Athletics — Podcast — 12 Geniuses

Building the Leaders of Tomorrow - with Shakeel Nelson

Shakeel Nelson and the Inner City Ducks are using sports in very innovative ways to reach young people and ensure they are on the right path in life. They provide mentoring, a safe space to play and learn, discipline, and exposure to new experiences for the young people in his community. The players have participated in tournaments in Kansas City, Indianapolis, Chicago, Wisconsin, and South Dakota. Eating in restaurants, staying in hotels, and seeing new places expands their sense of what is possible in their lives and teaches them life skills they will apply in adulthood.

In this interview, Shakeel shares his personal experience growing up without a father and candidly shares the challenges he faced. Shakeel explains his inspiration for creating the Inner City Ducks and how he sees the organization and its players growing in the years to come. Shakeel also tells us about the creative ways he is introducing his kids to new experiences and teaching them life skills while developing athletes hungry for success.

At the young age of 25, Shakeel volunteers four days a week to support the youth of his community as a coach, role model, and mentor through the Inner City Ducks. Shakeel’s vision for the organization is to serve 150+ boys and girls and to provide a community center where the kids can go after school to play, study, work out, and receive mentoring.

The Making of the “Miracle on Ice” - an Interview with Hockey Hall of Famer Lou Nanne

In arguably the greatest upset in sports history, the 1980 United States Olympic Hockey Team defeated the Soviet Union and then went on to clinch the gold medal against Finland. The sports world was shocked and the “Miracle on Ice” was complete.

In this interview, Lou Nanne, a key influencer of the team, takes us back nearly 40 years and tells the story of the 1980 “Miracle” team, his involvement in securing Herb Brooks as head coach, and how the team was best prepared to face the international competition through innovative practice routines and training methods.

Lou Nanne has been a leading figure in the hockey community for decades. Lou was captain of the 1968 United States Olympic Hockey Team. Later he played, coached, and served as general manager for the Minnesota North Stars. Lou is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame and the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame. He has also been awarded the Lester Patrick trophy for his impact on the sport of hockey.

The Transgender Champion - An Interview with Team USA's Chris Mosier

Chris Mosier has been a life-long athlete, becoming an All-American Duathlete, and earning a spot on Team USA in 2015. Globally recognized as “The Man Who Changed the Olympics,” Chris became the first known transgender man to make a United States Men’s National Team and challenged the International Olympic Committee’s policies on transgender participation at the international level. In this interview, Chris shares his personal journey of transition, his quest to remain a competitive athlete, and his advocacy work educating and campaigning for LGBTQ+ equality. Chris also provides advice for individuals who are questioning their identities, or interested in becoming an ally. In this interview, Chris discusses:

A growing passion in athletics, becoming a duathlete and triathlete, competing at the national and international levels, discovering transgender identity, college athletics, coming out to his athletic and personal community, experiencing male privilege, representing his country, social justice achievements, making the decision to transition, understanding your identity, phases of transitioning, transitioning in the professional workplace, changing the Olympics, hormone therapy, trans athletics, advocating for trans rights both in athletics and in life, how to be open to people who are transgender, and children exploring gender identity.

People, Organizations, and resources mentioned:

Renée Richards, Northern Michigan University, Team USA, Martina Navratilova, All-American Athletes, National Center for Civil and Human Rights, GoAthletes, LGBTQ+ Community, Olympics, BBC, New York Magazine, International Olympic Committee (IOC), transathlete.com, Laverne Cox, Michael Jordan, Nike (Unlimited Courage Ad)

“If any person of any age has the courage to tell you who they are, whether they’re a family member or a friend, know that the life that they were living in secrecy, or not being able to be honest about who they were, is probably harder than the life that they’re going to face. So while there are very real challenges, discrimination, violence and harassment against the trans community and the queer community, not being able to be who you know you really are is incredibly painful.”

Chris Mosier on being an ally to members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Find Chris on social media @TheChrisMosier and at www.thechrismosier.com. For more information on Transgender athletics, go to www.transathlete.com.

12 Geniuses Podcast

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