We believe that genuine success lies not in the outcome, but in the liberation from it and the presence of unbridled passion, authentic expression, and an inner peace that brings true fulfillment.
Winning Ways was born from a deep-rooted love for family, community, and sports. Yet, at its core, it's a celebration of humanity's relentless pursuit of excellence simply for the sheer joy it brings.
In a landscape often dominated by sports controversies and shortcomings, we commit ourselves to uncover the hidden treasures - those lesser-known athletic narratives that illuminate the human spirit and touch our hearts. Within these stories of inspiration resides the true soul of sports, reminding us of the pure love that initially drew us to play in the first place.
Embracing Youthfulness
For over three decades, Ron Cogdill poured his heart into molding himself into one of the nation's premier youth track and field coaches. As an elementary physical education teacher nestled in a rural Oregon farming community, his mission was clear: instill in young minds the significance of maintaining a healthy body through sweat and play.
Feeling confined within the limits of his gymnasium, Ron's aspirations and creativity led him to reimagine the space, converting sandpits into long jump pits, school hallways into hurdle training grounds, and crafting makeshift wooden starting blocks. Through these innovations, he consistently nurtured state and national champions year after year. Despite encouragement to advance to “higher levels”, he remained dedicated to instilling good habits from a young age, choosing to prioritize youth athletics until his own children pursued higher levels of competition.
Pursuing Joy
Growing up under her parents' imaginative and nurturing gaze, Brynn (Cogdill) Smith developed an early affinity for the liberating embrace of sports. Driven by a relentless pursuit of excellence, she chased every record within reach, reveling in the boundless freedom that sports afforded her. Guided by her eldest brother, she learned to compete alongside boys, finding solace in the camaraderie of supportive networks drawn to her genuine passion for self-improvement.
With a trail of accolades that saw her earn recognition as a four-sport Hall of Famer in high school, state champion, and a plethora of shattered records, Brynn ended her competitive athletic career as an All-American collegiate runner. Inspired by her father's legacy, she redirected her focus to nurturing young athletes, instilling in them not just physical prowess but also the importance of cultivating positive habits and resilient mindsets.
The Unique Struggles of Athletic Families
As Brynn transitioned from athlete to coach, she quickly realized that excelling in one didn't guarantee success in the other; coaching demanded mastery of an entirely different skill set. While she was fortunate to have mentors to turn to for guidance, she observed a scarcity of resources available to other coaches and parents, recognizing the potential harm that well-meaning individuals could inadvertently inflict on sports due to the lack of sound advice.
Moreover, upon becoming a parent herself, Brynn experienced firsthand the challenges parents face in balancing professional ambitions, health, and relationships while serving as pillars of strength and guidance for their children's athletic pursuits. Knowing the tragic loss of several talented athletes to suicide, she’s been struck by the urgent need to support athletic families.
Protecting the Joy of Sports for Every Sports Family
Determined to debunk the idea that love and winning are mutually exclusive, Brynn joined forces once more with her father to shake up the established norms. Drawing on her entrepreneurial network and her father's knack for nurturing champions with limited resources, they’ve set out to illuminate the pure essence of sports stories and impart their wisdom to young athletes and sports families.
Collaborating with world-class high-performance coaches in positive intelligence, change management, and neuroscience, Brynn has sought to unveil simple, science-backed tools and techniques she can tailor for busy parents. Her aim has been to not only cultivate high-performing families in sports but to instill a sense of joy, peace, and ease that transcends athletic achievement and permeates every aspect of life.
If you are a parent, coach, athlete, or sports fan, we invite you to join our mission to protect the joy of sports for current and future generations of sports families.
