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i9 Sports teaches life lessons as well as sports

Posted Sep 7, 2010 by Beth Gaddis

Updated Sep 8, 2010 at 08:26 AM

The hot topic with my neighbors has turned from the first day of school to the first day of sports.  The big discussion has been whether we should enroll our 4-year-olds in a town league or at the YMCA.  But I just found out about another youth sports league, and this one sounds really good, too: i9 Sports.

I talked to a woman today who enrolled her grandchildren in the program after they moved from Polk County to Fishhawk Ranch in Lithia. Bryson, 8, played basketball in the spring and is trying flag football this fall.  Hailey, 4, is sticking with cheerleading.

“The experience is really, really awesome,” Debbie Kallenborn said.  “They teach a life lesson every week and they give a medal out to each child during the season.”

“A new value is taught each week, such as listening, respect, positive attitude, best effort, fair play, enthusiasm, cooperation, and accountability, just to name a few,” said Brian Sanders, president and chief operating officer of i9 Sports.  The youth organization began in Brandon in 2003 and now has 300,000 children ages 3 to 14 participating in its franchises nationally.  There are six locations in the Tampa Bay area:  north Tampa, Riverview, South Shore, Brandon, South Tampa and St. Pete. 

The teams have a one-hour practice on the same day as the game, which is a bonus for working parents.  There are no tryouts and every child gets a chance to play.  And every parent has to sign a pledge agreeing not to badmouth their child’s skills, the other athletes’ skills, the coach or the other parents.

“There are 42 million kids playing youth sports and half drop out by age 12 because it becomes a negative experience,” Sanders said.  “We emphasize learning the basics of the sport, but also to have a good time, build their self-esteem, and learn values they can take them off the field.”

“I had zero horror stories and I didn’t see any,” said Arley Allen, who became a coach when her 4-year-old son, Brandon, started playing flag football in the north Tampa league last spring.  She likes the philosophy of i9 Sports. “It provides a foundation of teamwork and achievement, something to work toward, and I think it made him a better kid.”

Children can sign up for flag football, soccer, basketball, cheerleading, lacrosse, baseball/softball, golf, volleyball and hockey. Opening Day isn’t until Sept. 25, and most of the programs will still take late registrations, Sanders said.  The 8-week program costs $145 and that price includes the jersey and a medal.  For more information, go to www.i9sports.com.