad Coaches Too29:58 The Coaches Who Shaped Jay33:32 The Biggest Mistake Jay Made as a Young Coach36:11 Number One Advice for New Coaches: Make It Fun38:19 How to Recognize and Reward Every Role on a Team40:16 Phil Jackson's Rule: Acknowledge the Screen, Not Just the Bucket44:54 What Jay's Dad Said After the Games47:15 The Volunteer Coach and Referee Crisis48:07 No Secrets: Jay's Rule on Parent Communication52:10 He Wasn't Going to Cut a Kid in Grade Seven53:51 What a Good Youth Environment Actually Looks Like58:23 Developing Canadian Coaches: A Missed Opportunity01:00:14 A Simple Thank You Can Keep a Coach Coming Back01:02:16 The Parking Lot Practice That Built His Fundamentals01:04:06 Social Media Is Skipping All the Steps01:06:01 Are We Over-Parenting? Kids Need Difficult Situations01:07:38 Learning to Be Coached Hard01:09:06 Jay's Biggest Issue in Youth Sports TodayResourcesJay Triano

Andrew Ladd is a Stanley Cup winner, a 4th overall NHL draft pick, and a former NHL captain who played 1,000 games in hockey's top league. He's also a proud father, husband and youth hockey coach who wants to improve the youth sports environment who all kids who play. In this segment, Andrew shares powerful stories from his pro career and details "1616" - a mental health initiative he founded to equip young hockey players, coaches, and parents with tools to navigate the challenges that arise in both sport and life.Listen to the entire episode:⁠Spotify⁠⁠Apple⁠Watch on ⁠YouTube

⚠️ This episode deals with serious topics including mental health, self-harm, and abuse. If you or someone you know needs support, contact Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868) or the Suicide Crisis Helpline (988).Brock McGillis became the first openly gay player to have played professional hockey, but the path to that moment nearly cost him everything. Depression. Daily drinking. Self-harm. A sport culture that told him, in a thousand small ways every day, that he couldn't be himself.Today Brock runs the Shift Makers tour, visiting over 250 hockey teams across Canada in a single season. What he finds in those rooms is alarming: over a thousand players disclosing thoughts of self-harm or suicide, thousands more sharing mental health struggles, and more than 50 who had never told anyone they'd been sexually assaulted — until they told him. In this conversation, Brock talks about why sport culture continues to silence young people, what true inclusion actually looks like versus what organizations claim it looks like, and why the answer isn't more analysis — it's action. He also shares the story of Brendan Burke, whose friendship and tragic death became the catalyst for everything Brock does today. This is one of the most important conversations Better Sports Parents has had. Better Sports Parents is helping parents positively impact the youth sports environment. Subscribe for new episodes every week Chapters00:00 Opening01:36 Introduction & Content Warning03:17 The Shift Makers Tour: 250 Teams in 200 Days04:11 How Locker Room Culture Programs Kids to Conform08:13 How Do We Go From Thinking the Right Things to Actually Doing Them?09:15 The Push-Up Story: How Shift Makers Was Born10:06 Challenging Bravery: "Tell Me Something You Wouldn't Tell a Teammate"12:10 "The Locker Room Should Be Disneyland"15:04 Why Kids Won't Talk to Parents and What Brock Does Differently19:17 The Real Reason Kids Don't Come Forward22:14 Why Brock Becomes the First Person They Ever Tell23:11 Parents Need to Humanize Themselves Too30:38 What to Do When Your Teenager Won't Talk to You34:19 Why "I Didn't Mean It Like That" Is Not Good Enough35:08 How the Culture Became Brock's Identity and His Prison38:11 Who or What Finally Made Him Be Himself43:27 Brendan Burke: The Friend Who Changed Everything43:58 What True Inclusion Actually Looks Like in Sport46:36 Why "We're a Family" Is Often Hollow51:26 Stop Talking. Start Doing.54:21 The Vicious Cycle: Coaches Doing What Was Done to Them58:51 Talk to Them as People, Not as Hockey Robots1:00:47 Resources for Self-Harm and Mental Health Support1:04:14 The Biggest Issue in Youth Sport Today: Affordability1:07:21 Why Sport Can Still Be GreatResourcesBrock McGillis' advocacy and speaking platformKids Help Phone⁠Jumpstart

Veteran sports agent and advisor Ross Gurney has helped players like Duncan Keith, Devon Toews, and Zach Benson navigate their way to and through the NHL, but he's also a father who's had to navigate the youth sports environment with his own two children. Though he's seen what it actually takes to make it to the highest levels of sport, Ross doesn't believe that early specialization, "elite" camps, and rushing kids up levels have improved the youth sports environment or experience for kids. In this segment, Ross encourages parents to slow down and enjoy youth sport for what they're meant to be - a joyful experience filled with growth and learning, not one that replicates the demands of professional sports.Listen to the full episode:⁠Spotify⁠⁠Apple⁠Watch on ⁠YouTube

Chris Pronger's NHL resume reads like a fairy tale: second overall pick, Stanley Cup champion, two Olympic gold medals, Hart Trophy, Norris Trophy, Hockey Hall of Fame. But ask him what the hardest thing he's ever done is, and the answer isn't hockey. It's parenting. In this conversation with Scott Rintoul, Chris draws a direct line between the low-pressure, multi-sport, creativity-driven childhood he had in Dryden, Ontario and the Hall of Fame career that followed. He talks candidly about the two rules he gave his own kids — work hard and have fun — and what happened when one of his sons stopped doing the second one. Chris doesn't mince words on the state of youth sport. He believes we've monetized and commoditized childhood sport to the point where the kids have been forgotten entirely. He's watched joy get extracted from talented players at every level, seen parents chase triple-A status for the wrong reasons, and watched super teams steamroll opponents while teaching kids nothing about adversity. His message is simple: fun comes first. The passion, the work ethic, the resilience... it all comes later. If it isn't fun, the rest of won't matter.🎙️ Better Sports Parents: helping parents positively impact the youth sports environment. Subscribe for new episodes every week.Chapters0:00 Opening01:35 Introduction: Chris Pronger03:40 The Hardest Job of His Career: Parenting04:48 Being a Parent vs. Being a Friend06:00 How Chris Was Parented in Sport08:08 Low Pressure, High Support: What His Parents Got Right09:29 Unstructured Play and Why It Made Him Better11:01 Multi-Sport: Why Chris Played Everything12:41 Taking Breaks From Hockey, Even as a Pro13:49 Are Kids on the Ice Too Long?16:28 When It Should Be About Fun, Not Wins19:22 Travel Sports: How Much Is Too Much, Too Soon?23:31 His Two Rules as a Sports Parent24:07 The Conversation He Had With His Son Who Wasn't Having Fun26:12 Pressure to Have Kids in Hockey?29:04 Studying the Game as a Kid32:40 Passion vs. Fit: Follow What You Love39:08 Parents: Who Are You Doing This For?41:13 Triple-A or Bust: The Stigma That Kills the Joy42:27 Even NHL Scouts Get It Wrong48:58 Standards: Where Do They Come From?49:37 Victimhood, Accountability and When His Game Turned Around51:39 Blame Culture in Youth Sport and How to Fix It53:33 The Monetization and Commoditization Problem56:28 FOMO and the Genie That Won't Go Back in the Bottle58:34 Super Teams: Why Chris Hates Them in Any Sport59:01 Adversity as a Gift01:05:07 What Youth Sport Teaches Future CEOs01:09:44 Chris's Biggest Issue in Youth Sport TodayResources⁠Chris Pronger's Book: Earned⁠⁠Chris Pronger: Hockey Hall of Fame⁠

Will Loftus played more than a decade in the CFL, won two Grey Cups, and is enshrined in the BC Football Hall of Fame for his excellence on the field. But Will truly found his purpose once his days on the gridiron were over. Through Game Ready Fitness and the Washington Kids Foundation, he and his team are on a mission to ensure that every child has access to quality coaching and mentorship, regardless of background or skill level. In this segment, Will talks about the impact coaches have on people's lives and why that responsibility should not be taken lightly.Listen to the full episode:SpotifyAppleWatch on YouTube

