Chris Pronger: It Has to be Fun, Embrace Adversity & Monetization is Destroying Youth Sports

What began as a one-off summer camp to expose marginalized youth to hockey has grown into a national program that annually serves over 800 youth in nine cities across Canada. Hockey Education Reaching Out Society (HEROS) provides free hockey programming for at risk children and youth, offering a safe and stable environment for them to grow, connect and succeed. In this episode of What's Working, HEROS Executive Director, Kevin Hodgson, explains how the program is empowering youth who never imagined they'd call themselves hockey players into confident, resilient adults who share a lifelong passion for the fastest game on ice. Kevin discusses how the HEROS and SuperHEROS approach differs from those in traditional minor hockey environments, why volunteers keep coming back year after year, and how learning to go "bar down" led one participant to a call to the bar as a future lawyer. For more information on HEROS, visit the ⁠HEROS website⁠ and email Kevin at [email protected]. Chapters 0:00 Opening 1:24 What is HEROS Hockey? 3:04 SuperHEROS and First Nations ball hockey 4:48 From summer camp to year-round program 7:26 The goal: smiles, not NHL players 10:54 From refugee camp to lawyer 12:03 Relationships first: the coaching approach 14:48 Playing the long game 16:47 The $1,000-per-player cost and funding 20:16 Finding and keeping volunteers 23:03 Alumni who give back 24:03 Why the goal is beer league players 27:06 How schools help find the kids 29:13 Reaching families of kids with disabilities 30:25 How to start a HEROS-style program 33:23 “Sport reveals character” 35:19 Adapting sport to the kid

Jesse Levine was a U.S. junior national champion and University of Florida standout who faced Rafael Nadal, trained with Roger Federer, and later coached tennis stars Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula. He says the best thing parents can do is let kids play, fail and find their own joy. Jesse grew up in Ottawa playing soccer, basketball, baseball and tennis, and didn’t commit to one sport until he was 15 or 16. Today he’s a coach, club operator and tennis analyst for Sportsnet and ESPN. And he sees young kids specializing, training like pros and burning out. In this episode, Scott Rintoul talks with Jesse about why early specialization leads to burnout and why quality beats quantity, even at the pro level. Jesse explains the red flags coaches notice in overbearing tennis parents, and how he brings them alongside instead of shutting them out. He shares what he sees the moment a kid stops enjoying the sport, including the 12-year-old who was training to make his dad happy. He also looks back on his own path: moving to Florida at 13, resisting pressure to give up other sports, and learning to stay grounded through wins and heartbreaking losses, including a match against Nadal. Jesse offers advice on talking with your child after a win or a loss, and why giving them space matters. He also covers the cost of tennis, how accessible the sport is, and why he believes cheating is the biggest issue in junior tennis. Chapters 0:00 Opening 1:34 Introducing Jesse Levine 3:00 Growing up multisport 5:22 Why early specialization leads to burnout 7:30 Coach-parent talks about specialization 9:09 Overbearing parents and red flags 12:18 Bringing parents alongside the coach 14:11 When his dad coached him 17:00 Why kids need normalcy 18:02 Quality over quantity: training with Federer 21:34 Moving to Florida at 13 24:03 Pressure to specialize at the academy 26:13 Choosing tennis on his own terms 27:52 “Dead eyes”: when kids lose the joy 29:24 The boy who played for his dad 31:09 The rain test 32:36 Why competing is joyful 35:19 Mental toughness and mentor Keith Williams 37:18 Outside interests and the Bryan family 41:29 Staying grounded with coach Andy Brandi 46:08 Why kids shouldn’t get too much too soon 46:31 Facing Nadal in Toronto 49:02 The losses that stay with you 51:06 Advice for parents after wins and losses 55:27 Moving into coaching Madison Keys 58:17 “The best coaches don’t need the job” 59:43 Coaching Jessica Pegula 1:02:58 The cost of tennis 1:06:32 Is tennis accessible? 1:08:03 Tennis, pickleball and padel 1:09:37 Number one issue: cheating in junior tennis 1:12:54 Teaching honesty through sport Resources ⁠Jesse Levine⁠ ⁠Better Sports Parents⁠

