Founder Story Pt. 2
By Austin Schoff
I joined Couro because I have a passion for equal access in sports. This passion stems from the privilege I had to play with some of the best amateur baseball players around and train with the same strength coaches as Major League players. With that access, I improved rapidly, which led me to play for a college that I would have not been admitted to without the help of baseball.
I had the fortune to go to Harvard-Westlake and join a class of very high-caliber players. Unlike Cam’s experience with HS Track and Field, the baseball team at Harvard-Westlake had nine coaches Some played professionally; others were dominant college players. The quality of practices and instruction from the coaches was as good as it gets. Keep in mind that I was not an elite prospect; rather, I was at the right place at the right time. I was progressing as a player to the point where playing in college was changing from a pipe dream to a realistic challenge. Then, I suffered a severe concussion and missed four months.
For most players, that injury is a death sentence. But again, because I was in the right place at the right time, I was able to train with an elite strength trainer and his staff that following summer. This may or may not have had to do with having multiple potential first-rounders on the team. I came into the following season with increased functional strength and made another huge jump that I would not have been able to make on my own. The college baseball dream went from a realistic challenge to an open door. Furthermore, our team kept winning and was invited to exclusive tournaments. At those tournaments, I was exposed to additional coaches and scouts. I began to learn the intellectual side of the game to where I could predict pitch sequences and control my plate appearances.
When I got to Claremont McKenna, I joined players who had incredible talent but had never been exposed to the same coaching that I had. I realized that if my teammates had access to the same coaching I had, many of them would have been Division I players. Some of them I firmly believe had the raw talent to play professionally. But because they did not have the access to a coach who could have unlocked their potential, they did not get to raise their ceiling the same way that I did.
My opportunity to play college baseball came from being in the right place at the right time. Yes, I put in the work required to make the jump, but because of the opportunities and coaching I had, my work had an impact exponentially greater than what I would have gotten out of myself. And then it hit me.
What if there was a way for everyone to have the same opportunities that I had? What if you didn’t need to go to an elite prep school to get coached by high-level instructors? What if you did not need to play with future Major Leaguers to get trained by Major League trainers? What if you did not have to live in a hot spot for a sport to get access to the best in that sport?
To me, Couro is the opportunity to answer those questions. Every athlete who desires to be great at their sport deserves the same opportunities to be coached by great coaches regardless of income, ethnicity, or location. At Couro, we want you to be great and achieve your dreams as well. Welcome! Let’s get started.
