Latest / UNCOACHED / Travel Tips Every Sports Parent Should Know
Transcript
- Brad: Welcome to Uncoached, a podcast for volunteer coaches and parents figuring out youth sports as we go. Each episode, we keep things simple: five questions to talk about practical insights that you can actually use with your youth athletes. , My guest today is Jen Risley. She's a sports mom who has created an outstanding app that any family traveling for sports tournaments would find extremely valuable. Thanks for being here, Jen. I love it when people see a need for something and go after the opportunity to create the actual solution. I was hoping you could give me a little bit about your background and an idea of, of why you started the Sports Pregame app to begin with Jen: Thanks for having me on here. Uh, my name is Jen Risley. I'm the creator of Sports Pregame. I have two kids. I have a boy that is 12 and a girl that's 14, and, uh, we are in the soccer and the basketball world. Um, we travel a lot for soccer, so we are very familiar with the ins and outs of what we need as far as travel players. Um, that's kind of why I created the app, is just seeing the need of going to different cities and having no idea where we were going And what we were walking Brad: For sure. And youth sports, obviously it's it's been rewarding. You've got some, some young teenagers there, but I'm sure you've seen some things that are a little bit overwhelming too. What have been some of the biggest lessons you've learned as a parent trying to navigate all of this youth sports world? Jen: So I would say first lesson that I learned is just trying to understand it all at the beginning. Um, the biggest thing I did is I call her my, um, soccer wife. I found someone that has older kids, and I kinda latched onto her to find out, I'm like, "What do those initials mean? What is, what is, what team are we joining? What's this?" So that's kind of been a huge resource, is finding someone that's been through it Brad: No, I think that's awesome because even as a, a parent myself, a- as a fan or as a coach, I lean on other folks too. It's, it's good to have a community of people that you can kind of lean on, and I like your sports wife. Like, I've got some, some sports spouses myself that I lean on for, you know, different... you can bounce ideas. You can, you can gain some knowledge from these folks. So, uh, it, it's pretty cool. Now, now how did you, how'd you come to meet this person? Are they part of your, your sports team as well, or is it just a, a friend from outside of your youth sports world? Jen: Yeah, absolutely. She has... Kendall's played soccer with her daughter I wanna say four or five years now. So I just latched onto her and just t- suck out all the knowledge I can. Brad: No, that's good. It, it's good. And, and I think it's, uh, it's a duty that we all have to maybe try to pass some of that knowledge, knowledge down too, so. Jen: I was gonna say it's gonna be paid Brad: That's right. Jen: You know, now that I have the skills, the next person I'll be like, "Let me tell Brad: We'll sign you up. We'll put your contact information in here, and they can, they can reach out to you for all things soccer. So was there a specific moment or an experience that made you realize that tournament families needed some better information and resources than was currently available? And maybe I could start out by, I've got some general knowledge of the app that you've done. I've taken a look at it. It's fantastic. I've traveled to tournaments, right? You wanna know what's happening there. You wanna know, like, the weather environment. You wanna know, um, what's good to eat around there, what's some tips and tricks to to s- the stay, you know, the the place that you're gonna stay at there. And I think what you're building here is a, a fantastic community-driven app that provides a lot of that local information that you can't get without being somebody who knows the area already. And so what a fantastic idea. And so, so maybe what, what led you to do this? Like, what was that experience that you had that, that said, "Oh, man, this is a gap area. I need to do this"? Jen: Yeah, I don't think it was, like, one in particular. It was a series of things, and then that light bulb went off, and it was like, "Wait a minute. There's-- we're missing something here." Um, whether it was... I remember being in, I believe it was Wichita, and it was raining, and we're trying to, like, put our coats on and get our umbrella. We're lugging our chairs, and we get there, and there's bleachers. And we're like, "Oh, okay. Well, now these bleachers are wet. We didn't bring a towel." have these chairs we're not using. Um, and then another one, my, my stepdad all the time brings his dog to fields that you can't bring dogs. So he's ended up, like, sitting in his car watching the game when if he just knew that in advance. Um, there's just a series of things like that. Um, a lot of times parents, you know, they wanna pack a cooler and indulge, and you get there, and you're like, "Oops, we can't do