Message From the Founder

My family has the "fat" gene. Both of my parents struggled with weight issues throughout their entire lives. Thankfully, they raised me from an early age to combat this problem through participation in physical activities.

Not only did I inherit the "fat gene", I also inherited "the short gene". Growing up in the 70's that made me an unlikely candidate for "organized sports" - defined in those days as football, basketball, baseball and possibly soccer. Like many others, I was only introduced to a few sports - the ones that my friends and schoolmates played and the ones that we watched on TV. Early on I tried baseball and then soccer. But I was lucky! One day in eighth grade, after a demanding three hour workout in Phys Ed class, the high school track coach approached me. Noticing that I was barely winded by the workout, he dared me to run in the high school's three-mile race the following week. Being young, naīve, and competitive, I took him up on the dare. Not only did I finish the race, but I won a medal. By chance, I had found my sport. Running changed my life. I competed in track for the next 10 years.

My parents, firm believers in the "a sound body creates a sound mind" principle, were staunch supporters of all my endeavors. They made sure I created a proper balance by studying and also playing sports. I know they were proud when I proved them right by getting top grades throughout school, successfully pursuing a sport I loved, and by eventually winning my university's "Scholar-Athlete" Award.

Not only do I continue to run today, I compete in triathlons. The keen eye of that high school coach, my early upbringing, and my own personal experience with sports played a large part in establishing the goals on which I have built my career. When it came time to develop a business, I asked myself, what could I do to assure that others would find the sports that were right for them? How could I support the "sound body - sound mind" principal instilled in me by my parents?

In 2002, I founded Sports Potential, Inc. to provide kids (and adults) with comprehensive information about physical exercise and participation in sports, and more importantly, with a goal to empower each Sports Potential customer to take some action - play a sport - any sport - in a school setting or in the gym - organized or recreational.

I designed The Sports Potential Assessment, working with national governing bodies, professional and amateur sports organizations, bio-statisticians at Stanford and noted sports psychologists, to give each Assessment participant positive feedback on their athletic strengths, ways to improve their weaknesses and information about the number of sports (not just one or two, but ten, fifteen, or twenty) that would best leverage their natural abilities and interests.

At Sports Potential, we maintain a single belief, a core tenet - "that everyone is good at something". Yes, it's a simple thought, but a powerful one.

I invite you to discover your own sports potential. And when you find a sport you enjoy - pursue it - join me and countless others. Participation in sports can improve your health, improve your life and, yes, improve your body, even if you also happen to possess the fat gene...

Steven J. Spinner
Founder
Sports Potential, Inc.