It all started with two words…
I was traveling that week, away from my family for a 3 day business mastermind in Austin, Texas. If you asked me what I was hoping to get out of that event, I would have shrugged my shoulders and told you, “Clarity. Direction. Vision?” I would received all of that an more with just 2 words…
For most people, a mastermind event is for getting the hottest new strategy or key insight that will help take their business to the next level, but for me, I was lost and frustrated. For a man who has a desire for purpose and deep, meaningful work, I was feeling hollow at best. It was the last session of the day, and the speaker was someone I had never really been able to connect with.
He ended his session with an exercise I had never done before. “Close your eyes and ask Jesus to show you who He sees you as in 20 years from now. What are you doing?” I closed my eyes and started to ask and wait. At this point in my life, I was running an internet marketing company where I ran facebook ads for small businesses. I had no vision for it, I just did it to put food on the table.
For the first few minutes all I heard nothing and felt nothing. Then without warning, I heard the 2 words that would change everything, “Youth sports.” In a flash, I was taken back through my childhood to see the moments of greatest impact. Youth sports were at the heart of every one of them. Tears flooded my eyes and I lost all control over my emotions.
I then started seeing a sports complex with fields and a large building. I saw kids playing, laughing, and enjoying the sport they were in. There was no pressure of performance, just pure, unadulterated joy and love of the sport. I thought, “what if I could build a place where kids could come and play, and learn, and grow, without the pressure of club sports?”
After that moment, I started telling a few close colleges about it and each time, I was overwhelmed with emotions. It was like the entirety of my life’s decisions had lead up to this project. And over the next few weeks I would research what I saw and learned about major sports complexes in the southern part of the US.
I contacted a company to come and do a study in Idaho to see if we had the demand to handle something of the size that I was envisioning. Their study came back with findings that supported the project, so I started meeting with cities and anyone who would meet with me to hear about this sports complex for the Treasure Valley.
The city that showed the most interest was Kuna. The staff out in the city of Kuna was elated to hear about the project and began connecting us with major players who would be instrumental in helping us make this vision become a reality.
My heart is to create a complex that allows families in the Treasure Valley to put their kids in competitive sports without having to travel and spend thousands of dollars to do it. I want an environment where kids beg to come to after school for open gym sessions with real coaches who help train the kids in a pressure free and fun setting.
We have our land picked out at this point. And now we need the funding to make it come to pass. If you want to help, please donate what you can today.
