Powered by RYG Athletics, a proud provider of NIKE Sports Camps
Hi Coach,
It’s me, Luke Gromer, the guy who used to share lots of podcasts, coaching notes, and newsletters for coaches!
Over the past two years, maybe you've wondered, “What happened to Luke and his coaching content?”
Or maybe you didn’t… and that’s okay too because we all have full lives and more important things to do than consume content!
Well, I wanted to share a quick update about where I’ve been putting my attention and energy since I put Cutting Edge Coaching on pause and share an exciting update about the future.
To make a very long story short, below are the highlights from the past few years:
Family
My wife left teaching before the 22-23 school year, and I had to generate extra income to support my family, so I paused the podcast
We welcomed our 3rd child, and first girl, in April of 2024
Life is full right now. The little kid phase of life is a blast and exhausting all at the same time. We have two boys, Liam (6) and Ty (3), and a baby girl, Blake (1). My wife is the real MVP of our family!
Coaching & Career
After the 23-24 school year ended, I left my full-time teaching-coaching position after 7 years of coaching basketball in the public schools in Northwest Arkansas
I started a new job in July of 2024 as a project manager for a healthcare technology company. It’s a remote job that takes care of my family better than teaching could while I put energy on the side into growing the sports camps arm of RYG Athletics (more on that below)
I started coaching my oldest son (he’s 6) in soccer and basketball and have had the chance to coach dozens of young athletes as they dip their toes into organized sport for the first time (it’s full of joy and chaos all at the same time)
I’ve also had my hands in multiple other entrepreneurial ventures over the last two years, two of which I recently exited. Some of those se were born out of a necessity to provide for my family, and some were born out of passion. All of them were awesome learning experiences!
NIKE Sports Camps
In summer 2023, I launched RYG Athletics, a sports camp company in Northwest Arkansas
From the time I was a teenager, I’ve spent my summers working at, leading, or directing camps. Launching these camps has been an awesome marriage of my experience and passion for camps paired with my passion for quality coaching and better experiences for athletes
In the fall of 2024, I finalized an agreement with Nike Sports Camps to operate all the RYG Athletics camps under their umbrella.
They’re the largest provider of sports camps in the country
RYG Athletics is on a mission to restore joy in sports and to become the premier multi-sport provider of NIKE Sports Camps
We’ll be looking to add new camps and sports each summer, led by incredible coaches from all over the country.
Our goal every week is simple: every athlete grows as a person and a player and has the best week of their summer
We just wrapped up our summer 2025 camps! We operated 6 NIKE Basketball Camps and 4 NIKE Volleyball Camps, serving 425 athletes across Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Wisconsin
See a couple photos below!
If you’re interested in becoming one of our NIKE Sports Camp directors for summer 2026, you can learn more and fill out this form.
The Podcast
Now you’re probably wondering, “What about the podcast?”
I have plans to bring The Cutting Edge Coaching Podcast back… but I can’t do it yet.
I’ve committed to my wife that I won’t overextend myself again like I did for the last few years.
When I do bring it back, you all will be the first to know!
Alongside the podcast, I sent out a weekly newsletter for about three years, which I paused when the podcast paused.
Here’s the good news…
The newsletter portion of Cutting Edge Coaching will be resuming starting now!
I’ll be sending out a weekly newsletter diving into the application of transformational leadership and the constraints-led approach in coaching.
The mission will be to provide valuable insights and strategies for coaches that will help them better lead and serve their athletes.
The newsletters won’t be long or pithy, just some insight on what I’m learning as I try to grow as a coach and leader that will hopefully serve you on your journey.
I’ll be in touch with a newsletter next week!
Till then, you can listen to old episodes of the podcast here or download the old podcast notes here.
Best,
Luke Gromer, RYG Athletics
P.S. Tell me what you think of the update in the poll below!
P.P.S. If you’re no longer interested in this coaching content, you’re welcome to unsubscribe at the bottom of this email — no hard feelings.