Rec Sports

Six moms whose kids became professional sports stars share their secrets

Published

8 months ago

May 8, 2025

The moms of Jordan Spieth, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jason Robertson, Bobby Witt Jr., Tyrese Maxey and Jaedyn Shaw discuss what it’s like to raise a star athlete.

DALLAS — Tune into WFAA+ at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, to watch the entire “The Panel with Jonah Javad: A Mother’s Day Special” with WFAA’s Jonah Javad and the moms of pro athletes Jordan Spieth, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jason Robertson, Bobby Witt Jr., Tyrese Maxey and Jaedyn Shaw. The show will also be available to watch on-demand after its initial airing.

Raising a young athlete is no small feat. It’s a full-time job that involves the entire family, countless hours of travel, emotional highs and lows, and maintaining the delicate balance of parenting, partnership and personal sanity.

That’s not just conjecture, either. Rather, it’s wisdom that comes straight from the source — moms who’ve helped usher their children up the ranks from youth recreational leagues to pro sports.

In advance of Mother’s Day, we gathered six mothers of highly successful professional athletes – from the NFL to the PGA Tour – to sit down together at the Kessler Theatre in Dallas for a candid conversation about their experiences and their advice for young parents.

One theme rang clear throughout our discussion: There is no playbook, but there are lessons learned.

Here are the seven biggest takeaways from the conversation.

Don’t look for a roadmap, just embrace the journey

The path to sports success is never linear. That much, every mom we spoke with agreed upon.

Another thing these moms concurred on: The idea of having your child solely focus on one sport didn’t apply to their kids’ success. Rather than a singular focus, these moms’ kids tried everything.

“My son Jordan [Spieth] played every sport,” recalled Christine Spieth, mother of PGA Tour golfer and Dallas native Jordan Spieth. “Whatever the season was — soccer, basketball, baseball. Golf was just something he did in between. He didn’t start focusing on it until he was 11 or 12.”

The consensus? Let kids be kids. Expose them to different activities, and follow their lead when they begin to show signs that they’re “serious.”

“The work ethic, the competitive spirit, all the things were there that I could see being a mom,” noted Laurie Witt, mother of MLB All-Star and Colleyville native Bobby Witt Jr.

Added Denyse Maxey, mother of NBA All-Star and Garland native Tyrese Maxey: “The way we frame it, my husband and I both, is: ‘When did you know that Tyrese [Maxey] was serious? When did you know he was serious?’ And then we give a couple of examples of things that he did that showed his over-competitiveness and [we thought], ‘OK, now we think he’s serious and now he may have a shot.’”

Nurture all your kids, not just the star athlete

For families with multiple children, keeping a household emotionally balanced when is critical. This is especially true when one of the kids in the family is a sports prodigy. And it’s something that each of the moms we spoke with emphasized.

“Every child has their own thing,” Maxey said of her family. “When they find their niche, support it as fiercely as you supported the athlete.”

And if one sibling does rise to prominence? Humility at home matters.

“No one was ever number one in our house,” Spieth explained. “If you walked into my house now, there are no golf trophies. There are no basketball trophies. It’s just a house where three kids grew up.”

Maxey echoed the importance of that sentiment.

“I do agree; no one’s ever number one,” Maxey said. “Everyone’s treated equally. It doesn’t matter what age they are. If they mouth off, they’re going to get it.”

Added Ann Shaw, mom of rising U.S. women’s soccer star and Frisco native Jaedyn Shaw: “[My kids] see it. They know the energy that comes from me is equal to all of them. That’s how we keep the emotional flow in our house.”

“I think what’s important is that we involve the other kids with what everybody else is doing — not, ‘This is the schedule, and that’s it,'” noted Mercedes Robertson, mother of NHL stars Jason and Nicolas Robertson. “You have to kind of foster it. You have to really nurture that bond. Because that’s what’s going to help them as adults when you’re not around them daily.”

Self-care isn’t optional — it’s essential

There’s no denying the emotional toll that raising a pro athlete can put on mothers and the “team behind the team.” Which is why it’s important, the moms said, to not let own needs often came last.

