Game Changers with the Grand Rapids Rise

Cathy George, head coach of the Grand Rapids Rise joins us to discuss Game Changers - an event connection middle and high school students with professional athletes. 

More information can be found here: https://provolleyball.com/game-changers

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Grand Rapids Rise. That's your professional volleyball team that
plays right there at Van Adel Arena, who I believe
start practice this week. Are doing something in a week
called game Changers again, and the head coach of the
Grand Rapids Rise, Kathy George, is on the line with
us to tell us more about it. Coach, thanks for
doing this today.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Absolutely glad to be here. Thank you.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
So talk to us a little bit about what's going
on next week. It's a free event, right brought to
you by Lake Michigan Credit Union, another great sponsor. But
what can we expect and who should be there?

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Oh, we're so excited. This is the second year for
Game Changers and it's a field trip for middle school girls,
and we started it last year with the idea of,
you know, helping build into the young people as they're
kind of navigating this time and when they're starting to
kind of like grow into themselves and helping them kind
of think about confidence and finding gifts and really you know,

(00:56):
just expanding themselves and keeping their minds on the things
with Streuss and anxiety and those other things that we're
going to cut touch on.

Speaker 3 (01:02):
Kathy having a daughter who as a junior in high school,
participates in sports, and being a youth coach for both
boys and girls. I appreciate this what made you come
up with this concept and doing this because I love
when professional athletes and coaches use the platform they have
to give back. And there's so many great topics you're
going to discuss in this absolutely well.

Speaker 2 (01:22):
Really, my heart goes out to all these young people
that are, you know, in a whole different world than
when I grew up, with social media and all this
judgment and people you know, kind of struggling to find
exactly what their gifts are. I want them to feel
the confidence and understand, you know that we can get
pulled in wrong directions that can can kind of detour

(01:44):
us from what our pats really could be in the future.
So I just want to have them identify with our
athletes who have all been through it as well and
are a little younger than the parents and the you know,
people like me, but but you know that have identified
with that and have through and been able to do
some great things in their life, and to encourage everybody

(02:05):
through this process.

Speaker 4 (02:06):
So this is the Game Changes event is coming up
December fifteenth at Vanandel Coach George on the line with us.
What does it mean to specifically be talking to this
female audience, especially to see women in not just sports
but sports leadership.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
Yeah, because I think, I mean, the world is you know,
I mean, there's so much out there and everybody has
something that they're special and that's my belief. And so
it's you know, our players have been able to identify
what they do really well, and not just sport, but
other things. And it's just like, how do you recognize
some of these tells earlier in your life and how
do you kind of build into them and grow to

(02:44):
maximize yourself in a way that you know is you know, productive,
and it's kind of focused on some great things in
the future and just enjoying this time and recognizing strong
and healthy relationships and all those types of things.

Speaker 3 (03:00):
Coach, I wanted to get a volleyball question in there,
because you know, the time is now, Like Steve mentioned,
you got practice starting everything about a month away from
the first game for the Rise. But we've seen a
whole change over in the offseason major League Volleyball, a
new franchise coming in. You all layers and you guys
are turned over your roster we had the draft. How
do you feel about this year's Rise team?

Speaker 2 (03:20):
Pretty good. We started last week, so we've had a
full week of practice right now, and we've welcomed a
lot of new faces in along with some old faces,
and you can just feel it's more settled, right, like
we all know what's going to happen and just the
progression of things, and it's just a lot it's more sound,
and you know, the growth of the league indicates that

(03:42):
as well, as we're welcoming in three new teams next
year to get this whole league to eleven, which is amazing.
And it just seems like in every area things are
settled and you're now knowing how to go through it
and then how to build from it and what you expect. Coach,
It's great.

Speaker 1 (03:58):
I love the picture that's on the website that shows
a full van Adel arena of young women just leaning
on their seats to what you have to hear next?
What is the overarching thing that you think young women
need to hear when it comes to sports? Not everybody.

(04:19):
If you get around coach George, like we've been blessed
to do, she makes you feel good about yourself. I
thought after our meeting that maybe I should try some
cool sports at my agent decide it is not a
good idea, but what girls need to hear and what
can all of us do a better job with?

Speaker 2 (04:37):
Well, I think that it's really I always say this
to my players as well, is that you don't have
to do it the same as somebody else. Find the
way you do it and do it the best you can,
and you'll find a way to succeed. And I think
sometimes we try to imitate or compare ourselves to others,
where really, you know, you can blessom finding your own way.
I'm a five nine side hitter, but you know there's

(04:58):
players on our team that are so two they're gonna
find ways to be successful different than I would have to.
So I think it's just really recognizing how you can
do things and not letting anything hold you back.

Speaker 1 (05:10):
You will get the link in the podcast section atwoodradio
dot com to find out how to get involved with
Game Changers. Head coach at the Grand Rapids Rise, Kathy
George coach, thanks for doing this again today, so fun.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. You guys have
a great day, and

Speaker 1 (05:26):
You thus saying