KidFirst Sports

"My two sons play at MLS academies" I know how I'd feel if I could say that about my kids. That annoying shoulder devil telling me how great I am for producing children with so much talent. Then I find myself getting into a shouting match with a teenager on an opposing team and wonder if may that shoulder devil is telling porkies. Join Dan Lear and I ask we deconstruct why we parents do what we do...

"Please don't tell my parents" Robin Bousquet, founder and owner of Inspire Physical Therapy in Nike's hometown (Beaverton, OR), has heard this request from far too many youth athletes. Her answer every single time? "Absolutely not. We're talking with your parents because you need a team of grown ups working together to get you healthy." Join us for the whole episode to be inspired by a health car...

TOOLS FOR PARENTS!! The final in a series of five episodes to guide high school athletes looking to play in college. Elliot Leonard from RecruitFluency lays it all out. For Free. Industry insights about: The big online recruiting companies Recruiting consultants Oh, and HIGHLIGHT VIDEOS!

SENIOR YEAR! The fourth in a series of five episodes to guide high school athletes looking to play in college. Elliot Leonard from RecruitFluency lays it all out. For Free. Narrow the list & apply for admission Constant contact & cross the T's Be prepared. Mentally, emotionally, physically, academically.

JUNIOR YEAR!! The third in a series of five episodes - and THE MOST IMPORTANT YEAR for high school athletes looking to play in college. Elliot Leonard from RecruitFluency lays it all out. For Free. Ask the hard questions so you can get to "no" and move on Be honest about the interest you are getting - is it real or just surface? HIGHLIGHT VIDEO. HIGHLIGHT VIDEO. HIGHLIGHT VIDEO. HIGHLIGHT VIDEO. H...

SOPHOMORE YEAR! The second in a series of five episodes to help parents and kids understand how to get recruited to play in college. Elliot Leonard from RecruitFluency lays it all out. For free. Visit different kinds of college campuses Play at the highest level you can Consistent with video and coach outreach

FRESHMAN YEAR! The first in a series of five episodes to help parents and kids understand how to get recruited to play in college. Elliot Leonard from RecruitFluency lays it all out. For free. Create online presence Upload game clips regularly Start coach outreach Rinse repeat

Do you believe in your players? Chris Watkins, long time Division I women's head coach, wants every youth sports coach in the country to really believe in the kids they coach. Not the best player? Believe in them. Not the fastest? Believe in them. Not the best shooter? Believe in them. 30 years of top level coaching has taught Chris some tough lessons. Are you ready to learn? SHOW NOTES Specia...

Our kids spend 18,000 hours on their phone by age 16. In episode 44 of the KidFirst Sports Podcast, host Coach Dave Vassilaros discusses the impact of technology on the performance and development of young athletes with guest Larissa Mills, founder of the Mental Game Academy . They explore how excessive phone use can affect athletes' focus, self-belief, and resilience, drawing on Mills' ex...

Putting Kids First in Youth Sports , Muhlenberg College Alumni Magazine In this episode of the Kid First Sports Podcast, Coach Dave Vassilaros reconnects with an old college teammate, Brendan "Bones" McKeown, to discuss the importance of allowing kids to lead in sports. They delve into their experiences from Muhlenberg College , illustrating how early leadership roles and nicknames playe...

Coach Dave Vassilaros and Chandler Childs, the brains behind the Ultimate Hero Company, break down why building character is a game-changer for young athletes. They tackle how traits like responsibility, honesty, humility, and integrity can be the secret sauce to succeeding in life and on the playing field. We delve into the pitfalls of the blame game, providing hands-on tips to help shift young m...

Rachel Roupe is a Division I softball player. Elite skills and athletic talents. But it took help from Andrew Simpson , a performance coach, to free her from the perfectionism that threatened to block her dreams. How did they do it? Trading the expectation of perfection for the pursuit of perfection. #bekidfirst

MJ Tate dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player in England. When his big chance arrived, he grabbed it with both hands and found himself among some of the best young players in the country. Then the psychological, verbal, emotional, and sexual abuse started. Bob Higgins was a predator. "In loco parentis" is Latin for "in the place of the parent". MJ believes if you coa...