“We tend to put ourselves in the back and we don’t take care of ourselves,” Maxey said. “We don’t take care of our mental needs, we don’t take care of our physical needs. And what I have learned is there has to be a balance. So if I had to tell my younger self something — when I first got married and started having children — it’s, ‘Denyse, take care of you, too.’ That’s what I would tell any young mother in this position where her child or children are trending in that direction to be a professional athlete.”

Whatever that self-care looks like for the parent, it’s not indulgent — it’s necessary.

Sharing responsibilities among both parents, focusing on the strength of a marriage and keeping tabs on the larger family sacrifice all play a vital part in success as well.

The Shaw family, for example, has moved twice now — to San Diego and North Carolina — to follow Jaedyn Shaw as she embarked on her professional career. That kind of commitment, Ann said, needs to be balanced with others.

“[My husband and I] run 100 miles an hour trying to get [the kids] everywhere,” she said. “But don’t forget about your spouse. We make sure to have a date night every two weeks. It keeps you connected when you’re constantly dividing and conquering.”

Indeed, the “divide and conquer” concept was a common theme throughout the discussion.

“In our case, we had a golfer [Jordan], a basketball player [Steven Spieth] who played in college and a couple of years in Europe, and a special needs daughter at home who’s eight years younger than Jordan,” Christine Spieth said. “We had to divide and conquer. My husband knew more about golf. I know nothing about golf — I’m just gonna make that clear, don’t play it, know nothing about it, even though I have a golfer. But I stayed back and did the AAU [basketball] tournaments with my son because my daughter can’t take the noise. She just can’t be on a golf course because she’s unpredictable and you have to be quiet. So, we divided and conquered. And now we’re all back together.”

Jami Smith, mother of NFL Pro Bowl receiver and Rockwall native Jaxon Smith-Njigba, said she’s still struggling with prioritizing her own needs.

“I’m probably still struggling with that balance, but I think it kind of works for me to not be balanced, to be able to roll with what’s happening,” said Smith, whose other son Canaan is also a pro athlete, having played two seasons of Major League Baseball. “[We] try not to overly plan what’s happening, especially with kids in multiple sports and in multiple journeys.”

Your child’s mental health matters more than any rankings

Success breeds jealousy. And jealousy breeds unsolicited comments and rude behavior.

Dealing with trolls and critics and haters can thicken the skin of the athlete in some cases, sure. But not all children are prepared for that mental and emotional toll when it comes, so it’s important for parents to keep tabs on their kids’ mental well-being, and not just their physical talents.

”The hardest part was they come out with rankings in high school and [Bobby] got ranked number one,” said Laurie Witt. “So, every game, [opposing fans] would be yelling ‘Overrated!’ It bothered me. It bothered his sisters. Bobby Jr. said it didn’t bother him as much as it really did bother me seeing other parents being really not nice. Even a grandmother one time at a playoff game said to my daughter, ‘I hope he strikes out. He’s not good. He’s overrated.’ To my daughter!”

But overly coddling a star young athlete can also lead to problems. So Shaw makes it a point to keep things level with her daughter no matter the situation.

“Sometimes I’ll treat her like my normal daughter even when she’s overwhelmed by the cameras and media,” Shaw said. “I think it gives her relief — like she can just be.”

The moms agreed that moments of emotional grounding like that were often what helped their children remain resilient.

It takes a village, but you should still keep your circle tight

As a child’s talent grows, so does outside interest in their possible fame — and that can get messy quickly.

“Once your child is identified as a potential pro, the vultures are coming,” Maxey warned. “You have to keep your circle very tight. We were very specific: ‘You do not go to our son. If you contact him directly, you’re out — whether you’re a coach, an agent, anyone.'”

To avoid issues, the moms created rules around contact and communication, and scheduled specific windows when coaches could talk with their child. These boundaries helped preserve these families’ authority and protect their children’s focus.

Youth sports are rarely isolated activities. And having a support system — family or not — can help lighten the mental load during frantic moments.

“Being such a young mom, you’re so caught up in the sacrifice of how am I gonna pay for this? How am I gonna get them there?,” Smith said. “I’m so fortunate for the great teammates that we had, the connections, the families — it’s who you celebrate your holidays with.”

