Parents Who Interfere: Was Quitting The Only Way Out For Coach?

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Mon, 01/09/2012 - 16:17. | comments

This weekend a father from Michigan sent me an article in the Detroit News about a highly successful high school basketball coach in his daughter's league who had just quit as a result of what the newspaper described as "extreme parental interference."

He wanted to know what I would suggest to the coach, who happened to be a personal friend.

Coaches who don't have problems with pushy parents tend to be the great communicators; they let them know where they stand early, before the season even starts, at a preseason meeting.

Severs Disease: Symptoms and Treatment Of Heel Pain In the Growing Athlete

While heel pain in a young athlete can have a number of causes, one of the most common causes of heel pain in growing athletes between the ages 10 and 15 is Severs Disease.

Advice to Sports Parents: Stress Fun, Building Skills

With the increasing focus in youth sports on success, a sports psychologist and former elite short track cyclist says parents should emphasize practice to play, leaving their expectations at home on game day, and being motivated by a desire to have fun, not achieve results.

Brooke de Lench

Baseline Neurocognitive Testing Before Winter Sports Activities: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Tue, 01/03/2012 - 15:51. | comments

I remember one time, when my kids were six, going ice skating at a new rink with my sister Drew, her daughter Courtney, and my triplet sons. The excitement of a new rink and lots of kids zipping around provided for a lot of great fun and laughs, but ended, unfortunately, in an accident and a terrifying trip to the hospital, the memory of which is still vivid. Girl lacing up figure skates

Baseline neurocognitive testing in team sports such as hockey, lacrosse and football is increasingly common, but it might be a good idea to have kids tested before they participate in winter sports such as recreational skating, snowboarding or skiing as well.

Brooke de Lench

Top Youth Sports Story of 2011: New Concussion Safety Laws

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Mon, 01/02/2012 - 19:23. | comments

Every day at MomsTeam the staff talks about the best and worst youth sports stories of the day. Each year we vow to post a Top Ten list, as do our friends at the Positive Coaching Alliance, with their "Top 10 Responsible Sports Moments," or, select the top youth athlete, as the folks do at Sports Illustrated for Kids.

But we realized that selecting ten stories or one kid to highlightt when there are over 50 million kids playing sports in fifty states just isn't possible. The simple fact is that there are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of "responsible moments" and millions of great young athletes whose spirit, desire to excel, and sportsmanship deserve to be recognized.

The top youth sports story of 2011 had to be the passage by twenty states of strong concussion safety laws, says longtime concussion safety advocate, Brooke de Lench.

Training Program Can Reduce Female ACL Injury Risk, Improve Athletic Performance

Two ACL injury prevention programs significantly reduce injury rates among female athletes while improving athletic performance, says a 2011 study. Experts hope the findings will lead to greater compliance with training and widespread adoption of intervention programs.

Foam Rolling: Essential Part Of Athlete's Training Routine

By rolling different muscle groups across a large piece of cylindrical foam, kids not only better prepare their bodies for exercise, but they can also help speed recovery time from intensive training and competition.

Playing Multiple Sports: A Healthy Advantage for Youth Athletes

The overlap between youth sports seasons is only getting worse and the degree to which kids are specializing at ever-earlier ages in a single sport is a troubling trend in youth sports, says one longtime baseball coach and author.

Concussion Reduces Blood Flow To Brain Which Often Lasts More Than 30 Days

The absence of concussion symptoms doesn't mean the brain has fully recovered, suggests two new studies, one finding that blood flow and carbon dioxide levels in the brains of athletes are reduced under the stress of exercise for three to seven days after a concussion, the second finding significant reductions in cerebral blood flow in young athletes which persisted more than 30 days after injury.

School Lunch Ideas for Busy Families:

With the holidays in full swing on top of our already hectic schedules, eating right and living a healthy lifestyle often seem like overwhelming tasks. A practicing pediatrician, author, and instructor on healthy lifestyles for parents and children offers school lunch ideas to help parents and their kids brave the winter months with gusto.

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