To understand their goals, it helps to know their story
They both grew up in southern NH playing baseball. They played on rival teams – Austin for Nashua and Bobby for Hudson. For years, Austin and Bobby dueled on the field. They played against each other in multiple state championship games, and the competition brought out the best in both of them. Over the years, the two rivals gained a mutual respect for each other. They were both 12 years old.
Can you find Austin and Bobby? (Click on the picture to make it bigger!)
Fierce Rivals Became Teammates
During summer of 1996, the two players were asked to play on a tournament team together. It was the inaugural year of the Cooperstown Dreams Park. The fierce competition of their past pushed them to new levels of achievement as teammates. Their team finished in second place, losing to a Florida team in the championship after beating teams from Nevada and California in the playoffs.
For the next three summers, the two players were part of the New Hampshire Cougars AAU program. This was a time when only 2 or 3 AAU teams existed in New Hampshire. They practiced year-round and competed at national tournaments in Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Austin and Bobby were exposed to a kind of baseball that didn’t exist in the Northeast. There were better players, better teams, and better facilities. Because of these tournaments, Austin and Bobby had a new, higher standard of success. It was a standard that neither had even imagined before.
High School and College Years
After these tournaments, Austin and Bobby set out with a new level of motivation. Now 16 years old, the two would again become rivals in high school baseball. They worked extremely hard and were recognized as two of the top players in the state. Both would go on to play Division I baseball on scholarships.
Participating in Division I athletic programs, Austin and Bobby competed against some of the best athletes in the country. College programs require student-athletes – to be disciplined and hard working. They completed difficult course loads, intense practice schedules, strength and conditioning workouts, and many, many long hours on the road to games. They shared the common bond of being Division I student-athletes, and the bond of being Division I student-athletes from NH.
Austin and Bobby playing pro ball as teammates.
Teammates Again… and Pros!
The former 12-year-old rivals would go on to play professional baseball as teammates with the Worcester Tornadoes of the Independent Can-Am League. They had reached their dreams of playing pro baseball and they reflected on their past. Through all the games and practices and workouts and travel, they had learned so much. They realized that they wanted to give back.
How did A.B. happen?
After retiring from professional baseball, Bobby took a job as the general manager at a physical therapy and athletic training center in New York City. Needing a new trainer, Bobby recruited Austin to work with him at the facility.
One night after work, they reflected on their baseball careers. They talked about how much their parents and coaches did for them. About how many people helped them along the way and how much they had learned after leaving their home towns to play college and professional baseball. They decided that they wanted to give back.
Austin and Bobby left New York City and committed to doing what they are most passionate about full-time: creating greater opportunities for athletes and creating new standards of success. When they say they are, “Building the future for student-athletes,” they are talking about you!
