Building Good People, Not Just Athletes
Sport is one of the most powerful tools we have to teach life skills. Every interaction is an opportunity to build character that prepares kids for the next chapter in their lives — long after sport is over.
We use sport as a vehicle to teach valuable life skills.
We didn't start TOP Sports to only produce better hockey, soccer, or lacrosse players. We started it because we believe sport, when it's run the right way, is one of the best environments you can put a kid in to learn valuable life skills and develop strong character. The habits, values, and sense of accountability that come from being part of something bigger than yourself — learning to win and lose, learning to become a leader, learning to battle through failure — that is true success.
The conditions that sport creates — the pressure of competition, the friction of working alongside people you didn't choose, the experience of failing in front of others and having to show up again the next day — are almost impossible to replicate anywhere else in a child's life. These moments build character, highlighted by the environment we intentionally create to bring them out.
We intentionally weave character development into the fabric of our competitive programs through a monthly character theme. Each month, every Head Coach across all our sports focuses on the same theme — whether that's grit, teamwork, work ethic, or leadership — and it shows up consistently in how coaches talk during practice, what they recognize after practice, and the one-on-one conversations they have with players throughout the season.
"Sport teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the rules, it teaches you to know what it feels like to win and lose — it teaches you about life."
Billie Jean King
Each month, coaches across all sports focus on a key character theme — grit, teamwork, work ethic, leadership. Kids hear it from multiple coaches across multiple sports until it sinks in. We believe this intentional focus on character building, in addition to skill development, creates good people and strong athletes.
After every practice, one player receives The Chain — a physical award given to the player that best exemplifies the Character Theme of the Month. The Chain is only given out after practices, not games, to reinforce that development happens during the process, not the result.
The Chain Award
In 2018, we introduced The Chain Award as a way to reward what we actually care about. Every month, we focus on a specific character theme — like grit, work ethic, teamwork, or responsibility — that we intentionally weave into practices, games, and conversations with players. This consistent focus across all sports creates a shared language and culture where character development is just as important as skill development.
Why It Matters
The Chain Award is handed out by the Head Coach after each practice, along with a brief explanation of why the player is receiving it and how it connects to the Monthly Character Theme. This isn't an MVP award — it's not going to the top performer or the player who scored the most goals. It goes to the player who best demonstrated the values we're building that month, regardless of skill level.
The Chain goes home with the player and comes back the next practice. Of all the programs or initiatives we've run since 2018, The Chain always seems to be the one that kids remember the most. Even as kids graduate from our program and are into their teens, they still remember The Chain and what it means to be recognized in front of their teammates.