All Articles by Brooke de Lench

Only One in Four Adolescents Meet Physical Activity Guidelines

Only about a quarter of youth aged 12 to 15 years get the 60 minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous exercise recommended in the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines, finds a new study.

"Friday Night Tykes": Episode 3

 

As was the case with the two-hour premiere, the third episode of "Friday Night Tykes" on the Esquire Network continued to be "must see" television for youth football parents for its educational value. Here are some of the safety issues it raised, with links to MomsTEAM content for further reading.

Twelve Signs of A Good Youth Sports Program

The very best youth sports programs, says Brooke de Lench, share 12 characteristics.

"Friday Night Tykes": A Viewer's Guide To Episodes 1 and 2

Friday Night TykesYou have probably read a lot already about the new reality television series, Friday Night Tykes (FNT) which premieres tonight on the Esquire Network.  

Like many of those who have weighed in so far, I am troubled, to put it mildly, about what it says about youth football, San Antonio, Texas-style.  [For some of what I think, watch tonight's "Inside Edition"

A lot has already been written about the new reality television series, "Friday Night Tykes." Because, in so many ways, it provides a perfect example of precisely how NOT to run a youth football program, to enhance the viewing experience, Brooke de Lench offers a viewing guide, listing just some of the safety issues raised in the first two episodes, along with links to related MomsTEAM content.

Stop Youth Sports Coaches Who Bully By Recognizing Techniques They Use To Avoid Blame

While bullying behavior by youth sports coaches is, as MomsTEAM has been pointing out for years, an all-too-common problem, a helpful article in the journal Pediatrics  explains just why it is so difficult to correct by identifying the four main tactics coaches use in their attempts to deflect focus on their improper behavior.

Concussion Summit During Super Bowl Week Promises To Be A Stellar Event

 

On Wednesday, January 29, 2014, during Super Bowl XLVIII Week, I will be participating in a panel discussion at the second annual Coalition for Concussion Treatment (#C4CT) Concussion Awareness Summit to be held this year at the United Nations in New York City.   

On Wednesday, January 29, 2014, during Super Bowl XLVIII Week, Brooke de Lench will be participating in a panel discussion at the second annual Coalition for Concussion Treatment (#C4CT) Concussion Awareness Summit at the United Nations in New York City.

Excessive Adult Praise For Youth Athletes Can Backfire For Those With Low Self-Esteem, Study Suggests

Parents and other adults are inclined to heap the highest praise on children with low self-esteem who are most likely to actually be hurt by the compliments, finds a new study, with important implications for youth sports parents.

Looking Back With Pride, Looking Forward With Excitement

All is quiet at the MomsTEAM office this week. As we have done for the past thirteen years, we take a two-week year-end vacation to gear up for the New Year.

Stopping by to pick up a book, I look around the quiet office, I close my eyes and reflect on the biggest youth and high school sports stories of the year and wonder if we as a nation are any closer to our MomsTEAM mission of making sports safer, saner, less stressful and more inclusive or if we continue to spin wildly out of control in the crazy vortex that is youth sports in the 21st century.  I would like to think we are making some progress on the safety front, but less stressful? More inclusive? Not so sure we are making progress there. 

As much as we look back with pride on what we accomplished over the past year, highlighted by the release of our PBS documentary, "The Smartest Team", we eagerly look forward to the year ahead and the launch of our non-profit arm, the MomsTEAM Institute.

Caitlin Cahow: Being Openly Gay Not Only Reason For Inclusion In U.S. Delegation To Sochi Olympics

Sometimes, when it feels like all I read about in the newspapers and hear on television is about war and conflict, along comes a young woman with wisdom, grace, confidence and dignity beyond her years, an "old soul", if you will, ready to bring us together, to teach the world that we are all one people.  Catlin Cahow is just such a person.  

The naming by President Barack Obama of Caitlin Cahow to be a member of the U.S. delegation to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia came as no surprise to Brooke de Lench, not because she is openly gay but because offers the world a perspective on the power of sport in general, and the Olympics in particular, to unite, rather, than divide nations and people.

High School Football Playoffs: Not A Time For Concussion Safety To Take Back Seat To Winning


As the 2013 high school football season enters the home stretch, with teams fighting to stay alive in the playoffs, or preparing for traditional end-of-the-season games on Thanksgiving morning, the risk of concussion is an ever-present concern. 

Football player holding his head

But now is not the time to put winning ahead of safety.

Even in the best of times, studies show that high school football players face what one recently called a ‘culture of resistance' to reporting to sideline personnel that they are experiencing concussion symptoms.

As the 2013 high school football season enters the home stretch, with teams fighting to stay alive in the playoffs, or preparing for traditional end-of-the-season games on Thanksgiving morning, the risk of concussion is an ever-present concern. But now is not the time to put winning ahead of safety.