#athletetrax

We asked Giovanni Najarro, founder of Kirkwood Youth Lacrosse, a few questions about his program for our feature this week. Located in St. Louis, Kirkwood (and its advanced derivative STL Elite) has been a game changer for midwestern lacrosse. 

Give us a brief background of how you started.

KYL was formed in 1999 as a result of increasing popularity of lacrosse in the Midwest. The heightened level of competition at the High School level prompted development of Youth level teams to teach advanced fundamentals of the sport to middle school-aged players who intend to play in High School and beyond.  Our objective is to provide expert instruction to players of all abilities within a supportive, fun, and nurturing environment.  We strive to make each player's experience enjoyable, unforgettable and productive.  We pride ourselves on our coach's ability to take personal interests in our players while seeking to motivate each player through passion and excitement our committed staff brings to the field. As a point of clarification, KYL is our youth lacrosse academy, programs year round for Pre K - 8th Graders, while STL ELITE is our Select organization, programs year round for U9 - U17 Boys and girls.

What do you hope to achieve through KYL/STL Elite?

Our goal is to provide first class lacrosse organizations to the St. Louis community.  Based in Kirkwood, MO, we have around 500 players throughout KYL & STL ELITE's year round programs. We focus on developing basic to advanced fundamental skills essential to successful participation in the sport of lacrosse at the competitive high school level. We will give you, regardless of your skill level, the tools you need to, build confidence, fulfill your goals, and reach your fullest potential in a fun and safe environment.

What do you love about being a coach? 

I love the ability to connect with our players and witness, first-hand, their growth on AND off the lacrosse field. This builds the most excitement amongst our coaching staff. Our program is unique because our experienced coaching staff comprises of collegiate players. Through our advanced staff, it is our number one priority to implement the newest and advanced drills and strategies on the field, constantly keeping our players eager to learn more! 

 What is your favorite piece of advice that you like to tell your players?

Live everyday to the fullest because tomorrow is never promised.  Work as hard as your can everyday; don't have any regrets when you leave the field.  You can do anything you put your mind to! Never forget: hard work beats talent everyday when talent doesn't work hard!

What is important in running your organization?

Having a great routine is imperative to running an organization. Communication between our staff, parents, and players is our number one goal in and out of season. Once programs are established, the promoting begins. Keeping a step-up on the competition and making sure our programs are effectively communicated keeps us on top!

Does AthleteTrax help this process in any way?

AthleteTrax’s email and text function has greatly simplified, yet improved, our program. Additionally, the ability to selectively contact members of rosters is intuitive and useful. Designing new programs is very easy to use as well. AthleteTrax has been a hit with parents!

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Thank you Coach Gio! As usual, we stress that the vast majority of a program’s success is the effort the leadership puts in to bring their ideas to fruition. AthleteTrax helps to simplify the dirty work, leaving coaches more time to focus on what matters to them, developing better players.

In this week’s installment of our featured program, we profiled Eric Cooper, founder of Quick Shot Hoops, to learn more about what he does and how he helps to grow youth in his area through basketball.

How did you guys get started?

After spending 10 years overseas playing professionally, my wife and I founded Quick Shot hoops with the intent of serving the youth of Southern California. Since our inception in 1996, we have expanded to serve over 2000 young athletes. Our goal, since the beginning, has been to provide as many kids as possible access to an affordable program to improve their skills. We give them many different options, similar to a 24/7 fitness pass. Our programs are focused around the fundamentals, building both character and discipline.

What are you most proud of as a coach?

Some of my most proud moments include winning back to back state championships at La Verne Lutheran, coaching WNBA team Phoenix Mercury, and coaching in the ABA under head coach Scott Brooks and AC Green as my general manager.

What has been difficult to manage or organize as a program administrator?

As an administrator, I need to schedule and manage practices, tournaments, and fundraisers while organizing out of town tournaments to play in. I also need to purchase uniforms, shoes, t-shirts, bags, and backpacks. Staying connected to team members and their parents is also extremely important.

How has AthleteTrax helped?

AthleteTrax has been instrumental in keeping us connected with its calendars, reminders, text and email capabilities, message boards and contact databases. All in all, its a completely integrated solution that gives me peace of mind when managing a large program such as Quick Shot.

