Episode 86: Katie Wells (Mother of a senior...)

🎙️ A year and a half after appearing on one of the earliest episodes of the Youth $ports Podcast, Katie Wells returns and this time, the story hits differently. A LOT can change in a year and a half…

🔹 Back then, she detailed the jaw-dropping grind of her son’s lacrosse journey: 3-hour round trips to Cincinnati multiple times a week, coast-to-coast summer travel for showcases, tournaments, and camps… all leading up to “prime recruiting season.”

🔹 The goal? Division I lacrosse… but only under the right circumstances. 

🔹 Then came September 1st: the day college coaches can officially call recruits. The top players’ phones rang. Her son’s didn’t. “When he didn’t get that phone call, I think he kind of sunk into himself a little bit.”

🔹 Katie opens up about watching teammates receive calls and offers… and the very real imposter syndrome that can creep in for kids (and parents).

🔹 After the silence, her son stepped away completely. No travel ball. No tournaments. He didn’t pick up a lacrosse stick for three months.

🔹 Their family had always tried to stay realistic: lacrosse wasn’t about going pro. It was about opening doors, creating opportunity, and standing out in the college admissions process.

🔹 I asked Katie if she had regrets. Her answer was honest: “You don’t know what you don’t know.” No regrets — just lessons.

🔹 As he matured, priorities shifted. What felt urgent at 13 or 14 didn’t feel the same with a more developed perspective. Sometimes the “dream” evolves.

🔹 I pressed her on her initial gut reaction when her son decided to step away. Raw honesty: “Did I do enough?” The quiet voice of every sports parent wondering if they pushed too hard or not hard enough.

🔹 Once the recruiting pressure lifted, something unexpected happened: relief. No scanning the sidelines for the coach with the clipboard. No performance anxiety. Just joy in watching her kid play.

🔹 Katie shares a powerful story of another family whose identity was so wrapped in offers that when they didn’t come, everything unraveled. When the machine stops, what’s left?

🔹 One thing she does NOT regret: making every travel tournament about more than lacrosse. Family dinners. Exploring cities. Core memories. When someone once questioned why they were “doing all this,” she never let the sport become the only reason.

🔹 In one of the most poignant moments of the series, Katie reflects on how grateful she is that her son was the one who eventually drew the line and said “no.” She’s not sure she could have done it herself. Sometimes saying no becomes the cornerstone.

🔹 Senior night is coming. “You’ll have to peel me off the 50-yard line.” But through it all, she never wanted his identity tied to performance so that when the sport ended, he wouldn’t lose himself.

🔹 And when I asked what she’s most proud of about her son? She listed character traits, resilience, kindness, growth. You know what never came up? Lacrosse.

This episode is raw, honest, and required listening for youth sports parents navigating recruiting, identity, and the courage to pivot.