Dick’s Sporting Goods (NYSE: DKS) released the dates of its “Grit Before Gold Tour,” which will make various stops in more than 25 states.
At each community event, Team USA Contenders will lead groups of local youth in clinics, drills and specialized programming to show them what it takes to train like an Olympic or Paralympic athlete. Team USA Contenders will also share with attendees their personal stories on how sports have influenced their lives and the values they learned through sports from a young age.
Young athletes will have the opportunity to participate in traditional Olympic and Paralympic sports like track and field, beach volleyball and wrestling as well as learn more about Olympic and Paralympic sports they may not be as familiar with such as rugby and canoeing, directly from elite athletes in those sports.
The tour is expected to impact thousands of kids nationwide, who have been invited to attend the events through relationships that Dick’s Sporting Goods has developed with local schools and community organizations.
Events are invite-only and not open to the public.
The Team USA hopefuls taking part in the tour are a small portion of the more than 200 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes across 35 sports who are currently employed at 102 stores in 34 states as part of the company’s Contenders Program including:
Danell Leyva (Gymnastics), Jerome Avery (Paralympic Track & Field – Guide Runner), Allysa Seely (Paratriathlon), and Josh Dangel (Track & Field – Pole Vault).
“We’re excited to bring our Contenders into the communities where they work and live to teach local kids more about what it means to train like an Olympian,” said Lauren Hobart, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, Dick’s Sporting Goods.
In the coming weeks, additional tour stops will be added to the schedule.
