Latest / The Standard / US Sports Camps, 40 Years of Youth Sports, and What It Actually Takes to Build a Program That Develops the Whole Athlete | Ep. 69 Brian Sackinsky

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US Sports Camps, 40 Years of Youth Sports, and What It Actually Takes to Build a Program That Develops the Whole Athlete | Ep. 69 Brian Sackinsky · The Standard

• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: Excellent.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Good morning, team.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the standard podcast where we raise the bar, rebuild the culture, and call off the lies or misconceptions that nobody else will.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't motivation, this is a movement.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Thomas Sterle, alongside my co-host Aaron Sarles, co-founder of and CEO of Blueprinted Blue Chip.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: And today we're sitting down with Brian Sakninski, a strategic growth and partnership executive, former professional baseball player, and youth sports advocate who has spent more than 25 years helping build experiences that impact young athletes beyond the game.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Ryan is a former pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles organization and Stanford University baseball alum.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Most recently, he has served as vice president of baseball division at U.S.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: Sports Camps, leading baseball, softball, and football growth initiatives, partnerships and camp experiences nationwide.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: Ryan is passionate about using sports to teach leadership, resilience, discipline, and a growth mindset.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: Today he speaks and writes about youth sports culture, parenting young athletes, and the importance of process over outcome in sports and in life.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: His mission, raising the standard for athletes, parents, coaches, and leaders alike.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: We're diving into the truth behind what it really takes to build identity, discipline, and legacy in sports and in life.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get into it.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: Brian, Aaron and I are super excited to have you join us.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for carving out time on your day.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, thank you very much, uh, Thomas.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_02: And wow, appreciate the uh kind words and the kind introductions or introduction.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_02: I love what you, Thomas, you and Aaron are doing, and super excited to have a good chat this morning around sort of raising the standard and what I believe sports should be, which is teaching life lessons through the lens of whatever sport you're playing.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_02: And so excited to sit with you all today.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_02: So thanks for what you're doing.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: We're excited to learn for about your insight and your experience.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: So you're a former professional baseball player, a Stanford alum, and someone who's spent more than 25 years building youth sports experiences.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: What does raising the standard mean to you, both as someone who has competed at the highest level and as someone who has spent a career serving young athletes?
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, a great question.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like to me, when uh when you asked that question, I feel like it means focusing and shifting the focus more from performance to development.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_02: I coach the kids, I'm the freshman baseball coach currently, and I coach them around embracing the long game versus the short game.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_02: So embracing outcomes versus results.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_02: I think I think there's this huge trend, and we have social media, and there's a lot of good things in terms of what social media brings, but there's this trend of chasing results.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_02: And I like to figure, I like to embrace and figure out raising the standard is loving the process.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_02: And I believe loving that process and the life lessons you learn and the standard to me is the, you know, you know, teaching character, accountability, humility, resilience, you know, building relationships, being a good teammate.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_02: To me, that is kind of raising the standard of embracing the process versus chasing results.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: No question.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, one of the things Aaron and I constantly talk about with young athletes and families as well as coaches, you have to embrace the process, right?
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: I think the military says you have to embrace the suck because you're not going to learn anything with shortcuts and cutting corners.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's about embracing the process.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: And with that said, what's the biggest lie you feel the culture of youth sports industry is selling athletes, parents, and coaches right now about youth sports and what is actually happening?
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, as I mentioned earlier, I feel like social media just in today's world sort of hits on the high-level positive results in the sense of which is great.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_02: But I think what it I think what happens is with young folks today, I find is that they feel like their value is tied to their performance.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_02: And I really like to talk to young folks today, and parents for that matter, about like a sport or whatever it is, baseball, whatever sport you play, is something you do, not who you are.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that just embraces the idea that like we're chasing results, we're chasing statistics, we're chasing rankings.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_02: I think it really is.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_02: And one of my key things that I talk to folks about is games are pulse checks on development.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_02: So it really is the development.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_02: It really is the long game.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, your value isn't tied to whatever you produce.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_02: The value isn't tied, is tied to who you are, what your character is.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: No question.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, nobody could speak to it better than you.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: You played with the Baltimore Orioles and you're also pitched at Stanford.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: You've seen elite competition from the inside.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: What does professional or what did professional baseball teach you about identity, resilience, and what it means to compete at the highest level that you couldn't have learned in any other way?
