Recreating Youth Sports | Dr. Veronica Allan, Dr. Jessica Fraser-Thomas, & Dr. Cassidy Preston

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  

6:05 - Long-term development leads to long-term success

13:30 - ‘Elite’ drafting at 5 years old

17:20 - Focusing on what the kids want

19:30 - Attrition rates

21:20 - Stressors for parents and coaches

23:40 - Affordable options for youth to have fun

26:20 - Recreating the structure of organized sports

31:10 - Community bonding

33:20 - Outro