Gary Thrapp has been involved in youth sports for over thirty years and is the owner of Beyond the Baseline—a basketball and volleyball event center located in Davenport, Iowa. He has over- seen over 50,000 games in his facility over the last 18 years. Throughout this time, Gary can confidently say he has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly in all facets of youth sports.

Because of his unique experience and involvement in youth sports, Gary has observed many issues faced by young athletes, coaches, families, and the communities he has served. Wanting to make a positive change, especially reducing vio- lence among youth, Gary began the non-profit Quad Cities Youth Sports Foundation with the single goal of improving the quality of youth sports. The foundation does this through programs focused on

helping young people connect the dots between the recreational, the spiritual, and the educa- tional parts of life.