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_02: I think, I think it's just taught me a lot about the things, but I'm realizing now, like I'm realizing more in after of what it means.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_02: Like I went back two or three weeks ago, we at to Stanford, and they honored the 1990 team, which was the winningest team in the history of Stanford.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_02: We are 59 and 12.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_02: And it was great to reconnect with teammates.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_02: So, what it what it really has taught me is sports is really about relationships and teammates.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_02: My best friends today are my former baseball teammates at Stanford.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_02: And so when I look back on that, we chase so much about like whether we're gonna play on the varsity team or whether we're gonna go play in college or whether we're gonna go play professionally.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_02: And I tell parents and kids alike that really what we're chasing is the skill sets that we develop on the field through, I think is sports is one of the greatest platforms.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_02: And we're chasing those skills or we're establishing those skills, I should say, that are gonna set us up to be key contributors to society and be great human beings first and foremost, which will ultimately lead us to be successful in life, whether or not we go on and play at those levels and professionally.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_02: And I hope all the kids that I teach and that they get to realize their dream, but like a hundred percent of them, I know very few will go on to play professionally.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_02: 100% of them will take those skill sets and be great contributors in life.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_02: I'm I'm living proof in that today.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_02: I've been truly blessed and been successful in my life, wild beyond the field.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_02: And man, it is such a great feeling and such a blessing to be able to coach kids.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_02: I'm a father of five, so I get to coach them, and I'm really the life coach for my kids as a parent.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that's probably the most important job that that I will ever have.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: No question.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: I know Aaron shares that same sentiment as a mom of two athletes.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: And one of the things that we talk about with the athletes, and I know I know you can you'll attest to this, is that one of the things I tell the athletes when you go away to play, if you're lucky enough to play at college, whether that's D1, D2, or fill in the blanks, I talk to them about getting involved with athletics as well as the Greek system.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: You know, a lot of people think of think of Animal House, and I said, no, no, no.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: I have learned more in the locker room and in a fraternity house than I ever did in a classroom.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: You know, when I'm in an interview, when I'm talking to coaches, they never say, tell me about, you know, econ 101.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: What did you think about the it was always about the locker room, it was always about Greek life and so forth.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: Or it doesn't even have to be Greek life, it could just be getting involved and not in getting out of your phone.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, with that one, I'm gonna turn it over to Aaron segment two, identity and mission.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron, it's all yours.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: Brian, so excited to have you here with us.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: So I get to kind of dive in more to who you are, and I would love for you to share with the audience.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, obviously, Thomas shared all your beautiful accolades, all the things you've accomplished.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: But beyond all those titles, beyond everything that he described, who is Brian and what really defines you?
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's a great question.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_02: I'm glad you asked that because for many folks who don't know me, know me as like Brian, the baseball guy.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm so much more than that.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_02: And you hit on a few of those in in the introduction.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_02: But first and foremost, I think the most important ones I would say is like I mentioned it just a second ago.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_02: I'm a father of five.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_02: I think that's the most important job that I have as a life coach of five kids.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_02: Some play sports, some don't play sports.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_02: And I encourage them to find their journey, find their passion, lean into that passion and really work hard at that.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_02: And and I coach, mentor them.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like I'm I support, don't tell.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_02: I tell parents a lot, like it's really good to like support, but don't tell.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_02: I just help shape and guide.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like I like think of myself as the guardrails for them.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_02: And and I really genuinely care about like seeing people grow and develop through the through like what is cool about coaching beyond just parenting is I really get to see them grow.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_02: And I've been coaching some kids since they're nine, and I just coached them this year on the freshman team, and to see their growth as like good, solid young men, going from boys to like young men and being part and being blessed to be part along along that journey.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_02: That's what gives me a sense of purpose and mission every single day.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_02: I love that I'm in a position to share my experiences and give back and like live, like I'm I'm really pivoting to like a sort of a life of servitude to share those, only to sort of provide some examples with folks that might get them to think a little differently, might get the boys to sort of say, oh wow, he played at this level, he simplified this, and so maybe I'm overthinking it.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_02: So I love that I get to play.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_02: For me, that's super important to me is to sort of be alongside the journey, supporting young folks and parents kind of in the journey through the lens of sports.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_01: I love that so much.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: I think being in service should all be all of our calling.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's hard to get to that space sometimes.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_01: And so, with that, you know, we talk a lot about building legacy, you know, what's what's it that you leave behind?
