Preparing your athlete for the rigors of playing soccer can go a long way in achieving endurance during this fast-paced sport.  Part of making the drills effective is knowing how to train your athletes the right way.  Training youth athletes should be taken seriously, as permanent injury can have devasting effects for young athletes.

1. Take the time to prepare.  Research and learn the drills that will work best for the age group you are working with.  Be prepared and have a plan for your practices and coaching sessions.  A clipboard with a checklist can help you plan the time effectively so your athlete gets the most out of the session. 

Your list should include items you want to cover and implement in training, including some step by step instructions for the  drills you plan to introduce.  Observe your athletes and evaluate their progress.   Have a plan for penalty warm-ups in case they have to be handed out.  When a coach makes it clear they know what they are doing, wasting the time of athletes who take their training seriously by not demanding discipline during training can easily derail your practice and undermine a coach’s authority.  The last thing you want to happen is to have your athletes feel you don’t know what your doing.  This undermines the respect for the coach and dimishes his authority.

2. Have the training equipment ready and in tip top shape.  Get to your practice early, set up cones, prepare your practice area before your athletes arrive, guaranteeing more quality time is spent on training.

Make it safe!  Check the playing area and make sure it’s free debris and harmful objects on the field that may cause injury.  Secure the goal posts and make sure each athlete has gear that protects them before they step on the field.

 3. Vary your drills for each practice.  Investigate new methods of training and coaching so there’s a lot of variety to hold the athlete’s interest. Never be satisfied and always keep your eyes open for new drills and coaching methods.   Keep track of the drills practices and determine how the athletes respond and if they’re effective drils. 

4. Keep a supply of water and a first aid kit ready at all times.

5.  Winning is fun and so is practicing!  Kids sign up for sports activities for the social exposure and they want to have fun.   Encourage the athlete during practices.  Keep the smiles on, the interest high and challenge them to compete in a friendly environment.  Kids love to compete and show off their athletic prowess, so encourage through humor and make praising your athlete your practice!

Winter sports are a lot of fun, but it is important to make sure your child is
properly prepared for the outside sports. Most kids do not mind being cold,
especially if they are participating in a sport, but as parents we need to make sure
that they are prepared for the elements.

Stay Warm- make sure your child is dressed in layers and has the proper protective
gear for the sport they are participating in. Make sure ears and fingers are covered
when possible to avoid frostbite.

Wear sun block and lip balm with a spf – even if it is cold outside you can still get
sunburn, especially when skiing, sledding or snowboarding. Sunlight can reflect
off the bright white snow and right back onto your face, lips, etc.

Whether you are skating for fun or playing ice hockey, the number one rule is to
always skate on approved ice. Never skate on ice that has not been approved. Just
like with swimming, never skate alone.

If you play ice hockey, don’t step onto the ice without the proper gear. The most
important safety gear is an ice hockey helmet. Do not try to substitute with a
football or baseball helmet.

Always make sure you sled safely. Check your sled to make sure it is in good
working order. Do not use a homemade sled like a garbage can lid, plastic bags
or pool floats. Never use a sled that has any sharp or jagged edges, this can be
dangerous for you and other.

Always were gloves and boots, these will benefit you two fold; they will keep you
warm and also can prevent injuries to your hands and feet.

Make sure that the hill you choose to sled down is not to steep. Also make sure
that the bottom of the hill is not close to the road or a parking lot. You always
want to pick an area that is not cluttered with trees and other obstacles that you
may hit. It is hard to control a sled once it is in motion so take some precaution
prior to sledding.

Skiing and Snowboarding

Before you hit the slopes, make sure that your equipment fits you properly. It is
imperative to have the right size equipment, borrowing an older siblings equipment
can cause you to fall, lose your balance and get hurt.

Make sure that all boots and binding are the right size for your feet, also make sure
you wear a helmet and goggles at all times.

It is also a good idea to take a few lessons prior to doing either on your own.

Have fun this winter and be safe.

If you have any advice on winter sport safety please let us knows about it.

Dashing through the snow…

It is inevitable, the winter months are here and will be here for the next 6 months…especially in Chicago, here are some ways to keep your kids (and yourself) active through these dreary days.

