What is this really about?

Kris Miller: Hey there everyone, Chris Miller here, the executive director of Forge Athletic Club, one of the newer clubs in Colorado Springs, Colorado. We've consulted with a handful of marketers, members, trying to just kind of get the word out in terms of what our club is, what our mission is, and it's been suggested that we create more content. So that's what this is. We've created a Forge channel. It's a no, it's a YouTube channel where hopefully you can get some questions answered. understand our philosophy and I really hope it's gonna turn into something that's informational and really helps raise the ships of the club. This is actually the second thing that I've recorded. I recorded one entire I guess you could call it episode and deleted it because I think it just kinda missed the mark. So this is my second attempt at creating I guess our first episode. Forge channel. So, you know, the first posting or the first recording that I did was really focused on I just I saw myself kind of going down the rabbit hole in terms of where youth soccer is right now and I think it missed the mark. So this is more geared towards our baseline, what the foundations are at Forge Athletic Club. You know, we just left an amazing World Cup season. And there's been a lot of talk about the state of youth soccer in America. There are a lot of opinions diagnosing problems, a lot of opinions proposing solutions. But I can't help but feel like we're losing perspective on what youth soccer is and the tension between it and professional profiteering motives. When parents think about youth soccer, they often think about rankings, leagues, showcases, college professional pathways. Ultimately they think about status a lot of the time. Those things matter, you know, to a degree. We're extremely competitive people at Forge AC. Make no mistake, but we want to develop great players. We want to help kids achieve dreams that seem impossible today. But I want to talk about something that's even more important. Because if we're not careful, this game can quietly convince us that the destination is the point. The badge, the patch, the title, the platform, the status. And somewhere along the way we forget why we got into this in the first place. As a parent, there is nothing in this world more precious than our children. Nothing. There's also nothing that can make you more afraid. You want to protect them, you want to prepare them, you want them to have opportunities you never had. You don't want to fail them. Those are great desires, but every parent, including me, has to wrestle with a difficult question. Who is this really about? Is this about me or is it about my child? It's an uncomfortable question because our identities can become wrapped up in our children's successes and disappointments. Be honest with yourself. We celebrate when they score. We hurt when they don't play. We compare clubs. We compare coaches. We compare social media posts. We compare offers. Before long we're chasing the next thing, believing that if we can just reach the next level, everything will finally make sense. But the next level never satisfies for very long. There's always another badge. There's always another league. There's always another showcase. There's always another team. Another status symbol. If we're honest, youth soccer can become an endless pursuit of validation. That's a dangerous place to build a childhood. Because soccer was never meant to define a young person's worth. It was meant to help reveal their character, build their character. At 4GC, we certainly care about developing excellent soccer players, but that's not the heart of what we're trying to do. We're trying to develop people. People who tell the truth when it's difficult, people who work hard when nobody is watching. People who can lose with dignity, people who can win with humility, people who know how to lead, people who know how to follow, people who can withstand disappointment without becoming bitter, people who can experience success without becoming arrogant. You know, those lessons matter long after the final whistle. You know, the reality is that life isn't going to get easier after soccer ends. Life is full of struggle. You'll experience failure. You'll lose people you love. You'll face rejection. You'll may make mistakes. You'll have seasons where nothing seems to go your way. But life is also incredibly beautiful. You'll build friendships. You'll discover purpose. You'll celebrate victories. You'll experience joy that you never expected. Our responsibility isn't to eliminate hardship from our children's lives. It's to help prepare them to face it with courage and to enjoy life's blessings with gratitude. Soccer is simply one of the greatest classrooms I've ever seen for learning those lessons. Every practice teaches resilience. Every difficult teammate Teaches patience. Every coach teaches something. Sometimes through encouragement, sometimes through disappointment. Every loss teaches perspective. Every victory teaches responsibility. The question isn't whether our children will be challenged. They'll be challenged. The question is what kind of people those challenges will shape them into. As parents, we have a limited amount of time. Man, it's so limited. One day we'll coach our last practice. One day we'll watch our last game together. One day our kids will drive away without needing us to pack the bag, tie the cleats, or remind them to bring water. Those moments disappear faster than any of us can imagine. So while it's okay to dream big, and it you should, don't miss today. Celebrate the car rides. Celebrate the conversations after training. Celebrate the laughter. Celebrate the opportunity to simply spend time together. Because someday you'll wish you had one more ordinary Tuesday practice. At 4JC, we absolutely care about helping players become the best soccer players they can become. We'll compete. We'll pursue excellence. We'll chase ambitious goals. But we'll never allow those goals to become bigger than the people pursuing them. The scoreboard matters. Character matters more. The platform matters. Integrity matters more. The opportunities matter. The person your child becomes matters most. If you can help produce outstanding players, if we can help produce outstanding players, that's wonderful. If we can help out create outstanding adults, then we've accomplished something far greater. That's really the heart of 4JC. And for those of you that do shoot for the stars, you want to go play pro, you want to help your kids get to college on meaningful scholarships. We're here to help you along that journey. I'll tell you, college coaches, pro coaches that I've spoken with, character is the number one factor when they evaluate players. I'll speak specifically to switch back switchback bleh switchbacks down the road from us. Those coaches care most about character. They do. If they have a if they have a player in their locker room that is, you know, toxic but scores a million goals, they're gonna wave goodbye to the million goals. They want someone in their locker room that's gonna uplift the entire unit. So we're serving multiple functions here. Not only are we creating players that will be evaluated well in college and pro environments. We're creating players that will be evaluated well in every facet of life. Thanks for listening. Hopefully, we'll see you next time.