Want to be a Champion? Learn to be a Good Loser
All of the golfing world felt for Jordan Spieth as his ball splashed into the creek on the par three 12th at the Masters this weekend. When it happened a second time, I actually had to walk away from my t.v. set. I just couldn’t bear to watch as the kid collapsed in the biggest moment of […]
Facilitating the Mental Game with Athlete Journals
Have you ever noticed that girls like to ponder things? Me too. Have you ever wondered what they’re thinking about? Me too. Do you know the best way to find out? Ask them. But don’t expect it to be that easy. You have to read between the lines. Which means…get it in writing. I’ve had some […]
Can a US Soccer Girls Development Academy Prevent Overuse Injuries?
Did you know there is yet ANOTHER league to consider if you’re interested in high level girl’s soccer these days? Yep. US Soccer has announced that it will be launching a Girls Development Academy in the Fall of 2017. This will book-end the boy’s Development Academy (DA) which they formed in 2007, created then to address […]
Taking the Fear out of Post-Concussion Syndrome
It seems like nearly every soccer-playing kid has had a concussion these days. And even if we’re lucky enough to have kids still in the clear, we’re set on edge by the looming fear that the succession of “sub-concussive hits” now under intense scrutiny may be just as damaging as that one big blow that […]
Spring is for Training, Find Your Seat
I was so excited to go see my first Spring Training baseball game, the Orioles vs the Braves. I’m not really a fan of either team. I’m a fan of the game and the sport. I love being at the ball park, which brings back great memories of the days my mom and I saw […]
Injury Prevention: Disparate Sides are as Hazardous in Sports as they are in Politics
What’s so bad about being sided? Nearly all of us have a side we prefer. We’re right-handed or left-footed or we may bat right and throw left, but when asked to choose a side, we do. This is why people like Oakland Athletic’s pitcher, Pat Venditte who throws both ways, is such a phenom, though even […]
Four Signs that Kids Sports Are Actually Hurting Them
When I was growing up playing sports, nobody ever got hurt, at least not seriously. I don’t remember a single teammate ever complaining of knee pain, shin pain, heel pain or hip pain. Today nearly all young athletes eventually experience at least one of these maladies. What has changed since the “good ole days?” Plenty. […]
It’s Amazing What Sport Shows Us and What it Shows Others About Us
I didn’t know Don Paup was a world champion. Yes, he was tall and athletic but his posture was welcoming and his presence, unassuming. Most days he sat behind a desk piled high with papers and journals or staffed the cardiac rehab lab joking with the guys as he took their blood pressures. Two days […]
Why Fit2Finish? Because it Starts and Ends with Healthy Kids
I often get asked, “How did you get started with Fit2Finish?” It’s a pretty good story… It was a sunny Sunday afternoon and I was watching my oldest daughter play a mid-season soccer game. The two teams were evenly matched and battled valiantly, contending for every ball – as only ten year old girls with […]
In Today’s World, Sport is No Longer Optional, It’s Essential
In the wake of the daily headlines, do sports and recreation even matter anymore? What does it matter that I teach kids to dribble, pass, and shoot? What does it matter that they learn to play the positions? What does it matter that I set a line up with starters and subs? play a system, […]