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: So, not only, I mean, you just spoke, I think, about the legacy you're building.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: How do you teach that to your kids or young athletes so that they start to understand the impact that they're designed to have?
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, like first and foremost, I feel like I want my legacy to be the impact I've had on folks and in general.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_02: Again, both parents and young folks, because I think the education with parents who they're life coaches, and there's no playbook on a parent, starts there to help help their young athletes develop and and sort of understand that life is a journey and it is certainly a long game.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_02: And so I I really want to be known for someone who's helped, provided some insight, and helped parents and young folks in an environment today where I feel like the pressure continues to ratchet up to help them find joy in the process.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_02: That is ultimately what I would love my legacy to be is like, wow, I worked with Brian and really he helped me find joy.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_02: Like for me, what gets what gets me excited?
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_02: I affectionately say I'm in the skills and smiles business when I can teach somebody some skills and see smiles and raise their level of you know development while having a ton of fun.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_02: And I love that.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_02: I love being part of that.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: I like the fun part.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: I like the smiles.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: We need a lot more of that because sports is fun, it should be fun.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_01: And this kind of dovetails into my next question.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_01: And you were just speaking to this about process over outcome.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: And really, that's a message that cuts against everything I think the youth of sports culture is currently rewarding.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: So, what separates the athletes and families that are smiling, having fun, enjoying the process versus the ones that are consumed with the results, the rankings, the recruitment, the NIL?
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you I mean, I could sit here and probably name 500 things that we're chasing.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I I I've I've spent a lot of time throughout my career like thinking through this, right?
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_02: And how do you best let or coach or support parents and players to sort of understand that it's about the process?
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_02: And I I landed on this, and I mentioned this earlier on uh in our conversation.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_02: I landed on this saying that game checks are pulse checks on development or game, not game checks, games are pulse checks on development.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_02: And where that what that does is I believe tone and delivery matter.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_02: So I'll give you how this works, right?
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_02: At the end of the game, most coaches will have a post-game speech, get the kids together and sort of recap how the game went, right?
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_02: And parents and coaches, and some of the coaches that I coach with now, we work together on this as well.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_02: And I think they came around to the thinking of games or pulse checks on development.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_02: Some people feel that's soft, right?
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_02: Like everybody went, everybody just participates and whatever.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_02: I look at it as we're always going to be in the process.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_02: So, for instance, we get at the end of the game, we had a bad game.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I'll focus on pitching because that's where I spend a lot of my time with the pitchers.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_02: Let's say we didn't pitch very well, and let's say we walked a lot of guys, right?
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_02: But yet earlier in the week we threw a bullpen and the bullpen was really good.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_02: And but yet we could we didn't take it on the mound.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_02: I tell them first and foremost, before we even talk, what are games?
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_02: And they they cite it back to me, games are pulse checks on development.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_02: I'll go, okay, what did we learn today?
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_02: Awesome.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, we we learned that we need to like maybe not walk six.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_02: We need to have better control and throw more strikes, right?
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_02: And so then I phrase that as, okay, that's what development is.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_02: That's what playing the long game is.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_02: You're gonna come down to my office, which is the bullpen this week, and we're gonna work on being more consistent.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_02: And guess what?
