All Articles by Brooke de Lench

Rethinking Youth Sports

From all that one might think from reading the newspaper, listening to the news or watching the television talk shows lately, the only problem with youth sports today is the out-of-control parent, and that all we have to do is to stick a code of conduct or laundry list of rules under the nose of every parent and ask them to sign on the dotted line, and everything will be fine.

Fighting For Change in a Local Soccer Club: A Letter to the Club's President About the Effect of Cutting

Several years ago, my triplet sons tried out for the travel soccer club in our town. Two of my sons were wait-listed for no apparent reason, along with over sixty other boys who had previously been in the program.

Fighting For Change in a Local Soccer Club: A Letter to the Club's President About the Effect of Cutting

Several years ago, my triplet sons tried out for the travel soccer club in our town. Two of my sons were wait-listed for no apparent reason, along with over sixty other boys who had previously been in the program.

Equal Playing Time: Should It Be the Rule, Not the Exeption?

One of the players seemed to get special consideration. Ricky was a strong, natural athlete: big, fast and tall. Yet, despite the fact that he had never played travel soccer, missed all but two of the team's sixteen weekday practices!! due to other sport team commitments, he never came out of the game! Ever!

Equal Playing Time: Should It Be the Rule, Not the Exception?

One of the players seemed to get special consideration. Ricky was a strong, natural athlete: big, fast and tall. Yet, despite the fact that he had never played travel soccer, missed all but two of the team's sixteen weekday practices!! due to other sport team commitments, he never came out of the game! Ever!

Equal Playing Time: Should It Be the Rule, Not the Exception?

Giving the "best" players more playing time than the so-called "weaker" players may help a team win more games, but at what cost? Some boys never miss practice, yet only played the minimum. Others hardly ever, or never, come to practice, yet are "rewarded" for their lack of commitment with extra playing time because the coach wants to win. I believe that an equal playing or significant playing time should be the rule rather than the exception, at least up until high school varsity or until players are playing at the highest levels of their sport.

Sideline Behavior: Five Ways For Parents To Model Good Sportsmanship

There are five ways for parents to model good sportsmanship on the sports sidelines: cheering for the team, not just your child; refraining from criticizing players; thinking how other parents and fans see you; not putting your child on a pedestal; and having fun and not treating parents from the opposing team as the enemy.

Car Pools: Tips and Tricks

Car pools are a sports mom's best friend, lightening the load of all those trips to practices and games that weigh so many moms down. They also save on the cost of gas (and with a gallon costing over $4 per gallon these days, probably for good, those savings could be substantial) and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But they require commitment and planning if they are going to work...

The Organized Mom: Tips and Tricks

Here are some tips for staying organized when your child is playing sports...

Mission Statements: Important in Youth Sports Programs

Many youth sport parents have witnessed inappropriate behavior on the part of players, coaches and other parents at practices and during games. When they do, they may scratch their heads and think to themselves "I didn't think that we acted this way in our program." The problem is that, all too often, the behavioral guidelines for the program haven't been clearly spelled out in advance.