Adam Van Koeverden has paddled over 120,000 kilometres in his lifetime. He's a four-time Olympian, a multiple world champion, and one of the most decorated kayakers Canada has ever produced. He's also Canada's Secretary of State for Sport, and that may be where his biggest race is being run.In this conversation, Adam traces the full arc of a sporting life that began with a mom who needed somewhere for her kid to go after school. The Oakville canoe club was affordable, it was welcoming, it ran on volunteers, and it changed everything. Adam wants every Canadian kid to have access to that same kind of experience, and he's now in a position to do something about it. He talks candidly about the $755 million federal investment in sport recently announced, and what it's actually designed to do. As Adam puts it, every world champion Canada has ever produced started out splashing around in swimming lessons or kicking a ball at a community center, and the foundation for elite sport is an active society.He also weighs in on the issues sports parents know too well: early specialization, the pressure to travel at young ages, the cost of living squeezing family budgets, and the gap between what the research says about youth development and what's actually happening on the ground. He shares his honest view on what a good youth coach looks like, what his own parents did right, and why the Norwegian model keeps coming up as the gold standard. And he makes the case that physical activity and play are human rights.Chapters0:00 Opening1:35 Introducing Adam Van Koeverden5:11 The $755M Announcement: Largest Sport Investment in Canadian History8:00 How Will the $755M Show Up in Your Community?8:28 National Sport Organizations & the Alignment Problem12:37 Hockey Canada and the Trust Deficit in Governance14:30 Do We Need to Overhaul National Sport Organizations?15:38 Underfunded at Every Level16:39 Nation Building Through Sport: Why Adam Put His Name on a Ballot18:24 What Parents Are Telling Him21:46 The Case for Coed Sport Until Age 1223:19 Can Government Incentivize Multi-Sport?26:18 School-Based Sport vs. Club Sport: The Balance We've Lost27:31 Not-for-Profit vs. For-Profit Sport29:20 Sport Saves Kids30:42 Adam's Youth Sports Journey32:45 Why Kayaking?34:12 Physical Literacy for All Canadians37:12 Screens and the Generation That Stopped Moving39:44 Competition vs. Participation41:49 What Adam's Parents Did Right43:05 The Norwegian Model: Kids Are Not Olympians45:43 The Foundation for Success in Sport46:39 What a Positive Sporting Environment Actually Looks Like49:08 Valuing Coaching54:48 Cost of Living, Sideline Pressure and Sport on the Chopping Block56:05 What Does Success Look Like for Canada in 5, 10, 15 Years?59:48 Adam's Biggest Issue: Declining Participation1:00:46 Reasons for OptimismResources⁠Canada's $755M Investment⁠⁠Future of Sport in Canada Commission Report⁠⁠Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities

Steve Kindel is a former professional soccer player, the Technical Director of a youth soccer club (North Van FC), and the father of NHL forward, Ben Kindel. Steve not only had a front row seat to watch his son grow in various ways through multisport participation, but he also witnessed how NHL stars Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini benefited from playing soccer into their teens. In this segment, Steve describes the reality of year-round opportunities in so many youth sports, but advocates for families to hold firm to their beliefs and values with respect to multisport participation. Listen to the full episode here: Spotify AppleWatch on YouTube

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif contains multitudes. He's a Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs, a practicing physician in Quebec, a business owner, and the founder of a foundation dedicated to giving underserved children access to both sport and the arts. He is also one of the most thoughtful voices on youth sport you will find anywhere.In this conversation, Laurent traces the full arc of a remarkable life: from a childhood spent sailing with his family across the Caribbean, to playing badminton and violin alongside football as a teenager, to meeting with the Dean of Medicine before meeting a single NFL team, to sitting out a season to serve on the front lines of COVID relief. At every step, his story challenges the assumptions that dominate youth sports culture today. Laurent argues that sport and physical activity have quietly become two different things: one is an industry of performance, the other is a lifelong health behaviour. He believes the youth sports environment has tilted too far toward the former, narrowing the pipeline of kids who stay active. He talks about what Andy Reid understood about coaching that most coaches never do, describes the Kansas City locker room as a place where Travis Kelce's interest in fashion was treated with the same respect as a surgical reduction of a fracture, and how that culture of permission made the team better. He also opens up about his LDT Foundation, now active in over 60 schools & 400 summer camps across Quebec, which fuses sport and art to serve children who would otherwise have neither. And he makes a case that the goal of youth sport should not be to produce more elite athletes, but to produce more active humans.Chapters00:00 Opening01:36 Introducing Laurent Duvernay-Tardif05:32 Why He Never Gave Up Medicine for the NFL08:26 What Makes Andy Reid a Special Coach09:57 Youth Coaches Who Let Him Stay Multi-Sport11:30 How Martial Arts, Badminton Made Him a Better Lineman12:50 His Parents' Approach13:56 Two Years Away From Organized Sport16:09 Being Left on an Island17:06 Coming Back at 15: Hungry for Sport Again17:58 Playing to Have Fun19:32 What His Parents Asked After Games20:47 The Contract Call: His Mom's Reaction22:22 What Unconditional Love Looks Like in Sport23:38 Why He's Not Ready to Coach Yet24:02 What a Good Youth Coach Should Be25:48 What to Look for in a Team Before You Enroll Your Kids27:33 The Performance Industry vs. The Community29:21 Building a Bigger Funnel31:22 Importance of Elite Sport33:17 Why More Participants Means More Champions34:40 The LDT Foundation37:10 Why Summer Matters Most for Kids Who Need It38:09 How Playing Violin Made Him a Better Athlete40:06 The KC Locker Room: Pokemon Cards, Fashion & Surgery43:44 Why Football Became His Sport46:08 Mahomes, Kelce and the Case for Multi-Sport47:11 Were You Free to Play as a Kid?48:01 Connecting People Through Sport50:06 Why Kids Should Try Every Position51:11 Affordability and Access: The Gap We're Creating53:06 Don't Push Too Hard Too Soon53:51 Where Should Money in Youth Sport Go?55:39 Why Intergenerational Play Matters57:15 The Most Influential Thing a Parent Can Do57:56 Screen Time & Social Media59:01 The Biggest Issue in Youth Sport1:01:02 Jumpstart's Rethink InitiativeResources LDT Foundation JumpstartJumpstart's Rethink Initiative

Hockey Hall of Famer Cammi Granato is a pioneer in women's hockey, breaking down barriers on and off the ice. Currently the Assistant General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks, Granato has experienced the game as a player, a coach, an executive, and a parent. In this segment, she discusses how to guide your children when they encounter adversity - from the pressure they may feel in competitive environments to learning to cope with a less than ideal coach to making mistakes while playing the game.Listen to the full episode here:⁠Spotify⁠⁠Apple ⁠Watch on ⁠YouTube ⁠

Ryan Huska has seen youth sports from just about every angle. As head coach of the Calgary Flames, he operates at the pinnacle of professional hockey. But as a father of three, he's also lived the full experience of the sports parent. Certain aspects of what he sees concerns him.In this conversation, Ryan reflects on two decades of parenting in youth sport and pulls no punches. He believes early specialization is producing a lo of technically gifted players who've lost their feel for the team game. He traces that back to a youth sports culture that rewards individual development over collective play, and that has created so many leagues and avenues that kids never learn how to handle adversity, adapt to a new role, or simply fall down a level and work their way back up.Ryan talks about the car ride home, the importance of asking open-ended questions instead of offering critique, the value of multi-sport development, and what he learned about hard work and teamwork during his Memorial Cup years with the Kamloops Blazers.He also addresses the proliferation of leagues and options that let families opt out of any environment that challenges them, a trend Ryan thinks is sending the wrong message to kids, fragmenting communities, and creating more problems than it solves.🎙️ Subscribe to Better Sports Parents, a podcast dedicated to helping parents more positively contribute to the youth sports environment.Chapters0:00 Opening01:35 Introducing Ryan Huska03:27 Is Being a Sports Parent More Stressful Than Coaching the NHL?04:02 How Youth Sports Has Changed04:49 The Rise of Individualism06:10 The Problem with Early Specialization07:12 The Fear of Falling Behind09:22 Late Bloomers and Different Paths to the Top10:26 The Fire That Comes from Taking a Break Between Sports11:33 When Sport Starts to Feel Like a Job13:54 Getting Kids to Their Ceiling Too Fast15:35 Entitlement & Learning to Accept a Different Role 17:09 Growing Up in a Small Town20:25 His Parents' Role in Ryan's Sports Journey24:05 How Ryan Learned to Talk to His Own Kids After Games26:25 The Carpool Secret: Why Other Kids in the Car Changes Everything28:23 Why Ryan Chose Hockey Over Baseball at 1530:25 Getting Humbled at Kamloops34:04 How a Part-Time Job Became a Coaching Career36:47 Coaching His Daughters in Soccer 39:57 "Too Much Too Soon"41:48 Does Specialization Actually Create Better Players?44:22 Why Kids Need to Watch Full Games47:36 Unstructured Play and the Loss of Creativity48:13 Why Coaches Should Add Small Area Games Back49:28 What Advice Ryan Gives Volunteer Coaches51:10 How to Communicate With and Manage Parents as a Coach53:11 The Problem with Too Many Leagues55:51 Why Parents Are Losing the Plot: Intentions vs. Outcomes57:08 The Rising Cost of Youth Sports and the Affordability Crisis59:07 The ROI Problem1:01:35 Ryan's Number One Concern in Youth Sports Today1:03:19 What Ryan Hopes His Kids Took From SportResources Jumpstart KidSport CalgaryAthletics for Kids

