Fmr. Twin Corey Koskie Launches Site To Improve Youth Sports
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- For nine years, Corey Koskie made an impact on the baseball diamond with his glove and his bat.
Now, the former Minnesota Twins third baseman is trying to make one with his laptop and his words. His new project aims to change the way we talk about youth sports.
Koskie got his real dream job after he retired from the majors -- coaching his kids.
"I have four boys and I've coached them all, and I've coached over 85 teams since I retired," he said.
What has mostly been a joyful experience has also had its frustrations. He has seen things that have concerned him. Namely, too much complaining and too much negativity from kids, from their coaches, from their parents.
So, he decided to do something about it.
"I just wanted to connect people … because we're living in such a connected society, but I see us becoming more and more disconnected," Koskie said. "I want to change the world, and I believe the way to change the world is through stories, and through other people's stories."
It is called Linklete, and it is a website that allows people to share positive experiences of life lessons learned through youth sports.
Koskie's the main writer, but also encourages submissions, from kids, from their coaches, from their parents -- promoting positivity.
"I had experiences, and I believe in the power of the story, and I believe that the stories have the power to change," he said. "And there's multiple times in my life where I was going down a certain road, and when somebody told me their story, I looked at it differently."
He is hoping it will give kids, well, hope. He hopes to inspire them and remind them that adversity is common in youth sports, and that it can actually a good thing.
"Stuff happens in youth sports that parents, kids don't know how to handle. And I want to build a platform in which it could be a reference for the parents and the kids to go to to help them go through some of the tough times in youth sports," Koskie said.