SportsEvents Magazine

JAN 2016

SportsEvents is edited for those who plan tournaments or other sports events.

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www.sportseventsmagazine.com January 2016 37 YOUTH Sports t helped introduce her to Bettis, who had heard about the work her frm was doing with Allen and wanted to get involved in something similar. "It's critical that you build contacts and maintain relationships with people at all levels of an organization that you want to work with," she advised. Grunduski agreed. Her professional background, which includes working with the Atlanta Falcons, where she managed community relations for three years, helped provide the connections to her current sports celebrity clients. She started her own frm about three years ago and now works directly with athletes and their foundations. She assists with planning sports events for Kids & Pros, a youth football program founded in 2002 by former Atlanta Falcon Buddy Curry. With the help of his former Falcon teammate, Bobby Butler, along with current and former NFL players, Curry offers week-long camps that provide "hands-on-teaching of skill fundamentals, as well as instruction in the character values engendered by football that are the key to success on and off the football feld." Additionally, Grunduski helps plan one-day clinics run by Devin Hester, a wide receiver/return specialist for the Falcons. Tending To Details For the most part, the youth sports camps that both Vietmeier and Grunduski plan are free to the participants, but outreach to sponsors, volunteers and the children the athletes are seeking to help is a large part of the planner's task, said Grunduski. "We work through the foundation to help fnd sponsors and we reach out to area schools as well as Boys & Girls Clubs to get kids involved, " she said. "These camps and clinics typically involve lots of kids -- we had more than 500 kids come to Devin Hester's frst clinic -- so we need to recruit lots of volunteers." She advised that registration often needs to be done well in advance. "I would suggest that you register camp participants at least three months ahead of the event, but with Buddy Curry's camps, which have be- come annual events in many communities, we are already (in January) signing kids up for this summer's camps." Vietmeier said that the athletes are often able to fnd and reserve the facilities, but her frm is always involved in fguring out the layout to make sure all activities are accommodated and the fow of attendees is addressed. "If parents wish to attend, they are able to sit and watch, but many just drop off and pick up the kids," she said. "We help market the camps, largely through social media," Vietmeier added. "We help with invitations and signage. We help bring in sponsors, assist with registra- tion, make sure all the necessary waivers are flled out and the necessary insurance is in place. We make sure the timing is right for all parts of the program." Celebrity Concerns Both Grunduski and Vietmeier asserted that the celebrity athletes who run these camps and clinics -- as well as the other celebrities they recruit to help out -- are very much involved in the events. "Will (Allen) is totally involved and there for the entire process of all his foundation's programs, including the sports camps," Vietmeier said. "He has a director who runs the foundation, but he is on hand and works with the kids at these camps. The same is true for Jerome Bettis." Grunduski pointed out that the athletes started these programs because they want to reach out to kids, especially those who would not otherwise have a chance to par- ticipate in high-profle youth sports camps. "Not only are Buddy Curry and Devin Hester actively involved in their sports camps, they also 'make the ask' of other high-profle athletes," she said. "My job is helping them by providing materials and supplying wording for text messages, emails and other social media they use in this effort." When it comes to autographs and photos, it's important to set some ground rules, Vietmeier said. "We make it clear that there will be time for getting autographs and photos with the pros at the end of the camps or clinics and we rarely have a problem." Grunduski advised including instructions about this in the written materials. "We tell the kids that the athletes will provide signed photos at the end of the event and instruct them not to bring their own items in for autographs," she said. n Why Celebrity Athletes Offer Sports Camps "Sports camps are a way to help young kids learn about the sport of football and the positive things that come from playing the sport—learning about character values like teamwork, integrity, excellence, sportsmanship and perseverance," said Buddy Curry, for- mer Atlanta Falcons Linebacker and executive director of Kids & Pros. "They are a natural next step for a professional athlete who loves working with kids. If you love football, love working with kids, and coaching, it is a natural extension." He further pointed out that a lot of former players understand the platform they have and the opportunity to infuence kids. "Kids look up to professional athletes, so getting involved and giving back gives the professional athlete a way to use the platform to help people, whether it's in the athlete's hometown, or in other areas." "Personally, through hosting Kids & Pros camps and clinics across the East Coast, I have the opportunity to impact coaches and parents who impact kids. I can share new ideas and new ways of looking at sports to help encourage more participation. I can help parents and coaches teach kids about LIFE through sports and show them that lesson (learning about life through sports) is more important than playing for championships." n

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