By Dan Guttenplan
Sports Editor
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Newburyport High alumna Tanya Primo-Jones believes youth sports have become watered down over the years. She could do without participatory ribbons and trophies.
"Nowadays, kids get trophies for everything," Primo-Jones said. "Kids aren't learning that you have to work hard to win. That's the foundation of my company."
The 1987 Newburyport High graduate started a company 2 1/2 years ago that designs and manufactures T-shirts that display inspirational messages for children. The message on the T-shirts celebrates competitiveness and features positive messages that encourage hard work, perseverance and, more than anything else, winning.
Primo-Jones' company, Primo Activewear, will have a booth at the starting line of the Yankee Homecoming Road Race next Tuesday. She will run the race with her 12-year-old son, Nicholas, who was the inspiration behind the company along with her 9-year-old twins, Anthony and Ben.
At the booth, Primo-Jones plans to hand out inspirational "Persevere to win" wristbands and T-shirts. Unlike some other youth races, she will recognize the winners on Tuesday night with award certificates. As Primo-Jones would say, to the victor goes the spoils.
"Part of the motivation is to show kids they have to work hard to win," Primo-Jones said. "And even when they don't win, they have to get up and try again. That's the point — you learn from winning, and you learn from not winning."
Primo-Jones gained inspiration for the company when her three sons went on a surfing trip three years ago and challenged each other to see who could stand up first on the surfboard. Now, her kids' rallying cry that day — "First one up wins" — is one of the company slogans, along with, "Find your primo." The latter advice translates to, according to Primo-Jones, "find your inner strength, embrace your challenges, work hard, persevere, believe and win."
The company has a cartoon icon, Primo — a boy with messy hair, big hands and extraordinary spirit, according the the website, findyourprimo,com. Primo-Jones said she will add a female cartoon character this year.
"The girl character will have similar traits and embrace uniqueness," Primo-Jones said. "It's a cartoon that perseveres and believes in herself."
