This week marks Sports Challenge's 24th year and I was fortunate to spend most of the day there yesterday.
Over the course of this week, nearly 50 student athletes (SAs) will spend 50 hours investing in themselves -- learning how to apply the same rigor of becoming a better athlete to becoming a better leader.
Sports Challenge is a unique and high impact #leadershipdevelopment program. Watching the program in action is impressive and energizing...witnessing something complex in design come to life and look easy is anything but easy! Below are the key elements:
- Curriculum:?Mentoring, leadership and sports psychology classes and sport practices are aligned and integrated. Putting theory into practice - what does it look like to be a leader on and off the field/court?
- Structure:?Most sport camps are sport specific and skills based. At Sports Challenges, yes, there are sport training sessions that are sport specific. However, that's not the case for classes, workshops and speed/strength/agility sessions. Learning alongside SAs from other sports deepens learning while expanding social networks and building community.
- Culture, Coaches and Staff:?Culture is everything. It creates the environment where learning and development happens. Preparation is essential to creating culture. At Sports Challenge, coaches and staff are the culture keepers. They spend four days in staff training for a five day program. Coaches are responsible for facilitating sports practices, teaching leadership and sports psychology classes, serving as mentors and leading leadership forums. The majority of coaches and staff return for multiple years.
I know there are so many Sports Challenge coach/staff alumni and student-athlete alumni out there. What did I miss??Please add in comments!
If you're new to Sports Challenge and want to learn more, let me know!
#youthsports
Starting off strong on Day 1 of Sports Challenge! The energy, teamwork, and fun are already top-notch and we can't wait to see what the rest of the week has in store! Stay tuned for more exciting updates! #SportsChallenge2024 #teamwork #youthsports #youthleadershipdevelopment #HowULeadMatter
So great to welcome you all for all of the laughing, dancing and good vibes. Until next time!