David Benzel is the founder of Growing Champions for Life, a a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the youth sport experience in America by providing parents with positive strategies and practical tools for building cohesive families and principle-centered athletes.
He is an author, athlete, sport-family coach, and sought-after speaker for organizations nationwide. He brings an athlete’s discipline, a coach’s inspiration, and a parent’s practical experience to teach parents and coaches skills for succeeding in the athletic arena.
His fifteen years as a corporate leadership coach for companies like Nextel, Sprint, Allstate, Balfour Beatty, and The Villages established him as an expert in the principles of influence and coaching. And his ten years as a commentator for ESPN and the Outdoor Life Network provide his audiences with vivid insights about the challenges of sport. Perhaps most importantly, raising two elite-level athletes has given David boundless passion and hundreds of positive strategies for connecting with our athletic children.
Tom Kovic is the founder and President of Victory Collegiate Consulting, where he advises individual families and prospective student-athletes in developing and executing personal plans for the college search. Tom has helped place over 250 athletes with colleges and universities across America since launching Victory in 2006. Additionally, Kovic lectures nationwide and has presented on college athletics recruiting at USA Gymnastics National Congress, US National Lacrosse Convention, IECA National Convention and the New York State Athletics Directors Convention and more.
Tom is the author of Reaching for Excellence an educational guide for college athletics recruiting. In addition, he is a monthly contributor to numerous educational and sports publications in the areas of college recruitment and youth leadership. He is an active member of USA Gymnastics, the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the Independent Educational Consultants Association and US Lacrosse.
In 19 seasons as head coach of Gymnastics at The University of Pennsylvania, Tom Kovic led the Quakers to 8 Ivy League Team Championships (’91. ’92, ’94, 97, ’98, ’99, ’00, ’04) and 2 Eastern Conference Team Titles (’98, ’04). Subsequently, Coach Kovic was named ECAC coach of the year twice (’94, ’97) while being honored as NCAA regional coach of the year in 2004. Tom Kovic coached 34 individual Ivy League Champions, 8 ECAC Champions, 4 NCAA and 3 ECAC athletes of the year and over 160 NCAA Academic All-Americans.
A former two sport athlete and 4 year letter winner in Gymnastics and Track and Field at Temple University, Kovic was a 3 time NCAA gymnastics qualifier and Eastern Conference Champion. He was team captain of the 1977 Gymnastics squad and three-time MVP during his career at Temple. Tom Kovic qualified to the 1977 USA Championships and competed in several international competitions during his career.
Kovic, his wife Jennifer and their daughter Hannah reside in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.
James H. Jarrett has more than 35 years of experience. He attended instructional gymnastics classes as a young man; competed gymnastics in college while attaining his BS degree in Physical Education while also working full time as a gymnastics coach; married and parented 2 children that took instructional gymnastics classes as well as competed; coached gymnastics and managed programs for other owners; coached gymnasts from Parent & Tot classes to Olympic and world-caliber; USA Gymnastics National Team Coach; served on State, Regional, and National committees; presenter and clinician at State and National Congresses; and is celebrating ownership of a gymnastics business for 30 years, operating from one to six locations with as many as 3500 families enrolled. His goal is to help gymnasts, parents, coaches, and business owners navigate the many opportunities that gymnastics has to offer.
Dan Saferstein, Ph.D. is a Licensed Psychologist, working with individuals, coaches, teams, and athletic departments in his Ann Arbor-based practice. He is available as a consultant and speaker to universities, corporations, and organizations around the country. He is the author of WIN OR LOSE: A Guide to Sports Parenting, STRENGTH IN YOU: A Student-Athlete’s Guide to Competition and Life, and YOUR COACHING LEGACY.
Since its 1998 launch at Stanford University by Founder and CEO Jim Thompson, PCA has impacted more than 5 million youth athletes. PCA reaches youth and high school sport leaders, coaches, athletes, parents, and officials through partnerships with schools and youth sports organizations nationwide that comprise live workshops, online courses, Thompson’s books, e-communications, providing free Tips and Tools, and a free resource centerPCA Development Zone. For more information, click here.