John O’Sullivan, a former professional soccer player and coach, founded of Changing the Game Project to help parents, coaches, and organizations understand how they can better support all young athletes. He's recognized internationally for his positive work in the youth sports environment.In this segment, John breaks down why so many well-intentioned parents accidentally harm their child’s long-term development and what to do instead. You’ll learn why shouting instructions (“shoot!”, “pass!”, “go wide!”) steals vital reps from kids, what healthy sideline support ACTUALLY looks like, and why volunteer coaches need to hold themselves to a high standard. Listen to the full episode:⁠Spotify⁠⁠Apple⁠Watch on ⁠YouTube⁠

Dr. Oliver Finlay has seen youth sport from every angle: athlete, physiotherapist, performance director, and global sports investor. In this conversation, he makes a clear-eyed case for what's broken in North American youth sport and what needs to change. Growing up in the UK, Oliver played a multitude of sports, guided by parents who simply encouraged commitment and let sport do the teaching. The result was a confident adult whose business network is built on the same values he learned in locker rooms. What he sees across North America is something very different: a $40 billion industry that has turned child development into a revenue model. Over-coached kids who can't think for themselves. Early specialization pushed by clubs whose incentive is to fill programs, not develop players. Coaches with no formal training. And parents being told their child will be left behind if they don't commit to one sport, one team, one pathway — right now. Oliver breaks down why unstructured play produces 47% more physical activity than organized sessions, why the best athletes he's worked with played multiple sports well into their late teens, and why early specialization leads directly to overuse injuries, burnout, and kids quitting sport early. He also gets into what real team culture looks like, how to evaluate a club beyond the fancy kit, and the two investments he'd make to fix the system today. Chapters00:00 Opening01:35 Introducing Dr. Oliver Finlay03:26 Why youth sport shaped everything for Oliver06:36 How sport transformed a painfully shy kid08:52 Growing up multi-sport in the UK11:14 What Oliver's parents got right13:09 Europe vs. North America: a tale of two systems16:34 When youth sport becomes a $30–40B business18:51 The overcoaching problem and the robot factory22:05 Sport for life vs. sport for performance23:33 Access, equity, and why most kids quit within three years28:34 The missing recreational pathway30:52 Why collaboration is the key to fixing the system32:23 Coach licensing: Europe vs. North America35:27 The best coaches come from teaching, not playing37:51 Burnout, overuse injuries, and undertrained coaches41:32 The professionalization of youth sport42:52 Early specialization: the biggest fallacy in youth sport45:29 Why late specializers dominate international drafts47:49 How to actually evaluate a club49:37 What high performance really means, and when it starts51:23 The car ride conversation: what to ask after the game52:23 What real team culture looks like57:13 Winning and development aren't mutually exclusive58:33 Why winning-at-all-costs loses your best late developers01:00:15 What organizations do that actually create lifelong athletes01:03:12 Where to invest to fix Canadian youth sport01:07:25 The biggest issue in youth sport todayResources Dr. Oliver Finlay - LinkedInBeautiful Game Group

As a rugby player, Gareth Rees was arguably the most prominent Canadian to represent his country on the world stage and was inducted in to the International Rugby Hall of Fame and Canada's Sport Hall of Fame for his efforts. A father of two boys, Gareth has coached professionally and at the amateur sport level, which gives him a unique perspective on what parents should be looking for in a quality coach for their children. In this segment, Gareth highlights important qualities to look for in a youth coach, reveals red flags to be wary of, and shares an example of how creating a great relationship with a player allows a coach to deliver tough feedback when needed.Listen to the full episode:⁠Spotify⁠⁠Apple⁠Watch on ⁠YouTube

Jason D'Rocha didn't plan to spend his career in youth sports. A blown knee in grade 12 ended his dreams of playing university basketball, and what followed — a degree in child psychology, a summer camp job that lit something up in him, and an introduction to Sportball — became a calling he's never walked away from. Jason's now the Vice President of Sportball, the author of multiple children's books, and a father of two daughters who are very much in the thick of the youth sports world he thinks about every day. Jason brings something rare to this conversation: he's simultaneously a child development expert, a career coach, a sport administrator, and a parent sitting in the stands trying to get it right. He's also someone who grew up in Toronto's inner city, where organized sport wasn't always accessible, which gives him a perspective on cost and inclusion that isn't theoretical, it's personal.Scott and Jason explore what it really means to build confidence in children through sport, why celebrating outcomes fails the 99% of kids who will never play at the elite level, and how a misalignment of expectations — from parents, coaches, and leagues — is at the root of so much of what's broken in youth sports today. Jason also shares what great coaching actually looks like, why getting parents out of the gym can be one of the most powerful things a program does, and what he tells his own daughters when sport gets hard. If you're a parent trying to figure out how to support your child's athletic journey without stepping on it, this conversation is for you. Chapters 00:00 Opening01:35 Introducing Jason D'Rocha03:47 From Injury to a Career in Youth Sport05:14 Jason's Childhood: Pickup Ball & Access to Sport08:33 His Parents Approach14:17 Why Sportball?26:31 Why Parents Should Leave the Gym29:00 Competing Authority: Coaches vs. Parents31:33 What Jason Looks for in a Coach33:24 Age-Appropriate Development38:15 What Physical Literacy Really Means41:29 How Sportball Trains Its Coaches44:43 Modeling Matters46:19 What Booing at the Raptors Taught His Daughters48:18 Taking Off the Coach Hat at Home51:13 What He Wants His Kids to Get Out of Sport52:31 The Recreational Gap for Teenagers55:11 Recruiting & Retaining Great Coaches59:08 Resources for Volunteer Coaches59:49 Sportball, Cost & Accessibility01:02:15 Why Multi-Sport Matters01:04:01 The Danger of Outcome-Based Self-Worth01:07:15 The Number One Issue in Youth Sports01:09:24 Expectations & Social MediaResources ⁠Sportball⁠ ⁠Canada Sport for Life⁠ ⁠Jumpstart Canada⁠

Affectionately known as Captain Coyote, Shane Doan played 21 seasons in the NHL and has worked in executive positions with multiple franchises since his playing days ended. The former Memorial Cup MVP and three time Gold Medalist at the World Championships is also the father of four children, one of whom, Josh Doan, plays in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres. In this segment, Shane uses Josh's story as a late bloomer to illustrate that development is not linear while advising parents to simply let their children play the games they love as long as possible.Listen to the full episode:⁠Spotify⁠⁠Apple⁠Watch on ⁠YouTube⁠

Lauren Bay-Regula is a three-time Canadian Olympian in softball, and one of the most honest, self-aware voices you'll hear on what it actually looks like to parent in today's youth sports world. Her path back to the Olympics at 39 wasn't just about softball. It came after six years of postpartum depression and identity loss following the 2008 Games, years she describes as being buried from a mental standpoint. With three kids under ten and a business to run, Lauren found her way back to the sport she loved. In doing so, she found herself again. That journey now shapes everything about how she parents her three teenage children through sport. She and her husband Dave have a full yearly calendar just to protect family time. She texts coaches directly about what her kids will and won't attend. She canceled an entire week of activities mid-season because she hit a wall and needed five nights of family dinners more than another tournament weekend. And she'll be the first to tell you she doesn't always get it right. Lauren brings a perspective that's equal parts world-class athlete and exhausted, trying-her-best sports parent — and she has a lot to say about an industry that has turned play into work, development into an afterthought, and schedules into something that can split a family across three different states in a single weekend. If the phrase "elite competitive eight-year-old All-Star" sounds like an oxymoron to you, you're going to love this conversation. Chapters00:00 Opening01:35 Introducing Lauren Bay-Regula04:04 Youth sports then vs. now06:40 Growing up in Trail, BC09:19 What sport should really teach kids10:30 Did she ever feel pressure as a kid?14:00 The road to her first Olympics20:00 Parenting three kids through youth sports28:00 The overwhelm meltdown34:22 Being mom, not coach35:07 When sport has no off-season37:50 Coming back at 39 with three kids at home41:46 The motivation: herself and her children43:31 Bronze medal in the fruit bowl45:24 Six years of depression and identity loss46:55 Why high achievers resist getting help49:09 Talking to her kids about mental health54:00 Being the lighthouse57:25 The mirror test58:57 Do parents have agency to change things?01:01:20 The one-upper mentality in youth sports clubs01:06:09 Her biggest pitfall as a sports parent01:10:20 What makes a great youth coach01:12:07 The biggest issues in youth sports today ResourcesTeam Canada ProfileStrong Mom TrAk AthleticsLauren's Instagram

