Bigger than Sports: ARHS grad Ian Waite starts non-profit to help high school athletes move to the next phase of their lives

ARHS grad, multi-sport athlete, and 19-year-old Ian Waite loves sports. Growing up as an athlete, he played basketball, baseball, and cross country; however, as he entered college. he experienced the challenge of stepping away from the sports he loved. But this journey also inspired him to establish a great new non-profit organization called Bigger than Sports.

Waite, now majoring in social entrepreneurship, said that when student-athletes transition away from a sports-centered identity, they feel adrift, because sports have dominated their lives. There are scarce resources provided to help students in this switch.

Bigger than Sports hopes to empower student-athletes in lower-income communities. The organization provides guidance, opportunities, and resources to create and carry out plans for after high school. According to Waite, it’s crucial to have a plan in this transitional stage after athletics; otherwise, students risk falling behind financially, and they notice their happiness plummeting.

Many students believe the only way they can succeed is through sports. The harsh reality of it, however, is that only 6% of student-athletes make it to college, and fewer than 2% of NCAA student-athletes play professionally. Because of this, Bigger than Sports wants to address this issue by having juniors and seniors on sports teams through the program, before graduating, providing a Career Pathway Navigator who will work with them and create post-high school plans.

The organization’s first step in its mission was hosting a fundraiser to support programs designed to help students’ lives beyond sports. The fundraiser was held at the Mill Valley Recreation Center with a basketball tournament to unify the community. “People that were at this event were not only coming to play basketball, but they came to get information,” said Waite. Over 100 people participated in this event, which helped raise $2000.

Music played, fueling the motivation to play basketball, and adding an upbeat and competitive environment. High school students from different schools paid an entry fee to compete against each other in the tournament, practicing on the court and meeting people of similar interests. The atmosphere was filled with excitement.

Bigger than Sports took a substantial amount of behind-the-scenes effort. Waite and his team made a flyer, a website, and an Instagram page. They contacted local basketball players, various colleges, and organizations, including Greenfield Community College and Western New England University, to participate in this event. Western New England is one of the many colleges with programs dedicated to student-athletes.

“We take really good care of our student-athletes,” said Kait Feyre, the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Western New England College. “We have a lot of good things in place to help connect them with other departments.”

The organization’s first event was a success, providing an inspiring message to student-athletes, and involvement from the community. Participants expressed gratitude for the event, with positive feedback and their own stories. One attendee said, “Basketball is not just a place where I can just be free, it’s able to get my mind off things.”

The money Bigger than Sports raised will help put the program into schools in Broward County. “We want to start [this program] right away,” said Waite. ‘Bigger than Sports’ will establish partnerships with not only high schools, but with various colleges, trade schools, and other youth-based programs to form a network.

In the making of Bigger than Sports, Waite said he received immeasurable support from his team. “My Board of directors [were] huge in helping me create this fundraiser. Shout out to Eddie, Victoria, Anabel, Holly, and a special shout out to the director of the board, my sister Emma,” shared Waite.

Making a non-profit at a young age wasn’t easy for Waite, but he persisted, noting, “If you’re not scared of it, you’re not challenging yourself.”

His advice to young leaders inspired to create a change is simple: ”Do it. Start and don’t look back,” he said. “Because no matter the outcome? You’ll be glad that you’ve done it.”