💭 FCL Weekly Thought: 04/11/25

Parenting challenges & resources. Shifting from judgment to curiosity. 2028 recruits 🌟

AuthorAuthor

Matt Dunn & Deemer Class
April 11, 2025

Happy Friday!

Today’s message is for every parent navigating the ups and downs of raising a young athlete. This week’s takeaways come from our powerful webinar with coach and counselor Ken Zeigler—a conversation packed with wisdom for sports parents.

Happy Friday ☕️,
Matt & Deemer

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This week at a glance

WEEKLY THOUGHT 
💭 Navigating Challenges as a Parent in Youth Sports

In many of our conversations with parents of lacrosse players, we consistently hear how challenging it can be to navigate the journey of raising a student-athlete. We’ve worked with all types of parents—those who coach, those who were high-level athletes themselves, and those with minimal athletic backgrounds.

One common theme we’ve observed is the complex balancing act between supporting their children's athletic pursuits and allowing them to develop independence.

the karate kid balance GIF

How do you balance supporting your child vs allowing them to figure it out?

Webinar with Ken Zeigler
Recently, we had the privilege of hosting Ken Zeigler, a respected counselor and coach, for a powerful webinar inside the FCL Community focused on parenting student-athletes. The session sparked many insights, but four key takeaways stood out:

  • Asking the Right Questions

  • The Importance of Objectivity

  • Encouraging Self Advocacy

  • The Art of Stepping Back

While there are certainly many variable circumstances, and different paths of navigating this journey, Ken’s advice really aligned with some of our broader messages.

1. Asking the Right Questions

One notable theme that came up in Ken’s presentation revolved around dialogue and framing questions to young athletes.

Instead of critiquing performance with questions like "Why did you miss that shot?", Ken suggested using open-ended, reflective questions such as:

  • "How did you feel about the game today?"

  • "Tell me about that play when you passed the ball."

  • "Was there a moment in the game you felt particularly good or bad about?"

These questions create space for honest conversation and help athletes process their experience in a healthy way.

2. The Importance of Objectivity

One of the most significant challenges parents face is maintaining objectivity, especially when it comes to playing time and team dynamics.

Ken emphasized the need to step back and assess situations calmly before reacting. This approach allows us to differentiate between genuine unfairness and valuable lessons in resilience for our children.

Parents love their kids deeply, and no coach or teammate will ever match that kind of love. That’s what makes objectivity so hard. But it’s also what makes it so valuable.

3. Encouraging Self Advocacy

Rather than immediately stepping in when issues arise, Ken advises parents to encourage their children to advocate for themselves.

This crucial skill helps student-athletes mature and develop important communication abilities that will serve them well beyond their sporting careers.

4. The Art of Stepping Back

Sometimes, the most supportive thing a parent can do is take a step back. This doesn't mean being uninvolved, but rather allowing the children space to grow, make mistakes, and learn from their experiences. There is no one size fits all here, but it is an art that can have a powerful impact.

Parents are important.

We’re incredibly grateful to Ken for joining us and sharing his perspective. His advice reinforced many of the messages we try to communicate as coaches—and as sons ourselves.

Both Matt and I want to take this opportunity to thank our parents, who played such critical roles in our own journeys. They pushed us, supported us, inspired us and gave us the room to become who we are today. We wouldn’t be here speaking with you all without their steady love and guidance.

Best,
Coach Class and Coach Dunn

🚨 Parent Webinar: You can watch the full 1-hour presentation with Ken in our community. Try out the 14-Day free trial and we think you will be impressed with the content accessible to all.

New webinar with Ken Zeigler includes PDF: “15 Questions every parent faces"

🔥 RECRUITING COVERAGE

We are introducing a new section in the Weekly Thought where we highlight some athletes that are catching our eye. We will share clips, highlight videos, and brief thoughts as this section evolves.

Jack Birrane | Midfield | Mt. St. Joseph’s | Team 91 MD | Uncommitted
Jack has 33 points across 10 games in the MIAA conference. He’s a quick dodger with snappy hands and is elevating his play his junior spring so far.

📈 2028’s On the Rise

Peyla Carcaterra | Attack | Sacred Heart | Primetime
Peyla is a dynamic attacker. As a freshman, she is a commanding presence in the Sacred Heart offense. I got to see her play live vs. Nobles with over 20 current and future D1 players on the field. Her game tying goal below was clutch — she didn’t back down from the moment. We’re excited to have her back to Best In Class this summer, where she shined as a standout last year.

Maddie Moran | Midfield | Maryvale | Hero’s
Maddie is another midfielder whom is making her presence felt at the Varsity level for Maryvale School. She is a strong righty dodger that drives hard to cage and has a snappy shot. This nearside high placement is high level. Her compete level in trainings and desire to get better is noticeable. She made her mark at BIC last summer and will be back again this summer.

Both of these players will be 5 Star caliber prospects for years to come in their class as they keep developing.

🤝 Clubs on Our Circle Community

We are pumped to share this testimonial from Jazzy Cachimbo, Director of Player Development for Triple Threat in New Jersey. She’s been an active member of our community since the start of the new year. See what Coach has to say so far:

Inquire to [email protected] for staff rates.

MERCH 🔥

DRILL OF THE WEEK: ERIC SPANOS, MARYLAND

Our free content on social media is core to who we are as a business. We love sharing content that you love seeing. Check out our latest YouTube video with FCL Athlete & Maryland attacker Eric Spanos sharing his shooting & dodging workout + advice for younger players!