Love What You Play

Marianna Brussoni's research focuses on child injury prevention: "Current research interests include the influence of geographic, cultural and social places on parenting related to risk and safety; developmental importance of children’s risky play; the impact of injury on children’s health-related quality of life; injuries among Aboriginal populations; and injury surveillance. I currently lead CIHR-funded research to develop an index of the playability of the built environment, and Lawson Foundation-funded research to develop an online tool, to reframe parents’ risk perceptions with the goal of facilitating children’s access to risky play. The tool is available at OutsidePlay.ca and the randomized controlled trial to test its effectiveness is underway. My work has been featured extensively in national and international media."

John is the Executive Director at National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS). He is a Florida Atlantic University graduate, a former multi-sport athlete, and an avid golfer. Like his father, Fred Engh, John is continuing to expand NAYS which is "educating, equipping, and empowering youth sports leaders, volunteers, and parents so all children can enjoy the lifelong benefits of sports". NAYS has reached countless members of the sports community, having thus far partnered with more than 3,000 community-based organizations and having trained over 4 million coaches, parents, officials, and administrators. Founded in 1981, NAYS has an incredible following and is advancing towards a vision of "a future where all youth sports coaches, parents, officials and administrators are educated, and all children have access to safe and positive sports experiences".

Lea works with community leaders across multiple sectors, developing the knowledge and capacity to deliver physical literacy and quality sport-enriched programs and services. After establishing one of the first Sport for Life community projects in her home town of Cochrane, AB, Lea went on to lead the RBC Learn to Play Community Mentorship on behalf of the Sport for Life Society. Currently, Lea is the project manager supporting physical literacy and quality sport in Indigenous schools and communities, as well as working as a Mentor for the Physical Literacy for Communities BC project.

Glen is joined by 2 guest speakers from B.C. Baseball Umpires Association in this teaser episode of Love What You Play. Rhonda Pauls is the Vice President and Education Chair at BCBUA. Gord McFarlane is the Lower Mainland Director of BCBUA's grassroots program.

This is a teaser of our interview with Duff Gibson. Click Here To Watch The Full Episode Duff Gibson is a speaker, coach, advocate, and father. With his organization Dark Horse, a kids' multi-sport program, Duff aims to develop athleticism and foster an intrinsic love for sport.

With over 25 years of experience in player development and a long history as a coach with USA Hockey, Ken Martel was named technical director of USA Hockey’s American Development Model in May 2009. He is charged with helping provide a framework for associations nationwide to follow for optimal athlete development.

Sean Fitz-Gerald is the senior national writer for The Athletic, Toronto. He is the author of Before the Lights Go Out: A Season Inside a Game On the Brink, a poignant insight into Canadian Hockey. The book highlights Fitz-Gerald’s season with the Peterborough Petes, providing his own experience of the conflicting perspectives and motivations that affect hockey in Canada. As a sports journalist, Fitz-Gerald has written for the National Post, the Canadian Press and the Toronto Star. He was named Canadian sportswriter of the year by Sports Media Canada in 2015.

“If you coach scared because you’re afraid to lose your job, it’s just like playing scared. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.” Having worked with youth sports, professional sports, and eSports teams, James Leath is well versed in training character development through a leadership and mental conditioning curriculum. This teaser features a unique insight into the booming eSports industry through the eyes of an experienced youth sports coach. Leath highlights the similarities and differences between traditional sports and eSports, with lessons for parents and coaches of both sectors to take to heart. James' Twitter James' Website Get your FREE copy of "5 Tips for Parents", an outline of the most important takeaways for ensuring that your child stays in love with their game and has fun all season.

Today's episode features a portion of Glen's conversation with 3 prolific guests! If you want to hear the full conversation, head to https://www.fortheloveofthegame.ca/register. Veronica Allan has a PhD in Sport Psychology. She is a Postdoctoral Fellow in York University’s School of Kinesiology and Health Science, as well as an Independent Content Contributor and Coordinator at Canada’s Sport Information Resource Centre. Cassidy Preston has a PhD in Sport Psychology. He is the founder and Lead Sport & Performance Psychology Consultant at Consistent Elite Performance, and the founder of Complete Hockey Training. Jessica Fraser-Thomas has a PhD in Kinesiology and Health Science. She is an Associate Professor at York University School of Kinesiology and Health Science. Jessica has contributed to numerous research articles and books focusing on positive youth development. Table of Contents 0:00 - Intro 1:50 - "Kids lose if winning is all" 2:25 - Teaching transferable life skills with sport  