Find purpose in the chaos

Raising a pro athlete means constant travel, nonstop practicing and very little down time. But it’s important, too, to take stock of all your family has accomplished together.

Said Robertson: “Within that organized chaos, pick a few moments to make it all make sense and worth the journey.”

The travel, the financial investment, the missed family events — it’s all-consuming. But, for these moms, it also created lifelong memories and purpose.

“Control what you can, make do with what you have available and just go with it,” Robertson added. “I think a lot has to do with the passion they have. A lot of times, you have to remind them that they made a commitment for the year. There are a lot of sacrifices made, not just individually but as a family. And you have to remind them as a parent, I’m not your best friend. Sometimes they’re mad at you, but the passion and their dream keeps them focused. That’s what our jobs as parents have to be.”

Remember: Your child is more than an athlete

In a world of cameras, contracts and constant comparison, the ultimate goal these mothers share is striving to keep their children grounded.

As they raised their children to greatness, these moms never lost sight of what mattered most: family, love and balance.

“I always tell my kids: soccer is what Jaedyn does,” said Shaw. “It’s not who she is.”

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Dozens of stylists, barbers turn up for Sonoma County teens at Santa Rosa event

Published

19 minutes ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Eleven-year-old Amy was about half way through her haircut Monday afternoon but paying little attention to what stylist Amanda Lee was doing with her blond locks. She was too busy working on a piece of yellow putty in her hand.

At one point she shaped it into a heart. Later, it was something else. But when Lee was finished cutting and unbuttoned the smock pinned at her client’s neck, Amy had molded her putty into a miniature hand. With it, she grinned and high fived Lee in thanks for her new look.

Across the hall, stylist OmarAntonio had just finished cutting and styling a teen’s long, black hair. Moments later, she came back smiling and interrupted a conversation to tell him she loved it.

“There is something very important about our responsibility as hairdressers to really read the client, to really see them,” he said. “I want to reintroduce my clients to themselves, so a good haircut is so important.”

These seemingly small moments — a smile into a hand held mirror, a flip of the ‘do, a handshake — were happening Monday across the donated space at Church Unstoppable. For three hours, about 60 stylists and barbers volunteered their time and skill to give free cuts and styles to an almost equal number of children and young adults from 10 to 25, all of whom have been touched by foster care or social service programs.

There were three DJs on stage. There were two live singers. Along one wall were tables lined up and loaded with brand new backpacks for the taking. At the entrance to the hall were hand-painted trucker hats created by Dom Chi Designs in Sebastopol, also for the taking. In yet another room was free food and drink. Throughout the three-hour event raffle prizes were given out: Apple headphones, Beats headphones, a JBL speaker, tickets to a Santa Rosa Growlers hockey game, Amazon gift cards, restaurant gift cards and jewelry.

It was all the brain child of KT Maggio, a barber at Daredevils & Queens Salon and Barbershop in Santa Rosa. And it was born of a seemingly simple ask.

It started with an annual holiday giving event held by nonprofit Our Village Closet, a group that runs a full-scale, foster care support operation out of thousands of square feet of space at St. Lutheran’s Church on Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa. Under the direction of executive director and co-founder Amanda Kitchens, foster care providers can pick up, for free, necessities for kids and young adults in their care, everything from strollers to socks to bathing suits and winter coats.

There are 1,000 individual kids or young adults registered with OVC, but the number of people who access their free services typically hovers around 5,000, Kitchens said.

Our Village Closet for the past five years has held a holiday giving program that has grown from 167 youth in 2021 to 769 kids this year. It was for that event that someone at OVC reached out to Maggio and asked if she could provide gift certificates for hair cuts.

Maggio said she would do one better. One a lot better.

She put out the call to the wider stylist and barber community in Sonoma County and asked for folks to show up for three hours on Monday, donate their time and skills, and send young adults back into the world looking sharp and feeling good.

“I didn’t even say much,” Maggio said of the invitation to her peers. “They just said ‘We’re in, we’re in, we’re in.’”

To say people rallied for the event would be underselling what unfolded Monday.

The top shelf cuts, the next level raffle prizes, the DJs, the food — it was a full-scale experience.

