The Essential Guide for Parents of Athletes - What to Know, and What to Avoid.
Supporting or Pressuring: What Kind of Sports Parent are You?
Every parent wants their child to succeed, but in youth sports-where dreams are built and broken-the line between supporting and pressuring is razor thin. Which side are you on? Are you lifting your child up or weighing them down?
Raising Champions: A Parent's Role in Sports is your eye-opening resource. Written by a coach, father, and former athlete who has experienced both the sidelines and the stands while raising daughters who competed at the highest collegiate levels, this book reveals what kids truly need from their parents.
Are you navigating multi-sport participation versus early specialization, playing time questions, or the scholarship dream? Unsure when to interact with your child's coach, hire private trainers, or know when to push or when to step back?
This book will challenge, equip, and inspire you to become the parent your child truly needs. Trophies and wins will fade, but the impact you make during your child's athletic journey will last a lifetime.
Tom Topaum helps parents guide their children to thrive in sports and embrace every step of the athletic pursuit. A former professional baseball player in the minor leagues, he has coached athletes at the youth, high school, and college levels, earning recognition as a two-time Mt. Hood Conference Coach of the Year in Oregon. His coaching has been featured in The Oregonian for its impact both on and off the field.
A former law enforcement officer with 18 years of service, Tom now leads investigative operations for a Fortune 500 company and has built Raising Champions Media to help parents guide their children to succeed not only in sports but in life.
Topaum, John: - Tom Topaum has spent his life at the intersection of athletics, leadership, and mentorship. A former multi-sport athlete and professional baseball player in the San Francisco Giants minor league system, he has coached young athletes at every level-youth, high school, and college-while raising his own children to compete at the Division I and II college level.Tom's unique perspective comes from experiencing sports through multiple lenses: as an athlete, a coach, a parent, and the husband of a 20-year coach who has mentored athletes to succeed at all levels and currently coaches in a professional women's soccer development program. At the Topaum dinner table, conversations often revolve around ways to help athletes grow, strategies to raise the bar in the game, and insights on scouting and recruiting standout players.Tom has guided hundreds of athletes, many of whom have gone on to play at all levels of college and succeed both on and off the field. His experience, as a player, coach, father and spouse to a winning coach, gives him a deep understanding of the challenges young athletes face and what it takes to lead them to become the best versions of themselves.Guided by his faith in Christ, Tom approaches coaching, parenting, and leadership with a focus on character, resilience, and purpose. Beyond sports, he served in law enforcement for 18 years. He now leads critical investigative operations for a Fortune 500 company and is the founder of Raising Champions Media, www.raisingchampionsmedia.com, helping parents and athletes connect, learn, and grow through his book and coaching resources.
