football scores today

The Rise of Dobson Basketball: How This Program Is Changing Youth Sports Forever

I still remember the first time I watched a Dobson Basketball game last season - the energy in that gym was something I hadn't witnessed in youth sports before. What struck me wasn't just the raw talent on display, but the remarkable resilience these young athletes demonstrated even in defeat. This past weekend's games perfectly illustrate why this program is revolutionizing how we approach youth development through sports. In Saturday's heartbreaker, where they fell 80-79, one player's performance particularly stood out - 13 points, seven rebounds, and three assists that nearly swung the game their way. Then, in Sunday's 84-70 loss that dropped their record to 3-4, the same athlete contributed eight points, eight boards, and two assists. These numbers might seem ordinary to casual observers, but to someone who's followed youth basketball for over a decade, they represent something far more significant.

What Dobson has created goes beyond traditional coaching - it's a holistic development system that prioritizes growth over wins, character over statistics. I've seen numerous youth programs across the country, and most focus excessively on immediate results rather than long-term player development. Dobson's approach is different because they measure success in ways that statistics can't fully capture. That player who delivered back-to-back solid performances despite the losses? He's being taught that consistency and effort matter more than the final score. This philosophy is why I believe Dobson is creating not just better basketball players, but better human beings. The program's emphasis on mental toughness and continuous improvement, even when facing adversity, is something I wish more youth sports organizations would adopt.

The transformation I've witnessed in these young athletes extends far beyond the basketball court. During my visit to their training facility last month, I observed how coaches integrate life skills into every drill and scrimmage. They're teaching these kids how to handle pressure, how to bounce back from disappointment, and how to support teammates through challenging moments. In Saturday's one-point loss, what impressed me most wasn't the statistical line but how the players conducted themselves afterward - no finger-pointing, no excuses, just genuine determination to improve. This culture of accountability and mutual support is rare in today's win-at-all-costs youth sports environment. Frankly, I think other programs could learn a thing or two from Dobson's approach to building character alongside athletic skill.

Another aspect that sets Dobson apart is their innovative player tracking and development system. They're not just counting points and rebounds - they're monitoring things like decision-making under pressure, defensive positioning, and leadership communication. This comprehensive approach explains why their players show such remarkable growth throughout the season. The athlete who contributed those 13 points, seven rebounds, and three assists on Saturday followed by eight points, eight boards, and two assists on Sunday isn't just accumulating stats - he's demonstrating the consistency and versatility that Dobson's system cultivates. From what I've observed, this methodology produces players who understand the game at a deeper level and develop skills that translate to success both on and off the court.

The impact of this program reaches into academic performance and personal development too. I've spoken with parents who report significant improvements in their children's focus, discipline, and time management since joining Dobson. The program's structured approach to balancing sports with education creates habits that serve these young people well beyond their basketball careers. What's particularly impressive is how they maintain this developmental focus while still competing at a high level - their current 3-4 record doesn't reflect the tremendous progress individual players have made. In my professional opinion, this balance between competition and development is exactly what youth sports should be about.

As someone who's criticized many youth sports programs for losing sight of what really matters, I find Dobson's approach refreshingly different. They're proving that you can develop elite athletes without sacrificing character development or academic priorities. The way their players handle both victory and defeat demonstrates the program's success in instilling values that will benefit these young people throughout their lives. That weekend performance I mentioned earlier - those two strong individual efforts in losing causes - actually tells me more about the program's success than any victory could. It shows these athletes have learned to compete with integrity and persistence regardless of circumstances.

Looking at the bigger picture, I'm convinced that Dobson Basketball represents the future of youth sports development. Their model combines technical training with character building in ways that few other programs have mastered. The specific statistics from that weekend - 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists followed by eight points, eight boards, two assists - matter less than what they represent: consistent effort, continuous improvement, and mental resilience. These are the qualities that will serve these young athletes well beyond their basketball careers. If more programs adopted Dobson's philosophy, we'd see a fundamental positive shift in how youth sports shape young characters and futures.

We are shifting fundamentally from historically being a take, make and dispose organisation to an avoid, reduce, reuse, and recycle organisation whilst regenerating to reduce our environmental impact.  We see significant potential in this space for our operations and for our industry, not only to reduce waste and improve resource use efficiency, but to transform our view of the finite resources in our care.

Looking to the Future

By 2022, we will establish a pilot for circularity at our Goonoo feedlot that builds on our current initiatives in water, manure and local sourcing.  We will extend these initiatives to reach our full circularity potential at Goonoo feedlot and then draw on this pilot to light a pathway to integrating circularity across our supply chain.

The quality of our product and ongoing health of our business is intrinsically linked to healthy and functioning ecosystems.  We recognise our potential to play our part in reversing the decline in biodiversity, building soil health and protecting key ecosystems in our care.  This theme extends on the core initiatives and practices already embedded in our business including our sustainable stocking strategy and our long-standing best practice Rangelands Management program, to a more a holistic approach to our landscape.

We are the custodians of a significant natural asset that extends across 6.4 million hectares in some of the most remote parts of Australia.  Building a strong foundation of condition assessment will be fundamental to mapping out a successful pathway to improving the health of the landscape and to drive growth in the value of our Natural Capital.

Our Commitment

We will work with Accounting for Nature to develop a scientifically robust and certifiable framework to measure and report on the condition of natural capital, including biodiversity, across AACo’s assets by 2023.  We will apply that framework to baseline priority assets by 2024.

Looking to the Future

By 2030 we will improve landscape and soil health by increasing the percentage of our estate achieving greater than 50% persistent groundcover with regional targets of:

– Savannah and Tropics – 90% of land achieving >50% cover

– Sub-tropics – 80% of land achieving >50% perennial cover

– Grasslands – 80% of land achieving >50% cover

– Desert country – 60% of land achieving >50% cover