“I wanted them to feel special today,” Maggio said.

Kyle Corbin, owner of Chuck's Barbershop, cuts John Coolidge's hair during an event for foster youth at Church Unstoppable in Santa Rosa on Monday, January 5, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat) — Kyle Corbin, owner of Chuck’s Barbershop, cuts John Coolidge’s hair during an event for foster youth at Church Unstoppable in Santa Rosa on Monday, January 5, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)

Barber Jesus “Chuy” Dominguez helped with perhaps the most obvious transformation Monday when a young man with sandy hair falling down to his shoulders sat down in Dominguez’s chair and said he wanted it all off.

“He asked for a five guard on top which is less than half an inch and then he wanted a rat tail in the back,” Dominguez said. “I always triple check when it’s a transformation that big but he was on it and I was like, ‘Alright, bro.’”

“He knew exactly what he wanted,” he said. “It was cool.”

And it was. After Dominquez tapped a stylist to braid the rat tail in the back, the young man cracked a small smile into the mirror.

“Things like this just fill my heart,” Maggio said, noting that Daredevils & Queens regularly supports haircuts for the homeless events and community outreach efforts. “I just wanted to come together and make these kids feel like number one.”

Christopher Chung / The Press Democrat

Nicolai Lisiukoff, right, thanks Daredevils & Queens barber KT Maggio for the haircut and shave at the homeless shelter run by West County Navigation Center in the Guerneville Veterans Memorial Building in Guerneville Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (Christopher Chung / The Press Democrat)

In addition to her colleagues at Daredevils & Queens, she tapped friends at Chuck’s Barbershop in Santa Rosa and Oak and Ivy Salon in Rohnert Park, who brought folks on Monday. She also tapped longtime friend Jose “JayTee” Tapia who, in addition to his 293,000 Instagram followers, runs the 15-chair Visionz Barbershop in Santa Rosa and, to Maggio’s way of thinking, is a star in the barbering world.

That would explain the small crowd of fellow barbers that gathered around Tapia when he pulled out his scissors and began to ply his craft on the dark locks of a young teenaged boy Monday.

“For men, for boys, it’s like our make up,” Tapia said of a haircut. “For me, being able to build confidence in a kid, there is nothing like it. People come to us before a first date, before a wedding, before any special day because a haircut alone can make anyone feel that much more special and that much more confident.”

That is what moved OVC’s Kitchens on Monday — the gift of confidence, the gift of being seen.

“It’s the fact that this many stylists and barbers showed up and showed up with heart,” she said. “It’s ‘You matter.’ Not necessarily you matter because of what happened to you but you matter just because of who you are…A haircut for so many of us, especially in this age group, it’s about how we show up in society. To be able to show up like everybody else and blend in is such a gift.”

To find out more

To find out more about the services provided by Our Village Closet and for ways to support the work, go to www.ourvillagecloset.org.

Alexandra Montoya feels this.

Montoya is raising her 12-year-old granddaughter, Irie. Irie is bi-racial, her hair looks different from her grandmother’s, and that has made finding a stylist tricky. On Monday, Montoya was emotional about seeing her granddaughter pampered.

“Somebody needs to know her hair,” she said. “The truth is, I don’t.”

But the people who volunteered Monday did.

Irie Fisher, 12, has her hair cut and styled by Natalie Dixon, of Sparrow Hair, during an event primarily for foster youth at Church Unstoppable in Santa Rosa on Monday, January 5, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat) — Irie Fisher, 12, has her hair cut and styled by Natalie Dixon, of Sparrow Hair, during an event for foster youth at Church Unstoppable in Santa Rosa on Monday, January 5, 2026. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)

“This is wonderful, this makes a difference,” Montoya said. “It’s the mix of people. The cutters, the stylists, they volunteered their time. We understand what that means. They put heart into it.”

As stylist Natalie Dixon finished cutting Irie’s hair, they had a brief conversation. Irie decided she wanted her hair straightened on this day. Dixon got to work. Nearby, Montoya watched, deeply moved.

“All of these kids have lost someone, in one way or another,” she said. “That’s what makes what they are doing here a thing of beauty.”

