SCORE Mentors Help Former Athlete in Launching “Save Our Sports” Initiative
The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) is a national nonprofit organization that provides counseling services to business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. SCORE has helped 11 million entrepreneurs start or grow organizations nationwide since 1964. Their local branch, SCORE Indianapolis, recently shared a success story with the nonprofit initiative Save Our Sports, and its founder, former basketball player Kristopher D. Loving, Sr.
Loving’s story with Save Our Sports began when he sought to transition from the basketball court to the referee stand in 2014. However, the registration and training fees in addition to the costs of shoes and a uniform were “a big-time wall” for Loving.
Fate intervened when a close friend and mentor, who initially introduced him to sports officiating, extended a helping hand by providing him with the needed gear. “He invested in me,” said Loving.
This generosity led to Loving launching Save Our Sports, a nonprofit organization that recruits, supports, and empowers sport officials. Save Our Sports incorporated into an official nonprofit organization in January with Loving dedicating his career to paving the way for other aspiring sports officials across Indiana and beyond.
Our focus is local, but we have served and helped people in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota based on relationships with people I have there,” Loving said.
Since launching Save Our Sports, Loving has mentored and supported 25 to 30 people, working to meet their unique needs, which may often include equipment provision, training funding, mentorship connections, or participation in sports camps.
Loving has already had success with several grants for funding equipment, work spaces, consultations, and other resources for his nonprofit to grow.
Reflecting on his move from Minnesota to Noblesville in 2022, Loving realized the important role of mentorship and collaboration, and was thankful for the guidance he received from SCORE Indianapolis volunteer mentors Bill Petrovic and Bob Miramonti.
Loving said that Petrovic and Miramonti are good with motivation and that he regularly checks in with his old mentors to keep them updated on his progress with Save Our Sports.
“Our lightbulb moment was ‘you know you’re really doing a big service,’” said Petrovic. “You can learn how to be a good person from being good at some occupation, including being a referee. There’s a lot of life experience that can come out of this.”
For Loving, the journey transcends sports and his work in this nonprofit has uplifted his personal life.
“I look around at my life and noticed some things, behaviors, my mindset has changed,” he said. “Since I’ve become an official and developed there, it’s affected my marriage and my parenting, my involvement in church. It affected every part of my life.”
Looking forward, Loving hopes to build a model for his nonprofit organization that can succeed and grow in other communities around the country. But Loving has chosen Indiana to be the home of Save Our Sports: “We want to grow it here first,” he said.
For more information about starting or operating a small business, or finding a mentor, visit SCORE Indianapolis at www.score.org/indianapolis.