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_02: That is not a one-week thing, that is a long-term process in order to get where you want to go being a great pitcher.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_02: So today we learned that what we worked on during the week, we need to work even more on in order to get where we want to go.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_02: So that's one area.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_02: If we pitch really well, then it's leaning into the effort and the work that we put in during the week led to a great outcome on the weekend.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_02: And we're we can go, oh, wow, maybe it was working on like a curveball or a changeup in the bullpen, and we go out to the mound and it worked, and we had a lot of success.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_02: We'll go, okay, that worked really well.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_02: It's a product of our work in the bullpen that enabled us to be successful on the weekend.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_02: And guess what?
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_02: That is a repeatable process for the rest of your life.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_02: You could, that is not just a sports analogy.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_02: That is how life works, is you're constantly gonna be chasing.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_02: And I like used Tom Brady, for instance.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_02: I think he won like six Super Bowls.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know the number, but you win one Super Bowl is the goal, right?
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_02: Like, hey, I want to have a great outing.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_02: I want to be a great pitcher.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, I had a great outing.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_02: Guess what?
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_02: You're gonna want the next great outing and the next great outing and the next great outing.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_02: It'll never stop.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_02: So that's the process part of this.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_02: And I try to get them in the frame of mind to understand that you won the game as a pitcher or you pitched a great game and were the winning pitcher.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_02: That's one point data point in a journey that is not linear.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_02: It is an up and down.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_02: And you have to love the downs probably more than you like the tops or the peaks, because the downs are where you're gonna learn.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_02: And so it is the mentality, coming back to that.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_02: Like it is the mentality, both from the parent, the coach, and the player.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_02: We all have to be team, whatever the player's name is.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_02: And that's the coaches and the parents.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_02: And when that happens, that's where the magic happens in development, ultimately, a great human being.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_01: And you said it so well.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_01: It's about the development of a great human being, not becoming a great baseball player or a great football player, or you name the sport.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's about making them an incredible human being.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: So, with that, what's one truth you wish every athlete, parent, and coach understood about the youth sports culture that most people are not willing to say out loud?
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_02: I would say the one truth that people understood, like would understand is stop worrying so much about like trying to prove.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_02: Like this was me.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_02: And like when you get to like my age, you start to go, oh my gosh, life is about you're always trying to prove.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_02: And then I'm in a point now, and it's really about sharing and building relationships and like stop trying to chase it.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_02: Like it's about working together in terms of a journey we're all on and developing and having more joy.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_02: At the end of the day, it's having more joy because when we try to prove, for instance, that players are trying to prove I'm a really good hitter, so I got to have a batting average of whatever it is.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_02: And then they struggle, they're like, Oh, I gotta prove, so I gotta go four for four today, and I gotta, I gotta pitch a shutout today.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_02: And that's that's just way too much pressure on yourselves, is like stop trying to prove that like you're a good player and understand that uh becoming a good player is a long journey.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_02: And so that's the thing I would say is that advice that I would give to other folks, including maybe a young Brian, would be that exactly, which is like it's great, but stop trying to prove everybody, like you only have to look in the mirror and prove to yourself.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_02: Don't listen to other people what they expect of you, listen to yourself.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_02: And if you can prove to yourself, and I always say this all the time, in my job, off the field, as well as on the field with the kids, is if you can lay your head on the pillow at night and say, I gave everything I had today, even if it didn't work out, then you've done a good job.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_02: You will have a good night rest.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_01: With that, I'm gonna turn it back over to Thomas.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Aaron.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: Brian, you let's get into youth sports culture parents in the process.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: You write and speak specifically about parenting young athletes.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_00: That's a conversation most people avoid because it's uncomfortable.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_00: What do parents most need to hear that nobody is telling them?
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: And why is this apparent piece so critical?
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_00: Why is apparent piece so critical to whether a young athlete actually grows through sports?