Former Blue Jays' first round draft pick Travis Snider is on a mission to change youth sports. After experiencing the highs of what appeared to be a nearly flawless ascension as a youth star, Travis came face-to-face with the lows of struggling to perform as a pro due in large part to an identity that was tightly bound to results. He now pours his energy into teaching parents and coaches a better way to guide children through youth sports.In this segment, Travis discusses one of the most relatable challenges most parents face: the car ride home after their child's game or practice.Listen to the entire episode:⁠Spotify⁠⁠Apple⁠Watch on ⁠YouTube⁠

Farhan Lalji is a very recognizable face and voice in Canadian sports. Since 1997 he's been with TSN, covering everything from the Olympics to the Stanley Cup and the Super Bowl. He's a CFL Football Hall of Famer in the media category and a BC Football Hall of Famer as a builder thanks in large part to creating a high school football program from scratch in New Westminster. He also sits on the national board of KidSport and has spent years watching the youth sports landscape up close, from every angle. But in this episode of Better Sports Parents, Farhan isn't talking as a broadcaster or a Hall of Famer. He's talking as a dad. One who got caught up in hockey's spending arms race when his son was six years old, who made mistakes coaching his son that he's doing differently with his daughter, and who at one point realized he could still coach his son, but no longer push him. Farhan has one of the most quotable lines in the show's history: "In hockey, there are two types of parents: those who have money and those who borrow money. There's no not having money." He talks about what it was like to live inside that reality as a parent, even as someone with his level of sports awareness, and why the privatization of youth sport is his single biggest concern for the next generation of Canadian kids. This is a conversation about coaching, community, access, identity, and what it actually means to be a sports parent when you know everything about sport and still can't always get it right.Chapters00:00 Opening01:35 Introducing Farhan Lalji03:37 How sport influenced Farhan's life as an immigrant kid06:50 The high school football coach who never left his life08:03 What his parents stressed (and didn't) about youth sport09:23 Are we over-parenting in youth sport today?10:21 The loss of free play and what's filled the gap13:03 Devices, screen time & holding off on phones until 1415:47 From SFU communications to TSN: the career decision17:20 What coaching taught him about life lessons through sport18:17 How to connect with kids who have different competitive goals22:12 Valuing the player who just wants to belong25:14 A quarterback who said "I'm done after senior year"26:16 Where the line is between participation and competitive sport27:36 The pressures of youth hockey30:08 The academy bubble: socialization, entitlement and what kids miss32:38 "The real color in sport is green"34:42 The two types of hockey parents we've created35:06 Farhan's confession: he got caught up in it too37:14 Are we pricing ourselves out of hockey as a nation?39:12 Is the environment we've created in hockey a net positive?41:05 Why he chose to build a football program from scratch46:26 The Justin Morneau playoff game and what community sport can look like48:06 How do we get back to community sport?49:15 We need to pay coaches51:22 Why he left New Westminster and what his son actually wanted54:25 "I can coach him, but I can't push him"56:33 You're not coaching football. You're coaching kids.57:21 When is the right time to coach your own child?59:15 How he set boundaries with parents as a coach01:01:21 How a player taught him a valuable lesson01:02:47 Parenting his son vs. parenting his daughter in sports01:04:48 The number one issue in youth sports: privatizationResourcesUnpluggedKidSport

Andrea Neil is one the greatest players and leaders to ever wear the jersey for Canada's National Women's Soccer team. She played in multiple Women's World Cups, captaining Canada to a 4th place finish in 2003, its best ever result at the event. In this segment, Andrea implores parents to demand more from the people and organizations who oversee the development of children in sports.Listen to the full episode here:⁠Spotify⁠⁠Apple⁠Watch on ⁠YouTube⁠

Aaron Volpatti was never supposed to make it. He wasn't drafted. He wasn't a goal scorer. He grew up in Revelstoke, BC, playing house hockey at 14 and got cut from select teams. And then at 19 years old, while playing junior hockey with the Vernon Vipers, he was badly burned in an accident and told by doctors that his hockey career was over. He was wrapped head to toe in a hospital burn unit, unable to walk, when he made a decision that would define the rest of his life: he was coming back to play hockey no matter what. He was out of the hospital in six weeks. He played that fall. He went on to commit to Brown University. And he eventually played 114 games in the NHL... more than 70% of the players who were actually drafted in his draft year.But Aaron is far more interested in talking about what youth sport is getting wrong than revisiting what he got right. Now a cognitive performance and injury coach, author of Fighter, and father of three, Aaron brings a perspective on the youth sports environment that is equal parts personal and professional.He talks candidly about the trap of treating your child like an investment, the cost — financial and otherwise — of over-structuring kids' lives at the expense of free play and childhood, and why shaping your child's identity for them before they've had a chance to figure out who they are is one of the most harmful things the current youth sports culture is doing. He shares his own strict hockey rule for his young son, why he coaches parents far more often than he coaches the athletes themselves, and what he says to parents who worry their kid will fall behind. Aaron also opens up about struggling with his own identity after hockey ended, what visualization taught him about human potential, and what he genuinely wants his three kids to take from sport.This is a conversation about holding onto childhood, staying in the fight, and asking the question nobody in youth sports wants to answer: at what cost? Chapters00:00 Opening01:35 Introduction: Aaron Volpatti03:42 What minor hockey meant to Aaron growing up05:01 His parents' approach: no pressure, just values07:33 What "let kids be kids" actually means08:44 The lessons sport taught him09:45 Getting cut from select teams & staying humble13:53 The burn injury that should have ended his hockey career19:04 The visualization practice that changed everything23:53 Are the most talented players in the NHL?26:55 Why overlooked players with grit outlast the early stars29:58 Knowing your role: "you are not a goal scorer"31:54 What good coaches do that parents often undermine34:13 Equal play, age-appropriate competition37:14 Sacrificing kids' childhoods40:12 No spring or summer hockey: Aaron's family rule40:38 The fear of falling behind trap41:50 What the real return on investment in youth sport looks like44:55 Being your kid's cheerleader, not their critic47:18 The car ride home48:45 Rethinking mistakes & permission to fail50:02 Social media & comparison syndrome52:31 Helping athletes redefine performance55:46 Aaron's identity crisis57:32 Visualization, belief and finding life after sport1:00:34 Writing "Fighter"1:04:16 What Aaron wants his own kids to take from sport1:05:35 The biggest issue in youth sports today1:10:30 Setting boundariesResourcesFighter (Book)Aaron's WebsiteFollow Aaron on Instagram

Ray Ferraro is an 18-year NHL veteran, an award-winning hockey analyst, and the father of four boys. He's also coached young players over multiple decades and witnessed the evolution of parental involvement in youth sport. In this segment, Ray talks about his own evolution as a sports parent, the trap that many parents fall into when they invest in development, and how your child's interests need to drive their journey in youth sports.Listen to the full episode here:⁠Spotify⁠⁠Apple⁠Watch on ⁠YouTube⁠