You can reach Staff Columnist Kerry Benefield at 707-526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com. On Instagram @kerry.benefield.

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2026 Santa Cruz County Fair theme contest underway | The Pajaronian

Published

27 minutes ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

fair file, theme — Madison Mullins grooms her Jersey dairy cow, Clairabell recently during the Santa Cruz County Fair. (Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian)

Organizers at the Santa Cruz County Fair are asking the public for ideas for a theme for the 2026 County Fair.

Anyone who has a “phrase that pops” or a “rhyme that shines” is invited to submit it.

“Imagine your words splashed across every poster and sign,” The Fair Board stated in an announcement. “If you’ve got a clever saying or catchy theme, now’s the time to share it in the Santa Cruz County Fair Annual Fair Theme Contest.”

Anyone with a creative theme— “with a little red, white, and blue sparkle” in honor of the United States’ 250th birthday,” is invited to send in their ideas.

The winning theme will be featured throughout the fair, and earn four free fair tickets plus a free parking pass.

The deadline is Jan. 13 at 5pm.

To submit your theme, email in**@*****************ir.com, send mail to Santa Cruz County Fair, Theme Contest, 2601 East Lake Avenue, Watsonville, CA 95076 or visit visit bit.ly/4bkX2RS

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💰🎉 Funding up for grabs to power…

Published

2 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Funding available to activate Youth Week events on Redlands Coast – Redland Bayside News

NOT-FOR-PROFIT organisations are being encouraged to apply for funding to deliver free or low-cost events on Redlands Coast as part of Queensland Youth Week 2026. Redland City Mayor Jos Mitchell said funding was available through Council’s Activate Redlands Coast Youth Week Program for events and …

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Henrico history students shine at annual awards night

Published

2 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

As on most evenings, the Henrico Sports and Events Center echoed Dec. 1 with the sounds of youth sports: running feet, basketballs drumming on floors, and shouts of triumph or dismay as volleyballs were slammed home.

But on one basketball court, the clamor of squeaking sneakers and balls thudding against backboards was just distant background noise. In this arena, dozens of fifth-grade students were showing off their history projects – while educating their parents and teachers about significant Henrico events, places and persons.

At one display, students stood beside a screen highlighting photos and facts about the Henrico Theatre. The old-fashioned spelling of “theater,” they explained, is still used because that was the custom when the Theatre opened in 1938. A few years later, when World War II broke out, the site was even designated as a bomb shelter.

Today, the restored movie house is used for a variety of arts programming, films, community events and celebrations, and is distinguished not only by listings on national and state historic registers, but by its designation as the only example of art deco architecture in the county.

At another station, Quintus Tian and Corbyn Constanzer of Shady Grove E.S. had constructed a Henrico map large enough to cover a tabletop, and were eager to explain the sites of historical interest sketched throughout the county. Asked why they had created a traditional map – using paper instead of a digital display, as many of their peers had done – the boys were emphatic.

“Too small!” said one, pointing out the hand-drawn illustrations that bordered the map, and indicating that the expanse of paper was superior to a screen for depicting scale and enhancing impact.

Henrico Schools Superintendent Amy Cashwell presents a ribbon and gift bag to a winner in the Henrico History Project Dec. 1, 2025. (Patty Kruszewski/Henrico Citizen)

Among other projects on display were several featuring famous figures with Henrico ties, such as Pocahontas, Virginia Randolph, and Arthur Ashe, Jr. Depictions of historic sites ranged from the Theatre and Dabbs House to Echo Lake Park and Richmond International Airport, while displays featuring events centered around such struggles as the Seven Days Battles and Gabriel’s Rebellion.

A few students from each magisterial district took home top honors for their projects (see list below) – but the celebrations were not limited to the big winners. Parents lingered after the awards ceremony taking family photos, while students continued to share stories of how they chose their topics and created their projects.

Corbyn and Quintus were among the students who clearly enjoyed revealing “tricks of the trade” they had used in crafting their project. Asked what modern-day techniques had produced such an authentic-looking map – complete with browned edges and yellow tints to give it the look of a centuries-old relic – they grinned knowingly and announced, “We used shoe polish!”

