The Value of Sports and Social Emotional Learning

Dear Friends,(As a bit of a disclaimer, please know that I started writing the following piece before the COVID-19 situation escalated as much as it has in recent days. In my last newsletter, I talked about how much my current work in China was impacting my colleagues around the world, but now that the Corona Virus has so clearly reached our shores and is impacting all of our lives, I believe the following is arguably even more relevant than I intended …

One Bite At A Time…

One Bite at a Time  (From the archives (Sept 2017) It’s been a little over 3 years since the Aspen Institute’s Sport and Society Program recognized 2-4-1 Sports as one of 8 model programs in the United States in the original Project Play report. I am forever grateful for the tremendous opportunities this recognition has afforded 2-4-1, not the least of which is – a greater capacity to positively influence youth sports in this country.  Personally, it’s given me the chance to know so many …

Why do we make kids choose sports?

A few weeks back, I received an almost frantic Saturday night email from a great 2-4-1mom whose kids attended our camp in years past. While they’ve since moved to another New England town not unlike West Hartford, she’s been so good to stay in touch. I’m sharing the following with her permission as we both agreed it’s a conversation lots of folks should be having. Read more here:

Explaining Physical Literacy Through an Irish Dancing NFL Running Back

For those of you who have read my newsletters over the years, you’re by now quite familiar with my Irish heritage. Hard to get away from it when you’re one of eight children and have 77 first cousins. Well, of those 8 children, the first 5 were boys (I like to refer to myself as “the oldest middle child” (I’ll do the math for you – I was number 4). People joked that my mom kept having kids until she …

My Muhammed Ali Connection

In our upstairs den is a framed artifact that Kerry gave to me for my birthday 20 years ago when we still lived in Seattle. She was pregnant with our oldest daughter who would be born a couple of months later. I’ve walked past “the gift” well over a couple of thousand times in the last decade alone – and like a lot of things in all of our homes – it has gone virtually unnoticed.  That was until yesterday …

Will You Run With Me….

I was being interviewed for the Quality Coaching Collective podcast by my friend Martin Reader (Canadian Beach Volleyball Olympian) a few weeks back and he asked me a powerful question. “Can you share a story that really captures why you love what youdo?” I didn’t hesitate because the story I’m about to share, I’ve told in some form or another hundreds of times over the past 25 years. But, it’s the outcome of me telling it this time, that should keep you reading on. ….Read the rest of the story here –