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Parenting Elite Athletes

Parents ...Your Support is Needed NOW

I know I speak for your kids when I say "THANK YOU" for everything that you do for them.


These young athletes could never do what they do without the help of their parents and/or guardians.

"THANK YOU" and I know they appreciate it even if they don't say so.

It is that time of year and your son or daughter will be back in school and competing athletically in their sport of choice.

I know I speak for your kids when I say "THANK YOU" for everything that you do for them. No way they could get through all of this without your support, especially as they move on to High School sports.

High School Girls Soccer

College Recruiting: How An Expert Can Help

If you son or daughter wants to play college sports, it is important that you and your student athlete understand the recruiting process and that you are doing what is necessary and and off the field to get noticed. An expert in the college recruiting process can help.

A couple of tips:

If you son or daughter wants to play college sports, it is important that you and your student athlete understand the recruiting process and that you are doing what is necessary and and off the field to get noticed. An expert in the college recruiting process can help.

Do College Sports Camps Help An Athlete Get Recruited?

With summer camp season approaching, student-athletes anxiously await their opportunity to jump-start the college recruiting process. Camps can give athletes the opportunity to compete against other athletes from around the country. They are especially attractive to athletes who are trying to get discovered by college coaches.

But it is important for you as parent to help manage your athlete's expectations about what attending a sports camp can and can't do.

A college camp offers a student-athlete a chance to make an all-important first impression in front of college scouts, so it is important that impression be a good one because it is hard to change.

Doug Casa (Exertional Heat Stroke Expert): Sees Early Sport Specialization As Parents' Biggest Mistake

Editors Note: This blog is part of a special series on dads which originally ran in 2012. Because it is timeless we are sharing it again. 

Being the father of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. At MomsTEAM we think sports dads deserve to be honored, not just on the third Sunday in June, but for an entire month. So we have designated June as National Sports Dads Month and invited some veteran sports dads to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions (the same ones we asked sports moms in May).

The nation's pre-eminent expert on exertional heat stroke, heat illnesses and preventing sudden death in sport thinks the biggest mistake that parents make is having their child specialize in one sport at a very young age because having young children develop a wide variety of skill sets gives them the best opportunity for long-term physical development.

Playing for the Right Team: Less Important Than Committment to Sport and Love Of Game

Does playing for the right team, club or high school guarantee getting recruited for college is a question all parents of elite athletes end up facing sometime along the way as their children continue their growth as athletes.

The answer is simply no.  An athlete definitely has to play the sport they love with a commitment to being the best they can be. This can be accomplished at all levels of clubs, but the important thing is that the athlete be competitive with other top players. There is no need to jump from club to club.

Playing for the right team, club or high school doesn't guarantee getting recruited for college. It is more important that an athlete enjoy the team and loves to practice and play.

Olympic Gold Medalist Barbara Ann Cochran: Love of Sport, Self-Belief, and Hard Work Can Help Make Dreams Come True

Being the mother of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. At momsTEAM we think sports moms deserve to be honored, not just on the second Sunday in May, but for an entire month. So we have designated May as National Sports Moms Month and invited some veteran sports moms to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions. We will post a new blog for every day of May, which we hope you will find interesting, empowering, and informative, and that you will share them with your family and friends.

An Olympic skiing gold medalist talks about learning from her daughter that dreams can be achieved if you love what you're doing, believe in yourself, and work hard to improve.

Wella Peirsol Hartig: Mom of 2 Olympic-Level Athletes Advises Parents Not to Pressure Kids To Succeed in Sports

Being the mother of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role.  At momsTEAM we think sports moms deserve to be honored, not just on the second Sunday in May, but for an entire month. So we have designated May as National Sports Moms Month and invited some veteran sports moms to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions. We will post a new blog for every day of May, which we hope you will find interesting, empowering, and informative, and that you will share them with your family and friends.Aaron Piersol

The mother of two Olympic-level athletes says that while parents need to watch over their kids to protect them, the biggest mistakes they can make are living vicariously through and put pressure on their children to succeed in sports.

Awarding Athletic Scholarship For Private School: Is It Wrong?

Every spring around this time, MomsTeam receives e-mails from parents asking for advice on how they can help their athletically gifted child get into and afford to pay for a private or parochial school with a top-flight athletic program.  The one I recently received was a bit different: a dad who was wondering whether I knew any schools who awarded financial aid based, not on need, but on athletic talent. 

Every spring around this time, MomsTeam receives e-mails from parents asking for advice on how they can help their athletically gifted child get into and afford to pay for a private or parochial school with a top-flight athletic program.  The one I recently received was a bit different: it was from a dad who was wondering whether I knew any schools who awarded financial aid based, not on need, but on athletic talent. 

Development Academies: Elite or Elitist?

The United States Soccer Federation's (USSF) recent mandate that ‘elite' soccer players who play for Development Academy teams will not be allowed to play for their high school soccer teams after this season simply frosts me. I've read volumes in the last few weeks, from Soccer America's initial news article and the seemingly unending comments from readers and the soccer experati to The New York Times piece this past Sunday by Sam Borden, that really brought "Soccer's New Way" into the collective consciousness across America.

The United States Soccer Federation's (USSF) recent mandate that elite soccer players who play for Development Academy teams will not be allowed to play for their high school soccer teams after this season is wrong and misleading.

Soccer Development Academies: Elite or Elitist?

Over the weekend I posted a link in the @MomsTeam Twitter account to an article in the New York Times titled "High School Players Forced to Choose in Soccer's New Way."  My tweet generated a lot of buzz, and, as I had commented in the past on the way sports talent is developed in this country, I thought it would be a great topic for a blog.

The United States Soccer Federation's (USSF) recent mandate that elite soccer players who play for Development Academy teams will not be allowed to play for their high school soccer teams after this season is wrong and misleading, says MomsTeam guest blogger, Emily Cohen.
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