When Cara Bognar reached out to Chicago North Shore Moms to enthusiastically to tell us about her 1:1 sports coaching business, Top Tier Lessons, we couldn’t wait to spread the word. A current D1 swimmer at the University of Illinois and swim team captain, her bright idea has very quickly come to fruition. She explains, “Having achieved my dreams of swimming in college, I wanted to give back and allow children and teenagers to form incredible connections as well as get elite, personalized training with college athletes.” What began in the Champaign Urbana area as small group swim lessons has spread to 1:1 college athlete instruction : student mentees in North Shore cities like Evanston and Skokie. And the booking process couldn’t be more simple. Get to know more about this fresh new concept in 1:1 sports coaching to help your child succeed in her or his sport! Welcome, Cara!
Hi Cara! Please introduce yourself.
Hi! My name is Cara Bognar and I am originally from a small town in South Carolina. I grew up as the oldest of 5 siblings with goats, donkeys, chickens (and all of us kids) running around. I came up to Champaign, Illinois for school as well as sports and while still currently based there, I am looking forward to moving up to Chicago!
You are the founder of Top Tier Lessons. Give a brief overview of how it began and where it is now.
Top Tier Lessons is an online platform that allows parents to book private and small group sports lessons directly with college athletes. We handle the venue, payment, scheduling and safety all on site. We work with athletes from Northwestern, DePaul and Loyola in soccer, basketball, baseball, softball, lacrosse and more.
Top Tier Lessons was started as a way for all college athletes to make money doing what they love, as well as to help form inspiring relationships with the next generation of athletes. We began as a “small town” swim instruction service and have now expanded to form partnerships with the Evanston and Skokie Park Districts.
At Top Tier Lessons, we believe coaches are more than just coaches, they are role models and mentors.
What did you do before starting Top Tier Lessons?
Before starting Top Tier Lessons, I worked as a full time student studying Bioengineering and Engineering Entrepreneurship. I was team captain of the University of Illinois Swimming Team as well as running a small lessons business back in my hometown of Travelers Rest, South Carolina.
How do you find your coaches? What is the vetting process?
We source our coaches from local colleges, working directly with the student athletes themselves. We verify that they are current college athletes, eligible by NCAA background check standards as well as current college students. We then bring them through our onboarding process, manually check that all the information matches up with their statements and then allow them to coach on site.
What towns do you and your staff travel to?
We are able to travel to most locations in a 10 mile radius from each athlete’s school. While our operations are based mostly in the Evanston and Skokie areas, our coaches are able to come to your location, as long as you are within a 10 mile (20-25 minute drive) from the school.
What was the impetus behind starting this practice? What is your background?
I am a current D1 swimmer myself at the University of Illinois. Growing up, I was starstruck by every college athlete who came back to my club. To me, they represented everything I aspired to be and even a smile from them meant more to me than they ever knew. Today, having achieved my dreams of swimming in college, I wanted to give back and allow children and teenagers to form incredible connections as well as get elite, personalized training with college athletes.
How does the booking process work?
For first time clients, our process is incredibly simple. Visit www.toptierlessons.com, select your sport preference and then browse through the selection of college athletes in your area. Once you have found someone you love and relate to, you are able to book a lesson and location then and there on the site. We handle all the other steps to make the process as easy as possible. We do not require you book multiple lessons and have availability all 7 days of the week to accommodate busy schedules and other commitments.
What’s on the horizon for your line of work?
We are continuing to expand to more schools and help more college athletes across the city and suburbs of Chicago! We will also keep hosting clinics and special events, which you can stay updated with through our bi-weekly newsletter. Sign up by visitng https://www.toptierlessons.com/ and enter your email in the subscribe area!
Is there anything else you’d like us to know about yourself or your business?
We are always looking for community partnerships and ways we can expand to create more opportunities and impact. We have hosted clinics, brought college athletes to local practices, helped with fundraiser events, and more. We would love to continue to grow in this space and if you or your business sees a possibility to work with local college athletes we would be happy to help.
We’re all about forging partnerships here on the North Shore. What are your contact details?
Yes, please reach out! Email me at [email protected].