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The alleged sexual abuse of boys by a longtime coach at Penn State* has focused media attention once again on the issue.  For the parents of the alleged victims, of course, their worst nightmares have come true. But what could have been done to prevent it? And is the culture of male sports itself at least partially to blame?

The sad fact, as noted in an article by Michael Hartill, a lecturer in the Department of Sport and Physical Activity at Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, Lancashire, England who has studied sexual abuse of boys in sports extensively, is that "the largely unregulated world of children's sport has typically been slow to address the issue of sexual abuse of youth athletes." 

Everybody uses the word loyalty and some seem to embrace the phrase as if it had some parallel to ethics and I believe the word should be given some reconsideration by all. After being involved with many different youth athletic programs for the past several years, I have had the opportunity to observe youth leagues that are on opposite poles of the economic and social spectrum. I have coached in the wealthiest of suburban youth leagues and I've coached in inner city leagues that were in the most plighted areas where driving to and from practices made me very nervous.

This chili won the award for "Best Tasting" at its inaugural submission in an annual chili cook off last Fall.  The competition was a fundraiser and took place during pre-game tail gating on college game day. Key to its awesome flavor is the right blend of spices. Key to its success at the contest?  TEAMWORK!  My son, the chili master, created the recipe and along with his fraternity brothers, orchestrated the shopping, prepping, cooking and transportation for 4 gallons of this beefy delight to the competition site. I call it "Game Changer" chili because it sets a new benchmark for the tastiest chili I have ever had! I hope you will feel the same.

Ingredients

3 lbs. ground beef ( 80/20)

One of the joys of being a team mom and loving to cook is the opportunity to host and plan the team party. I was fortunate enough to have a home large enough to host a small crowd so I would take ownership of planning the event, the menu and the start time. One of my favorite dishes to prepare is Hawaiian Pulled-Pig, aka Kahlua Pig.  It takes about 4 hours to cook, but is guaranteed to bring smiles, satisy big appetites, and make your kids happy to eat leftovers the next day-- presuming any of it is left!

As a team parent, I had the honor of being at least twice on the snack rotation for my son's Little League team.  What started as a routine obligation, morphed quickly into a fun "competition" amongst parents over who could make the most asked-for team snack.  I made egg rolls for the team snack, team parties, coaches' gifts, school international projects...... the list goes on.   With so much attention given to healthy snacks, I decided that "healthy" is in the eyes of the beholder. Instead, I opt for FUN and introduce to you, my famous, "Mrs. B's Egg Rolls".