Allison McNeill is one of the most accomplished figures in Canadian basketball. As a player, she won multiple provincial and national titles before finishing her collegiate career in the NCAA. As a coach, she took over Simon Fraser University's women's program in 1988 and spent 13 years turning it into a perennial national championship contender. She then took the reins of Canada's women's national team, ending a 12-year Olympic absence by guiding them back to the 2012 Games and making them competitive on the world stage. She has coached at every level of the game, from grade twos all the way to the national team, and she still gives back at the youth level today. But here's what Allison will tell you herself: if she were growing up now, she might never have played basketball at all. In this episode, Allison sits down with host Scott Rintoul to share what decades in the game have taught her about what youth sport is getting right and what it's getting badly wrong. She discusses the skyrocketing cost of youth sport, the trap of early specialization, and why sampling multiple sports builds better athletes and better people. Allison also shares what parents and coaches are doing on the sidelines that is quietly stealing the joy from their children's sporting experience. On the coaching side, Allison gets specific about what separates a good youth coach from a harmful one and why playing pedigree matters far less than whether a coach genuinely cares about the kids in front of them. She talks about how she built winning cultures at SFU and the national team, why every player on a roster needs to feel valued, and how the best coaches are the ones who show up for their athletes as full human beings. She also tackles the underrepresentation of women in coaching, and the importance of not letting a child's identity become wrapped up in their sport or their results. Chapters 00:00 Opening & Introduction03:44 Why Allison keeps coaching 05:34 The state of basketball in Canada in 2026 06:30 Why youth sport costs have skyrocketed 08:11 Solutions: facilities, nonprofits & government levers 11:50 Travel tournaments vs. what actually develops young athletes 14:16 Allison's multi-sport upbringing 16:48 The danger of early specialization 17:06 How Allison's parents shaped her athletic life 21:57 Over-involved parents27:42 Creating value for every player on the team 30:08 What basketball gave Allison that other sports didn't 31:29 How to run a youth practice that actually keeps kids engaged 35:15 Everyone plays vs competitive selection 37:14 Select teams, early tiering & the dropout cliff 39:28 What college coaches are actually looking for 43:05 Teaching kids to value roles45:28 The cost of rushing development 46:17 How to transform a culture49:50 The coach-parent relationship52:00 How to spot a great youth coach57:43 The most effective coaches1:02:55 Sport as a vehicle for life skills 1:05:15 The lasting imprint coaches leave1:07:29 Women in coaching1:10:05 Separating athlete identity from resultsResources Canadian Basketball Hall of FameBC Sports Hall of Fame Safe Sport Program (Canada Basketball) Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) Framework

Allison Forsyth is a former Olympic skier, a renowned SafeSport expert, and the Chief Sport Officer at Headversity. A survivor of abuse in sport and vocal advocate for athlete wellbeing, Allison founded Generation Safe to create more resources for athletes and organizations to confront and reduce maltreatment and abuse through sport. In this segment, Allison discusses the role parents, coaches and the current youth sports system play in creating the conditions for harm to escalate through sport.Listen to the full episode here:⁠Spotify⁠⁠Apple⁠Watch on ⁠YouTube

Most conversations about improving youth sports focus on athletes, parents, and coaches. This one looks at the people everyone else seems to forget — the officials. Dave Hawkshaw is the only Canadian to hold a full-time position as an NFL official. He has officiated over 100 games in the world's top football league after 13 years in the CFL, but his journey started the same way thousands of young Canadians begin theirs — as a teenager at a community park, picking up a whistle because his dad asked him to come out on a Sunday morning. In this conversation with Scott Rintoul, Dave pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to make it as an official at the highest level: the film study, the flashcards, the zoom calls, the rule tests, the cross-country travel. And he makes the case that officiating is as demanding and as rewarding as any role in sport. But the heart of this episode is the youth sports officiating crisis unfolding right now. Young officials are being driven out of the game by coaches and parents who berate them from the sidelines. Sports across the country can't recruit enough officials to cover the games being played. Dave has seen it all as someone who started officiating flag football as a teenager, as a father watching his daughters play basketball and soccer at high levels, and as a man who has been on the field for 100+ NFL games. He breaks down what healthy coach-official relationships look like, why everything trickles down from how a coach carries themselves on the sideline, how parents should think about their behavior in the stands, and why a simple thank-you after a game goes further than most parents realize. This is a perspective that rarely gets a seat at the table in the youth sports conversation. It needs one. Chapters 0:00 Opening 1:36 Introducing Dave Hawkshaw: Canada's only full-time NFL official 3:54 How it all started: flag football on Sunday mornings with his dad 6:15 Dave's youth sports experience 7:26 What his parents focused on: work ethic, respect, and team sports 9:36 Why respecting officials was non-negotiable in his household 10:50 Breaking in as a young official 11:28 What keeps officials coming back, and what drives them away 12:55 Key mentors along the way 15:00 Why officials give their time for very little money 16:38 The unlikely path from CFL the NFL 20:02 Balancing the NFL, the CFL, firefighting, and a young family 21:25 How much work officials actually put in 24:22 What a good referee looks like to someone who officiates the NFL 26:19 Why young officials quit and what it takes to keep them 29:32 What a healthy coach-official relationship looks like in youth sports 31:12 When coaches lose their composure and the domino effect 32:57 Why yelling at officials is poor leadership, not passion 34:59 Tools officials can use to manage difficult situations 35:45 Advice for parents who know they get caught up in the emotion 37:21 Why do we only hold officials to a standard of perfection? 38:30 Having his daughters pick up the whistle 41:00 What Dave wants his daughters to take from sport 42:23 How youth sports has changed: early specialization 44:09 The pressure and financial investment parents bring to games 48:19 Has sideline behavior gotten better over the years? 49:12 Where the line is: what actually crosses it for a seasoned official 50:12 How to set the right tone early in a game without over-officiating 52:50 The power of a simple post-game thank-you from a coach or player 53:38 The biggest issue in youth sports today Resources: https://www.bcfootballhalloffame.com/dave-hawkshaw/

Dr. Rick Celebrini is the Vice President of Player Health and Performance for the Golden State Warriors and the father of four extremely athletic children, including Macklin Celebrini, the NHL's number 1 overall draft pick in 2024. A former professional soccer player himself, Rick has worked with professional and amateur athletes across several sports including basketball, hockey, and soccer. In this segment, Rick discusses the trend of early specialization among young athletes, offering his opinion as both a professional and a father while also outlining the guardrails that should exist for those who choose to focus on one sport early in their development.Listen to the full episode here:Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/rick-celebrini-beware-of-dead-eyes-let-your-child/id1834970608?i=1000728010271Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5QPyUpUBjhKuRP4WMsBgmk?si=gGRGBXlfSuy6JRD2G833hwWatch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2dNSmHBSzmw?si=lllANJMl0EpCEkiz

Jay DeMerit's path to professional soccer reads like a fairy tale, but he'll be the first to tell you it wasn't supposed to happen the way it did. No academy. No draft. Just a backpack, $1,800, and a willingness to knock on doors in the ninth division of English soccer. Within three years, he was captaining Watford in the Premier League. By 2010, he was a starter on the US World Cup team.But what Jay saw when he left the game in 2014 troubled him deeply: a youth sports system built around money, comparison, and results that was producing broken teenagers instead of confident, capable young people. So he decided to do something about it.In this wide-ranging conversation, Jay unpacks why his unconventional journey was actually powered by creativity, multi-sport development, and soft skills — and why today's system is actively working against those same things. He breaks down the inverted triangle at the heart of youth sports, where business and parents come before the child, and makes a compelling case for why holistic development, mentorship, and identity formation are the real work of youth sport.Jay also opens up about co-parenting a 10-year-old son with Olympic gold medalist Ashleigh McIvor, the comparison pressure his son already faces, and what he's had to unlearn as a sideline parent after a lifetime of being the loudest voice in the room.And he pulls back the curtain on Rise and Shine, tech platform he's been building for over four years that aims to bring mentorship, holistic learning, and real-world skill development to young athletes everywhere, regardless of geography or income. Chapters00:00 Opening and Introduction04:06 Why Jay chose youth development after his playing career06:50 The broken teenagers calling him from Premier League academies08:30 Why he stopped selling what he didn't believe in09:07 How creativity allowed him to become great13:13 How his youth sports experience shaped his creativity16:19 What his parents focused on and the safety they gave him to take risks19:11 Why process thinking beats results thinking every time19:49 Why Jay didn't focus on soccer until 1922:13 How a basketball mindset turned him into an elite soccer defender27:47 From the 9th division to Premier League captain in three years31:24 Does today's youth sports system foster creativity and multi-sport?34:11 The silo problem, and why "holistic" programs aren't actually holistic38:57 What Rise and Shine was built to do — and how it works40:38 What parents can actually do to push for better programming43:28 Global clubs shifting away from the pathway-to-pro narrative47:38 Can the Jay DeMerit story still happen today?51:05 What Rise and Shine the documentary sparked54:03 How the Rise and Shine camp evolved into a tech platform1:01:25 Addressing the "I don't want my kid on their phone more" concern1:05:12 Affordability and access in Canada1:07:36 How to properly develop leadership through sport1:11:16 Identity, early specialization, and decoupling self-worth from results1:16:34 The comparison pressure his son already faces1:19:07 Learning to shut up on the sideline — Jay's hardest parenting lesson1:20:23 The biggest issue in youth sports todayResources:Jay DeMerit | MLSsoccer.comRise and Shine Documentary https://youtu.be/GtSYAUn2I7I?si=dv6xKDe8fFJUDluE Home | RISExSHINE

