Tips for parenting on the slopes

By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL, Associated Press

NEW YORK — One of the worst things a parent can see on the ski slopes — short of an injury — is the swelling of a tear underneath the layers of facemask, goggles and helmet. The problem isn’t only that the little drop of water could freeze: It could be the moment your child is turned off from skiing or snowboarding.

That wasn’t going to work for me. Some of my best childhood memories happened on my little red-and-white Hart Gremlin skis and I had decided probably before my kids could walk that it would be that way for them, too — whether they liked it or not.

At first it seemed a definite “not.” They whined. They cried. There was a flat-out refusal to put on snowpants.

Meanwhile,...

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A checklist for parents who coach their child’s youth sports team

By Jack Perconte, McClatchy-Tribune

Responsibilities — Please check all that apply.

1. I am committed to help each player on the team equally, not just my son, daughter or favorite players.

2. I am determined to be fair with playing time and discipline. I will keep a chart of playing time for each player and explain team rules in writing.

3. I am confident that my experience and knowledge of the sport is adequate for the level I am coaching.

4. I will continue to further my knowledge of the sport by attending coaching clinics, reading books, watching videos, etc., and become certified, if required, by league.

5. I hold a preseason meeting with parents to discuss the team’s objectives, coaching philosophy, and...

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My major league confession and the best way to help youth athletes

By Jack Perconte, McClatchy-Tribune

When I completed my major league baseball career, I felt like I gave it my all and I was happy with the results based on my ability level.
However, the further removed I have become from those playing days; I have changed my mind on that. If I “only knew then what I know now” goes through my head when I look back on my glory days. I honestly feel as though I could have been so much better if I had done one thing differently.

The one thing is the old “quality over quantity” rule. I now realize that so often in my career I worked for no benefit because I did not understand the fundamentals of hitting and throwing a baseball. That may sound odd for a major league player, but it was true and not...

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Top 10 tips for making the high school team

By Jack Perconte, McClatchy-Tribune

Competition for making the high school team can be very intense, especially at large schools. The obvious answer to the question of “How to make the high school team?” is to have better skills than the other players. There is no substitute for players working at their skills from a young age.

Many parents, though, get a rude awakening when their kids do not make the team because of reasons that have nothing to do with their skills. Often, many players show similar skills in a tryout and it is some intangible that makes a coach choose one player over another.

Here are tips that parents should pass on to players to “cover all their bases,” so they do not “dribble” away their opportunity...

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Parent guide to buying sports equipment for Christmas

By Jack Perconte, McClatchy-Tribune

Buying sports equipment for your son or daughter is usually an easy thing to do, when affordable of course. Parents can take their child to the store, or look on-line, and find the equipment that their child needs and likes.

This does not involve too much pressure because the kids can pick the equipment. When it turns out not to suit their needs, it was basically their choice, and parents can explain that to them and that they will have to live with their decision for now. However, the amount of pressure on parents increases dramatically when it comes time for parents to surprise their child with a holiday present. It is never a fun experience to see your child open a gift on the holiday only to see a disappointed look on their...

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Ten positive parenting tips to keep athletes on a path for life success

By Jack Perconte, McClatchy-Tribune

Notice the headline of this article says “life success” and not athletic success. There is a difference. Many athletes have success on the playing fields but fail in life when it comes to relationships and off-the-field success when their career is over.

Most people believe sports are beneficial to help keep kids on the path to success because of the valuable life lessons that can be learned. We’ve all heard the stories of athletes making poor decisions off the field, though.

Both the path to success and the path to failure are determined by adults involved with youth sports.

How should parents act so that athletes can get on and stay on the path to life success? This answer lies in the...

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A gym becomes a school for young athletes

By Colleen Diskin, The Record (Hackensack N.J.)

Their classroom is on the balcony overlooking a sprawling gymnastics training floor.

There are no partition walls so the eight students have learned to tune out the echoing giggles from the toddlers in an afternoon tumbling class.

At times they must tune one another out as well. They are in different grades, working at their own pace, so while one of them is quietly reading poetry, another is trying to concentrate on a grammar exercise while a third is going over math problems with the teacher in a hushed voice.

One day last month, the three eighth-graders in this makeshift classroom at North Stars Gymnastics Academy in Boonton, N.J., needed to conduct a science experiment to help them understand the...

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Positive coaching: It’s a choice and a philosophy

By Jack Perconte, McClatchy-Tribune

In many of my writings over the years, I have written how youth coaches have a great influence on their players, positively or negatively, as the case may be. As proof of this I have used my own experiences as examples, my kids’ experiences with their coaches, and the many discussions I have had with my students about their coaches. Most people involved with youth sports agree that the lessons learned playing sports are valuable to our youths’ development, so it comes as no surprise that youth coaches hold a key component to our kids’ futures.

Youth coaches have a great opportunity to be a positive influence to players’ future and, often, even to the opposition players perception of coaches. The problem is that...

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It’s sports — err — get-out-your-wallet season

By Marla Jo Fisher, The Orange County Register

It’s soccer season now, which means it’s time for the coach or designated party to hold a gun to your head and say,”Give me all your money.”

I just went to my kid’s mandatory parent meeting last night for this year’s soccer team, the Silly Kangaroos, and the team mom read off a list of all the stuff I have to pay for in addition to the fees I already paid for my kid to join the team.

I have to buy two discount cards at $10 each. But I can find some friends (maybe in Australia) who don’t have any kids and aren’t dead broke or laid off and try to make them buy them from me.

I also have to pay $10 for the team banner and another $10 because there isn’t...

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ER visits for concussions soar among kid athletes

The Associated Press

CHICAGO — Emergency room visits for school-age athletes with concussions has skyrocketed in recent years, suggesting the intensity of kids’ sports has increased along with awareness of head injuries.

The findings in a study of national data don’t necessarily mean that concussions are on the rise. However, many children aren’t taken for medical treatment, so the numbers are likely only a snapshot of a much bigger problem, doctors say.

“It definitely is a disturbing trend,” said lead author Dr. Lisa Bakhos, an ER physician in Neptune, N.J.

The study examined concussions in organized youth sports involving ages 8 to 19. ER visits for 14- to 19-year-olds more than tripled, from about 7,000 in 1997 to...

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