My personal favorite is Dancing! When I was young, I loved watching any show that had music playing and people dancing. Dance Party USA was a must record TV show and even featured an early Kelly Ripa. Nowadays, Dancing with the Stars is a great alternative. You don’t need any equipment, or safety gear only a dance floor. Turn the volume up and get moving. I sometimes try to mimic my daughter, she is only 3 and has moves most have never seen before. She uses every muscle and has never complained
about being tired. There is also nothing like watching an uninhibited child dancing her feet off.

Now I hate to promote video games, but if you have a Wii, you already know that it is a terrific way to stay active inside when the weather doesn’t permit outside. Wii has games that accommodate all ages. When I say all, I really mean it. They even have games for your tiniest tot. Wii sports and Wii Resort are games that come with a Wii console system and are packed full of fun. Boxing is my personal favorite, golf, bowling and tennis are just as fun. Wii Fit is a great gift to get your fitness enthusiast as it provides a great workout (with personal trainer) all from the privacy of your own home.

If you are eager to still get outside and be one with nature, snow is a great resistance mechanism when it comes to any normal exercise. Shoveling the driveway, building a snowman, or a typical snowball fight is certain to get the heart beating, but if you are looking for something a little more exciting, sledding should be at the top of your list. Sure, going down the hills may increase your heart rate, but climbing to the top of the hill to go again is a guaranteed calorie burner.

What do you do to keep active during the winter?

In case there is anyone out there that is unsure of what fantasy football is I thought I would help explain it.

I had heard about it for some time, but I was not 100% sure how it worked, so I looked it up on Wikipedia and found some very interesting facts.

To Quote Wikipedia:
“Fantasy football is an interactive, virtual competition in which people manage professional football players versus one another. Fantasy football allows people to act as general managers of a pseudo-football team. The players that an individual is able to manage are professional American Football players in the National Football League. The different actions people are able to make are: drafting, trading, adding/dropping players, and changing rosters. Due to the growth of Internet, fantasy football has become far more popular in America today than ever before.”

How it all began:

In 1962 Wilfred Winkenbach, Bil Tunnell and Scotty Starling came up with the rules that became fantasy football. The inaugural league was called the Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League (GOPPPL). The league was made up of eight members, the members were wither pro football journalists, administrative affiliates or anyone that had purchased or sold 10 tickets to the Raiders 1663 season.

In the GOPPPL each roster had the following: two fullbacks, two quarterback, two kick/punt returners, two field goal kickers, two defensive backs/linebacker, two defensive linemen , four offensive ends and four halfbacks.

The first ever number one fantasy football selection was George Blanda.

The two different types of leagues:

The two different types of leagues are head-to head and total point leagues. In head-to head leagues a team matched up versus a different team each week. The team that reached the most points wins for that week. The points are scored by either the standard set by the website or custom set by the commissioner. The most important statistic in a head-to head league is the win-loss record. If the two teams have the same win-loss record then a tie is broken by the total points scored by each team throughout the entire season.

In a total point league the winner is determined by the teams total points throughout a season not on a teams win-loss record. In this league teams accumulate points throughout the whole season.

Then there are the salary cap Leagues:

This type of league is referred to as a dynasty league. This league adds another layer to the game, the salary cap. In this league, just like in the NFL each player has an associated salary, and the total spent on all players on a team has a maximum. This league can have many levels, each commissioner or website will have their set rules on this type of play.

New League Types

There are also several new league types that are popping up all the time, “survivor pool” or knock out Pool” these leagues let you pick a new team each week, but you can only pick that team once a year.

Survivor fantasy league allows owners to draft a new team of players each week. There is also Simulation Football, this allows you to play all year round, since it does not follow the NFL season.

Now we get to the Draft:

Each year fantasy football leagues have a draft. There are two types of drafts. The most common draft is the “serpentine” draft. In this draft the owners take turns drafting players in a “snake” like method. Owners that picked first in the odd rounds pick last in the even, and so on and so on to keep everything as fair as possible. The other type of draft is referred to as an auction draft. In an auction draft each owner has an imaginary budget and he must use that budget to purchase all of his players. The owners take turns nominating players for open bid, and the owner that bids the highest for a player gets that player on their team.

Free agents and trades

In order to maintain a competitive roster free agents and trades become a very important part of fantasy football. Free agents exist in leagues that do not allow multiple teams to have any professional athletes.

At the beginning of the week after Monday night football team owners can claim free agents. If more than one team wants the same free agent, a teams waiver with position determines who gets the free agent. If you are wondering what a waiver wire position is, I will explain that. A teams waiver wire ranking is based on the teams record and how many free agents they have already received.