Sean Fitz-Gerald is the senior national writer for The Athletic, Toronto. He is the author of Before the Lights Go Out: A Season Inside a Game On the Brink, a poignant insight into Canadian hockey. The book highlights Fitz-Gerald’s season with the Peterborough Petes, providing his own experience of the conflicting perspectives and motivations that affect hockey in Canada. As a sports journalist, Fitz-Gerald has written for the National Post, Canadian Press and the Toronto Star. He was named Canadian sportswriter of the year by Sports Media Canada in 2015. Table of Contents  0:00 - Intro  2:30 - Growing up  3:35 - Working in journalism  5:05 - Top 3 characteristics of great coaches  6:50 - Life-long learning  9:20 - Athletics Canada  11:00 - Writing Before the Lights Go Out 13:10 - Top 3 issues facing hockey in Canada 18:15 - The element of fun 22:40 - Early-window sports 27:05 - Hockey and Canadian identity 29:10 - Balancing structure and free play 35:30 - Secrets of Swedish hockey 37

Dr. Chris Bertram is an Associate Professor of Kinesiology at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. Dr. Bertram specializes in how human beings learn, and specifically how to create more optimal learning environments by tapping into flow states that lead to the ultimate goal of stress-resistant skill acquisition. As an academic, Dr. Bertram has published numerous scholarly articles in a wide range of human performance areas and has been featured in the Vancouver Sun, the Globe and Mail, and the New York Times. As a coach, Dr. Bertram has headed the UFV Cascades golf team for the past 14 years. In that time, his teams have won multiple National Championships and he has received numerous coaching awards at both the provincial and national level. As a high-performance expert, Dr. Bertram also works with Canada Snowboard in the role of Skill Acquisition Lead and Flow Coach, and does consulting work with various national teams through Canada’s Own the Podium program. T

Tommy is the founder of Dr. Tommy John Performance and Healing Center in San Diego, California. With Master Degrees in Health and Exercise Science from Furman University, Dr. Tommy John brings over 17 years of health experience to the table. At the completion of his studies he played professional baseball for three years with teams such as the Schaumburg Flyers, the Tyler Roughnecks and the LA Dodgers. After his career was abruptly ended from a rare infection in his throwing shoulder, he developed his own baseball performance company providing over 11,000 baseball training sessions for baseball enthusiasts from ages six to thirty. Additionally, he expanded his practice of personal training, sports performance training and rehabilitation for all types of soft tissue injuries. Table of Contents 0:00 - Intro 2:04 - Growing up 7:00 - Kid-driven improvement 10:00 - Early sport specialization and intrinsic motivation 11:40 - Injuries in youth sports 15:20 - Disinterest and burnout 23:27 - The importa

David Turner is the Coaching Children & Safeguarding Lead at UK Coaching, the region’s lead agency and charity for sports coaching. David co-authored the latest UK Coaching/NSPCC Safeguarding & Protecting Children workshop that 25,000 coaches attend annually, and the "First Steps into Coaching" workshop and resource aimed at getting parents from the stands and into coaching. David currently serves as the Lead Throws Coach at Loughborough University. Table of Contents 0:00 - Intro 2:09 - Growing up 5:25 - Sport specialization 9:12 - Attrition in the UK 12:57 - How organizations can make kids love the game more after the season than before 21:01 - David’s role in UK Coaching 23:24 - Abuse prevention 27:14 - Importance of multisport participation 30:37 - David’s work in coaching children 35:40 - Decline of free play 37:34 - Coaching tenure with Hollie and Becka 46:06 - Differences between coaching boys and girls 48:20 - Playing outside of comfort zones 52:02 - Shaving 5 years

Nick grew up in Wales and completed his undergraduate and masters degrees in the UK, before coming to Canada to complete his PhD at the University of Alberta in 2002. He is currently a Professor and Vice Dean (Research). Nick began coaching when he was 18, and spent five summers in the US working for Major League Soccer camps. He currently coaches at youth and adult levels in Edmonton. For fun, he runs ultramarathons, with his favourites being Sinister 7, Canadian Death Race, and Blackfoot Ultra. Table of Contents 0:00 - Intro 2:20 - Growing up and free play 4:45 - Challenges that youth sports parents face 9:05 - Multisport participation 15:56 - How organizations can try to reverse attrition rates 23:20 - Top 3 characteristics of great coaches 25:15 - Clare Drake and practice tips 28:49 - Nick’s research on free play and coaching 33:00 - Focusing on long-term athlete development 36:55 - Positive Youth Development (PYD) resources 40:20 - Role of organizations and coaches 42:50 - Youth s

With over 25 years of experience in player development and a long history as a coach with USA Hockey, Ken Martel was named technical director of USA Hockey’s American Development Model in May 2009. He is charged with helping provide a framework for associations nationwide to follow for optimal athlete development. Table of Contents 0:00 - Intro 1:34 - Growing up 2:26 - Issues parents are facing in youth sports 7:40 - Hockey parents and scouting 10:45 - Great characteristics of coaches 14:11 - Importance of continued education for coaches 20:31 - Ken’s USA Hockey work 24:15 - Rolling out the ADM Model 27:28 - Experiencing and reversing 60% attrition 33:47 - Differences between USA Hockey and Hockey Canada 38:14 - Multisport opinions and strategies 45:58 - Personal sport specialization history 48:34 - World Juniors and World Championships 52:16 - Success of Finland’s hockey organizations 55:50 - Maintaining sport culture 58:09 - Official attrition in America 1:00:42 - Ken’s pr

