Asa Stockton has plenty of experience in the sports world, from ski lift operations, New Hampshire Fisher Cats grounds crew and Kingswood Regional High School baseball coach.
He’s decided to shift his focus elsewhere in the sports world. The NHTI Sports Management graduate has founded AMM Ascend, a sports group with the goal of connecting talented athletes to opportunities.
“I think there are a lot of overlooked players in all of New England, not just New Hampshire, but mostly New Hampshire. I wanted to always find a way to close that gap,” Stockton said.
This Saturday, AMM Ascend is bringing together experts of all levels, areas and sports at NHTI’s Sweeney Center and auditorium. The event will run all day, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and provide time in between speakers to network.
From UNH Athletics, sports equipment inventors, referees, pickleball and MLB professionals to sports psychologists, the event will hit on all the areas that make the sports world run.
The day will kick off with Corky Newcomb and Ray Hanna, who will cover the sports design, engineering and inventing side of the business. In between them, UNH men’s hockey head coach Mike Souza and women’s basketball head coach Megan Shoniker will feature in a Q&A.
After that, Lake Winnipesaukee Golf Club professional Paul Tessier and former MLB scout Rob Nadel will be the last speakers before the Women in Sports segment.
The following segment will honor Dee Kantner and Dana Senders. Kantner was one of the first women referees in the NBA, and Senders was a long-time NCAA basketball official.
Kantner and Senders were unable to attend to the event, according to Stockton, but the section is still packed with interesting guests. Kristi Morris, a professional pickleball coach, and Dr. Maggie Tieman, a sport and performance psychologist and NCAA basketball referee, will close out the day.
Last, all speakers will take part of a large Q&A for a final round of discussion.
Stockton believes that there is still a long road ahead to connect the entire sports ecosystem in New Hampshire.
Part of it is personal for him. He wholeheartedly believed he was going to become a pro baseball player, and although that didn’t work out, he always had aspirations of doing something big in the sports world.
AMM Ascend hopes to build the brand behind athletes and connect them. It will offer membership programs for recruitment management, branding and NIL opportunities for athletes and help coaches on the other end to help grow their programs.
It’s not just for promising athletes and veteran coaches, though. It’s for anyone looking to have a career in the sports world that’s never taken a jab at the opportunity. Stockton said that connecting people is the key to building a strong sports community.
“I’m really loving it. I can’t wait to see where this goes. I hope to be able to do something like this at least annually, if not more than annually,” he said.
The event can be accessed by purchasing tickets in advance online through www.eventbrite.com/e/ammascend-sports-group-official-launch-sports-marketing-networking-event-tickets-1987465852867.