One of the things I've come to appreciate most about Level Up is that I get to see a completely different side of kids than what people might see on the field or court.
In youth sports, it's easy for kids to become defined by their production.
How many points did they score? What's their batting average? Are they a starter? How much playing time are they getting?
And whether we realize it or not, those things can influence how we view young athletes.
I have no idea who's batting cleanup
But here's what's interesting about my role at Level Up.
Most of the time, I have no idea how good these kids are at their actual sport.
I don't know who's the leading scorer on their basketball team. I don't know who's batting cleanup or who's sitting on the bench. Unless I happen to catch a highlight on Instagram, I rarely see them compete.
And I've come to realize there's something pretty special about that.
I get to see them purely as athletes.
I see their effort. Their coordination. Their speed. Their strength. Their willingness to try something difficult. Their ability to improve.
I get to see the kid who might not play much on Saturday absolutely crush a workout on Monday.
And the kid who's the star of their team has to come in and put in the same work as everyone else.
There's no starting lineup here
There's no batting average or points-per-game average that determines how I see you.
Your value here isn't determined by what you produce for your team.
And I think that's something kids need.
A place where they can develop, challenge themselves, build confidence, and be recognized for things that have nothing to do with a box score.
I still want to make a bigger effort to get out and watch our athletes compete. I want to support them at their games and tournaments and see them doing what they love.
But I also want to protect what makes Level Up special.
Because when you walk through our doors, I don't see a starter, a backup, an All-Star, or a bench player.
I just see an athlete with potential.
And that's how I want every kid to feel when they walk into Level Up.