that," and you're bringing that back to the car. So these are just a series of things that would just be fantastic that if you knew before Brad: I, that's, I, mean, I instantly touched home for me because the bleachers or, or bring chairs conversation, it's such a pain to pack, you know, for a, for a family or for, you know, two, three, four people to pack chairs for everybody and to lug those things. You're often, you're not a close distance from a lot of the fields you're going to. There's always a little bit of a walk, and you're lugging these things out there. And then when you get there, and you're right, there's bleachers, you're like, "Man, I really wish I wouldn't have packed this stuff and brought it with me." Jen: That brings another thing that's on the app is each one of them has a button you can click for a field map. So not only if you look on it and you know your field too, you're gonna know where in the parking lot to park. So hopefully you're not walking from one end to the other end Brad: Right. And so within the app itself, like you said, you've got the field map, which gives you some information on how to get there, what's around the field. It also includes, maybe you could touch on a couple other things that it touches on, like if you're planning a trip and you're planning this, um, you know, your, your journey to this different area where these fields are at, it tells you some surrounding tips and tricks, right? For, for parking, for where to eat, where to stay, that sort of thing, right? Jen: It does. It's parent-driven, so the information's not gonna be there until you enter the information. So it's like the hot tips from the parents. Um, a lot of the local ones, I've been able to stack that because I'm familiar with all those. I know a lot of people. So that's one of the things I'm really asking for is these other areas that I don't know, are people to go in and add that information. So locally, um, places on there where people, you know, tell you exactly in the parking where to park, if you wanna back in and how to get out so you get out of there faster. tells you, the best concession stands, where you can get coffee. Um, that's where this is really gonna have value, is when other areas that we're not as familiar with add this information Brad: Yeah, and it's super valuable because, I mean, when you're trying to pack for these trips and plan things out, it helps to have that kind of insider knowledge of those areas before you go. So to your earlier point, right, you're not packing stuff in a cooler that you can't bring or that would alr- already be provided there. And so it just, it saves you a mo- a, a little bit of time and money, I think, when you're packing and you're getting ready for these What are some of the mistakes that maybe you've experienced or you've heard other people's, uh, stories that they've made over and over again that kind of create this unnecessary stress about planning for a tournament Jen: Um, necessarily say a mistake, um, but I think a lot of, you know, parents put a lot of stress on the packing, making sure everything's perfect. did I bring this or forget this? You just have to remember that pretty much everywhere you go, there's gonna be a Target or a Walmart. Brad: Yeah. Jen: if if you forgot something, that's not gonna be a big deal. But a mistake I'd say, and I've learned the hard way, um, we were talking about with the rains and the bleachers, games don't get canceled if it's just raining. So, uh, make sure I always have a towel, a raincoat, and then our weather changes so crazy, so there's that blanket and, all the things that, are in there. I I just, I plan for all the Brad: Yeah, and, and that um, that umbrella works for multiple things too. Uh, you know, there's been plenty of sunny tournaments we've been at where people are busting out umbrellas just to find a little piece of shade too Jen: Cause you cannot find shade Brad: Yeah. Hey, maybe there's your, there's your next thing, the, the shady areas of your, of your field locations and everything too. That's really good. I think we're talking about some of these already, but where, what are some of the hacks that you've learned that might save some families time, a little bit of money, something like that? Maybe, maybe it's app related or maybe it's your own experience from, having your, your children play in youth sports for a number of seasons already. Jen: I don't know if it's a hack. Um, there's always just little things that, you know, we remember. Uh, a lot of times we're having to wash uniforms while we're traveling, so a little Tupperware with y- little laundry pods is a little hack that, you know, we always remember, 'cause you're always gonna get there and be like, "Oh, I didn't bring any laundry detergent." Um, a hack that our manager kinda uses when she plans the hotels is she says she always looks for a Costco. generally, you know, if there's a Costco, it's gonna be a nice suburban area, so she kinda looks for that when she plans our hotels. Thought that was a fun little Brad: No, that's really