Jason Harper, Director, Rancho Cordova Athletic Association, has completed multiple 100-mile races. Photo courtesy of Jason Harper

For nearly a year, Jason Harper has used this space to talk about youth sports, coaches, volunteers, leadership and the life lessons that happen between the foul lines.

This week…I’m taking it away from him.

I’m Mike Marando, The Grapevine Writer, and before Jason has a chance to object, let me explain.

Jason would never write an article about himself.

In fact, if I had asked him to, he’d probably have suggested we highlight a volunteer coach, a kid overcoming adversity or someone quietly making a difference in Rancho Cordova.

Which is exactly why I decided to do it.

Whether you agree with every decision he makes or not, it’s hard to argue with the impact. Participation is growing. New programs continue to appear. Old partnerships are being rebuilt. And there always seems to be another idea waiting around the corner.

That made me curious.

What drives the guy?

So, I asked him six questions— not about accomplishments, but about how he thinks. Because leaders eventually become predictable. Once you understand the principles they operate from, you begin to understand the decisions they make.

Welcome to The Secret Six.

1. What are you really trying to build?

Jason: Building kids now to be better adults later.

The basketballs, baseballs, soccer balls, footballs…they’re just the delivery system.

One day the lights go off. The uniforms are packed away. The trophies collect dust. What remains is the man or woman that child became.

If sports don’t produce integrity, resilience, humility, discipline, and service, then we confused the scoreboard with the mission.

2. Why do you seem drawn toward difficult situations?

Jason: Broken things have always fascinated me. Not because I enjoy the chaos. Because broken things can be rebuilt.

Whether it’s a struggling league, a discouraged coach, or a kid convinced they’re not good enough, I rarely see what something is. I see what it could become.

Potential has always been louder to me than problems.

3. Is there one question that guides your leadership?

Jason: Every decision must survive one filter: “How does this help our kids?”

It’s amazing how many arguments disappear after that. Politics fade. Personal agendas fade. Egos fade.

The answer usually becomes obvious.

4. You’ve completed multiple 100-mile races. Did they change how you lead?

Jason: Completely.

At mile eighty, nobody cares what your title is.

Pain strips away the pretending. You learn that suffering introduces you to yourself.

Leadership isn’t very different.

Keep showing up. Keep serving. Keep solving the next problem.

Eventually people stop listening to what you say and start watching what you do.

5. What motivates you today?

Jason: Legacy. Not my name. Impact.

I hope a coach teaches a kid something twenty years from now because another coach once invested in him. That’s how communities change. One generation quietly teaches the next.

I want the work to outlive the worker.

6. Fifty years from now, what do you hope people remember?

Jason: That I loved this community.

Not with speeches. With action.

That more kids had a chance to play. That more parents found a place to belong. That more coaches realized they weren’t just teaching sports, they were helping shape lives.

If someone simply says, “He left Rancho Cordova better than he found it,” that’s more than enough.

Mike’s Final Thought

I’ve interviewed business owners, elected officials, coaches and community leaders over the years.

Most spend their time talking about what they’ve accomplished.

Jason spent nearly the entire conversation talking about what he hopes happens after he’s gone.

Maybe that’s the difference.

Maybe real leadership isn’t measured by what you build while you’re here.

Maybe it’s measured by what continues growing after you’ve stepped away.

Now, Jason…you can have your column back next week.