Live Like Sam Partners with Youth Sport Researchers from Utah State University on Program Curriculum for Young Athletes
PARK CITY, UTAH – Live Like Sam is extremely excited to announce the addition of our newest partner, Utah State University (USU)! USU, based in Logan, Utah, has joined the Live Like Sam movement to help us take a significant step forward in our goal of creating valuable, evidence-based personal development curricula for young athletes and their parents.
In our partnership, we will be working closely with sport researchers Dr. Travis Dorsch (Human Development and Family Studies) and Dr. Matthew Vierimaa (Kinesiology and Health Science). These scholars and their research teams are providing guidance around our comprehensive educational platforms for young athletes and their parents. Drs. Dorsch and Vierimaa are both assisting in the creation of pilot programs, initially focused on the Park City youth sport ecosystem.
“This partnership represents a timely opportunity to effect positive change in the Park City community and beyond,” said Dr. Dorsch. “Matt and I are excited to lend our passion for youth sport and our scholarly expertise to the Live Like Sam initiative.”
“This is a great opportunity to partner with the Live Like Sam team and develop evidence-based programming that will ultimately be delivered to youth sport organizations across the country,” added Dr. Vierimaa. “The organization has already made great strides in the local community, and we are thrilled to work together with them on this important next phase in honoring Sam’s legacy,”
Over the course of the past year, Dr. Dorsch and Dr. Vierimaa collaborated with local youth sport stakeholders on “Park City, Our City,” a comprehensive look into organized youth sport programming in Park City. Commissioned by Matt Terwillegar from the Utah Olympic Park, Julian Coffman of the Park City Sport and Wellness Coalition, and Tate Shaw of Park City Recreation, their comprehensive report found that while the 2002 Olympics were a catalyst that increased participation levels in sport and physical activity in Park City on the whole, “the community’s high-performance culture, growing population, and limited facilities often lead sport organizations to adopt a pay-to-play mentality and encourages early sport specialization.”
These findings contradicted the local community’s stated shared beliefs in “the importance of making sport accessible to all, developing physical literacy and life skills, and embracing multi-sport participation.” Live Like Sam 100-percent supports these community beliefs and will continue to work hard to make them a reality for young athletes, both in the Park City community and across the country.
Our core CARE principles focus on the importance of whole-athlete development – which relies upon promoting inclusivity, supporting athletic goals, focusing on positive personal development, encouraging community service and helping young athletes become well-rounded human beings.
Live Like Sam wants every young athlete to be able to develop the confidence and utilize the tools necessary to excel in life – as an athlete and as a person. Fueled by the Sam Jackenthal Fund, Live Like Sam empowers the positive personal development of young athletes through educational programs and services, community-based partnerships, and merit and need-based scholarships.
Contact: Ron Jackenthal, info@livelikesam.org