Meet the Mini Athletics Raleigh Team

✦ HOW IT ALL BEGAN ✦

It started with a simple question: why can’t I find anything like this for my 4-year-old?

Like so many parents in this area, we were looking for something for our little one — not a specific sport, just something that would help him move better, feel confident, and love being active. What we kept finding were individual sports: soccer, gymnastics, swim lessons. All wonderful in their own right. But nothing that was actually building the physical foundations that make all of those sports easier later on.
We searched and the more we looked, the clearer it became: this kind of program simply didn’t exist here yet. The gap was real. And it mattered because these early years, from walking age through to seven, are the single most important window for developing movement skills that children carry for the rest of their lives.

That’s when we found Mini Athletics. A UK-born, globally loved children’s movement program built on exactly what we’d been looking for: play-based physical literacy, grounded in track and field fundamentals, designed for this exact age. Not individual sports. A real, progressive program that gives children the foundations they’ll carry for life.
We knew straight away: we have to bring this to our community.

✦ MEET PRIYANKA ✦
Co-Founder & Program Lead

Competitive Swimmer · College & State Basketball · Marathon Runner · PTA Board Volunteer

Physical literacy isn't just something I learned — it's something I inherited. Coming from a family with over 50 years in education and physical development, I grew up watching movement shape not just students, but confident, capable human beings. Physical literacy wasn't something we talked about; it was something we lived.
As a competitive swimmer, college and state-level basketball player, and finisher of multiple half marathons and marathons, I've experienced first-hand how sport builds resilience, focus, and the ability to rise under pressure. Athletics taught me how to handle challenges, stay composed, work as part of a team, and push through when things felt hard. These building blocks still drive me as a parent and community member today.
I've also been deeply embedded in local schools as a PTA member and board volunteer at both elementary and middle school level — leading Sports Days, supporting STEM activities, and volunteering across child development programs. That hands-on experience has only deepened one belief: movement in the earliest years truly matters.


✦ MEET SHASHANK ✦
Co-Founder & Community Soccer Coach

Cricket · Soccer · Weekend Coach · Community Builder

I grew up immersed in sport — cricket pitches, soccer fields, and the kind of weekend games that teach you more about teamwork than any classroom could. That love for movement never left me.
Today, you'll find me on the sidelines coaching and actively engaging with my boys — bringing the same energy and encouragement I received as a young athlete into the next generation. For me, sports has always been about connection. That's exactly what I hope Mini Athletics brings to every family in this community.
Together with Priyanka, am building something genuinely meaningful: a local home for physical literacy that gives every child the foundation to grow strong, move freely, and love being active for life.

✦ OUR FAMILY — OUR INSPIRATION ✦
Everything about Mini Athletics feels personal to us, because it is.
We have two sons: a 4-year-old who loves to run, jump, and copy everything his big brother does with infectious joy and a 12-year-old who is deeply involved in soccer and cricket. Our younger son is exactly the age this program is built for. Watching him run around with that pure, uninhibited energy is what made us so determined to give him and every child in this community — the very best start.

As a family, we love meaningful time together — being outdoors, staying active, exploring new places, and building experiences that create confidence and connection.


“Movement builds confidence. Early foundations last a lifetime. Play is powerful learning. Strong communities help children thrive.”
— Priyanka, Shashank & Family