I talk with Jennifer Royer, the Director for TrueSport Programming and Olympic Education, about the mission of TrueSport.

It takes all of my strength not to wander off and talk about US history.

About 10 years ago, USADA did a research project on What Sports Means in America. The report pointed out why parents put their kids in sports is disconnected from the experience that the kids actually experience in sport.

TrueSport’s mission is to alter the culture back to where it ought to be.

TrueSport seeks to provide resources for coaches, parents and athletes. Subscribe to the TrueSport newsletter!

The cornerstones are sportsmanship, clean and healthy performance, and life skills. Lessons are available in areas like teamwork, ethics and nutritional information. TrueSport provides the options of having someone come out to a camp or club for a deeper dive into the above topics. (This is a fee-for-service option).

We discuss the TrueSport Ambassador program and how it focuses on character development. The Ambassadors are Olympians, Paralympians or hopefuls. They believe in the power of sport.

TrueSport has online modules for coaches.

You can find TrueSport on Facebook. Also on Twitter, @TrueSport.

We talked about mental health as a growing concern among youth sports. The NCAA has some excellent resources.

(Lastly I apologize for my sniffles and coughing—-I thought I had muted my mic).