Thank you for dropping in on my first official "blog". I can think of no better way to begin this experience than by wishing a special Happy 75th Birthday to my Dad. If I am lucky enough to make it to 75, I hope I am still making a difference in the lives of children and others around me just like he continues to do each and every day. Happy Birthday Coach!
I really don't know where the term "blog" came from or what it actually means. What I do know is that I can use this space to share my own thoughts and ideas regarding the youth sports industry and other subjects as they come along.
Since this is my first edition, I suppose a brief introduction is in order. I was raised in Dumas, Texas with some of the finest people in the world, many of whom I still communicate with on a regular basis. I attended West Texas A&M University and received a bachelor’s degree in secondary education in 1985. I obtained a master’s degree in educational administration in 1996. I have been married to my wonderful wife, Kim, for over 20 years. She serves as an elementary principal in Amarillo, Texas. We have three beautiful daughters, Jayla, Kennedy and Hallie.
For the past 14 years, I have served as the President and CEO for Kids, Incorporated, a comprehensive nonprofit youth sports organization located in Amarillo, Texas. The organization was founded in 1945 by Mr. Cal Farley. In 2008, our enrollment and program figures were as follows:
- 17,375 participants
- 1,659 teams
- 6,199 games
Kids, Incorporated currently offers 24 separate sports venues for boys and girls, ages four through high school. Our sports menu includes leagues in basketball, soccer (indoor and outdoor), track, t-ball, coach-pitch softball, USSSA softball, tackle football, flag football (indoor and outdoor), volleyball, and cheerleading. We even have year-round indoor soccer leagues for adults that are very popular!
I would be remiss if I failed to mention I work with the finest colleagues the youth sports industry has to offer. The tenure of our professional staff averages nine years each. Maintaining a strong employee base is the largest obstacle for any organization. We also enjoy the greatest volunteer network in the world! Over 3,000 adults volunteer their time annually to serve as coaches and assistant coaches in our program. Our volunteer Board of Directors also plays an integral role in the overall fiduciary responsibilities of our company.
Youth sports have become a huge industry across America. All you have to do is "Google" a particular sport, with the word "youth" in the search bar, and you'll see what I mean. It has been interesting to monitor the ebb and flow of this industry over the past 14 years.
I am a firm believer that children need to be involved in organized group activities. I am certainly not implying that it must always be sports. Church events, band, choir, theatre and scouting are just a few other examples. I think children learn how to become part of a "community" when they participate in organized activities.
In the coming weeks, I would like to use this space to share my experiences in this industry and make every effort to bring awareness to the fact that youth sports are for KIDS! We as adults seem to find a way to distort the integrity of the whole process from time to time. My staff could write a novel on some of the experiences from our office. I'll touch on some of these and other issues in future editions.
I look forward to continuing this discussion in the coming weeks. I hope you will take time to drop in again soon. If you have a topic for discussion related to youth sports or just a question about Kids, Incorporated in general, please send me an email at jlackey@kidsinc.org.
Until then, I hope you will take every opportunity to make a positive impact in the life of a child. Have a great day!
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