This document summarizes an expert panel discussion on developing young athletes. The panel will bring together perspectives from a youth sports researcher, a prominent youth sports journalist and advocate, an elite athlete, and a moderator. They will discuss the latest scientific advancements in optimizing athlete development while also improving children's sports experiences. The goal is to help parents navigate new information on raising good athletes and good kids. Each panelist will provide a unique viewpoint, including research on youth development through sports, national advocacy for sports reform, experiences developing as both an athlete and scholar, and moderating the discussion.

1. 21st Century
Athlete
Raising
the
A Parent’s guide to the new
science behind developing good
athletes...and good kids

2. Parenting
a young
athlete
today...
Means
navigating
a complex
playing
field of
difficult
decisions

3. Decisions
Future
When should my kid start
organized sports?
Should we specialize in a
single sport or play
multiple sports?
When does it really
matter if my kid
wins or loses?
Are travel clubs the only
way to a college
scholarship?
What do we look for in a
coach to optimize
development?
When should I push and
when should I back off?
Present
Raising elite athletes and good kids do not have to be mutually exclusive processes

4. What does science say?
Child
Development
Athlete
Development Technology Best Practices
In the past five years alone, our understanding of how to optimize athlete development -
and how to improve the sport experience for young people - has grown leaps and bounds.
Combining these scientific advancements with advancements in wearable technology has
produced a paradigm shift in best practices for developing young athletes.

5. Our goal in this panel session is to bring together expert
perspectives from the laboratory, the press box, and the
sidelines to help parents (and those interested in youth
sports) navigate the maze of new information on raising
good athletes...and good kids.

6. Expert PanelDifferent Perspectives
Matt
Bowers
University of Texas
at Austin
Tom
Farrey
ESPN/
Project Play
Emmanuel
Acho
NFL Player/
TV Personality
Tolga
Ozyurtcu
University of Texas
at Austin

7. Dr. Matt Bowers is a
clinical Assistant Professor of Sport
Management at the University of
Texas at Austin and co-founder of
Hook & Ladder Creative Sport
Solutions, a youth sports consulting
firm. He studies youth development
in and through sports and has
published research studies related
to the impact of sport participation
on creativity and the value of
sandlot/unstructured sports for
children. His work has been featured
in Sports Illustrated, Wired, The
Atlantic, and Wall Street Journal.
Perspective:
Youth Sports Researcher

8. Tom Farrey is the author of Game
On: The All-American Race to Make
Champions of Our Children and a veteran
journalist for ESPN. His cross-platform
work with ESPN's Outside the Lines has won
many national awards, including two
Emmys for Outstanding Sports Journalism,
an Edward R. Murrow Award, and in 2014,
ESPN's first-ever Alfred I. duPont/Columbia
University Award, one of the highest
honors in journalism. He created the vision
for the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society
program in 2011 and Project Play in 2013.
Since 2013, Tom has led a coalition of
national leaders in reimagining how to
make youth sports work better. His most
recent Project Play National Summit was a
trending topic on Twitter and brought
unprecedented national attention to youth
sports reform.
Perspective:
Journalist and Author

9. Emmanuel Acho is an NFL
player and emerging television
personality. A consummate scholar-
athlete during his time at the
University of Texas, Emmanuel has
gone on to play for the Cleveland
Browns, New York Giants, and
Philadelphia Eagles, all while
completing his masters degree in
Sport Psychology at UT-Austin. On the
air, Emmanuel has made an impact
with his willingness to critique the
status quo in sports and his
increasingly outspoken role in
bringing attention to issues of social
justice.
Perspective:
Elite Athlete

10. Dr. Tolga Ozyurtcu is the
moderator for this panel and a
clinical assistant professor in the
sport management program at the
University of Texas at Austin. He is
also the co-founder of Hook & Ladder
Creative Sport Solutions, a research-
based youth sports consulting firm
located in Austin, TX. His research
explores the intersection of sport
and culture, with an emphasis on
youth lifestyle sports like surfing
and skateboarding. He is currently
working on a book about the history
and cultural legacy of Southern
California beach sports.
Perspective:
Youth Sports Researcher

11. Knowledge about the best practices in raising young athletes is constantly
evolving. Our hope is to share the latest advancements in the science examining
youth sports by bringing together leading researchers, the foremost youth
sports journalist and policy advocate in the country, and a professional athlete
who is a model of elite athletic and character development.

12. Thank You