Club or High School Sports: Why do I have to choose?

When To Replace Athletic Shoes Depends On Child's Growth and Shoe Wear

Replacing shoes depends on the child's growth rate and the amount of shoe wear.

Hand-Me-Downs and Used Shoes

If you need to buy your child new athletic shoes, either becasue his feet have grown or because they are worn out, you may be considering hand-me-downs or used shoes as an alternative for brand new shoes. Don't be penny wise and pound foolish.

Praise, Not Criticism Needed From Parents, Coaches and Trainers

Parents, coaches and trainers should criticize athletes less, praise them more, reduce pressure to win and on appearance to reduce risk of eating disorders.

Non-Competitive Play Leads to More Physically Active Children, Researchers Say

A study presented at the 55th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in May 2008 established that the structuring of children's games has a significant effect on energy expenditure.

The Jock Culture and What Parents Can Do About It

It is sad but true that our sports culture all too frequently extends extra privileges to athletes because of their presumed special status, a phenomenon commonly called "the jock culture." While that culture at the nation's middle and high school isn't going to go away any time soon, there are steps parents can take to at least avoid reinforcing its negative aspects.

Sports Benefit Boys in Many Ways

It is well-established that playing sports is good for boys. Indeed, some experts contend that, given the way they hard-wired, boys need sports and competition because they provide healthy ways to channel their intense physicality and aggression and feel strong.

The Pre-Title IX Mom: A Humorous Look At Sports By One Clueless Mom

Like learning a second language, learning sports is best done when you are young. For one mom, growing up in the pre-Title IX era meant that, no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't seem to follow what was going on - even when her own son was playing.

Deb Vee

Club or High School Sports: Why do I have to choose?

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 01/11/2009 - 23:30. | comments

It has only been recently, within the last decade or so, that some high school athletes are choosing to play their favorite sport exclusively for their club team, forgoing the experience of high school competition altogether. The purpose behind this centers on the idea that the training offered through a club atmosphere is needed in order to reach higher competitive levels, and the scholarship that some seek. Whether this is true or not (something I won’t debate here), either choice will bring positives to the table for the high school age athlete.

Lessons Learned in Little League

When I pick up a newspaper only to read another youth sports horror story about parents fighting at a youth hockey, football or baseball game with each other or with coaches or umpires, I often think back to the time when I was playing youth baseball:

Deb Vee

Justified Behavior, Unsportsmanlike Behavior or Assault: You Decide

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 10/08/2008 - 00:03. | comments

Below is a link to a videotaped recent incident of a coach pushing an 11-year-old out of a handshake line after a youth football game. It is obvious that the coach was very aggressive toward the youth; however, it does not show anything that might have caused such an inappropriate response. Take a look:

Coach Shoves 11-year-old player: link 1

or

Coach Shoves 11-year-old player: link 2