Humility. Trust. Balance. Comfortably unique. Compassionately driven. Core values that govern how Tony DaRe leads. Tony and his team have built a leading insurance consulting firm for over 20 years. A former college linebacker and competitive rugby player, he thought he learned how to lead a team in the business world from his three top coaches. Including his dad. He was wrong. Sports and business...

Chad Metcalf , Navy SEAL and author of Young Athlete's Ultimate Guide to Mental Toughness Tune in to Dave and Chad's podcast about the importance of mental toughness in youth sports. Chad shares his experiences at "Hell Week" SEAL training and how he learned the value of a problem-solving mindset. Understanding the role of failure in skill development and the need for a shift in...

Taken by the state from her parents. Twice. Not allowed to say goodbye to her four younger siblings as they were whisked into the foster system. Finally chosen by a couple who really wanted her. Facing down her birth mom in court as a teenager. Ginny Cannon knows what it's like to lose trust in others. And to find it again in adoptive parents, her high school best friend, and a 40 year marriag...

"How can I get more playing time?" All youth coaches have heard that question from a young athlete. Jason Carney thinks that's a sign of a coach's failure to do his or her most important job - develop the kid's character. From his youth in Bolton, UK, watching the great Liverpool teams of the 70s & 80s, to Portland, OR, Jason has strong opinions on how to make youth socce...

Scoring the game winning goal as a pro player in the biggest knockout tournament in the country. It's what dreams (and some bad sports movies) are made of! That's what Wells Thompson thought, until he was sitting in his hotel room wondering why being the hero felt so empty. "Is that it?! My whole life I've worked for this moment and this is what it feels like?" Wells was a tr...

kidfirstsports.com From loving and excelling at a sport to purposely tanking a tryout to get out of having to play. Mike Brown wishes it hadn't had to come to that but it was the only way his 13 year old brain could see to get out of a team his parents loved and supported. So many young athletes have skill and ability but want to explore other things while they are teens. Hopefully parents lis...

Most 18 year olds are thinking about heading to college or hitting the beach. Kareem Rae was writing the definitive guide on how to become a professional soccer player . His dreams have always been big. They used to be him signing a pro contract in Europe. Not anymore. Now 23, Kareem dreams of building a professional club here in the US and giving 25 unheralded players from around the world the ch...

Livvy Dunne. Bronny James. Collegiate athletes making huge money as amateurs. How? The NCAA approved Name, Image, & Likeness (NIL) rules in 2021 that have changed the face of youth athletics forever. Mark Koesterer , founder of The Players NIL , thinks it's the wild west out there for young athletes looking to take advantage of their NIL. Lots of people looking to profit and not a lot of p...

From the moment he was thrown in as the starting high school varsity goalkeeper at 5'2", to leading US Youth Soccer with 2.5 million kids and 10,000 clubs, Skip Gilbert has fought for the sport he loves. The battle has never been more daunting. According to Project Play , 7% fewer kids age 13-17 regularly played sports over the last 4 years. Skip is a man with a plan. And it means that la...

Captain and All-American at a Division I program. College soccer coaching career. Athlete recruitment agency. Recovered opioid addict. Elliot Mark , owner of RecruitFluency , doesn't need to pull any punches or blow a bunch of sunshine with the families and soccer clubs he serves. Just the facts. He's been to the top and the bottom, and this candid interview shines a light on the dark side...

Marcus Grindstaff hit the summit in corporate America. From Intel to health tech startups, Marcus learned engineering and leadership from some of the great minds of the last 30 years. Naturally, when he retired from the big offices and grind of Silicon Valley his next stop was a private all-girls school in Sacramento. Marcus traded the corner office for the high school gym and dozens of 9-12 grade...

Millions of kids dream of making it to the pros. Almost none of them do, but there are some who get close. Paul Costick was scouted at age 10 by the English Premier League club, Southampton . And just two years later, young Paul was told he didn't have what it took. Portsmouth. Peterborough United. Reading. They trained him but ultimately did not offer him a pro contract. So he left his home c...