Are you innovating or stagnating?
This year marked the 20th anniversary of NAYS’ annual Youth Sports Congress. It was great to be able to travel again with staff members to San Antonio, Texas, and see so many dedicated recreational professionals face to face.
One of the highlights of the Congress is presenting the annual Excellence in Youth Sports Awards to deserving organizations that work so hard to provide opportunities for families in their communities. Reading and hearing about the innovative programming offered during the pandemic to help keep kids engaged and active reminded me of some of the challenges NAYS has faced as an organization during the last 40 years.
Of course, NAYS started as a coach-training organization, but I can tell you that, through the years, we have succeeded—and failed—in implementing many different ideas. My dad, who founded the organization in 1981, used to say, “If you don’t innovate, you will stagnate.”