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, a great question.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_02: I find coaching with my colleagues or coaching in organizations, a lot of people want to avoid the parents.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_02: I think I like to embrace the parents proactively of level setting expectations.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_02: I think it starts right there level setting expectations with a perspective that sports is about teaching life lessons through that sport.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna get your young folks and I'm gonna be teaching them life lessons.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_02: For instance, we're gonna do a progress report and we're gonna sit them down and you're gonna join them and we're gonna talk about things you're good at, things you're not so good at.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_02: And it's gonna be basically what you would do further on in life when you sit down with your manager and they're telling you what you're doing and you're getting your review.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_02: So at like 11 or 12 years old, I'm introducing them to the process of being open-minded about what things you need to work on in order to be a better player.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_02: And ultimately the things you're doing well that we need to continue to do well and lean into.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_02: And that's an example of like just embracing again.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_02: I get back and I know I've repeated this many times.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_02: Parents are so fixated on like, my kids rank this and my kids rank that, and we are chasing.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_02: I say this so many times, what are we chasing?
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_02: Just like this.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_02: Like, what are we chasing?
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_02: And I say that with all due respect, is like, we should have perspective around ultimately most of our sons and daughters will not be playing professional sports.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_02: Go look at the numbers.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_02: I don't need to recite the percentages and whatever.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_02: They're very low.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_02: But a hundred percent of them, if we if we shine joy on the process and we support them through the challenges and they learn resiliency and adversity and build great friendships, they will be set up in life because 100% of them will take those skill sets on the life and be contributors to society.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_02: And that's the perspective that I would share and continue to share with parents and super passionate about because parents get out, like what I find what happens with parents is we're a parent.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_02: We want to protect, we want to guide, we want to fix.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_02: And really the secret to that is like we need to get out of the way, let them fail, let them learn, pick them up.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_02: It's okay to cry, it's okay to cry with them, but support them through that failure because that's where the greatest learning is gonna happen.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_02: And that's counterintuitive to the DNA of a parent who doesn't want to see their kids be sad or fail.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_02: That is the greatest thing, I guess, that I've learned is like failure is feedback.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_02: And the more you embrace feedback and learn from that feedback, the greater you're gonna be, the more successful you'll be.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_02: Agreed.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_02: Agreed.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: Process over outcome is easy to say, it's challenging to execute, especially on college recruitment, scholarships, and playing time are on the line.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: How do you help athletes and families stay committed to the process when the pressure to chase outcome is coming from every direction?
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, like I'll share.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_02: I got some like cool isms that I say that I talk about a lot.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_02: Like one of my favorite is Mike Tomlin for the former coach of the Steelers.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_02: He said, it's not what you're capable of, it's what you're willing to do.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that sort of speaks for itself of like, there's a lot of people that are talented.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_02: It's what you're willing to do.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_02: I just listened to something this morning that basically talked about Kobe Bryant.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_02: It was the former director, longtime director of business operations for the LA Lakers.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_02: And he basically talked about Kobe and they asked, What is what made Kobe and LeBron so special?
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_02: It said that it said basically what they did in the dark when no one was watching.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: So, like my my thing to parents is like, do they really love the sport?
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_02: What are they doing when they're not with me?
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_02: How much are they watching baseball?
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_02: I talk about like natural learning, like, how does a baby learn how to walk?
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_02: They watch.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_02: If you want to be a good pitcher and you're not watching pitching, why not?
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_02: Like I tell my own son who wants to be a pitcher, I'm like, he's a left-handed pitcher.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_02: I go watch Scooba.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_02: Go watch Scoobyl pitch and try to like figure it out, go watch him.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think there's a lot of good advice, which centers all centers around playing the long game and really embracing kind of the process that is centered around great attitude and putting a lot of work in.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_00: No doubt.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_00: No doubt.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: This is if you do then what you know now.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_00: If you could sit down with a young athlete right now, 10, 12, 14 years old, if before the recruiting pressure, before the specialization conversations, before it all, what would you tell them about the sport, what a sports is actually for within your experience now?
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I would tell them, I would tell them again, I feel like repeating a little bit, but about life lessons, right?
