My Story

Hi, I 'm Ally, a parent of 2 kiddos in college.   

I worked as an executive in Strategic Sales and Business Development for 25+ years, until my children’s sports and academic commitments forced my husband and me to make a decision about our work / life balance. We decided that it would be a good time for me to stay home and manage our kids' extremely busy schedules.  While it was a full-time job, the intensity quickly increased as the kids entered high school.  My kids were very committed to their respective sports, and they wanted to continue into college. My full-time job now had daily overtime. 

My family began the process of figuring out what college sports meant to us. There were so many questions running through our heads.  What kind of athletes do we have? Are our kids talented enough to play in college? Would we be able to continue to support them in the journey? What is the actual process? What was the best way forward? After all the research, phone calls, emails, conversations, etc., I was able to further understand what we were getting into and what this quest would entail. One of my kids went off to prep school in Connecticut, and the other was able to stay in a local private school that catered to athletes.

I was not alone as many of my peers were trying to navigate this path too. There were many walks, talks, zooms, and dinners sharing our notes on current experiences with teachers, administrators, coaches, college counselors, and advisors.  There was so much value in what I was hearing and learning. I found the information fascinating and I became a sounding board, the point person per se.  In the end, we all had different results for different reasons. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to participate in this process because it taught me strategies and tactics that can be shared to support other parents.  

After years of hard work on everyone's part, we have 2 NCAA athletes in the colleges of their dreams! My hope with “Parent Sports Ally” is to use my lived experiences, and those of my kids, to assist other parents of athletes who want to achieve a balance between sports, academics, and having a life!