PositiveSports.net

Up2Us Center for Sports-Based Youth Development offers practical tools for learning and advocacy

Up2Us is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting youth development programs that use sports to improve the lives of kids across the country.  Among many resources available from Up2Us is a set of practical tools for learning and advocacy produced by the Up2Us Center for Sports-based Youth Development.  These tools can be helpful for educating parents, coaches, and coordinators.  They can also be helpful in advocacy for supportive funding and policy. 

Visit the Up2Us website to learn more...

 

Is it worth it? New research on the economic cost of youth sports.

At PositiveSports.net we have long advocated that the mission of youth sports programs should be positive youth development.  The first and foremost reason for this position is that young people need and deserve positive opportunities for growth and development.  A supplemental reason is that families, communities, and taxpayers invest substantial resources in youth sports programs.  Society should receive something clear and valuable in return for this investment.

A new book by Mark Hyman of George Washington University provides important context to the discussion about the value of youth sports programs.  In The Most Expensive Game in Town, Mr. Hyman defines youth sports as a $5 billion a year industry, and this may be conservative.  He brings particular focus to the cost born by parents in terms of both money and time, and explores the reasons why so many of us are willing to make extraordinary investments in sports.

This is a challenging book because it forces us to ask a simple but profound question about our youth sports programs: "Is it worth it?"  That question should keep us honest about what we are doing in our community sports programs, club sports programs, and school sports programs.  It should also challenge us to identify our weaknesses and go to work on correcting them - just as we ask our athletes to do in their chosen sports.  We highly recommend this book to every parent, coach, and administrator involved in youth sports. 

Click here for more information about The Most Expensive Game in Town.

 

 

New books offer evidence-based strategies for parents and coaches

In two new books, Frank Smoll and Ron Smith, both University of Washington psychology professors, share strategies to help parents and coaches work together to help kids get more out of sports. In "Parenting Young Athletes" and "Sport Psychology for Youth Coaches," the psychologists sum up what they've learned from nearly four decades of research and about 500 training workshops for 26,000 youth-sport coaches. Both books offer practical recommendations to help parents and coaches build positive youth development through sports.

Read more at: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-a-game-strategies-parents-youth-sports.html#jCp

Study Finds Some Kids Looking for More "Fun" In Sports

A recent survey conducted by i9 Sports suggests young athletes might not derive much enjoyment from their sports. Of 300 children surveyed, aged eight to 14 years, 84 percent indicated they wish they had more fun playing youth sports.

The same percentage indicated they wanted to quit a team at one time, citing a lack of enjoyment, conflicts with teammates or too many practices. Almost a third of those surveyed preferred their parents did not watch their games.

If the i9 Sports survey is accurate, it seems sports could be more enjoyable. An obvious solution is to decrease negative behavior among parents, coaches and athletes. Part of playing sports is learning to work together, deal with failure and respect opponents. But it takes everybody.

Read the full Bellaire Examiner article here

Young Girls' Social Risk Factors Link To Obesity

Girls exposed to a number of social risk factors in early childhood are significantly more likely to be obese by age 5, but young boys aren't prone to the same effects, according to a new study published online today in the journal Pediatrics.

Based on the data, girls who experienced more than one social risk factor at 1 or 3 years old were "at significantly increased odds of being obese" by the time they were 5. Girls exposed to more than two of the six social risk factors had even higher odds of being obese by age 5. However, "no significant associations were noted among boys."

Read the full Education Week article here.

 

Female Athlete Triad Educational Pamphlet

The Female Athlete Triad Coalition is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing the Female Athlete Triad, which is syndrom in active females involving three interrelated conditions of low energy and disordered eating, bone loss and menstrual disturbances. 

The FATC provides an educational pamphlet on the issue that can be helpful for coaches and parents who can help prevent the triad in their athletes by becoming knowledgeable on the topic.

Click here to access the online pamphlet.

Check out the full Female Athlete Triad Coalition's website here.

Research suggests one-sport athletes suffer more injuries

Researchers at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine found in 2011 that single-sport athletes were almost twice as likely to injure themselves as multi-sport athletes.

A growing number of young athletes are focusing on playing a single sport, putting themselves at greater risk of serious injuries, physicians said.

The movement toward specialization may produce more successful athletes, but it also results in more injuries. More than 3.5 million children 14 and younger were treated for sports injuries in 2010, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. In contrast, 1.9 million were treated in 2002, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Read the full Iowa Gazette article here.

 

High School Coaching Surveys Cause a Stir

Should coaches be evaluated through the use of anonymous surveys?  This article from the MarpleNewtown Patch in Pennsylvania takes a look at this controversial issue. 

"It’s been a point of contention and serious dialogue in Havertown since the unforeseen firing of Haverford High School’s long-time basketball coach Terry McNichol two weeks ago. It seems to have caught on like wildfire throughout locker rooms and playing fields this spring from athletes, teachers, school administrators and parents throughout the area. The point of alarm is anonymous coach surveys..."

Read the full article here...

 

How Parents Can Help Student Athletes Grow as Leaders

Dr. Chris Stankovich, known as “The Sports Doc” for his segment on Ohio News Network and featured column in Columbus Parent magazine, is a national expert in the field of sport psychology.  In this article on the 'hleadership' website, Dr. Stankovic recommends that parents can help their student athletes grow as leaders in sports and in the community by emphasizing that being a student athlete is a privilege with responsibilities for integrity, responsibility, positive attitude, and intelligent decision making. 

Read 'Student Athletes as Leaders in Our Schools and Communities' at the hleadership website...

 

 

Parental Expectations of Coaches: Closing the Communications Gap

By Steve Horan

 

Ask a group of coaches to identify their coaching challenges, and parent relations will probably show up on the list.  Ask a group of parents to identify their concerns about their kids in sports, and the issue of coaching is just as likely to be listed.  Parent / coach relationships are important because they can have a powerful impact on the positive development and performance of individual athletes and teams. Individuals and teams are much more likely to thrive when there is a positive culture of parent / coach relations.

One way to strengthen parent / coach relations is to seek understanding of what parents expect from coaches.  Candace Barton and Craig Schwartz of Montana State University conducted a combination literature review and parent survey to identify key expectations of parents for coaches.  They found the three things parents value most include:

• fairness and honesty in dealing with athletes
• commitment to the development of sportsmanship, and
• ability to teach well.

The researchers also found the three things parents value least include:

• commitment to winning
• improving a player’s chances to play at a higher level, and
• experience as a player.

Parents also shared important insights about how they evaluate the quality of communication and teaching by coaches. 

The study results provided important information for parents and coaches who aim to create the best possible environment for positive development of young athletes.  As a practical measure, it is a good idea for coaches to work hard at proactively communicating with parents about their coaching philosophy, views on sportsmanship, teaching methods, competitive goals, thoughts on athlete development, etc.  This will allow parents to make informed judgments about whether the program is right for their child. 

Coaches are also encouraged to invite parents to bring any significant concerns about their child's development to the attention of the coach.  This creates a culture of trust in which most issues can be effectively addressed with a good faith commitment to the good of the athlete from both parent and coach.

 Read a full summary of the study here...