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_02: Like sports about teaching you character, sports about like teaching you accountability, humility, resilience.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_02: It's about building relationships.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_02: One of my great sayings is show me your friends, I'll show you your future.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_02: So, like sports, you build great friendships and you choose wisely, right?
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_02: Your friends will matter, right?
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_02: And your teammates will matter.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_02: And like I'm truly blessed that you know, have played sport at the highest level and made some great friends along the way.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_02: And matter of fact, as I look for what's next in my journey, I'm leaning into my network and my friends.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_02: So like I'm living proof of like that saying is like I'm having so many great conversations, just like I am with you today.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_02: And so I would tell that young person, like, relax, take a deep breath, enjoy what you're doing, love the process, and more importantly, love the trough, love the downs even more than you like the peaks.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_02: And why?
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_02: Because the downs are what are what is going to teach you a lot of those great life lessons that ultimately will lead you to be very successful in life, both on and off the field.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: No doubt.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_00: How about for coaches and camp directors working with young athletes every day?
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: What is the one thing you'd ask them to change about how they're approaching their role that would have the greatest impact on athletes in their program?
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_02: I would say I'll go back to the point one where it was focus on performance or focus on development over performance.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_02: I find a lot of coaches, I think you were going there a little bit ago, like I find a lot of coaches who will say development, development, development.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_02: And then when they start losing, they throw development out the window and it becomes about performance.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_02: And then they do things that like that sort of jeopardize the team and create a lot of finger pointing and a toxic culture in the sense around when you're figuring out performance, right?
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_02: About winning.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_02: I think inherently you need to, and I do say this a lot both on and off the field, is your actions need to meet your words.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_02: If you talk about development and you go on a five-week, you know, or a five-game, I should say, losing streak, then that's why I labeled games or pulse checks on development, because that centers me.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_02: Like it doesn't matter whether we win or lose.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_02: It really doesn't.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_02: It's just a data point for me that says, hey, all the work that we're doing is showing up.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, the byproduct, that's what I would tell coaches, is the byproduct needs to be the results of the work and the attitude that you put in and the mistakes that you made that you learned from the byproduct is winning.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_02: And I am a hundred percent living proof of the fact that leaning into that culture, what it does is it frees up your young folks' minds to be the best version of themselves.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_02: And the development happens at a faster rate.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_02: I learned that this year with our freshman pitchers.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_02: They pitched better than I ever could have imagined.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_02: And that was only because I supported gently, freed up their minds, challenged them with a mantra of like, here's the ball, hit it, i.e., pitch the contact.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_02: And then I said, here's what we're gonna believe in strike one, you know, good morning, strike one, good afternoon, strike two, you know, good evening, strike three, go sit down.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_02: And they embraced that.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_02: And it was amazing.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_02: We pitched amazing this year.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_02: So, like, I will tell you, it's somewhat counterintuitive, but you've got to lean into that.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_02: And when you do, amazing things can happen in terms of like putting the results as a byproduct of leaning into the effort and attitude, like wholeheartedly.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_02: Even when you just like I tell the kids, I'll tell the coaches the same thing.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_02: Even when you it's more important when you're on a losing streak or you're struggling, you need to lean into that.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_00: With that one, we're gonna turn it over to Aaron for rapid fire round.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron, take it away.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_01: So this is a fun little segment we just do.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_01: I start the sentence sentence and you're gonna finish it.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, Brian.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_01: Discipline equals.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_02: I would say keeping promises to yourself.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I like that one.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_01: Leadership equals.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_02: Service or servitude.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_01: Resilience equals.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_02: Resilience is equals like I think of grit, determination.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, legacy equals.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_02: Impact on people.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_01: What's one thing you'd never compromise on?
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_02: I would never compromise my sort of my mission or my core principles, which again center around life lessons through sport and development.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_02: Never compromise on that.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_01: And if you could put a message on a billboard for every you sport parent, coach, or athlete, what would your message be?