Amar Doman didn't make it as a professional athlete, but sport shaped everything about the man, the father, and the business leader he became. In 2021, Amar purchased the BC Lions and has been one of the CFL's most community-invested owners ever since. He's also a husband, a father of three, and a youth football coach who has spent years learning what it really means to develop kids not just players. In this conversation with host Scott Rintoul, Amar opens up about the lessons sport taught him that carried seamlessly into business, why he believes contact sports like football and rugby build a kind of team camaraderie you simply can't find anywhere else, and what he's learned coaching his own son that changed how he parents all three of his kids. Amar and Scott also tackle some of the biggest challenges facing youth sport today — from the affordability crisis that is quietly excluding families across Canada, to the smartphone epidemic that's eroding the locker room culture, and game IQ that great athletes are built on. This is a wide-ranging, honest, and deeply practical conversation for any parent who wants to raise a confident, resilient, hard-working young person, whether they're chasing a championship or just learning to love the game. Chapters 0:00 Opening & Inroduction 3:21 Was owning a pro team always the dream? 4:20 Growing up in Victoria: rugby, basketball & backyard football 6:24 His parents' hands-off approach to sport 7:33 Staying active beyond youth sport 8:30 Coaching his own kids 10:23 What he actually wants his kids to get from sport 11:11 How sport transfers directly into business 12:18 Integrity: the same lessons show up everywhere 13:30 Why sport is a safe place to fail 14:27 Separating "dad" from "coach" on the field 17:04 How he's evolved as a coach year over year 19:44 Managing parents on the sideline 21:25 Listen before you react 22:32 Rotating players and what development really means 25:53 Why he chose football for his boys 27:35 How tackling is taught today vs. a generation ago 29:15 Football & rugby: a place for every body type 31:11 Flag football, the Olympics & BC's growth 32:41 Advice for parents on the sideline 34:10 How coaching made him a better sports parent 35:48 Where does equal play end and earned time begin? 37:02 The affordability crisis & what the Lions are doing about it 41:17 Merit-based sport vs. wealth-based sport 42:02 Can community sport make a comeback? 44:26 Where his values came from 46:11 Navigating social media with three kids 47:56 Should coaches address social media with players? 49:49 Highlight reels vs. full game film 52:37 The biggest issue in youth sports today 55:24 Why Amar chose to be a hands-on owner 56:45 Do sports backgrounds give people a business edge? Resources: https://www.bclions.com/amar-doman/ Follow Amar on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/amar.doman/?hl=en

Trevor Linden played 19 seasons in the NHL, captained the Vancouver Canucks to the 1994 Stanley Cup Final, and performed under the most intense pressure imaginable. But as a sports parent to his 8-year-old son? He's about as low-pressure as it gets. In this honest conversation, the former Canucks captain shares why he didn't need his son to play hockey, why parents are caught in an "arms race" mentality, and why travel tournaments to major markets for teams with very young players have become the expected entry point to youth sports. Trevor challenges the notion that more ice time, more skills training, and more travel equals better development. He advocates for bringing sports back to schools and community centers, questions why we've lost street hockey culture, and delivers a gut-punch reality check about families who can't afford to let their kids play. Key Topics Discussed: Why Trevor's parents' hands-off approach shaped his NHL career The "arms race" mentality destroying youth sports enjoyment Travel tournament culture and the pressure it puts on families Why "if a kid is going to reach a high level, he's going to get there regardless" Affordability and access issues in Canadian youth sports The loss of outdoor rinks and street hockey culture Multi-sport development and letting kids find their passion Why coaches gaming 11-year-old umpires is embarrassing Subscribe to Better Sports Parents for conversations with world-class athletes who understand what youth sports should actually be about. Chapters 00:00 Opening 01:35 Introduction03:17 Youth Sports: Then vs. Now 04:25 Growing Up in Medicine Hat: The Outdoor Rink Era 06:17 Parents Who Weren't Sports People 10:20 Raising a Son in Today's Hockey Environment 13:55 "I Didn't Need Him to Play Hockey" 17:30 Roman's Hockey Journey: Quit at 5, Returned at 7 21:45 Travel Tournament Expectation 25:10 Chicago, Toronto, Las Vegas: When Did This Become Normal? 28:40 "If a Kid Is Going to Reach High Level, He's Getting There" 32:15 The Arms Race Mentality Among Parents 36:50 The 11-Year-Old Umpire Story 40:25 "Let's Do the Right Thing. Who Cares Who Wins?" 44:10 Multi-Sport Development48:35 The Pressure Parents Put on Themselves 52:20 Street Hockey & Outdoor Rinks: What We've Lost 55:40 Intimate Partner Violence: Using Platform for Good 01:00:21 The Most Pressing Issue: Affordability and Access 01:02:12 The Gut Punch: "We Can't Afford to Play Hockey" 01:03:50 75% Don't Know About Financial Assistance Programs 01:04:15 Awareness of Jumpstart, KidSport & Similar Organizations About Trevor Linden: 19 NHL seasons (Vancouver, NY Islanders, Montreal, Washington) Captain of the 1994 Stanley Cup Final team Olympian 1998Former President of Hockey Operations, Vancouver Canucks Advocate for physical health, mental health & intimate partner violence awareness Resources: Canadian Men's Health Foundation https://menshealthfoundation.ca/champions/trevor-linden/ PSA for Intimate Partner Violence Awareness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R236gWQqB_o Follow Trevor Linden on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/trevor_linden/?hl=en

Terry McKaig built the most successful post-secondary baseball program in Canada's history at UBC, sending players to the MLB draft year after year. But if you asked him now, there are many things he would have done differently—especially in the first half of his coaching career.In this raw and honest conversation, Terry opens up about his transformation from a "hardcore, intense" 24-year-old coach who relied on intimidation to someone who completely changed his approach after his daughter was born. He shares the coaching regrets he carries, the dangerous trends he's witnessing in youth sports today, and why the overtraining epidemic is breaking young athletes' bodies.As a father who lost his wife Davina to mental health struggles, Terry also brings a powerful perspective on what truly matters in sports and life—and why we need to stop letting parental guilt drive our children's athletic decisions.Key Topics Discussed:The overtraining crisis: 9-year-olds playing baseball 10 months a yearWhy parents are driven by guilt instead of their child's actual dreamsHow becoming a father completely changed Terry's coaching philosophyThe imposter syndrome that led to his early "intimidation" coaching styleParent behavior at games and the referee shortage crisisWhy specialization vs. multi-sport is more complex than we thinkMental health, accountability, and the role of trust in coachingHow sport translates to life (and how Terry now coaches construction workers)Subscribe to Better Sports Parents for conversations with world-class performers who aren't afraid to share their mistakes, wisdom, and the lessons they learned the hard way.Chapters00:00 Opening01:35 Introduction: Terry McKaig's Background03:15 Looking Back at a Coaching Career04:50 The Intimidation Style: Coaching at 24 Years Old06:51 The Overlap Between Coaching and Parenting09:30 The Parental Guilt Trap: "I Better Not Screw This Up"12:45 Whose Dream Is It Really? 16:20 The Daughter Who Changed Everything19:35 Coaching Philosophy Transformation23:10 What Athletes Actually Need From Coaches27:40 The Overtraining Epidemic in Youth Sports32:15 Nine-Year-Olds Playing 10 Months of Baseball36:50 Parent Behavior: The Email Terry Sent41:25 The Referee Shortage Crisis45:30 When Sports Don't Have Enough Officials49:45 Specialization vs. Multi-Sport: The Reality54:20 The Top 1% vs. What Most Athletes Need58:35 Small Town Advantages and Disadvantages01:02:10 Playing With Better Players: Development Factor01:06:45 Being Around Talented Athletes Daily01:11:30 Taking Sport Into the Corporate World01:15:20 Coaching Construction Workers Through Mental Health01:18:06 Sport as Life Preparation01:20:03 Losing Davina: Mental Health and Accountability01:21:46 Trust at the Core of CoachingAbout Terry McKaig:Built UBC baseball into Canada's top university programFormer Canadian national team playerSent players to MLB draft annuallyNow works as an accountability coach helping construction workers with mental healthFather and widower with profound perspective on sport and life balanceResources:https://actu8agency.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-mckaig/

