SPAN Athletics

02/21/2026

🎙️ New Episode Alert 🚨

RED-S or Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport is one of the most underrecognized threats to young athlete health and performance, and it's something we're seeing more and more at SPAN Athletics.

That's exactly why this conversation with McConville hit so close to home. Rebecca is one of the leading voices in the country on RED-S, and her depth of knowledge in this space is truly unmatched.

From recognizing the early warning signs of underfueling to understanding the full physiological cascade it creates. Rebecca brings the clinical expertise and real-world experience that every provider, coach, parent, and athlete needs to hear.

I'll be honest, this episode was as much a refresher for me as it was content for our community.

RED-S is complex, evolving, and having trailblazers like Rebecca pushing the education forward is exactly what our athletes need. 💪

🎓 Want to go deeper?

Rebecca has created the REDs Informed Provider Certification — the first-of-its-kind course designed for anyone who works with athletes. Whether you're a dietitian, coach, physical therapist, or clinician, this course will help you:

✅ Recognize and screen for RED-S in your athlete population
✅ Understand the organ-by-organ physiological impact of underfueling
✅ Build assessment tools tailored to your practice setting
✅ Know when RED-S crosses into eating disorder territory — and how to navigate it

👉 Learn more and enroll: beccamcconville.com/the-reds-provider-masterclass/

If you're working with young athletes, coaching a team, or a parent trying to support your athlete — start with this episode.

🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/season-3-episode-5-red-s-energy-deficiency-nutrition/id1824742493?i=1000749990286

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0YRgij5gHu9aWWinvhKWQp?si=u3HZvrqoRheV4TeMTp4N7A

▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/wYC0bxjAtaU?si=XCW4bfbmYzPbPSFU

Let's keep our athletes fueled, healthy, and performing at their best. 🏆

In this episode, we dive into one of the most overlooked challenges in youth sports—Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S)—and its impact on health, gro...

02/13/2026

Is “food as medicine” the future?

In this week’s episode, host Stacy Bates sits down with Mike Lee, , a leader in food innovation and sustainability, to unpack the trends that are actually shaping what—and how—we eat.

From the power of biodiversity and soil health to the rise of AI in agriculture, this conversation dives into how science, tech, and sustainability are creating a healthier planet and smarter nutrition systems.

Tune in to learn how to spot real movements vs. passing food fads, how data is transforming farming, and why the next generation may hold the keys to our global food future.

If you care about the intersection of health, sustainability, and technology, this episode is your roadmap to what’s next.

Listen now on all streaming platforms!


🎙️ Listen here →
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gYMNSDRF
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gkMRTnnJ
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gBMD8Crc

02/06/2026

“You look tired.”

Nope. Pretty sure this is just my sports mom face now.

I have kids who basically live at the ball field.

Fueled by coffee, concession stand dinners, and whatever’s left of my voice after yelling “Let’s gooo!” for the 900th time this weekend. 😂🤷‍♀️😜

Tag a sports mom who’s permanently exhausted but wouldn’t trade it for anything. 💕🥎🏀⚽️🏈🥎⚾️🎾🏐🏉🏒🥍🥊🏅⛳️🙌

Stacy Bates
Lindsay Werkhoven Patrick

02/04/2026

As our kids inch closer to adulthood, youth sports has to become their journey…not ours.

If your 17‑year‑old is starting to say, “I want to step back from this,” it’s not automatically quitting or being lazy.

It’s actually them practicing a critical life skill: choosing what fits their interests, values, and limits. That’s how they build real autonomy and confidence, not just rack up activities.

Saying yes to one thing and no to another teaches them how to manage time, energy, and stress. All skills they’ll need when you’re not there to sign the forms, pay the fees, and rearrange the family schedule.

And honestly, I’d rather my teen learn from “small” mistakes now (like overcommitting or dropping an activity) while I’m still here to support, guide, and debrief with them.

When we give our older athletes a real voice in these decisions, we’re saying: “I see you as an emerging adult. I respect you. I trust your judgment.” That respect keeps communication open far more than pressuring them to power through something they no longer love.

You can still hold firm on non‑negotiables like work ethic, discipline or other core family values. But inside those guardrails, letting them decide which sports and activities they lean into or step away from is one of the best “training grounds” for adult life.

And if they’re not asking to quit everything, just one sport or team, it’s a pretty good sign they’re using thoughtful judgment, not just taking the easy way out.

01/21/2026

Life has a way of testing our endurance.

The miles get long, the hills get steep, and sometimes our stride feels heavy.

But Isaiah reminds us that our strength was never meant to come from ourselves.

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength…”

We weren’t made to run this race alone.

God infuses power into our weakness and courage into our fatigue. When our eyes lift upward instead of inward, He steadies our steps and renews our purpose.

Whether you’re facing a challenge, chasing a dream, or simply trying to make it through the day, remember: your strength is not running out, it’s being renewed.

Keep running your race, the one God has set before you, with faith as your finish line. 🕊️

01/19/2026

We are ready … Texas A&M Baseball ⚾️



https://www.facebook.com/share/r/17b7LV21oQ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

01/19/2026

I sat recently watching a game where one kid sat at the very end of the bench.

He never checked in.
Never took a shot.
Never heard his name called.

But still, he changed everything.

He was on his feet for every big play.
He was clapping, calling out encouragement, riding every shot like it was his own.

You could feel his energy, even though he never stepped on the court.

He knew the truth: he wasn’t going to play that night. And it didn’t rattle him.

Because he wasn’t there for minutes. He was there for the team.

His presence mattered.
His energy mattered.
His attitude mattered.

This is where so many of us get it backwards. We think our position should shape our attitude.

We tell ourselves, “Once my role changes, then I’ll bring the effort, the buy‑in, the joy.”

But your position doesn’t determine your attitude. Your character does.

Character shows up whether the spotlight finds you or not.
Character encourages when there’s nothing to gain.
Character knows that being part of the team is bigger than being seen.

And here’s the hard truth: teams, families, businesses, and churches rarely fall apart because they lack talent or care. They fall apart when people stop showing up with the right heart when they aren’t the one being featured.

That kid didn’t change the scoreboard. But he changed the team environment.

And that kind of impact always matters more than most people realize.