2-4-1 Blog

October 31, 2025

Sports and Social Emotional Learning impacting school attendance

I am writing this on Halloween, so it is easy to talk about what is scary. For me it is not ghosts or costumes. It is kids not showing up to school. What if we could do two things at

September 30, 2025

Generational Impact through Sport

September 1, 2025

Labor Day Reflections: Taking the Work Out of Youth Sports

August 15, 2025

My Daughter, the Boy’s Football Coach

August 6, 2025

Still a Coach at Heart

One thing I’m coming to realize, maybe now more than ever, is that I’m ultimately a coach and a programmer at heart. I absolutely love being with the kids. Always have. From the time I was a young teacher-coach, I

July 26, 2025

It’s Hard to Believe We Have a National Day Named After 2-4-1

Sometimes I have to pinch myself when I think about it. Nearly 20 years ago, we came up with the tagline “Life’s 2 Short 4 Just 1 Sport” and not long after, the Aspen Institute’s original Project Play report recognized

July 23, 2025

The Surprising Joy of Chalking Up at 58

A few days ago, I got a card from my coaches at Override CrossFit that stopped me in my tracks. It started with, “Dear Steve, you embody what it means to ‘chalk up’ no matter where you are… you put

July 8, 2025

Play Is Not a Luxury. It’s a Human Right

I know I write about this a lot. But I still believe, deep in my bones, that we severely underestimate the power of play. Play can take many forms. In my world, we focus on play-based youth sports. Why? Because

July 4, 2025

From Character to Service: How Youth Sports Shaped My Leadership — COL Ryan T. Kranc

In 1992, 2-4-1 Co-Founders Steve and Kerry Boyle moved to Seattle and soon after, Steve took one of his first coaching jobs as head coach of the freshman soccer team at O’Dea High School. Among the players on that team

June 27, 2025

Children’s Anxiety Is Rising: I’ve Seen It Firsthand

Maybe We Can Do Something About It – Together! The percentage of children under 18 diagnosed with anxiety and depression has steadily increased from 2016 to 2022, according to data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, analyzed by researchers

May 29, 2025

Courage, Connection, and the Connecticut Sun

Earlier this year, I was looking for a meaningful field trip experience for the middle schoolers in our 2-4-1 Girls Leadership program. With women’s basketball absolutely blowing up—not just in Connecticut but across the country—I thought, why not give the girls

May 28, 2025

The Power of Partnerships: Why We Pass the Ball

I suppose it’s the old point guard in me. I’ve always thrived in team settings more than I ever did in individual pursuits. There’s something about collaboration—about moving in sync toward a shared goal—that just feels right. Maybe it’s because