Raising Athletes for Life

 

 

 

Registration is NOT required – see you there!

New Canaan CARES presents “Raising Athletes for Life” on Thursday, March 23rd, at New Canaan Library from 7:00 – 8:30 pm. “New Canaan CARES is excited to bring this group of accomplished students, athletes, parents and coaches together,” said Board Chair Jess Huetter. Huetter continued, “Athletics and academics are two of the biggest pillars of our youth community.  I am happy to help further the conversation about how we define and achieve success in youth athletics.”

Anchoring the panel is moderator Garland Allen, a retired teacher, Athletic Director, and coach of Basketball, Football and Track & Field, who served more than 35 years in public education. Garland co-founded the non-profit organization inCourage, and is a leading advocate for developing young athletes in a healthy sports culture.

The panelists are a combination of athletes, parents and coaches. Dave Inman, a former professional hockey player, is also a New Canaan parent. Dave grew up as a multi-sport athlete and chose to focus on hockey. He played on the U.S. National Team, played Division 1 hockey at Notre Dame and was drafted by the New York Rangers.  He played professional hockey post-college before starting a career in finance and settling in New Canaan with his wife Krystie and is a proud sports dad to two sons. 

Joining him on the panel is Heather Knight Pech, a four-time division winner of the Boston Marathon, current course record holder in her age division, ranked #1 in her age division in the U.S. and 2nd in the World. Heather has been working with athletes of all ages since 2012.a She operates with the belief that when your body, mind and heart are in balance, you connect to what you do.

Kendall Patten, a multi-sport athlete while at New Canaan High School, is currently a senior at Cornell University majoring in psychology with a minor in business, will also be a panelist.For the past four years, she has been a member of Cornell’s Varsity Women’s Soccer team. Kendall has also been a member of the Big Red Leadership Institute, working on new ways to incorporate leadership into daily life. 

The fourth panelist is New Canaan’s own Andy Towers. Andy was an All-American player at NCHS and Brown University and then continued his career playing professionally with the Premier Lacrosse League, where he was selected as an All-Star. His coaching career is extensive.  He founded Lacrosse Draws, an organization committed to helping young athletes succeed in 2002.  He spent 19 years coaching NCAA Division 1 lacrosse and served as head coach of the 2021 World Champion Chaos Lacrosse Club. Andy is dedicated to helping young players succeed in their mission to become the best players and people they can be by attacking life with focus, effort and toughness.

Each of the panelists will share an overview of their experience, lessons learned, how they define success and thoughts on how we, as a community, can provide a healthy culture to achieve it.

Click here to register today!