Camille Martens survived fear-based coaching and abuse to become a Canadian champion, Commonwealth Games champion and Olympian in rhythmic gymnastics. But she always knew there was a better way, so she now focuses on helping parents build healthy, loving sport environments. Camille has spent four decades in sport as an athlete, coach and parent. She competed at the World Championships and Olympics, founded the Okanagan Rhythmic Gymnastics Club, and became president of Gymnastics BC, a master coach developer, and National Team Coaches Chair for 16 years. She's also the author of MVP in the Stands: Becoming the Parent Your Child Needs in Sport. In this powerful episode, Camille talks to Scott Rintoul about moving away from home at 13, training in Russia and Bulgaria under coaches who normalized fear, weigh-ins and abuse, and competing at the Olympics on a torn labrum. She shares the toll it took on her body and relationships, why she stayed silent to protect her access, and how she tried, and sometimes failed, to build something different as a coach and parent. You'll learn: The difference between "Red flags" vs. healthy "growth edges" Why emotional regulation is the parent's real job How intention and impact can be worlds apart Tools: keyword check-ins, a fridge scratchpad, the "buddy system" How to build a strong coach-parent-athlete relationship Chapters: 0:00 Opening 1:34 Introducing Camille Martens 3:24 Early path into sport 4:54 Discovering rhythmic gymnastics 7:15 Moving to Vancouver to train 9:03 Making the national team at 13 11:01 Protecting an unhealthy environment 12:01 Fear-based coaching in Eastern Europe 13:48 The physical and emotional cost 16:14 A horrific Olympic Games 17:26 Starting a club to do it differently 18:41 Training in Russia and Bulgaria 20:34 Limited contact with her parents 22:32 Training alongside teammates in silence 23:14 The teddy bear story 24:11 Why she stayed 25:18 How the sport has changed 27:12 What a healthy environment looks like 28:35 "Red flags" vs "growth edges" 29:04 The coach-athlete-parent triangle 30:12 Spotting red flags as a parent 33:10 Founding her own club 34:06 Repeating ingrained patterns 37:11 A hard conversation with her daughter 38:02 Intention vs. impact 39:45 How her coaching evolved 41:19 Why she wrote MVP in the Stands 46:07 Parents: sport's biggest stakeholders 47:33 Emotional regulation as the real job 50:55 Buddy system and keyword check-ins 53:14 The fridge scratchpad 53:55 Coach-parent talks done right 56:29 Why she never coached her own kids 58:47 Early specialization in gymnastics 1:01:23 Gymnastics in Canada today 1:03:19 Her relationship with the sport now 1:05:15 The number one issue in youth sports 1:07:07 The compliments that mean the most Resources: ⁠Camille Martens⁠ ⁠MVP in the Stands⁠ ⁠Better Sports Parents

A remarkable alternative schooling program in East Vancouver is transforming the lives of youth through the sport of running. Streetfront began as an idea nearly 50 years ago, and has blossomed into a program that turns at-risk youth who are struggling with conventional education into high school graduates who run half marathons, full marathons and beyond. In this episode of What's Working, Streetfront's Program Lead, Trevor Stokes, describes how removing barriers to entry empowers students, why running every step with the students matters so much, and how life-changing the program has been for children who often live "in the shadows". He also reveals that Streetfront has evolved from the humblest of beginnings into a program that has seen its students run more marathons than any other high school in the world. For more information on Streetfront, visit ⁠Streetfront's website⁠ and email Trevor at [email protected]. Chapters: 0:00 Opening 0:41 What is Streetfront? 2:17 Running as a tool for self-worth and determination 3:51 Turning "running the other way" into buy-in 4:46 Why staff run every stride with the students 5:21 How the program started in 1977 6:54 Why running is cheap, local and effective 7:52 Removing every barrier to entry 8:52 The marathon doesn't care who you are 9:54 Earning trust before earning results 11:21 Alumni who come back to run with current students 12:23 Navigating school and school board politics 14:40 The metaphor behind the mission 15:15 How kids and families find Streetfront 16:59 What success looks like for a Street Front student 18:06 300+ half and full marathons in one year 20:23 How the funding and finances come together 22:04 High expectations, not sympathy 23:31 How peers view students after the program 25:11 "When somebody wins, we all win" 26:24 Advice for communities who want to start their own program

Hayley Wickenheiser says youth sports have lost the art of play, and parents can help bring it back. The five-time Olympic medalist, emergency physician and mom shares what she'd change for youth hockey and every kid in youth sports. Hayley is a pioneer of women's hockey. She won four Olympic gold medals and one silver, plus 13 medals at the Women's World Hockey Championships (seven gold, six silver). She is in the Hockey Hall of Fame, the International Hockey Hall of Fame and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. She also played softball at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, played professional men's hockey in Sweden and Finland, worked eight years in the NHL including as an assistant general manager, and now works as an emergency room doctor. She founded Wick Fest, a hockey festival that has reached over 30,000 girls, and the Wick Hockey app. In this episode, Scott Rintoul talks with Hayley about growing up in small-town Saskatchewan, where she played hockey with the boys and heard that girls didn't belong. She explains why that made her resilient, why 70 to 80 percent of her skill came from unstructured play, and what she'd tell any parent worried their child is falling behind. Hayley also explains: Why early specialization, year-round sport and early tiering often backfire How free play builds hockey sense and decision-making Why letting kids fail is one of the best things parents can do How coaches can skip the practice plan and just let kids play Why she'd choose the lower tier every time Why "movement is medicine" starts in youth sports Chapters: 0:00 Opening 1:35 Introducing Hayley Wickenheiser 3:44 The hardest job of all: Parenting 7:04 Two rules: an instrument and a sport 9:10 Playing hockey with the boys in Saskachewan 10:39 "Girls don't play hockey" 14:14 Why parents lose their minds at the rink 16:50 We've lost the art of play 19:55 Why early specialization backfires 24:19 Early tiering and the Nordic model 27:06 The "little Johnny" pathway myth 29:21 Backyard rink creativity 31:03 Hockey robots 3:51 Why kids need to fail 35:47 Coaches: be brave, skip the practice plan 38:05 What a great youth coach looks like 40:07 Winning, losing and participation medals 44:07 Movement is medicine 47:28 Wick Hockey app and Wick Fest 50:56 Keeping hockey affordable 53:56 Swim, skate and daily school PE 56:45 The 1988 Olympics and the barn ski jump 1:01:07 Why every kid needs an off-season1 03:13 Choose the lower tier 1:05:47 The coaches who believed in her 1:08:07 What would she change in youth sports Resources: ⁠Hayley Wickenheiser⁠ ⁠WickFest⁠ ⁠Better Sports Parents⁠