The Lab Community: The Road Ahead
“Only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.” — Greg McKeown, Author of Essentialism
The Lab is meant to bridge ideas into practice and horizontally connect individuals across the sports industry. We are extremely passionate about the development of people and with the combination of sport — the ultimately duo to create authentic connections presents itself. In the midst of stay-at-home orders, many were found glued to their computers for most of the day, answering emails, jumping from zoom call to zoom call, and scrolling through Twitter and LinkedIn to stay informed.
That’s why The Lab was formed — to be a source of community, authentic conversation, and idea-sharing within the Athlete Development space. With that in mind, let’s see what we’ve done and where we are headed in 2021. Again, thank you for making this community special. We wouldn’t be here without your support and efforts. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out — happy to connect.
Talk soon,
Bryce Only (Co-Founder, Member — The Athlete Development Lab)
Studio Session #1
Date — June 11, 2020
The Athlete Development Lab Studio Sessions are designed to be an authentic and informal platform for members to share their perspectives, journeys, and best practices within their respective fields.
Our first Studio Session featured professionals across sports and tech who shared authentic insight on how they’ve created their own lane in sports and maintained success throughout their career.
Panelists included:
Sydney Anderson, Founder, Legacy Sports Management (@Sydneyinsports)
Derrick Thomas, Founder, ProShark Sports (@DT_32)
Omari DeBerry, Student-Athlete (Men’s Lacrosse), Ohio State University (@_ok24)
Tiffany Kelly, Founder & CEO, Curastory (@tiffmkell)
Jasmine McCrawford, Account Executive, MKTG (@JazzEmcee)
Moderated by: Bryce Only, Inside Sales, Los Angeles Dodgers (@theonlybryce94)
Studio Session 2.0
Date — June 24th, 2020
Nailah Waterfield: Senior Marketing Manager — Excel Sports Management| @Naielah
Chris Manhertz: Professional Athlete — Carolina Panthers | @C_Manhertz
Moderated By Layden Williams: Author & Entrepreneur — Forward Direction LLC | @LaydenWill
Studio Session: Special Edition
Date — July 15, 2020
About The Moderator (Corinne Milien)
As Co-Founder of The Winning Edge, Corinne is devoted to building diversity in sports business, media, and entertainment by nurturing the next generation of women and minority leaders.
After graduating from Bemidiji State University in 2010, with a degree in Sports Management she took her talents to Knoxville, Tennessee to serve as the legendary Pat Summit’s last graduate assistant and recruiting coordinator for the Tennessee Lady Vols women’s basketball team while earnings a masters in Sports Management.
The Winning Edge invites members of The Lab to join our Greenwoodx community where were connect underrepresented students to industry professionals for #OneConversation:
https://www.greenwoodx.org/join/winningedge
About The Panelist:
Ja’Mara Washington — Co — Founder and COO, Greenwoodx (Cisco)
Michele Aymold — Vice President of Marketing at Parker Dewey
Inside The Lab (Podcast)
First, I have the utmost respect for anyone who has started a podcast. The reason being the way my voice sounds on the audio recording is cringeworthy (maybe it’s just me). At any rate, the goal is to record and release 100 episodes from the Inside the Lab Podcast.
On the Inside The Lab podcast we interview advisors, investors, sports tech founders, and sports business leaders to unpack their journeys and paths to success. Our purpose is to pull out the life lessons, habits, and thought patterns of these people and share those with others who can use them in their lives and incorporate them into their professional journey.
Always open to suggestions for guest on the show!
What’s Next?
We’re kicking off 2021 with our Community Roundtable Series — a monthly event for The Lab Community where we flip the script and invite our community to share perspectives and insight on the hottest trends in sports, business, and technology. On February 4th, 2021, we’re coming to you live from Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida.
Sign up now to reserve your seat! The first 100 RSVP’s are automatically entered to win a giveaway as we kick off the event!
For more information on The Lab Community, visit www.thelabcommunity.com
We’re proud to partner with GamePlan U on this event, a leading sports technology hub connecting Startup Founders, Investors, and Career Seekers — learn more at www.gameplanu.org
The Lab is an evolving ecosystem, built for the community, by the community. We’re looking to make a couple of additions to The Lab Community team. Particularly, an individual that is passionate about the Athlete Development space and eager to learn. As well, we are taking request for potential sponsorships and partnerships for events and content moving forward. If interested, please feel free to reach out to either myself or Jarrod.
Bryce Only (e): bryce.only@thelabcommunity.com
Jarrod Barnes (e): jarrod.barnes@thelabcommunity.com
