Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Horwitz.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In 1989 I offered to provide medical coverage for a youth track and field meet with 700 kids. I was the only medical provider at the event. Boy, was I in for a shock. I showed up with my black “Marcus Welby” doctor’s bag and was woefully unprepared for the onslaught of injuries and questions from parents and coaches. It quickly taught me to get rid of the black bag and purchase a real trainer’s kit. It also taught me how unprepared the administrators, coaches, and parents were for medical emergencies.
That year I was invited to become an instructor for a course called Care and Prevention of Athletic Injuries in the Montgomery County School System in Maryland. I taught a small portion of the course for about 15 years and then became the co-chairperson of the course for the next 9 years. I learned that coaches realize the importance of being able to care for injuries, but in the end, just want to coach. Again, without this information, they are completely unprepared. Unfortunately, this course was only required when the coach first started and no updates were required.
Fast forward to my family’s move to Texas. I called on youth sports organizations and offered to teach CPR and basic sports first aid. Most said, “no, we do not have the time or the money for this.” I was again shocked and frankly, appalled by this attitude.
We enrolled my son in the local soccer league and I became a coach and board member. Again, I saw how unprepared everyone was for an on the field injury. My team was safe and the team we were playing was safe, but what about the other 15 games going on at the same time? After all the years of sideline coverage and education, not much seemed to have changed in the area of safety. If anything, it got worse because of the multitude of communication tools people used.
This lead to the idea of putting all this information in an app and a course. It really did not make sense to me to require coaches to take a course if they did not have immediate access to information like emergency contacts and each child’s medical information.
Things like the “concussion protocol” are so confusing, most in the medical profession do not know what to do.
Has it been a smooth road?
No, it has not been a smooth road. App design and development has been a huge learning curve, both in time and money. We released our program one month ago and selling it has been a challenge. People say they are concerned about the safety of their kids, but think that either “it won’t happen to them” or they’ve “got it covered.” Both could not be further from the truth.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with TeamSafe™ – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Our Mission: At TeamSafe™ we love youth sports and watching our kids grow while they play. Our mission is to create a culture of safety and community of preparedness in the world of youth sports. How? By listening to our users and creating a patent-pending, mobile, real-time system of standardizing documentation, coordinating communication, establishing oversight, and delivering education. We want our parents to have peace of mind, allow our coaches to “just coach”, give administrators the essential risk management tools to run a successful program.
We all assume that when we drop off our child(ren) at practice that they will be safe, that there is a person present who knows what to do in an emergency medical situation.
What if that is not the case? Lack of preparedness is the current reality in youth sports where the assumptions “it won’t happen to us” and “we don’t need a safety plan” are too often made.
The first 5-7 minutes post-serious injury is the make or break time. Speed and accuracy of response are critical for a positive outcome. Our application solves for the lack of preparedness via a patent-pending, mobile technology designed for the lay person – the parents, coaches, officials, and administrators who mostly volunteer and simply love to watch the kids play. The app provides a system of documentation, communication, education, and oversight that gives parents peace of mind, allows the coach to “just coach,” and provides a risk mitigation system for the sports organization. The TeamSafe™ Coach Safety Certification Course teaches coaches exactly how to respond to an on-the-field emergency with up-to-date, referenced guidelines. Our mission is to create a culture and community of safety in the world of youth sports.
Our program is unique in that we make it easy to implement (designed for the lay person), cost effective, and answer all the preparedness requirements for safe youth sports.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Best: Living on Lake Ray Hubbard. Least: The Cowboys, I am a Giants Fan!
Pricing:
- Our program is $5.00 per child per registration period (season). The organization purchases the program. The safety course is free to the coach.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.teamsafesports.com
- Phone: 800-400-4995
- Email: info@teamsafeapp.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teamsafesports
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/teamsafesports
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/10835563/
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
