Page 15 - Graypvine November 2021

Dan says his favorite part of being the TriClub’s in Sports” study, and St. Louis Post Dispatch.
head coach is working with non-athletic kids and On his own time, Dan models the behaviors
then seeing them cross the finish line. he teaches and participates in triathlons. He’s
“It’s very rewarding to see them do what they completed the Louisville Iron Man twice, in 2015
thought they could not do,” said Dan. “We have and 2017. To see more photos and watch videos of
high school kids from all kinds of backgrounds: kids the High School TriClub, please visit https://www.
with Down Syndrome, Asperger’s and next year hstriclub.org/.
a student with one leg. Secondly, it’s very special
to me when kids in college send me notes about
their athletic accomplishments. We have many
graduates from the program now coming back and
volunteering to assist me with our growing group.”
Dan pointed out several statistics about student
athletes, and thinks that sticking to school sports 15
can set kids up for healthy lifestyles and an
awareness of wellness throughout their lives.
• Approximately 70% of kids who participate in
youth sports drop out by the age of 13.
• By age 14, female athletes drop out of sports
at 1.5 times the rate of males.
• By age 17, more than half of girls will quit
playing sports altogether.
• 75% of kids who play sports in grade school
do not play in high school.
Sources: National Alliance for Sports, Gatorade “Girls