good. And I, I imagine with, um, laundry detergent you're probably, you know, I, I, I wouldn't nec- necessarily think about this, but, you know, s- maybe some stain remover or something. You never know what's gonna happen on the field or in the car, right? Like, my kids are messy. My daughter, she gets chocolate everywhere when she eats, you know, something like a Nutella sandwich or something, and it just gets everywhere Jen: Absolutely. Yeah, those cars after you get back from those Brad: Oof, that's rough. Jen: they're, they're pretty Brad: Yeah, Yeah, Jen: stinky. Brad: get a little travel vacuum to, to help things out along the way too. Jen: Yeah. Brad: So let's say you're sitting down with a new sports parent before their first travel tournament. They're rookies at this whole thing. What's some advice you would give to them on how they can save, save some time, some money, some frustration? Jen: Absolutely. Um, I would say, know, we've talked about my app. The app is completely free. You can download it, um, from Apple or Google, whatever kind of phone you have. Um, just pull it up, look at it, look at the map, um, you know, kinda get a feel for where you are. 'Cause one of the things that you don't realize sometimes is where your hotel is and where the field is, there's some distance Brad: Yeah Jen: And, you know, as a sports parent, you're always working backwards. "Okay, well, I gotta be there 15 minute- like 15 minutes early, 30 minutes," and you try to calculate. If you do that in advance, then you're not rushing around that day where you're like, "Oh no, we need to be there." Um, another travel little hack that, we've figured out is in soccer, we have all of our different kits. getting a big gallon Ziploc bag with your kits and pre-packing them all together, um, that's always helpful to make sure that you have those socks, you have everything that you Brad: that's good. Uh, o- one that I'll add is not to plan on the concession stand to be all of your, your food needs because you're gonna get pretzels there, maybe some chicken fingers, um, hamburger, hotdog, but it's, it's the stuff that probably isn't gonna really provide your kids a good, healthy, you know... Jen: Any substance, Brad: it, it's bad, right? Jen: The same with the hotel room snacks. You never know what you're gonna get Brad: S- so pack accordingly. And I think, I think parents learn to become expert smugglers is the, the term I've, I've started to use, right? Because y- you made, you made the comment earlier, you could get turned away for coolers and things like that, but if you figure out the right way to pack this stuff into a backpack, um, there's just not enough people working or time to, to go through all that stuff. So pack yourself some, some healthy fruit in a jar, in, you know, in a cup or something like that. It works out well Jen: Yeah, for sure. Brad: So, if you could magically fix one thing about the youth sports tournament experience, what would it be and why? Jen: I don't know. That's a hard one. Um, I feel like my daughter's had some really good just bonding experiences with her team when we go out of town for tournaments. Um, I know a lot of times, I guess the, the one experience that I think understanding sometimes how the tournaments are scored. Does anyone really know? Um, that would be awesome is if we just had, a better idea of, what, how those brackets are made and, like, how they figure out who wins first. 'Cause with soccer a lot of times it's not who won or lost, they go by points, and it's just kinda confusing. So being, somehow having that information in advance, 'cause I feel like we're always asking those Brad: for sure. " Jen: So did we win?" I don't know." Brad: like wait, wait, wait till Saturday night, right? To figure out what, what the standings look like kind of thing. Jen: I don't know. Did you get a Brad: Yeah. So if you, um, if we could talk a little bit about the app too, and, and help me figure out or understand what is in there, what's not in there, maybe some things to come. Um, now is this based on, you know, field site? Do you have some things built around, you know, annual tournaments? You know, because I know there's some tournaments that are very, very consistent year in and year out, and I'm just wondering if there's some things in there, some information about tournaments like gate fees, if you charge for parking. Um, you know, anything that people can be aware of before they go to these, these sites or these tournaments. So maybe give me some more information about the app too. Jen: Right. So I've have all these big ideas for this app, and I've had to like make myself like settle down and like do it in bite-sized pieces. So obviously I started with soccer because it's what I know and what we do. Um, my, my plan is to get all the fields in. I think we're right at around 400 fields right now. We almost have have probably 30 states, so we're, we're getting there with the states. To get those all in, um, get them fully functional with people adding all the information, and once I feel like that's