Olympic gold medalist Steve Mesler (Vancouver 2010, Bobsled) delivers a nuanced perspective on youth sports that challenges both the "winning is everything" and "winning doesn't matter" camps. As co-founder of Classroom Champions and a father navigating today's youth sports landscape, Steve explores the complex relationship between achievement, self-worth, and the purpose of sport.This conversation digs deep into uncomfortable truths: Why do we tell kids winning doesn't matter while screaming at the TV during playoffs? Can we value podium performance AND lifelong participation? Steve shares insights from his Olympic journey, working with elite athletes as a performance coach, and raising his own children in an era of intense sports pressure.Key Topics Discussed:The paradox of achievement in sportSeparating results from self-worthWhy it's okay to be sad when you loseThe danger of "either/or" thinking in youth sportsBroadening success metrics for young athletesThe American vs. Canadian approach to youth sportsCreating space for both competition and participationChapters00:00 Introduction05:13 Steve's Athletic Journey & Early Influences06:45 Defining Success in Youth Sports08:20 Access to Sports as a Child 09:58 The Current Landscape of Youth Sports Specialization13:13 Formative Experiences and Lessons from Losing17:53 The Need to Be Explicit about Lessons from Sport19:27 Steve's Difficult Battle with Depression 23:05 Asking for Help and Overcoming Depression30:13 The Role of Hope in Recovery32:57 Classroom Champions: Empowering Youth Through Sports38:25 Navigating Youth Sports: Balancing Passion and Pressure42:17 Treating Sports Like Other Healthy Habits for Kids46:18 Changing the Value Proposition in Youth Sports48:05 The Complexities of Hockey Culture in Canada53:30 The Culture of Entitlement in Sports56:20 Defining Success Through Sports01:00:02 Long-Term Athlete Development & Bobsledding01:02:54 What Makes a Good Coach in Youth Sports?01:06:54 Trust and Communication in Coach-Athlete Relationships01:12:12 Redefining Success in Sports01:17:40 Balancing Winning & Personal Growth in SportsResources: Steve Mesler | Executive Performance CoachingClassroom Champions

Former NHL star Brendan Morrison (900+ games, West Coast Express) shares hard-earned wisdom from raising four Division I athletes. He challenges the "elite" youth sports culture that's pyramiding kids too early, discusses why banning parent coaches is often misguided, and reveals how his children took completely different paths to high-level athletics. In this episode, Brendan tackles tough topics: parents yelling at young referees, the false promise of early specialization, and why keeping expectations realistic is crucial for both parent and child wellbeing. If you're navigating the increasingly intense world of youth sports, this conversation offers perspective from someone who's lived it at the highest level—both as a player and a parent. Key Topics Discussed: Why labeling kids "elite" at young ages is problematic The dangers of early sports specialization How to handle referee abuse at youth games Why qualified parent coaches should be allowed behind the bench Different paths to Division I athletics Keeping realistic expectations as a sports parent Subscribe to Better Sports Parents for more conversations with Olympic athletes, professional sports stars, and experts who understand what truly matters in youth athletics. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 04:06 Detailing his Children's Youth Sports' Paths to the NCAA 07:15 How Youth Sports has Changed over the Past 20 Years 09:02 Kids Being Recruited for Travel Teams at 7 or 8 Years Old 10:24 Why His Kids Didn't Specialize in One Sport 15:35 Parental Behaviour He's Witnessed First-Hand 19:20 Coaching Your Own Kid 24:20 When a Parent Lost His Temper with Brendan 28:40 How Much Development Should Be Unstructured? 31:50 The Difference with Multi-Sport Athletes 35:40 Managing Parents Expectations 39:14 Changing NCAA Schools: His Son's Story 43:04 Brendan's Late Specialization in Hockey 44:56 His Parents Approach to Youth Sports 49:28 Versatility & Work Ethic: The Keys to Making the NHL 55:35 Challenges in Youth Sports Today 01:05:19 Finding the Right Balance in Youth Sports 01:07:23 Coaches and Referees: Retention Crisis 01:10:44 Why Parent Coaches Shouldn't Be Banned 01:13:52 Vetting Coaches: Skills vs. Character 01:14:45 Biggest Issue in Youth Sports Today About Brendan Morrison: Hobey Baker Award winner (top NCAA player, 1997) 900+ NHL games with 7 teams, including the legendary West Coast Express line Father of four Division I athletes Host of Reel West Coast Resources: ⁠https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/m/morribr01.html https://reelwestcoastfishing.com/

A 20-year veteran of Team Canada, Kim Gaucher shares her journey from a high school basketball star to a professional athlete and coach. She discusses the significance of youth sports in fostering social skills, resilience, and teamwork. Kim emphasizes the importance of parents modeling behaviour in teaching their children about sports, the benefits of multi-sport participation, and the challenges of access and affordability in youth sports today. She also highlights the cultural differences in youth sports between Europe and North America, the impact of social media, and the growing importance of mental health awareness in sports. Kim also reflects on the pressures faced by young athletes and the evolving landscape of women's sports.Among the key topics Kim discusses in this conversation:Why getting CUT from provincial teams was the best thing for her developmentHow social media is impacting young athletes' mental healthThe lack of accountability in youth sports programsWhat parents should actually look for in coachesKim's story is a masterclass in resilience—from being a shy kid who hated dance class to becoming Team Canada's captain for 9 years and playing professionally for two decades. Her insights on parenting, coaching, and the commercialization of youth sports are essential listening for every sports parent.Chapters:0:00 Introduction04:40 How Team Sports Changed Kim's Life05:35 Family Values that Show Up in Youth Sport06:50 Early Sports Memories: Dance and Soccer08:39 How Her Coach Made Soccer Fun10:44 A Childhood Filled with Free Play12:55 Parents Who Modeled Hard Work & Commitment15:23 When Basketball Became Her Passion17:16 Multi-Sport Athlete: Why It Mattered20:45 The Access Crisis in Canadian Basketball22:46 European Model vs. North American System29:00 School-Based Teams & Development33:35 The Current Focus on Individual Skills vs. Team Understanding35:40 The Lost Art of Problem-Solving38:10 How Kim's Parents Acted in the Stands39:53 Learning Through Trial & Error42:15 The Beneficiary of Great Coaches44:15 Sport Lessons She Takes into Parenting45:40 Defining Success in Youth Sports47:15 Social Media's Dark Side for Athletes52:46 Why Women's Sports Are Exploding54:06 Mental Health in Youth Sports58:40 Pressure in Today's Youth Sports59:55 Financial Pressure on Parents & Kids1:03:24 What Sport Teaches You for Life1:05:17 Career Reflections: Growing Team Canada1:06:42 The Biggest Issue in Youth Sports1:09:34 How to Evaluate Good CoachingResources: ⁠Kim Gaucher - Team Canada⁠

Hockey Hall of Famer Geraldine Heaney, who scored the game-winning goal in the first Women's World Championship and won Olympic gold, shares what's broken in youth hockey and her view on how to fix it.From pioneer player to coaching her own kids, Geraldine has seen it all: as a multi-sport athlete who taught herself the game, as an elite player, and now as a parent navigating today's youth hockey landscape.Geraldine coached at the professional and university levels and currently coaches U18 AA, the highest level of girls' hockey in Ontario. She doesn't sugarcoat: too many kids are overtrained (7+ times per week), parents have unrealistic expectations, and a lot of talented players don't understand the game.But she sees hope in kids who play for the right reasons, rare multi-sport athletes, and memories that outlast trophies.Key Issues Geraldine Tackles:Parents coaching from the sidelinesHockey's affordability problemUnrealistic expectations from parentsSocial media's dark sideWhy kids need to watch hockey to understand itHer approach to coaching her own kidsAbout Geraldine Heaney:Hockey Hall of Fame (2013) & IIHF Hall of Fame (2008)First Women's World Championship game-winning goal (1990)7 World Championship golds, Olympic gold (2002), Olympic silver (1998)Mother of two former competitive hockey playersChapters:00:00 Introduction03:50 The Growth of Women's Professional Hockey05:17 How Geraldine Got Started in Hockey08:00 Multi-Sport Athlete: Playing Everything09:07 How Multi-Sport Made Her a Hall of Famer10:26 What's Missing in Youth Sports Today11:22 The Pathway to Burnout13:25 Coaching U18 AA: Multi-Sport Athletes Are Gone15:56 Why Coaches Pressure Year-Round Specialization18:40 The Cost Crisis: Pricing Families Out of Hockey20:43 What Kids Should Get From Sport (Not Scholarships)26:00 Coaching Your Own Kids: The Challenges28:33 Parents Coaching from the Stands32:20 The Advantage of Having Parents Who Didn't Know Hockey33:58 What Kept Her in Hockey When There Was No Pathway35:47 Supporting as a Parent vs. Being Overbearing42:45 Why Kids Need to Watch Hockey45:47 Social Media's Impact on Young Athletes48:40 Mental Health in Youth Sports53:35 Pulling a Player Aside: Teaching vs. Attitude56:20 Advice for Parents Feeling the Pressure59:08 The Biggest Issue in Youth Sports Today59:56 Why She's Passionate About Youth SportsResources: ⁠⁠Legends of Hockey - Induction Showcase - Geraldine Heaney

