You don’t have to know me well to know how much I love sports. Playing. Watching. Discussing.
Why do you think my littlest pup is named Dallas ? ?
You also don’t have to know me well to know how passionate I am about breaking stigmas and having the uncomfortable conversations. Mental Illness. Grief. Substance Abuse. Violence. The list is endless.
You might have to know me a little better to know my vision about combining the above two things: sports, rather athletes, and breaking stigmas.
I have been on a personal quest to connect with athletes who are open about their own mental health stories -
On today’s episode of The Be Ruthless Show, I have two very special guests: Doug Cornfield and Dave Clark of The Disability, Dream, and Do (D3Day) Sports Camps and Pulling Each Other Along.
Doug Cornfield is an author, speaker, and former college athlete. He is the director of the Disability, Dream, and Do (D3Day) sports camps, created with Dave Clark. In college, he was a top contender in track and field, and a scholarship athlete at the University of Georgia. His professional experience includes time spent in both the family entertainment industry and as a senior financial advisor for Merrill Lynch. More recently, he partnered with Dave Clark to organize their company and run D3Day events, where the duo create opportunities for children and young adults with special needs to interact with professional sports players and compete with no limitations.
Dave Clark is a remarkable pro baseball player who has overcome tremendous odds to achieve his dreams. Born in 1952 in the small town of Corning, NY, Dave was diagnosed with polio at 10 months. This left him with a permanent disability and he could only walk with crutches and braces. Despite this challenge, Dave was determined to pursue his love for sports and began playing at a young age.
Dave faced many obstacles, including exclusion from participating in elementary school phys-ed, baseball leagues, and more due to his perceived limitations. However, he refused to let this hold him back. With the help of his parents’ pursuits of the Little League HQ leaders, Dave was allowed to play. And play he did.
Despite facing skepticism, Dave continued to work hard and proved himself on the field which led to a 17 year minor league playing career and 55+ years in pro sports as a coach, owner, manager, speaker, author, and disability advocate.
Dave is a 3 time Championship manager in Sweden, Atlanta Braves pitching coach, Olympic Coach, and he still owns the famous Indianapolis Clowns.
https://pullingeachotheralong.com/
https://peoacollective.com/