how a total dad Fail led to the opportunity to Inspire kids every day.
The story behind Scoops Lacrosse
Scoops Lacrosse was born out of a total dad fail in the winter of 2017. At the time, I wanted nothing more than my then 5 year old son Archer to enjoy and love the game of lacrosse as much I do. He didn’t take to it. I tried and pushed harder and his disdain only grew larger. After a week of massive frustrations felt on both sides, I realized I was the sucker sitting at the table. That night, I had an idea and ordered a dozen rainbow cones. A few days later, we went back outside and instead of asking him to try some basic drills, I instead led with, ‘if you get the white ball under the blue and green cones, it’s one point. If you get the yellow ball under the red and orange cones it’s 2 points. And if you find an orange ball no matter what color cone, it’s worth 3 points. You’ve got 2 minutes and then we’ll see how many points you have.’
After 2 minutes were up, he looked at me and asked, ‘how many points?’ I replied, ‘21 points’. He asked if the score was a good one. To which I replied, ‘yeah, pretty good’. He then responded with the words all parents and coaches no matter the sport or activity long to hear, ‘can we do it again? I think I can do better.’
The realization was simple. The game of lacrosse I love and fill my DVR up with is a highly skilled, fast moving, action packed game that is not of much interest to kids his age. Starting an elementary player with a heaping of ground ball line drills that you remember doing when you played in high school feels like eating vegetables to them. Rather, what matters to kids is having fun, being challenged, playing games, and feeling good about themselves.
That insight sparked a curiosity and drive within me that I had never felt. I wanted to learn as much about youth sports in today’s society as I possibly could. The more I consumed, the more interested I became in a situation I would call ‘scary’ and ‘dangerous’. Youth sports were becoming more and more competitive and expensive; whereby specialization in one sport was becoming more and more prevalent. Parents were now writing checks that had actual commas in them so their kids could play the same sport we did in our backyards. Kids who develop physically, emotionally, and mentally at different rates were being labeled by how well they performed in a high pressure environment without any concern. Worst of all, more and more kids were dropping out of organized sports. Now 70% of kids in America quit organized sports by age 13. The learnings and confidence once gained through sport were disappearing and in short, the fun was gone.
That summer, I resigned from my job in corporate America after 16 years. As I like to say, I went from chasing salaries and titles to chasing little kids with lacrosse sticks and noodles, and yet, I never have felt more fulfilled. I had found my why: Bring as many smiles and build as much confidence to the ones who need it most and will benefit the longest.
7 years later and over 12,000 scoopers later, I continue to pursue my passion with the same curiosity and vigor as I did with Archer in our back yard years ago. I see every class as an opportunity to help parents and kids realize the important role play means in their development and life. A real life chance to help kids and others see how beautiful, talented and downright awesome they really are.
Meet Coach bels
FOUNDER OF SCOOPS LACROSSE & CHIEF SCOOPS OFFICER
