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 […]
Kickstarting Our 2016 thanks to John Acuff
Love this list from John Acuff in his 30 Days of hustle challenge to kickstart 2016. How many can you get done in 2016? 1. Pick a goal. 2. Find your why. 3. Get your how. 4. Make it fun or it won’t get done. 5. Win with when. 6. Make where a priority. 7. Fight […]
Let’s Stop Concussions but Keep the Game Alive
Fit2Finish note: This is a guest post from Dr. Neilank Jha, neurosurgeon and the head of Konkussion Inc – a concussion treatment program with clinics in many locations in Canada. If you are concerned about concussions in youth sports, also read “Solving the Concussion Crisis: Practical Solutions” here. For many, sports are the epicenter of their youth. Sport teaches children […]
Give the Gift Kids Will ‘Die’ For (adult supervision discouraged)
The force is strong in these two! The force of fun, that is. You want to know their secret? NO adults told them to do it. I took this very same die (in gender-neutral lime green) into the fourth grade classroom at a local elementary school this week. The second I walked in, all heads […]
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, […]
The Joy of Movement: Have You Ever Watched a Child Dance?
Early athletic success may have been the worst thing that ever happened to me. Things came easy. Classwork came easy. Grades? No problem. Even playground games were a delight because I could hit, catch and kick with minimum effort and much success. Who wouldn’t love to play games they are good at? And I did. Lots […]
Fairy-Tail Finish for Kimble: Dreams (seasoned with hard work) Do Come True
How would you like to be this girl? Meet Caroline Kimble, holding midfielder for the Louisville Cardinals women’s soccer team. She just scored the biggest goal of her life, and the biggest in Louisville program history. An unforgettable finish, as the unranked Cardinals upset the No. 1-ranked UNC Tarheels 2-1 in the last seconds of […]
Nutrition, Body Composition and Health: 5 Talking Points with Teens
Coaches boldly tackle teams, players, parents, administrators and opponents head on. But there’s one thing most of them won’t touch: the “nutrition talk.” Especially male coaches of female athletes, either out of personal discomfort or for fear of raising the risk of eating disorders, avoid the conversation all together. That leaves overweight, obesity, and body […]