High school sports are at a crossroads. Research in recent years has established the cognitive, academic, physical and mental health benefits of participation and exercise. Yet only 39% of high school students play school sports and participation rates are even lower in urban (32%), high-poverty (27%) and charter (19%) schools.
The need to identify strategies and models that meet the interests of more students has only grown during the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought school sports to a standstill. Superintendents, principals, athletic directors, physical education teachers and coaches will need to innovate like never before as they re-introduce programs, with heightened priority given to access, equity and emotional health.
SPEAKERS
TAYLOR TWELLMAN
SOCCER ANALYST
ESPN
Taylor Twellman, a former U.S. Men’s National Team player and Major League Soccer MVP with the New England Revolution, is ESPN’s lead soccer analyst. He serves as lead match analyst for Major League Soccer, U.S. Men’s National Team matches and the UEFA European Football Championship, as well as the lead soccer voice on ESPN studio shows including Get Up and the network’s flagship program SportsCenter.
A highly recruited multi-sport athlete who lettered in football, basketball, soccer and baseball at St. Louis University High School, Twellman chose to play soccer at the University of Maryland on an athletic scholarship. He was named a second-team All-America as a freshman in 1998 and finished as a runner-up for the Herman Trophy – awarded to the top college soccer player in the country – in his sophomore season (1999) before leaving college to play professional soccer.
After his playing career was cut short by repeated concussions, Twellman has dedicated himself to generating awareness about the dangers of concussions and head injuries, particularly in soccer. He provides athletes and their families with relevant information and support for incidents of sports-related concussion through the THINKTAYLOR Foundation and has become a sought-after speaker and facilitator at conferences and seminars, focusing on increased awareness among youth players.
KARISSA NIEHOFF
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF STATE HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATIONS (NFHS)
Dr. Karissa Niehoff assumed her position in August 2018, becoming the sixth full-time NFHS executive director and the first female to lead the organization. Prior to the NFHS, she served as the executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference for seven years. Niehoff has worked in public education and athletics since 1989 as a teacher of physical education, health and Latin; K-12 Wellness/Exercise Science Department Coordinator; coach of multiple varsity sports; athletic director; middle school assistant principal and high school principal. She served for four years on the Education Committee of the United States Olympic Committee, acting as U.S. delegate to International Olympic Academies in Greece and Canada and representing the USOC at numerous national conventions, conferences and educational programs. Niehoff was co-founder and Dean of the "Passing the Torch" Academy For Youth Sport Leadership, a USOC initiative to promote leadership and the spirit of Olympism within the realm of youth sport.
NATALIE RANDOLPH
FORMER HS FOOTBALL COACH; DIRECTOR OF EQUITY, JUSTICE & COMMUNITY and TITLE IX COORDINATOR
SIDWELL FRIENDS SCHOOL
Natalie Randolph began her tenure as the director of Equity, Justice & Community (EJC) in July 2019. Before working at Sidwell Friends, she served as the senior women’s administrator and Title IX coordinator at the DC State Athletic Association from 2016 to 2019. Prior to this work, she was an educator with DC Public Schools for 11 years teaching environmental science, biology, and physical science. During her tenure with DC Public Schools, she also served as one of the first female head football coaches in the country at Calvin Coolidge High School. Prior to teaching, Natalie served as an environmental education coordinator for the DC Department of Public Works from 2003 to 2005. Natalie received her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sciences and a master’s in Education Policy from the University of Virginia. Natalie graduated from Sidwell Friends in 1998 and is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award.
JIMMY LYNCH
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS
THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA
Jimmy Lynch is the executive director of athletics for the Philadelphia Public School district for the past four years. He has been an athletic director for over 10 years in Boston and Philadelphia at both Catholic and public schools, and currently serves in a district-level position in a large urban public-school district. In addition, Lynch also serves as the Section 2 Representative to the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Board of Directors, which covers all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Lynch earned his undergraduate degree in Sociology from Saint Joseph’s University, a master’s degree in Sport Management from Neumann University, and currently is working toward the final stages of a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and Athletic Administration from Drexel University. His dissertation focuses on how athletic programs can be used as a catalyst for increasing access and opportunities for youth in urban areas.