Henrico History Project award-winners

Formerly known as the Henrico Historical Awareness Project, the Henrico History Project is a partnership of Henrico County Public Schools and the Henrico Preservation Advisory Committee. The following students in each magisterial district took top honors for their projects this year:

Brookland District
First place – Emma Salang and Aryaa Adivarekar; Springfield Park E.S.
Second place – Luke Baum; Greenwood E.S.
Third place – Skye Robbins, Erum Jebran and Sara Faqirzada; Dumbarton E.S.

Fairfield District
First place – Jurnee Clarke, Dionne Hawkins and Aziyah Hill; Harvie E.S.
Second place – Samara Giles and Kaylan Huynh; Longdale E.S.
Third place – Avery Umbarger, Ruben Caballero, & Monroe Redding; Chamberlayne E.S.

Three Chopt District
First place – Luke Jualayba; Colonial Trail E.S.
Second place – Audrey Kim, Brody Miller and Sienna Harter; Kaechele E.S.
Third place – Charles Cobb; Rivers Edge

Tuckahoe District
First place – Bodie Bluford; Gayton E.S.
Second place – Yassine Dahri, Magnus Sorensen and Oliver Hall; Three Chopt E.S.
Third place – Kate Groth & Winnie Young; Maybeury E.S.

Varina District
First place – Georgina Bueno; Baker E.S.
Second place – Kayden Howard and D’Zaria Mines; Highland Springs E.S.
Third place – Lauren Crawley; Ward E.S.

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Sydney Roberts wins 17th Carolinas Young Amateur Championship – Clemson Tigers Official Athletics Site

Published

2 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Final Results

CLEMSON, S.C. – Senior Sydney Roberts won the 17th Carolinas Young Amateur Championship on Tuesday with an even-par 142 (69-73) on the two-day event. The tournament was held at the Mid South Club in Southern Pines, N.C.

Roberts was the only player in the 24-player field to finish at par, clearing the second-place finisher by three strokes and her 69 on the first day tied for the low round in the field. She played a bogey-free round on Monday and finished with a pair of birdies, and held on to win over Jillian Fatkin, who plays collegiate golf at Kansas.

The win was Roberts’ second Carolinas Young Amateur title in three years.

Roberts and the Clemson Women’s Golf opens its spring season Feb. 2-4 in Boca Raton, Fla. at the Paradise Invitational.

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Legendary Cherryville basketball coach steps down after 6 decades – WSOC TV

Published

4 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Your Sports Nation

CHERRYVILLE, N.C. — Dr. Bud Black is retiring after 60 years of coaching basketball, marking the conclusion of a highly influential career at the age of 82.

Known as “Mr. Basketball” since 1961, Dr. Black has dedicated his life to the sport, prioritizing the positive impact he has made on countless players over mere win-loss records.

Dr. Black improved the Gardner-Webb Ladies team’s record from five wins to fifteen wins in just one season, showcasing his exceptional coaching abilities and commitment to developing young athletes.

He is also highly educated, holding two earned doctorates and several master’s degrees, which reflect his pursuit of knowledge and dedication to personal growth.

Reflecting on his coaching philosophy, Dr. Black stated, “I never went into coaching with a burning desire to always win, although I do that.”

He emphasized the importance of seeing his players succeed in life beyond the court, saying, “That’s more important than anything. The wins and losses, to see these young people succeed.”

As he transitions from coaching, Dr. Black will continue his work as a remote instructor at Thomas Edison State University in New Jersey.

He explained his perspective on measurement of success: “Some people count the number of wins, that’s something I have never done.”

In a poignant reflection, one former player credited Dr. Black for his success, stating, “You are single-handedly responsible for my success. You always made sure there was a place for me.”

This sentiment encapsulates the real legacy he leaves behind—his unwavering support for each player he coached.

Dr. Black will be honored during a special ceremony at Cherryville High School’s home game, a fitting tribute to his remarkable career and impact on the community.

He indicated, “I never thought I’d retire,” hinting at his enduring passion for coaching and mentorship.

VIDEO: Former North Meck basketball standout hosts basketball camp in Concord