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The second in a series of featured athletic programs around the country, Maximum Stride Hockey Camps represents everything a hockey program should be. The importance Danny Wood places on discipline, intensity, enjoyment, and integrity all serve to benefit his players in both hockey and life. We interviewed Danny to see what keeps Maximum Stride at the top.

Maximum Stride is on Facebook and Twitter. Email them at [email protected].

What is the mission and goal of your program?

We at Maximum Stride want to create a competitive (yet fun) environment for players of all ages to develop confidence and skills. Our program uses the latest skill development methods to ensure we are providing our players with the most up to date information out there. Our goal is to continue to provide a quality experience to players of all skill levels and backgrounds. 

What’s the best part of being a coach?

As a coach it is always great to work with players of all skill levels. It means that no day is the same and challenges me to come up for a custom program for each client. The most exciting part of my job is seeing a player have that "light bulb moment" when everything clicks and makes sense to them. 

How is Maximum Stride unique?

We have multiple programs to suit each type of player from novice to collegiate bound athletes. We provide options including: private lessons, small group lessons, week long clinics, boarding camps, and elite training programs.

What do you like to tell your players?

Character and integrity are key. Academics are extremely important to be a well-rounded student-athlete. Be a good teammate. There are plenty of good hockey players out there but great ones separate themselves by having above average levels of character, integrity, and work ethic.

Is it difficult to manage Maximum Stride? Does AthleteTrax help with the administrative work?

Sometimes it is tough to keep it all together but I make it work. A few late nights and early mornings help get the job done. AthleteTrax has made this entire process easier. Even though I am new to it, it has provided me with a solid platform to host and develop my website and online payments, which were not available to my clients until I came on board with you guys.

Danny has been a great friend and client of AthleteTrax as he has continued to develop Maximum Stride. Remember, now is the time to become an ambassador to Athletetrax by visiting this page. Earn 50 dollars for every signed up customer!

AthleteTrax: New Startup Aims to Streamline the Managing of Your Athletic Team, League, or Camp

Let’s be honest, managing a recreational sports team is not an easy task. People forget, run late, and even in the age of social media and smartphones, people fail to communicate. We are all human,… Read More

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The fan-favorite Kirk Wilson is back in action! Now that summer has rolled into fall, Kirk can't enjoy the warm weather and his corn on cob like he used to. With terrors like the LSAT on his mind, things can get dicey. But one thing makes the world right. The 2013-2014 College Basketball season is upon us, and Kirk has the inside scoop with a touch of history just for you.

What is that sound I hear? The doors of college basketball arenas are being flung open nationwide, and it is simply refreshing. It symbolizes new beginnings and a deep dedication to a craft. The journey to a championship starts long before the first game of the season. The team spends hours upon hours in the gym, coaches strategize, and the individual mentally prepares. All of the training before that first jump ball is critical to everything that will take place over the next few months. This is no different from last season or the seasons of twenty years ago. But something else will be different about college basketball this year. You may not know them now, but by the time November rolls around names like Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker will be household. For years, the game was dominated by upperclassmen that grabbed all the headlines and accolades. The NBA’s minimum age requirement in 2006 has caused freshman with professional talent to enroll in college. We all remember 1991, it was one of the most historic years in college basketball with the “Fab Five” at the University of Michigan. Whether you want to believe it or not, 1991 will soon have a rival. This year promises to be just as exciting as the year that few will ever forget.

Let’s reminisce for a moment. Kevin Durant was the early face of the “youth movement” in college basketball. Coming out of Montrose Christian School, Durant was widely regarded as one of the top players in the country. Unlike prior prospects that had been lauded with praise but fell short of expectations, he excelled beyond the preconceived notions of what a freshman was capable of doing. He remained true to himself and blocked out the surrounding noise, while his talent shone through. His sole focus on being the best player day in and day out contributed to his successes. Not only was he recognized as the first freshman recipient of the Naismith Player of the Year Award, but he also managed to lead his team to a high seed in the NCAA Tournament. As a result of Durant’s accomplishments, coaches around the country began to place more faith in the freshmen that were almost always ignored in the past.

