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The Fountain of Youth

The Fountain of Youth
By Todd Durkin, MA, CSCS

“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.” ~Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt

“I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.” ~George Benson 

June is such a great month of the year. School is out, graduations, award ceremonies, warmer weather, summer solstice, and the start of the SUMMER season.

I remember back when I was a kid, June meant several things. I remember things like:

  • All-Star baseball games
  • Training for football
  • Football camps
  • Playing until 9 pm
  • Catching Lightning Bugs!!
  • Setting up makeshift tents in the backyard and sleeping outside
  • Going to the beach on the “beach bus”

Today, June is still a great month. And my kids love this month also.

We just got back from our summer vacation in Colorado. We had a blast in Telluride (where I was teaching a conference) and then Denver & Vail, where Luke had lacrosse tournaments. We created memories to last a lifetime (Be sure to listen to my Dose of Durkin tomorrow AM and you will hear of one NOT so great memory. 🙁

And now that we are home and school is officially out, SUMMER is officially IN.

The WOW this week is going to be YOUTH.

And there are several reasons WHY.

1. Aren’t we all searching for the “fountain of youth” again? You know, not just feeling the vitality of a child, but to be able to PLAY like a kid again also.

2. We have all of our YOUTH camps starting up tomorrow at Fitness Quest 10. We have a great group of kids starting up in our camps tomorrow and my team & I are prepared to get these kids better and provide them a great experience.

3. On Tuesday, FQ10 client & NFL standout Darren Sproles will be conducting his “Sproles Empowered YOUTH” camp on the campus of San Diego State University. This camp goes way beyond football as he and his wife Michel will be diving deep into LIFE SKILLS for these under-served, less-privileged YOUTH. #IMPACT. I am excited to coach there this week and deliver an “IMPACT” keynote to the kids on Wednesday.

4. On the East Coast, Drew & Brittany Brees and their Brees Dream Foundation are having their big YOUTH football camp at Disney’s Wide-World of Sports in Orlando, FL this week. Hundreds of kids (of allages) & teams will be there as they create an amazing experience at the“Happiest Place on Earth.”

So it’s going to be a GREAT week. And many youth will be served from Coast to Coast. And this is very important.

My friends coaching or serving YOUTH is very important. To some, it may not seem like much right now, but the reality is you will have an IMPACT on these kids that will last a lifetime. You will help shape the way they live their lives. They will never forget you, and you will always be “COACH” to them.

Making the choice to teach, serve, or coach our YOUTH is a responsibility and privilege. There is nothing more important, out of all the things that we do, then when a parent entrusts the care, welfare, education, and development of their child into a “coach’s” hands. Coaching our YOUTH is one of the most beautiful, powerful and influential callings we can ever have.

Whenever coaching YOUTH, my mindset is always to connect with them as PEOPLE first and athletes second. And I focus on these things:

1. Being PASSIONATE and loving the sport/game that I am teaching, so that these young people will play/train with similarPASSION and LOVE. PASSION fuels the fire and makes it FUN. #Energy

2. Showing EMPATHY, making every kid/player out there feel important, and find a role for he/she on the TEAM.

3. Showing INTEGRITY and CONSISTENCY during my coaching, during winning and losing.

4. Being a MODEL of the behavior that I am teaching the athletes; on and off the field.

5. Being a TEACHER, not only of the X’s and O’s but also about LIFE, POSITIVITY, PERSISTENCE (Never Give Up) and CHARACTER.

6. FUN! If you and the young people you are coaching are not having FUN doing it…it is simply not worth doing, regardless of WINS and Losses. You have to embrace the PROCESS and have fun.

7. LOVE – for your craft, sport/game, and for the YOUTH you are coaching. Every one of them is a unique and worthy human being.

The WOW this week is YOUTH.

And this is in the context of coaching YOUTH, teaching YOUTH, guiding YOUTH, supporting YOUTH, leading YOUTH, developing YOUTH, celebrating YOUTH and loving YOUTH.

Create a great week. I hope you feel YOUTHFUL! #IWILL

Todd

 P.S. A couple of weeks ago on a Sunday morning, my FQ10 teammates & I conducted a FREE SPEED CAMP for YOUTH, aged 6 to 13 and we had an absolute blast. We delivered a WOW experience for the kids, interacted with the parents, and coached our tails off during those 90 minutes.   

If you would like to see the highlights, Coach Larry put together a short highlight tape of the camp. Here is the link and password:

Link: https://vimeo.com/user6043538/review/131321872/2e09ef9afd

Password: speed10 (all lower case)

Todd Durkin, MA, CSCS, is an internationally-recognized performance trainer, bodyworker, speaker, author, and owner of award-winning gym Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, CA (one of the Top 10 Gyms in the U.S.). His outstanding team of 38 professionals deliver extraordinary service in personal training, sports performance training, massage/bodywork, Pilates, yoga, physical therapy and chiropractic. Todd is the Lead Training Advisor for Under Armour, regular contributor to Men’s Health, and author of The IMPACT! Body Plan.

Todd Durkin created a “DOSE of DURKIN” to motivate and inspire people through weekly text messages every Monday morning that infuse video, audio, or just plain text messages. They are guaranteed to get your mind right and fire-you up. Check out DoseOfDurkin.com to OPT-IN and start receiving your FREE messages.

Todd is also the President/CEO of Todd Durkin Enterprises where he conducts motivational keynotes/presentations, educational & leadership workshops, he operates a Mastermind Group for dedicated fitness entrepreneurs, and he presents internationally on health, fitness, peak performance, and success in life.

You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @ToddDurkin, his FB Fan page at ToddDurkinFQ10, or sign up for his monthly motivational newsletter at www.ToddDurkin.com. You can get more information on his facility at www.FitnessQuest10.com or www.ToddDurkin.com.

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