The Story Behind ELEVATE

I’ve always been a shy person. Which is why I was extremely terrified on that first day when I walked into that gym in Pickering not as a basketball player, but as a skills and development coach. Six nervous seventh and eighth graders stared up at me, unsure of what to expect on this first day. I had spent a lot of time planning what to teach them that day, but still, I’m certain I was more nervous than they were.

I would never have agreed to take this job if I had known from the beginning that I would have been doing it all on my own. See, I was working under a brand new organization called Dream Big that summer which was founded by a confident and charismatic man named Benton Grant. Coach Benton coached my younger brother’s club team at the time and was very passionate about helping kids not only on the basketball court, but in the classroom as well. He had informed me that Dream Big was founded to do just that. I agreed to join, thinking that working along side him would be an ideal first job for me. But it wasn’t until a day or two before the camp was to begin that I learned that I would be running the entire basketball portion on my own. I was terrified. That is, until we actually got started.

As that first day went on, I began to realize more and more that I actually knew what I was doing. I taught, I directed, I demonstrated. And by the end of it, I walked away proudly knowing that I had helped a group of kids to improve.

The following summer I decided to do the same thing, but this time, not as a member of Dream Big. That summer I began running my own business; ELEVATE Athletic Development. I began by training my younger brother and a few of his friends and as that summer went on, my group of athletes began to grow. I began to form bonds with each of those players and started wanting to see them succeed as much as I wanted my own brother to. I started attending each of their games and gave them advice about things both on and off the court. Essentially, I became a big brother to them as well.

As wonderful as this is, it’s also what makes going away to school a challenge every August. I not only have to leave my family, but my group of adopted brothers as well. Perhaps the toughest part is not being able to watch, mentor and support them during their high school seasons. I don’t get to see them play in their most intense games of the year. I don’t get to see them knock down crucial shots or throw down thunderous dunks and hear the roar of the crowd when they do. They work extremely hard with me all summer for those moments and sometimes its tough to not get to see their hard work pay off in person. But I still make sure to remain in contact with them throughout the school year and encourage them to send me whatever video footage they can get their hands on.

But being a member of the men’s basketball team at Memorial University has definitely benefitted myself and ELEVATE more than it hasn’t. As my role on the team has increased, so has my confidence as a trainer. The more that I learn from my Coach, the more I can teach my athletes. The more I am depended upon to be a leader there, the better I can lead here. The list of pros for being a Seahawk is almost endless but perhaps my favourite is the amazing support I’ve been receiving from my peers. I am completely blown away by how encouraging everyone has been. I distribute clothing with the ELEVATE logo and I am absolutely astounded by how many people now proudly wear ELEVATE attire. It brings a huge smile to my face every time I walk around campus and see someone with the wings spread across their chest or hear someone call out “ELEVATE!” to me in the distance.

As much as I love training my ELEVATE Athletes, I am not interested in head coaching a team. I’m not overly interested in team strategy beyond a player’s standpoint and I would be especially terrible at managing substitutions. With me as the head coach, everyone would receive equal playing time and we would probably not be very successful. No, I am not interested in being a head coach. But I am extremely passionate about seeing others grow and improve. Seeing someone begin to gain confidence and believe in themselves more and more, seeing their smile and the look of satisfaction on their face when they finally get a new move down, seeing them execute said move in a game and then come up to me and say “Austin did you see that??” Those are moments I truly look forward to. I am a basketball player first and foremost. I set very high performance goals for myself that I work towards daily. But I am also passionate about inspiring others.

I was once someone who had very low confidence but once I learned to believe in myself, its as if everything has changed. I want to show others that with belief and hard work, they too can accomplish their goals. Austin Check out my video series, Creating Talent, to follow the development of some of my players: