Meet Sharon Butler, she’s a coach, a mentor and above all a BALLER MOM. Known as Coach Mom, Sharon’s excellent qualification, knowledge & reputation in the basketball community helps athletes and their families navigate the ever-changing world of basketball for all levels. She teaches moms, dads, the athlete and whole family how to play the recruiting game.
Coach Mom provides services and support to :
- Build a comprehensive plan to include Academic & Athletic Assessment, Skill development & Exposure
- Prep School Showcase, Clinics & Workshops
- Select best fit for Rep, AAU & High School programs
- Prep School Tours
- Placement in reputable and certified Prep Schools (Canada & US)
- Private & Confidential Family Support
I recently reached out to her, to get more insights on what she does, how she can help you and helpful tips to help us all moms on this journey of raising our baller athletes and lastly fun things about her so we can all continue to Support, Unite and Cheer together.
What do you love doing or enjoy being?
I love being Coach Mom because I can impact young people’s lives from a coaching and parenting perspective.
As Mom, how do you manage your time between work, family, friends and yourself?
Honestly when the boys were younger and as a single parent, my calendar was and still is GOLD. Everything that happened work-related, social, practice, movies and birthday parties etc had to be planned. Now the boys are older I still use my calendar albeit now electronic.
Top 3 advice for families starting the Rep/competitive sports process?
- Sports teaches many life lessons & ADVERSITY is one of them. Teach your child problem-solving skills and how to work through issues.
- A reminder they are STUDENT first ATHLETE second so get them into good study habits regardless of whether or not you think they will continue the sport at a high level. At the end of the day the ball stop bouncing one day
- FUN is an important aspect of how long a young person will remain physically active. They have plenty of time later to get serious about the game.
How early is too early to focus or streamline on ‘career development’ for our kids?
There are exceptions to every rule, and I know some kids have an idea of what they would like to become professionally at a young age. However, High school is a good time to start focusing on career development as they sample courses and experience high school for themselves.
Sharon’s work continues on and off the court. Every year she host a very informative workshop and showcase for athletes and their families. Check out her webpage and all social media to see the great work she continues to provide.
To learn more about Sharon and the Coach Mom team, visit her page coachmom.net If you have more questions you can reach out to Sharon and her team via email at info@coachmom.co or connect with her on her social media platforms listed below.
Mark your calendar for the 4th Annual Prep School Showcase taking place on March 21-22, 2020. Registrations are now open. Click here to sign up.
As parents of athletes that have hopes and dreams of making it ‘big’ what are some of the key things parents should focus on?
Academics – regardless of how big the player makes it they will not be able to play the sport forever so getting a degree/diploma is vital!
Character– Teach your kids good manners, give them chores or responsibilities early and teach them how to use SOCIAL MEDIA responsibly
Talent – Development, Development, Development! Focus on honing your craft this will help to make it big
More information can be found in the Coach Mom Athletes in Transition from Elementary School to High School Guide. It provides summary of what parents should focus on. Go to coachmom.net and download it for free.
Canada, U.S., Europe ,World – How would you rate the recruitment opportunities and options in the sports of basketball?
Sharon: With the success of Canadian athletes playing post-secondary basketball (D1, D2, JUCO, NAIA,USports), playing overseas and the NBA & WNBA there is a spotlight on Canadian athletes. Many of the NBA athletes attended Prep Schools and as a result, the number of schools in Canada is growing. Word of advice do your homework when exploring prep schools & athlete development.
What/Who inspires you?
My foster mom and my boys inspire me. At age 14, I entered foster care and mamma Barb, Grandma Barb to the boys nurtured me in every way to become the woman I am today. Her strength and unwavering love & guidance is priceless! My boys, like all families we have seen our share of ups and downs. They are my rocks that amazes me daily with their resilient hard-working, fun-loving attitudes.
Where do you see yourself and/or your company in the future?
In the next 5 years, my boys will graduate college/university and I will be rich!
On a serious side, I would like to expand Coach Mom to other provinces in order to share my message education as an important key to recruitment and beyond.
In striving to Support, Unite, Cheer on each other together, we wanted to know a little bit more about the person behind the Coach Mom company. Here are some Sharon’s Favorites provided though our Rapid Fire Questions round.
Favorite Song
Whitney Huston “I Have Nothing”
Favorite Movie
The Marvel Saga
Favorite Book
Short & Tragic Life of Robert Peace
My Superpower
Reading minds
Something nice I did for myself…
Took a one-week vacation alone unplugged and read
Thank you, Sharon for sharing these great tips and insights and allowing us to know you a bit more. I hope these will help many of our Baller Mom community on all levels as we continue to Support, Cheer, Unite together.
Coach Mom is Social and can be found via Twitter & Instagram
We’ll love to hear from you. If you’re interested in being featured on our next post or have questions contact via our contact page or email ballermomcanada@gmail.com.
Together we Support, Cheer, Unite
@ballermomcanada | ballermom.ca