John Calipari, coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, has been widely regarded for his recruiting prowess. At the University of Memphis, he brought in the likes of Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans, two upper-tier talents, and came awfully close to winning a national championship. Upon moving to Kentucky, Coach Calipari landed a generational talent in freshman Anthony Davis. For his first three years of high school in the Chicago Public School League, Davis did not garner any national attention. He was a small and scrawny guard who needed to grow in order to have a legitimate shot at receiving Division 1 offers. Luckily for Davis, he experienced a massive growth spurt that transformed him from an everyday journeyman into a transcendent figure who is capable of dominating the game from both sides of the ball. It would have been easy for Davis to become complacent upon reaching Kentucky or adopt a me-first mentality due to his unique skill set. However, he bought into the team concept and Kentucky emerged victorious at the end of the 2011-2012 season with its eighth national championship. Despite his all-world stats, the national championship and player of the year trophies, and the surefire promise of the NBA on the horizon, Coach Calipari and his peers lauded Davis for his tenacity and dedication for communal achievement. In the end, the accolades did not matter one bit. In the same manner that Kevin Durant was seen as an exemplary player, Davis defined the way freshmen could achieve greatness.

Every year, there are one or two “can’t miss” prospects like Davis and Durant, but we have never seen anything like what is coming this season. Headlined by Andrew Wiggins of Kansas, Reuben Randle of Kentucky, and Jabari Parker of Duke, we are preparing to witness what could be hailed as the greatest freshmen class in college basketball history. These freshmen are already drawing comparisons to the likes of Wilt Chamberlain and Lebron James. Recruiting services and commentators have noted that much like their successful predecessors, this new crop of talent is noteworthy for their collective drive to be the best. They have all of the tools necessary to succeed along with the proper mindset that correlates to success. If what we are hearing is true, we are in for an amazing ride with this college basketball season.

  Anthony Griggs

Winning a championship is every athlete’s goal, but it only becomes reality for some. Across all levels of collegiate athletics, teams are destined for greatness, but most succumb to the pressures of outside expectations and disappoint in the end. Yet, some teams rise from out of nowhere and captivate a nation on the way to a storybook ending. Regardless of whether we are on the team that triumphs in the end or breaks down along the way, we strive for excellence and never settle for anything less. We push ourselves beyond the limits of what is perceived to be possible. Sure, we struggle – it is human nature. No matter what, though, we pick ourselves up and fight for that spot in the starting lineup, we pace ourselves for that final mile, we grind in the batting cage at 5am to perfect our swing, we jump that extra inch to get the rebound, and we take that extra beating to cross the goal line. Our work and effort does not always reflect in the end result. However, during the course of our personal athletic journey, we internalize what it takes to have the heart of a champion.

The heart of a champion is defined by the ability to persevere. When a coach yells or we make a mistake, the courage to move on, reflect, and learn for the future gives us the strength to emerge as stronger and better athletes than before. The silent leadership of every team member defines the heart of a champion. The plays we make on a daily basis that do not make it on ESPN or receive mention on All-America watch lists are more often noticed by those who are most important, our peers. They define who the champion is, because recognition is only an added benefit to the true measure of success: making our teammates and ourselves better through actions. Coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils, the most decorated coach in NCAA Division 1 basketball history, always mentions how the seasons where his team would go through peaks and valleys resonated with him the most. He attributed this to the members of the team that followed a “step up/step back” mentality and did their best to demonstrate the positive qualities, those that everyone should strive to attain; the hope should be that through trials and tribulations, there would be a day when the team could achieve success and reflect on the work each athlete put in without the cameras or the fans. This would be the ultimate victory.

In addition to succeeding on the field, there is the hope that we excel academically as well. Far too often, there is the stereotype that the dumb jock reigns supreme in college athletics. However, if one were to take the time to see the work that athletes put in off the field, they would realize that the opposite is true. The cameras follow us on the field, but never see us in the classroom. The media hypes up every athletic feat, but fails to commend us on our research. But, that’s okay. Because much like with our athletic success, we know that we put in the work to control our destiny and uphold our beliefs in ourselves.