running smoothly, then I am gonna add additional sports. You know, we have the, the baseball and the volleyball and the hockey and all those travel teams. Um, right now we have field sponsors that I'm putting in there that will have like promotions that are nearby. Um, I also would love to be able to have something in real time like that. I don't know if it would be just in the, the feed where I have with the parent tips, where it'd be like this, this one, there's a tournament, it's $5, it's cash only. Um, right now I think that's where that would be. I'm, I'm building it as I go, so just like I'm having, you know, parents give the tips, I'm always available to take any feedback of, this is what we're missing, because we don't know until we know, and if there's anything we can do to help each other, we're all in this together. Brad: Yeah. And that's what's really cool about the app is that it's crowdsourced, it's community-based, and there's nothing better than some of that information, right? Some of the best apps that we all use for information about what's happening in real time are crowd-based like that, and there's no better environment or culture that I've, that I've found other than youth sports parents that are trying to help each other out and navigate things. And I think what you've created here with Sports Pregame is a nice platform for, uh, that community to grow and for people to be able to engage in that way. And so it's, it's really cool and, and being, um, you know, a sports mom first and foremost, I don't think your background is in app creation, right? I don't think you're engineering, you know... Jen: no. No, Brad: but but what cool, what a cool thing for somebody who's experienced some of these, trials and tribulations through youth sports to, to think, "Hey, great opportunity here to do this. I wanna jump on it. I'm gonna try and tackle this thing and do it." And I think, um, you know, I want everybody to go out and, and check out your, your app and your, and your website. What is the website, by the way, just to make sure that we can direct people to the right place? Jen: just the name. It's www.sportspregame.com. Um, you can go right to your app store and put that in your search bar or go to the website and you can click on it and it'll take you to it Brad: No, it's so cool. All right, so Jen, um, fantastic app. I mean, you've got some fantastic experience with USports. What's been your favorite thing watching your kids grow up and play, uh, soccer and, and, and the number of other sports that they've done too? Jen: Yeah. So the funny thing is I wouldn't per se say I'm, a sporty person. So for me to actually learn the, learn soccer and literally, thoroughly enjoy going to games, like, it's been just mind-blowing for me, just 'cause that's just, that's just not me. I'm, I'm not a very sporty girl. So, uh, right now it's our time that it's kind of a, much of an off-season as you can get for soccer, and the weekends that I don't have it, I truly miss it. So, um, for me, it's just, it's been just amazing to watch Kendall grow as a soccer player and to just experience it with her. Brad: Absolutely Jen: make jokes, I'm like, "We're..." I say, "We're playing," and I'm like, "We're not playing. Okay, well, we're playing." Brad: You become part of the team. Yeah. Absolutely. I mean, parent, parents are there. They're part of the team, right? Parents are absolutely part of the culture and the team. your ... Sorry, one last question. What's your favorite location that you guys have traveled to? Like, if you're gonna get in your own app and you're gonna add some insight about a, a location, what's one of the places that you really really enjoy going to? Jen: Well, we got the opportunity,this year to go to Tampa, and that was really cool. Um, it was a fun trip. And the year before, we went to Arizona, and I would have to say just, like, where we were, it w- the... We saw mountains when we were playing on a, the soccer field. That just is crazy. It's crazy to me. Obviously, both of those we had to hop on a plane, so it's a whole nother ballgame. Um, but they were great experiences Brad: For sure. Jen: So Jen, thank you so much for being on. Uh, I'm excited to see where Sports Pregame goes. The app's idea's fantastic. The app's fantastic. You know, I wanna see it grow and grow and grow, and I encourage everybody that's listening or watching to, to check you out, and to, you know, give it a look. Brad: Uh, help with the crowdsourcing. If you've got a location on there, and you've got some tips and tricks or hacks, uh, please get in there and enter your information and, and help, uh, grow this thing. It can only help benefit all of us that are in this youth sports world. If this episode helped you out, share it with another coach or parent who's figuring it out, too. you can find Uncoached and this episode wherever you listen to podcasts. You can watch the episode on YouTube, and make sure to follow the Coaching Dad on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. We'll see you next time on Uncoached.