NFL great Jake Plummer, hailed as one of the greatest athletes to come from Boise, ID, recently returned to his hometown to give a talk on the importance of playing and coaching youth sports.According to an April 25 KTVB article, Plummer’s talk kicked off an event for the Idaho Youth Sports Commission (IYSC) held at the Stueckle Sky Center.
The IYSC is a group that works to train adults who coach kids’ games to promote fitness and life lessons to all child athletes, regardless of individual skill or team success. Plummer, 40, a former quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos, serves as an advisory board member for the commission. “I’m honored … to come back and share this message about keeping kids involved, and getting the young kids to continue playing, and really, to have fun playing sports,” Plummer said in his talk. “Because that’s the reason why I played.” During his talk, Plummer stressed that kids should get involved in a variety of sports and to have fun above all else, according to the Idaho Statesman. Currently, he said, too many youth sports coaches try to take away the “game” aspect of sports, making athletics too stressful for kids. He said he plans to use his love of a variety of different sports to help push the IYSC’s agenda — as sports gifts important lifelong lessons about teamwork, camaraderie and sportsmanship to young athletes. “My goal and focus on (the IYSC) is going to be to encourage kids to play as many sports as they can,” he explained. “I encourage coaches and parents to make the sports their children choose to play enjoyable. Make the experience one to remember.” The IYSC’s work to foster a love of all sports among children and teens is something admirable from which youth sports teams all across the country can undoubtedly learn. “It’s great to see professional athlete’s giving back to young athlete’s. Youth sports offer so many wonderful benefits to kids, providing them with experiences that build character and valuable lessons to last a lifetime,” said Ryan Lynn, Director of Marketing at ChalkTalk Sports, an online sports gift store. “It’s for these reasons why at chalktalksports.com we create products that celebrate youth sports.” |