Meet Gordon Heneweer, Board Member of Every Kid Sports.
Gordon Heneweer, Board Member of Every Kid Sports, took some time to talk with us about his passion for sports and his experience playing sports as a kid. “It was simple then. A dozen buddies from the neighborhood would ride bikes to the park, and we would play all day long, knowing we just had to be home for dinner at 5 pm. One of my favorite memories was stopping for a 7-11 slushie on the way home. We always had a wager going on where the losing team had to buy the winning players the slushie. I just have so many fond memories of those days.”
Now the Chief Financial Officer of Coopervision, a medical device company, Gordon says he was obsessed with sports as a kid, but was also motivated to work in order to have some spending money. “I would have rather spent my time playing sports, but when I told my parents I needed a little spending money, their answer was ‘get a job.’ So, I started out with an afternoon paper route, then switched to an early morning route because my job conflicted with my sports schedule. Juggling both taught me about honoring commitments and keeping a good work ethic.”
“Sports teaches kids life skills and lessons that are applicable to having a healthy life, whether it be social skills or a sense of purpose — I always told them there is more to sports than scoring a goal or winning a game.”
As he approached college, Gordon found that he was interested in business, and studied finance and accounting while participating in intramural sports. “I like to call it competitive intramurals. The trophy was the champion t-shirt that let everyone know you were on the winning team. Great memories!” Gordon later went on to earn an MBA and had the opportunity to work at excellent companies including Toyota, GM, Applied Materials before joining Coopervision.
Gordon was inspired to lend his talents to Every Kid Sports after talking to Bob Trygg, his brother-in-law and Director of Strategic Initiatives at Every Kid Sports. “Bob is very benevolent and generous, and when he told me about the mission of Every Kid Sports I knew I wanted to get involved in some way.” After a few conversations with Natalie Hummel, Every Kid Sports’s Executive Director, and Arch Fuston, Board President, Gordon decided to join our board. “I said absolutely. I am honored to serve and am so passionate about youth sports. I was involved as a kid as well as a parent, coaching my kids’ teams when they were younger.”
Gordon’s two children, Trevor and Jessica, are now adults, but both were very active in sports all throughout their childhood and through high school. “I have seen how sports shaped my kids. Sports teaches kids life skills and lessons that are applicable to having a healthy life, whether it be social skills or a sense of purpose — I always told them there is more to sports than scoring a goal or winning a game.”
Once an avid runner, Gordon now stays active with cycling and golf. “I was a regular at the gym, and that shut down now due to COVID, but once it opens I will be heading back. And kids need to get back into sports, too. I have spoken to so many people whose kids are playing video games or sitting on the couch. It has been very hard on everyone and it’s going to be great to see sports open up again.”
We are grateful for Gordon’s passion, and his time and talent that he puts towards creating equal access to youth sports and supporting our mission. Thank you, Gordon!
– The Every Kid Sports team