Love and Lots Of Coffee

08/25/2026

This one hits on something I think we need to talk about more in youth sports.

I love competitive sports. I love watching kids work hard, chase goals, and push themselves. And I absolutely believe travel programs have a place.

But when travel becomes the expectation instead of an option, we have a problem.

When families feel like their child has to travel at 7, 8, or 9 years old just to keep up… when development becomes tied to how much a family can spend… when rec programs lose resources because everyone is being pushed toward the next “elite” opportunity… we have to ask who this system is actually serving.

Especially in hockey, a sport that already has a massive financial barrier to entry, we should be working toward more ways to play, not fewer. 🏒

There should be room for the kid chasing the highest level of competition AND the kid who just wants to play hockey with their friends every week.

Development doesn’t have to mean specialization.
Competitive doesn’t have to mean professionalizing childhood.
And more expensive doesn’t automatically mean better.

Sometimes the best thing we can do to grow a sport is simply give more kids a place to play it.

This article is definitely worth the read, especially for parents, coaches, and anyone involved in youth sports.

‘Travel sports,’ a term that has come to encompass all sorts of private teams, leagues, and clubs, used to be for the truly exceptional young athlete. Now, they’re for anyone willing to pay — an expensive, exhausting commitment that has become popular not necessarily because millions of parents want them for their children but because it can feel like there’s no other choice. Rec programs are underfunded and struggle to compete with for-profit leagues for prime field, rink, and court times. And the level of play is diluted, often very early, as travel teams are incentivized to enroll children at young ages.

Around 5 million children in the U.S. now compete on travel teams. Parents find themselves trapped. They know the benefits of sports and want that for their children, yet giving it to them often means buying into a sports ecosystem that’s inherently flawed. As the pay-to-play model increasingly takes hold, so does the idea that kids should start competing at younger and younger ages, risking their sense of self along with their shoulders and ACLs.

“I never want my kids to look back and say I didn’t do everything I could to help them live their dreams,” a mother of three soccer players said. She’s hired professional photographers to take action shots for her 12- and 13-year-olds’ Instagram accounts — the platform has become a recruiting tool — and they’ve both asked her to pay for personal trainers.

“I think the word isn’t ‘specialize’; you are ‘professionalizing’ your kid early. You are exposing them to everything professionals have to deal with — I’m talking injury, time, schedule, everything,” said John Van Benschoten, a former MLB player and travel-baseball coach.

It makes one ask: All this for what? And for whom? Read Caitlin Moscatello’s cover story on how travel leagues have made youth sports more expensive, hypercompetitive, and all-consuming — and the investors who are making a killing: https://nymag.visitlink.me/fEw_Lb

08/09/2026

You are cold brew, babe. You are worth the time, so don’t let anyone treat you any differently.💁🏻‍♀️

08/05/2026

The myth that’s holding you back from chasing what you want…

…is believing there’s an expiration date on starting.

That if you didn’t figure it out at 22, you’ve missed your chance.
That learning something new is for people younger than you.
That changing careers, going back to school, starting a business, or chasing a dream is “too late.”

It’s not.

Every skill you learn, every risk you take, and every small step forward compounds into a future version of yourself you haven’t met yet.

I’ve learned that growth doesn’t care how old you are. It only asks one question:

Are you willing to begin?

Whether you’re 25, 35, 45, or beyond, you’re allowed to rewrite the plan.

✨ Your timeline is yours.

What’s one goal you’ve been putting off because you think you’re “too late”?

08/05/2026

The best hockey communities aren’t built by wins alone. They’re built by parents who cheer for every player, encourage every effort, and celebrate every kid’s growth. When every child feels supported, the entire game gets better—for everyone.

07/10/2026

Apparently my survival instincts can be bought with hockey, coffee, and a little vitamin sea. 🌊😂

What’s in your kidnapping van? 👀👇🏼

07/06/2026

Me handing out red cards like I’m the ref from the World Cup.🟥

07/04/2026

Happy 250th Birthday, America🇺🇸🧨👏🏼

06/01/2026

Things that give me the ick as a hockey mom (and yes, I’m judging a little).

05/31/2026

Build a day you actually like living in, not just surviving. From the second you roll out of bed to the moment you crash at night, you deserve little pockets of joy, calm, and ‘okay, this feels right.’

Start stupid simple: what actually makes you happiest right now? A hobby, a coffee in the car alone, five minutes of silence, laughing with your people? Put one of those into today on purpose. That’s how you quietly build a life that feels good from the inside out.

05/30/2026

If you know, you know. Sorry to anyone who’s ever carpooled with us.