Different leagues have different rules designed for this, so you would need to check the rules set forth by the league you are in.

Fantasy trade referees

Yes, there are referees for fantasy football league. If an issue comes up that is considered unfair by many members of the league the dispute can be settled by a third party site. The third party site is made up of experienced fantasy football players who are very knowledgeable on all the rules and can offer an objective third party opinionon.

This is just a brief description of what Fantasy football Leagues are about.  If you have any information you would like to add or any sites you know of please post.

I read a very interesting article  at www.ehow.com, the article focused on how a sports injury could really effect the mental well being of  some athletes.  Most athletes exercise everyday, and they need to exercise not only for their physical well being but also for their mental.  Exercise is a proven way to release stress and many people use exercise as therapy.  Injured athletes can become depressed very quickly.  Below are some ways to help remain sane during the recovery time.

1. Try to stay as active as possible without causing more damage to the injured area.  For example if you break a leg, try doing arm exercises, or vice versa.  You can also try water jogging instead of running if you have a leg or knee injury that requires less pressure on the area.
2. Try to improve another area that you may have been putting off.  Perhaps work on your abs, or biceps.
3. Focus on no sport activities.  Learn to cook healthier foods, or read up on supplements that might help you.
4. Continue to associate with your “sport buddies” most of them were probably in your shoes once and can relate to what you are going through.
5. Avoid negative people.
6. Keep a journal regarding your progress and your emotions during this time of recovery.   It may be helpful for your physical therapist or doctor, and it is also something you can read and reflect on.

I hope these tips have been helpful, if you have any helpful tips please feel free to tell us about them.

Believe it or not! The Los Angeles Times reported a California father filed a lawsuit seeking $1.5 million in damages from a school district after his 15-year-old son was demoted from the varsity to the junior varsity basketball team. The suit claimed the demotion was messing up his son’s future and professional earnings. (Los Angeles Times, May 5, 2003). A popular softball tournament in Arizona was canceled because of a lawsuit filed by a player who broke his ankle in the tournament the year prior. The man was injured sliding into third base in a game at the city-owned sports complex. According to the suit, the city is responsible for the dangerous condition existing at third base. (Arizona Daily Sun, September 15, 2003)

Amateur sports clubs are everywhere. Young athletes from the age of 6 – 18 are participating in community sports clubs in record numbers. Not only are the kids competitively involved, the parents are just as enthusiastic. New state of the art amateur sports facilities are under construction or being upgraded or expanded to encourage the interest and promote the health benefits that being involved in sports clearly provide.

While the claims stated above seem a little outrageous (ok – a lot outrageous!), accidents happen. To avoid litigation and the unaffordable costs for claims resulting from that activity, you may be asked to sign a waiver of liability for risks associated during practice or play. In theory, this paper acknowledges that the participant is aware of the risks of a particular sport. This acknowledgment is designed to protect the sports organization from liability for any claims or
lawsuits resulting from that activity. Over the years, many courts of law have questioned whether these waivers are “worth the paper that they are written on”.

What is a waiver?
A waiver is an agreement signed by a person that states that he or she will release the party providing the recreational or sports activity from liability for any negligent claim or lawsuit.

How is a waiver used?
Obviously, every recreational or sports activity has risk. If you’re going to play baseball, you will be acknowledging there may be a risk of being hit by a thrown bat, beaned by a wild pitch, or a sprained ankle hitting the base wrong due to a bad slide. By having the responsible participant or legal guardian acknowledge and accepts responsibility for these inherent risks, the organization limits the liability they assume, contributing to the ability to continue affording the program.

Is a waiver enforceable?
Yes, a waiver can be enforceable if it is drafted correctly and used properly. The general legal rule is that a court does not want to enforce a waiver where someone has given up legal rights. If the form is ambiguous in its meaning or intent, it will be against the party who wrote it. If the waiver is drafted properly, signed voluntarily and then used to support a negligent claim, there’s a good chance it will hold up in court.

Recently however, the Michigan Supreme Court held parental waivers to be unenforceable. A five-year-old was injured in an inflatable bounce area at a birthday party. The Michigan Supreme Court on June 18, 2010 issued its decision in Woodman v. Kera held that under Michigan law, waiver of liability forms signed by parents on behalf of minor children are unenforceable.