Gordon MacLelland is the CEO and founder of Working with Parents in Sport (WWPIS) which he set up after 20 years as a teacher and coach to all age levels from 7 year olds to adults. He has a BA/Hons degree in Sports Science from University College Chester and a PGCE from Lancaster University. He is a qualified teacher and has been Director of Sport at an independent prep school in the UK for the last 10 years, and has worked in schools in both the UK and New Zealand for the last 16 years. Gordon is the author of two books, "Great Sports Parenting" and "Engage - How to Build Positive Relationships with Your Players' Parents". He is now a father and the early sporting experiences of his two children prompted him to set up the company as well as write the books above. When he speaks he brings a wealth of experience to working with parents, gathered through 20 years as a teacher and coach as well as a parent currently involved in children’s sport. Table of Contents 0:00 - Intro 2:10 - How Gordon’s organiza

Peter Gray, Ph.D., research professor at Boston College, is author of Free to Learn (Basic Books) and Psychology (Worth Publishers, a college textbook now in its 8th edition). He has conducted and published research in comparative, evolutionary, developmental, and educational psychology. He did his undergraduate study at Columbia University and earned a Ph.D. in biological sciences at Rockefeller University. His current research and writing focuses primarily on children's natural ways of learning and the lifelong value of play. His own play includes not only his research and writing, but also long-distance bicycling, kayaking, backwoods skiing, and vegetable gardening. Table of Contents 0:00 - Intro 2:53 - Growing up 10:54 - What led you to being interested in free play? 23:30 - How rapidly has children’s play declined recently? 32:36 - Work with Lenore Skenazy 33:59 - Where is the happy medium of play with regards to safety? 38:20 - Discussion of the ideas and work of Dr. Michael Hynes, a

Bryan Barlow is a motivational speaker and a passionate, highly-requested and recommended soccer referee. He is also a father, pilot, golfer, writer & Emmy award-winning TV producer, and husband of long-time best friend Lori Barlow. He is no stranger to center stage, so it was no surprise when his little “Offside” project went viral the summer of 2018. Making a bold statement is one of the fundamental pillars of impactful marketing, and Barlow took his own advice a few years ago, offering $100 for anyone who captures referee abuse and posts it on the Offside page. They've received more than 6000 videos to date and are the only grassroots campaign discussing the negative impact fan behaviour has on youth sports. Table of Contents 0:00 - Intro 1:40 - Youth sports growing up 5:30 - Creation of the “Offside” page 10:50 - Referee attrition in the USA 17:20 - What have organizations done to improve the issue? 24:20 - Identifying the “2%” 29:05 - Parent outrage videos and what is the worst sport i

Since 1985 John has been working for the National Governing Body of the sport, USA Volleyball (USAV), now as Director of Sport Development. He currently serves as the staff liaison for Disabled Programs, USA Deaflympic Teams, Starlings USA, National Parks and Recreation Assoc., the YMCA and over 30 other affiliated organizations working with USAV. He is Secretary of the NORCECA Technical and Coaches Commission, and Director of Development for World ParaVolley. He was Team Leader for the 2000 USA Olympic Beach Volleyball Teams in Sydney, which brought home one gold medal, and for the 2004 USA Paralympic Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team in Athens, which came home with the bronze medal. In 1995, Volleyball Magazine’s special Centennial issue named him one of the 50 most important people in the sport in the past 100 years. In 2013 the American Volleyball Coaches Association inducted him as their 60th member of the AVCA Coaches Hall of Fame. Table of Contents 0:00 - Intro 3:30 - Mentorship 6:45 - Mistakes

Pete has been a varsity wrestling coach for 15 years and has faced the struggles every new coach has to go through. His first year coaching, the entire varsity team consisted of 8 kids and didn’t win a single match! Over 15 years, his program has come a long way: two NY State Champions, 11 All-State Wrestlers, 22 Individual Section Champions, 50 All-Section Wrestlers and many dozens of All-League athletes. For Pete, coaching is a passion and a labor of love. Now, with years of experience under his belt; dozens and dozens of books on coaching theory, sports psychology, performance nutrition, team building and motivation read and on his bookshelf; thousands of dollars' worth of clinics, seminars and classes attended and PLENTY of trial and error, Pete is out to ensure that coaches don't have to struggle with their questions on their own anymore! Table of Contents 0:11 - Guest intro 2:18 - Personal youth sports experience/growing up 6:30 - Favourite memory 10:28 - His start to coaching 12:2