In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Rhett sits down with Ian Ritchie, father of Atlanta Braves first-round draft pick JR Ritchie.
But this episode is not about the draft.
It’s about everything that came before draft day. The practices most people never see. The early mornings and car rides home. The responsibility of coaching your own son while trying to stay dad first. Setting a higher standard without pushing too far. And learning that two brothers can want very different things and both deserve to be supported.
Ian shares what it was like coaching JR while also raising Dallas, a talented athlete who ultimately chose to step away from sports. He talks honestly about identity, expectations, community-based development on Bainbridge Island, and the uncomfortable growth that comes from putting your child in difficult environments.
This episode speaks to parents who are trying to find the line between pushing and supporting. Between holding the standard and protecting the relationship.
Because sometimes surviving youth sports has less to do with trophies and more to do with perspective.
Subscribe
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
Watch on YouTube
Guest Resources
No guest resources were discussed in this episode.
Key Takeaways
You can’t live your athletic journey through your kids.
Your role is support, not projection.
Coaching your own child requires constant adjustment.
Holding them to a higher standard can build resilience, but tone and delivery matter.
Every sibling experience is different.
One child may chase the dream. Another may walk away. Both deserve full support.
Uncomfortable environments reveal character.
Sitting on a bucket and cheering can teach more than being the star.
When it’s over, it’s over.
The 8 a.m. rainy games are the moments you’ll miss most.
Soundbites
“Until they get smacked in the face with it, then they’ll go, oh that’s what you’re talking about.”
“If you’re not holding yourself to a higher standard and I’m not holding you to that, then who’s going to do it?”
“I just love being part of it.”
“When it’s gone, it’s gone.”
“Make those car rides home better than some of the ones JR and I had.”
Final Reflection
Youth sports has a way of magnifying everything. Success. Failure. Pride. Frustration.
But beneath the rankings and the travel schedules, this conversation reminds us that what lasts is not the stat line. It is the relationship.
Call to Action
Subscribe and follow the show so you don’t miss Part 2 of this conversation with Ian Ritchie.
If this episode resonates, share it with a parent who is in the middle of the ride right now.
And as always, keep on surviving youth sports.
Devon Brown on Burnout, Rankings, and Letting Kids Own Their Journey
This week on Surviving Youth Sports, Rhett sits down with coach, parent, endurance athlete, and fitness business owner Devon Brown for an honest conversation about burnout, pressure, rankings, recruiting, and what happens when youth sports starts taking over family life. Devon shares what it’s like ...
Matt Dumouchelle on Why Winning Too Early Can Hurt Development
Matt Dumouchelle joins Surviving Youth Sports to talk about youth hockey, athlete development, parenting, and the pressure surrounding modern youth sports culture. Matt is a contributor for The Coaches Site, host of Coaching Crossover, and someone deeply involved in helping youth sports organization...
Alonzo & Logwone Mitz: Discipline, Legacy, and Letting Kids Find Their Own Path
Alonzo Mitz and Logwone Mitz join Surviving Youth Sports as the show’s first father-son duo, bringing two different generations of football, parenting, and perspective into one conversation. Alonzo shares his journey from Florida to the University of Florida and the Seattle Seahawks, while Logwone r...
Derek Bingham: The Hard Part of Coaching Other People’s Kids While Raising Your Own
Derek Bingham joins Surviving Youth Sports for a personal conversation about what it really looks like to coach, parent, and stay present in the middle of a busy sports life. As the longtime head baseball coach at Lake Washington High School, Derek has spent more than two decades helping other peopl...
Jason Collinsworth: When Youth Sports Stops Being Fun
Jason Collinsworth, host of the I Hate Soccer Podcast , joins the show to talk about a question more families are starting to ask but don’t always say out loud: When did youth sports stop being fun? After more than 20 years of coaching and working closely with players and parents, Jason has seen the...
Drew Reiners: We Paid for Perfection — The Reality Behind Youth Sports Tournaments
Drew Reiners, founder of West Coast Premier Tournaments, joins Rhett Parker to unpack a side of youth sports that rarely gets talked about. With nearly two decades of experience running large-scale baseball events, Drew shares what it actually takes to organize tournaments that thousands of families...
Brandon Harmon: The Youth Sports Blender
Brandon Harmon is a college baseball coach at Gonzaga, a dad of three, and right in the middle of what he calls the youth sports blender. Something every day. Practices. Games. Car rides. Repeat. In this conversation, he and Rhett Parker talk through what that actually looks like. The nonstop schedu...
Andrew Walling: Who Are You Without the Game?
At one point, Andrew Walling was at the top. Throwing mid-90s. Big opportunities. A path that looked like it was only going one way. Then it didn’t. Injuries, pressure, and the weight of expectations started to take over. Confidence slipped. The yips showed up. And for the first time, he questioned ...
Marc Wiese: The Game Ends, The Relationships Don’t
Rhett sits down with longtime coach and mentor Marc Wiese, whose career spans youth baseball, high school state championships, college programs, and USA Baseball. Having coached his own sons and thousands of players along the way, Marc brings a perspective shaped by both success and reflection. This...