Readying to rev up programs
I don’t think it’s just me. I think we are all looking forward to putting 2020 in the rearview mirror. It’s more than a bit ironic that the year with the name associated with clear vision was one of the most unpredictable we have ever known. And even though we learned the old adage about the best laid plans or Murphy’s Law or whatever you want to say about or attach to the chaos of 2020, planning is as important as ever in looking ahead to 2021.
More than ever, the lessons so many of us learned while growing up and playing youth sports have become valuable during these tumultuous times. The idea that persistence and resiliency are inherent values that one attains by playing sports was never more apparent than during this year.
A Look Back
Like many organizations, NAYS operates on a fiscal year that begins in July, so December is our “midyear.” Every year at this time, we review the previous six months to evaluate how we are doing with the goals we set for the year and look forward to the next six months. Of course, this year’s outlook going into July was the worst in 39 years of operation, and I know many of you can certainly relate. With hardly any youth sports happening, we were lucky to be able to rely on the sound decisions and safety net we created in order to get through a tough year. In fact, the goal for the last six months was to prepare for the spring of 2021 to make sure the organization is as strong as ever; hopefully, that applies to your organizations, too, and that we witness a return to youth sports that is even better and stronger than before the pandemic arrived and tipped our lives upside down.