Three-time Olympic gold medalist and Canadian Senator Marnie McBean joins Better Sports Parents to discuss the crisis facing youth sports in Canada and what we can do about it.From her rowing career to raising her 10-year-old daughter Isabel, Marnie shares insights on why multi-sport participation matters more than early specialization, how we're monetizing youth sports at kids' expense, and why confidence, not medals, should be the goal.Key topics include:Why Canadian boys might not finding their best sports (hint: it's the hockey pipeline)The difference between structured vs. unstructured playHow parents can support without backseat-coachingWhy we need tax incentives for coaches and multi-sport familiesThe future of sport in CanadaMarnie doesn't hold back on what's broken, but more importantly, she offers actionable solutions for parents, coaches, and policymakers who want to keep kids in sport longer and healthier.🎙️ Better Sports Parents helps families navigate youth sports with confidence, perspective, and purpose.👉 Subscribe for conversations with world-class athletes, coaches, and expertsChapters00:00 Introduction03:54 Why youth health and sport became Marnie's life mission05:47 Sport as the fun vehicle for improving quality of life08:31 Structured vs. unstructured play: What's missing today09:51 The privilege problem: Who gets access to youth sports?11:43 Multi-sport participation: Why it matters more than specialization17:30 Marnie's childhood: No specialization, just trying things22:40 Why Canadian boys may be missing sports outside of hockey24:54 What kept Marnie in sport while growing up26:24 What keeps athletes motivated beyond winning30:00 Letting kids bring their personality (yes, even the nails and makeup)33:29 The monetization of youth sports36:55 What does "winning" mean for your child?39:46 Lessons from around the world: Patience and perspective42:25 Let kids choose their sports44:07 Should parents stay at practice?46:47 The biggest distraction at the Olympics: Friends & family49:30 Building trust between coaches and parents54:46 The recreational pathway gap for teenagers57:23 Don't forget individual sports01:01:11 How can Canada improve the youth sports environment?01:03:24 Tax incentives for multi-sport and coaching stipendsResources:Senator Marnie McBean https://sencanada.ca/en/senators/mcbean-marnie/Jumpstart State of Play 2024 https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0122/8124/9892/files/State-of-Play-2024-EN.pdf?v=1713368242

Courtesy of Mas+ by Messi, Jesse Marsch, coach of Canada's National Men's Soccer Team, joins Better Sports Parents to share lessons from his playing career in MLS, managing in Europe, and raising three children across multiple countries and cultures.From playing for the US National Team to coaching the New York Red Bulls and leading clubs in Germany, Austria, and England, Jesse has seen youth sports development from every angle. Now as a father of three grown children who played sports around the world, he offers unique insights into what actually matters in youth athletics.Jesse Marsch doesn't give parenting advice: he gives coaching insights rooted in decades of professional experience and the lessons learned from watching his own three children navigate sports across the globe. This is an episode for every parent wondering whether they're doing it right, every coach trying to create the right environment, and every young athlete who just wants to love the game.KeyTopics Discussed:How sports became the bridge for his kids to adapt to new culturesThe Biggest Problem in Youth SportsCreating Space for Free PlayWhy the best players in the world grew up playing on the streets, not in structured environmentsThe Pay-to-Play RealityCoaching Your Own KidsBody Language on the SidelinesYouth DevelopmentCreating Club IdentityThe Canadian National Team ValuesAbout Jesse Marsch:Current Head Coach, Canada Men's National TeamFormer Head Coach: New York Red Bulls, Leeds United, RB Leipzig, Red Bull SalzburgFormer MLS player (14 years) and US National Team playerFather of three who have played sports in 8+ countriesChapters:00:00 Introduction05:30 The Evolution of MLS Since Jesse's Playing Days07:02 The Nomadic Coaching Lifestyle as a Parent09:10 How Sports Created Community in Every Country11:53 German HALA Tournaments: Pure Joy & Fun16:14 The Importance of Free Play20:20 Jesse's Evolution as a Sports Parent23:46 Jesse's Parents: Hands-Off But Held Him Accountable25:24 Teammates Who Shaped His Understanding of Leadership27:43 The Selflessness of Great Teammates30:00 Balancing Individual Drive with Team Selflessness32:47 The New York Red Bulls Parent Transformation Story36:45 Developing a Rapport with Parents39:54 The Pay-to-Play Model: Reality and Concerns44:16 What Should Parents Measure Success By?49:53 How Parents Unintentionally Put Pressure on Kids52:20 The Father Who Told His 8-Year-Old to "Shut Up"55:32 Jesse's Personal Values & Canadian Culture Alignment58:49 The Team's Character: 25 Games Without Playing Poorly1:01:53 How to Evaluate a Volunteer Coach1:05:04 What Makes a Healthy Sports Organization1:09:22 Building the DNA of Canadian1:11:24 The Biggest Issue in Youth Sports Today1:13:49 Closing ThoughtsResources: https://canadasoccer.com/profile/?id=56831&teamId=2068

Sports agent and advisor Ross Gurney shares his unique perspective on youth sports from both sides - as a professional who's guided players through leagues like the NHL & CFL and as a father navigating the youth sports environment with his own two children.With clients like Duncan Keith, Devon Toews, and Zach Benson, Ross has seen what it actually takes to make it to the highest levels of sport. But his message might surprise you: it's not about early specialization, elite camps, or rushing up levels. Instead, Ross advocates for "overcooking"—playing level-appropriate hockey where kids get more reps and meaningful roles.In this conversation, Ross discusses:Why early specialization is concerning from both a professional and parental lensThe dangerous overuse of the word "elite" in youth sportsHow good people can become "crazy sports parents" in one sport but not anotherWhat coaches actually want (hint: it's not always the stat-sheet leaders)Warning signs for parents when evaluating programs and organizationsWhy the biggest issue in youth sports today is access and facilitiesHow to identify a child's unique "internal scorecard" beyond traditional statisticsRoss also shares the powerful moment when his own son told him, "Dad, I don't think I want to be a hockey player"—and why that conversation was actually "really cool."Whether your child dreams of playing professionally or your focus is on wanting them to develop a lifelong love of sport, this episode offers invaluable wisdom on keeping joy, passion, and authentic play at the center of the youth sports experience.Chapters00:00 Introduction03:28 Breaking Into the Sports Agency Business06:48 Growing Up With Unstructured Play in Kelowna07:54 Parents' Hands-Off Approach to Youth Sports11:02 What Ross Sees in Today's Youth Sports Landscape12:13 Why Early Specialization Is Concerning13:10 Recognizing Kids Who Lack Joy in Their Sport14:12 How Good Parents Become "Crazy Sports Parents"15:53 Navigating His Own Child's Hockey Journey16:30 "I Don't Think I Want to Be a Hockey Player"18:45 Dealing With the Pressure of the Family Business19:26 What "Slow Down" Means for Youth Sports Parents21:05 Most Common Questions Parents Ask Ross23:15 "What Do We Need to Do to Get Seen?"25:20 How Life Changes When Sports Becomes a Business28:14 The Conflict of Talking to 14-Year-Olds About Pro Aspirations30:14 Elite: A Dangerous Word in Youth Sports33:43 The Business of Youth Sports & Skill Development36:27 Passion and the Internal Scorecard37:50 Finding Each Player's Contribution41:40 What Sport Has Brought to His Children's Lives43:18 What a Sports Agent Actually Is (At Their Best)46:28 Satisfaction Beyond a Client Going Pro49:50 The Philosophy of "Overcooking"52:52 Warning Signs: When to Walk Away From a Family54:56 What Coaches Actually Want vs. What Parents Think They Want57:16 Warning Signs in Organizations for Parents01:01:35 Lack of Recreational Pathways for Teenagers01:04:35 The Biggest Issue in Youth Sports Today: Access