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_02: Games are pulse checks on development.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, Thomas, back to you.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_00: Brian, we like to open up the floor to our guests if they're in just kind of a free flow of thought.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_00: Before we wrap up, is there something we didn't touch on today that you feel like athletes, parents, coaches, or anyone building the youth sports space needs to hear?
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_02: No, I think we covered quite a bit of what I would want to share, certainly with parents and remind them like there's no playbook.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_02: Mistakes are part of the process.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_02: Like, keep going, keep leaning in, keep doing research.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_02: If you want to be great, study greatness.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_00: You went from rapid fire, now you're gonna go to the hot seat.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_00: What are the top three sports movies of all time, any genre, according to Brian?
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_02: Gosh, I love my favorite movie all of all time, sports-wise, is The Natural.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_02: Totally.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_02: I love second one, I would say is Bull Durham, only because uh, first of all, Bull Durham, I pitched at that field.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_02: I did give up a home run and the bull snorted and all that.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_02: But like that was that was including playing in the major leagues, playing in that field was probably the greatest sort of essence, as I say, of baseball, or one of the greatest that I've ever been around.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_02: Next to probably I didn't pitch, but attended games when the Red Sox won the World Series at Fenway.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_02: What an amazing, like this reeks of baseball, right?
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_02: So Bull Durham is a great movie, and then just sort of the fun sort of atmosphere of sort of is major league.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_02: Like I just kind of love that movie.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_02: I would say major league, and then I have to put in there, I'll just say four.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_02: I know you asked for three, but Field of Dreams, like that is just a feel-good, sort of tear-jerking movie that is like iconic, and I love that one as well.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah, awesome.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_00: I, you know, I'm surprised all baseball, first of all, no surprise with you.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I think we may have talked about it when I met you.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's like of all the movies, I really enjoyed for love of the game.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_00: It kind of just walked you through, and again, another costner movie, no surprise when it revolves around baseball.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_00: Brian, let's take us through your dream team.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_00: You're on the mound, walk us through position by position, catcher, first, second, short, third, outfield.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_00: Who would be your dream team if you're on the mound?
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_00: Anybody of any time, period.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_02: Wow, that I would say I'll start with the easiest would be pitcher.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_02: I probably people might be surprised by this, but Greg Maddox.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_02: I like Greg Maddox, which will give a little insight to my background, which is I love control and sort of like movement and cerebral.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_02: The more I listen to that guy, like I listen to stuff that he talks about after the fact.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_02: He was very much a thinking man's pitcher.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_02: So I really, I really like him.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_02: And then I would like a close second there would be Nolan Ryan, which was just an overpowering sort of here it is, here's the ball, you can't hit it.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_02: So I love I love Nolan Ryan growing up.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_02: First base.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_02: Man, I play a lot of the guys I played with on the Orioles.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_02: We had an amazing team.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_02: So I played our first baseman was Palmero.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_02: And so Palmero was really, really good.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_02: Also liked Mark McGuire.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_02: So, and then I think he played first.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_02: Now, gosh, you're really stretching my memory, but I'm pretty sure he did was Willie Stargil.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_02: Like, that's who I grew up emulating, is the windmill swing and stuff like that.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_02: So Willie Stargil would have to be up there as well.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_02: And then second base, I played with Roberto Alamar.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_02: I'd never seen anybody better.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_02: Fun fact when I pitched in a spring training game, I was in trouble a little bit.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_02: And like I had, but I just made this was like maybe my first time pitching with the big league team.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_02: Threw a pitch, I was like, oh my God, there's another hit.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_02: Turned around.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_02: He's diving.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_02: And as he's diving, he catches the ball in the same motion, flips it up to Cal, and they turn a double play.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_02: So I went from like, oh man, we're probably gonna have a couple of guys on with nobody out to two outs.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_02: So like I will I will never forget that.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_02: He that was just amazing, and he's a Hall of Famer.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_02: And then shortstop, I'd have to go with Cal.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_02: He was a former teammate, and Cal was just a great human being and awesome player, and it's you know, obviously well documented to be an Iron Man and tough and playing a long time.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_02: So I thought that was awesome.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_02: And then third base, wow, I'd have to go like Brooks Robinson.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, probably Brooks Robinson is uh really good.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_02: Petcher would be Johnny Bench.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_02: Like I think Johnny Bench is really, really good.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_02: I probably would go with him, or third baseman's popping in because I'm going back to my childhood.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_02: Mike Schmidt was pretty darn good.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_02: I liked I grew up, I grew up.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_02: He used to kill us.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_02: I was a pirate fan because I grew up in Pittsburgh, but Mike Schmidt was amazing, right?
