All Articles by Brooke de Lench

Casting Call for The Revolution: Weight Loss Edition

Two weeks ago, my friend, Jacques, a Swiss endocrinoligst with a specialty in diabetes, came to Boston to visit for the week and to attend the Endocrine Society annual meeting. For two weeks each year, Jacques runs a successful sports camp for diabetic athletes in St Moritz, where they learn how to monitor their glucose levels and are taught ways to become motivated and more active and fit.

The Decorah Eagles: Lessons for Youth Sports?

Since April I have had a front row seat watching the Decorah Eagles, one of best teams in the nation, at work.

Who are they? A baseball team? A lacrosse team?

No.  These Eagles are actually, well, a family of American bald eagles from Decorah, Iowa - members of the bird family Accipitridae and a proud symbol of America - whose teamwork between the eagle parents (coaches) and the players (eaglets, now fledglings) set an example from which every youth sports stakeholder- parents, coaches, fans and especially young athletes - can learn valuable lessons. 

Bruins' Stanley Cup and Father's Day: Remembering My Dad

My dad has been gone for close to twenty years now, yet this Father's Day week he is closer to my heart than he has been in many years.

If he were still alive, II am sure we would have been sharing in the excitement of the Stanley Cup playoffs over the past few weeks, culminating in the Bruins' victory over the Vancouver Canucks last night in Game 7. 

It was an excitement we shared 39 years ago when the Bruins last won the Cup.  Since he was born in 1925, he was alive for all of the other Cup victories by the B's in 1929, 1939, 1941, 1970 and 1972.

Do Youth Athletes Tolerate Sports Drinks Less Well Than Adults?

In response to a recent MomsTeam article reporting on the American Academy of Pediatrics' clinical report on sports and energy drinks, a reader, a high school cross-country coach, suggesting that youth athletes tolerated sports drinks less well than water. We wondered whether he was right. MomsTeam's youth sports hydration expert, Dr. Susan Yeargin, says no: tolerance is a question of liquid volume and workout intensity, not drink composition.

Sports Drinks Improve Performance in Stop and Go, High-Intensity Sports

Attention sports moms: still skeptical that sports drinks actually do what they say they do - help increase endurance for young athletes in stop-and-go, high-intensity team sports like soccer, football, ice hockey, basketball, volleyball, and lacrosse - and aren't just advertising hype? Well now you don't have to take their word for it, there's scientific proof.

A Youth Sports Mother's Day Wish List

It's May once again. Time for spring sports, warmer weather, longer days, and, of course, Mother's Day. This year, instead of celebrating mothers with the usual cards and flowers, I have put together a special wish list for the mothers, grandmothers, step mothers and other caregivers in this country with kids playing sports.

 

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Increasing Cynicism of Younger Coaches Is Disturbing Trend

In his monthly column on youth sports heroes, Doug Abrams highlights two high school baseball pitchers who refused to follow their coach's instructions to intentionally throw at the head of a batter.  

His article highlights one high school baseball coach but proves two larger points. 

Win-Win: A Satisfying Sports-Themed Movie The Whole Family Will Enjoy

The new movie, Win-Win, should appeal to all age groups, but, may be especially appealing as a movie for grandparents to see with their sports-active teenage grand-kids.

Study Finds Strong Link Between Bullying and Mental Health Problems, Family Violence, Drug and Alcohol Use

Middle and high school students who are both bullies and victims of bullying are three times more likely than students who are neither to seriously consider suicide, intentionally injure themselves, report being physically abused by a family member and witnessing violence in their family, and to use drugs and alcohol, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Moms in Youth Sports: Keeping Children Safe

While much has changed in youth sports over the past fifty years, what has not changed is the hardwired instinct of mothers to want to nurture and protect their children from harm.