LAUNCH: Caught In the Web

Maybe your child won’t be the next LeBron James or Tony Romo, but with athleticmentor.com, he can find a qualified coach. The site, brainchild of Matt and Shannon Carlton (whose name might be familiar as the past Highlandettes’ director), has software resembling the popular dating website match.com, only in this case, parents can enter data that will match their kids with both former athletes and coaches who can help with anything from sprints, shots and blocks to high kicks and cheerleading routines. “Here in Lake Highlands, we’ve seen that people put a lot of time and energy into their kids, and they realize the importance of athletics when it comes to building character and self confidence,” Matt Carlton says. “We allow parents to get in touch with coaches, email them, and communicate directly with them.” Though only a few months running, athleticmentor.com has succeeded in getting some renowned athletes on board — Paul Maturi, former defensive Lake Highlands High School football coach, for example, is working to recruit other coaches to the network, and Chris Sanders, who quarterbacked the Dallas Desperados last year, is a featured athlete/coach and vice president of sales. Sanders believes that the athleticmentor.com concept is revolutionary, and that it presents an invaluable opportunity to families. “I was lucky my dad trained me, but a lot of kids don’t have that. I think this will be a useful source of information, and a chance for parents to reach out to people they normally wouldn’t get a chance to talk to,” Sanders says. The site will feature coaches from around the world, and the free service will be functioning by the beginning of this month. Carlton hopes to generate revenue through advertisements for sports camps, classes and organizations, which also will benefit subscribers.