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_02: He was awesome.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_02: And then I think it was left, I'm trying to remember where he played left field.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_02: Sometimes he plays centers, Barry Bonds.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I'd have to put Barry Bonds as an outfielder for sure.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_02: And I feel like BA flash would have to I have to put Otani in there.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_02: The guy's amazing.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_02: Like I he I'd have to put, I mean, he'll probably evolve into one of the guys, he's one of the my favorite guys to watch, right?
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_02: Just in general.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_02: So he's in there in general.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_02: I know he's not an outfielder, but I'd have to put Otani in there somewhere for sure.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_02: Center fielder.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_02: I played with Brady Anderson.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_02: Like he was pretty cool, but like I'm just going back from like guys that that I played with.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know that I'd put him in in that same same realm, but but yeah, he's one of my he's one of my favorite players.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_02: This is this is interesting.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_02: I've never been asked position by position.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_02: And then another outfielder would have to be gosh, I used to, I used to love Dave Parker too.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_02: Like I'm I'm I'm really showing my roots with like the the pirates like in the 70s.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like they haven't been good since the probably the like late 70s, 80s.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_02: It's they've been a struggle, although they got a great young team now.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_02: But the 70s, they were amazing.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_02: Like I grew up in We Are Family, so like Dave, like I know all the like those pitchers and players.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_02: So Dave Parker wasn't too bad of a player as well.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, that is an awesome who's who.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_00: Just to be on the mound with Almar and Cal Ripkin.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that was the first time I saw a shortstop that was over six foot.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, where is this going?
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_00: But man, that guy just controlled the infield.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_00: Brian, where can people find you?
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_00: Whether it's your uh whether it's an email address or your social media handles or a website, where can people reach out and find you?
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_02: I think the best place to to find me would be LinkedIn.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_02: And I would encourage people to follow me there.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_02: I do a lot of like posting and try to do some engagement with you know my network specifically talking about youth sports.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_02: So LinkedIn is the best place.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_02: And then my personal email, just Brian Sakinski, B-R-I-A-N, Sakinsky-S-A-C-K-I-N-S-K-Y at gmail.com.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_00: Brian, thank you for showing us what 25 years of genuine investment in young athletes actually look like, and for being willing to say the things youth sports cultures don't always want to hear.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_00: Team, if this conversation hit you, do two things for us.
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_00: One, share this episode with someone who needs to hear it, a parent who's too wrapped up in the outcomes, a coach who has forgotten what the job is really for, or a youth athlete trying to figure out what they're doing beyond the sport, and two, connect with Brian on LinkedIn.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna drop those connections on the in the show notes.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're building the youth sports space and you want to raise the standard for how athletes develop, Brian's voice is one that you need to hear and pay attention to.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're an athlete parent or coach ready to raise the standard, check out Aaron and myself at blueprint at bluechip.com.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_00: That's where we raise the standard as well for young athletes, families, and coaches.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_00: Tim, if this episode resonated with you, leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_00: It helps us reach more athletes, parents, and leaders who need to hear Brian's message.
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_00: This is the standard podcast, and this movement only grows when we raise the standard together.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_00: Talent fades, but truth endures.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_00: Let's raise the bar, rebuild the culture, and become the standard.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_00: Brian, Aaron, thank you guys so much for your time.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_00: Team will see you next week.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks, Paul.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks, Aaron.