Hobbies & Other Interests
Some people have no hobbies, that seems boring. Some people have 1 hobby that becomes their personality. I have a number of interests, some of which I have highlighted below, but almost always they have 1 or more of the following things in common.
1. My interest in the activity started with helping someone or the activity has a large relationship component.
2. The activity involves learning about a topic and attempting to improve something existing.
Soccer Recruiting
My Daughter’s College Recruiting
When my daughter was about 8 or 9, she told me that she wanted to play college soccer and I told her then that if she put in the time, energy and effort to become college soccer player, I would give her the resources and assistance she needed to reach that goal.
She held up her end of the agreement training on her own outside of practice, identifying opportunities to get more playing time, working out alone to become stronger, studying the game to be a smarter player and earning great grades to prove she can handle the demands of being a college athlete. So I ensured she had the right gear, paid for individual trainers, paid for her club dues, took her to games, showcases and ID camps all over the country, but more importantly I used my time traveling, driving, and in my hotel rooms learning about college recruiting through books, podcasts, and YouTube videos.
When it came time to start her recruitment, I turned everything I learned into a marketing plan… then once she committed to play for the University of North Carolina at Wilmington I turned that marketing plan into a book called A Soccer Parent’s Guide to College Recruiting to try to help others.
If you want to check out her site and see how she is doing, visit her here… https://www.eliselarimer.com/
I Got Next Jamaica USA
I Got Next was founded by a friend of mine named Michael Johnson (AKA “Coach Mike”). He grew up playing soccer in Jamaica and has been a coach at both the college and club level in the USA and is determined to build a legacy through his charitable work in Jamaica. In the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup Coach Mike had the opportunity to work with the Reggae Girls during their camp leading up to the event and while he loved the players, it made him think about the state of girls youth soccer in Jamaica. He decided to start I Got Next to help the top female Soccer players across the island through a series of technical training sessions. Then each year, select players will be afforded the opportunity to travel to the US annually to perform in college showcase ID camps, with the intention of them receiving college scholarships and hope to graduate as many players as possible from the program into the Reggae Girlz ranks.
I choose to donate my time and money to the charity because of the impact soccer has had on my daughter. She was born with a virus that caused her to have poor muscle tone and caused her dyslexia. Initially we started her in the sport to help with gross motor skills, but then used it as a multisensory tool to help her study when she was young, and motivation to perform well in school as she got older. It helped her overcome her physical weaknesses; make friends; develop confidence; learn time management, leadership and how to talk to adults; and maybe most importantly learn to see her dyslexia as an advantage. Her dyslexia includes some short-term memory issues allowing her to shrug off mistakes, she doesn’t think as linearly as most so she sees the game differently, and I am personally convinced that it helped her to become two-footed.
I was an early donor of the program and would help create fliers or collect balls and bras to take back to Jamaica. Since it has been incorporated as a 503(b). I still do those things and act as a financial officer, IT support and marketing guy. It is truly a passion project, because I wouldn’t do it if he paid me, but I gladly do it for free to help the girls in the program benefit from soccer the same way my daughter has.
To learn more about I Got Next Jamaica USA or to donate… visit https://igotnextjamusa.com.
Cars & Motorcycles
GMC
KTM
Miata
Photography
Equipment