Spring cleaning in a Hurricane…
I started this last week, all chipper about spring cleaning and hitting reset before summer madness. Then the economic world got chucked into a blender.
I don't have the ability to comment on that current state of events in an enlightened or informative way. (Check here for a solid take if you’re curious) All I know is it’s a self-inflicted face-palm fest—markets convulsing, uncertainty thick as fog. Turn on the news, and you’ll get the polished version: everything’s under control, or we’re all toast. I’ll let you choose your preferred poison.
So what’s this got to do with youth sports? Everything, actually. Economic convulsions don’t spare us—club dues sting more, travel costs bite, and sponsors grip their wallets like lifelines. Parents are stretched thin; every rained-out game’s a gut punch when budgets are tight. It’s chaos you can’t wrangle, and it’ll drive you nuts if you let it.
Here’s the kicker: that’s all above your pay grade. The madness of running your club? That’s where you’ve got control. Spring cleaning’s your move—control what you can.
Start simple: audit your setup. Ask, “What’s working? What’s Not?” You know the insanity bit—doing the same thing over and over, expecting a change. Too many sports orgs get stuck there, slogging through processes that don’t have to be so hard. It’s a waste of energy when you could fix it.
Picture your week. Chasing field permits, untangling sign-ups, dodging parent texts about schedule flops. That’s 20+ hours of grind—80% stress—when you should be coaching kids, building something real. That’s not grit; it’s a setup screaming for a reboot.
Spring cleaning’s your shot. Ditch the clunky forms, streamline comms, lock in dates. Some folks hand off the admin mess and save hours without blinking—I’d rather plan tryouts than wrestle refs over email. Point is, these are your fixes. You don’t need to tame gas prices or market dips—just stop tripping over your own junk.
The economy might tank, sponsors might bolt. That’s out of your hands. Losing your mind over stuff you can fix? That’s on you. This spring, take out the trash—those busted systems, the “we’ve always done it” traps. Steal what works from orgs who’ve figured it out. The world’s a circus, but your club doesn’t have to be. Focus on the kids, the game, the wins you can grab. That’s the spring cleaning that keeps you sane when the blender’s still spinning.