As laws make their way through the Michigan legislature to reverse the effects of this decision, dire consequences are predicted for youth sports and recreational opportunities in Michigan (increased litigation against recreational providers, increased costs, fewer volunteers, fewer civic organizations willing to become involved, and sharply diminished recreational opportunities for minors).

In direct contrast, other Midwest states courts have enforced parental waiver agreements (such as Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota.)

Recommendations
Part of the reasoning for the judge’s decision in Michigan highlights the importance of having well-drafted agreements. The business in the Michigan case was using a waiver agreement that was drafted in a sloppy and ambiguous way. One of the lessons of the Woodman case is that a carefully crafted and executable agreement terms are essential if a business, organization or individual wants to have any hope of convincing a court to enforce the terms of an agreement.

All waiver forms (especially those relating to minors) should ensure that their forms have been authored or reviewed by an attorney familiar with the law in this area. That same advice is also important to organizations operating in other states as well, especially in states that tend to take a strict approach to waivers (such as, for example, Wisconsin).

In addition, amateur sports and recreational organization should protect themselves and their volunteers by means of:

• Incorporation as an a nonprofit entity
• Requiring both adult and children’s waivers of liability
• Obtain General Liability and Accident Medical Insurance for your organization

The waivers of liability used should be:

• In large print and obvious to the person signing the document
• The language should be clear and easy to understand
• The waiver should apply to negligent actions
• The waiver should be signed voluntarily and with full knowledge of the intent
• The person was given time to review the waiver

Lastly, do your research in your state and use legal resources to insure you’re using a form relative to your state laws and enforceable at the time of claim.

I just returned from a cheer convention in Maryland, it was a lot of fun. Conventions are a great place to meet potential customers and to network with other people in your business. There are several different conventions that take place every weekend.  If you are a business owner I find conventions to be an affordable avenue to advertise your business. Conventions can vary in size from hundreds to thousands of attendees.  The cost to rent a booth is usually dependent on the size of the event. The bigger the event the more costly the booth.  The size of the booth you rent also determines the cost.
Conventions allow you to meet potential customers, introduce yourself and have them put a face to your name. As salespeople we usually sell ourselves before even the product.  I find conventions to be a great way to sell yourself.

Conventions usually range from 1-3 days, with set hours per day.  What I have found helpful is to check and see if the convention you want to attend offers “concentrated hours”.  Those are hours that there are no classes or seminars going on and most attendees will be available to go to the vendor booths.  I attended a convention last year, where the organization gave free drink tickets, and the bar was located right in the middle of the vendors.  I thought that was a great idea.  Most conventions will do scavenger hunts, which consists of a list of questions that each attendee must get answered by each vendor.  If they get each question answered they are put in a drawing for a free gift.

Here comes the fun part, what items do you want to give away at your booth.  Giveaways serve two purposes, one they are great advertisement ( your name, number and email address will be listed on all of them) and two they attract people to your booth.  In selecting what giveaway you want, you should think of a few things:

1. What type of budget do you have?
2. What type of event are you going to?
3. What do you think will attract people to your booth?

For example I was just at a cheerleading convention, and I gave away mini sewing kits, they seemed to be a big hit. I polled several cheerleading organization prior to the convention and asked them what type of giveaway they would like. I think a little preparation goes a long way in choosing your giveaways.

There are times throughout the convention where there are very few people coming to your booth, I would use this tie to visit and introduce yourself to the other vendors.  I met several vendors that I could potentially work with in the future.  All in all conventions are a great way to network and can be very cost effective for smaller businesses to advertise.

For anyone out there who loves Halloween or has a child who loves Halloween, I have found some low cost ideas to turn your house into a haunted house.

There are three important elements involved in turning an ordinary house into a haunted house: lighting, sound and decor.

Tip # 1 – Switch out your regular light bulbs for black light bulbs. These are pretty inexpensive and can be found at most home improvement stores.

Tip #2 – Play a CD with Halloween themed organ music.  You can also set up a play-list of Halloween themed music on your iPod.

Tip #3 – Place vases around the room with dried or dead flowers.  You can also tie a black or orange ribbon around the vase.

Tip #4 – Light a candelabra with long tapered candles on a table. Low lighting will create a creepy feeling.

Tip #5 – Place dry ice around the room to create a fog like appearance.

Tip #6 – Hang black curtains over the door to create a spooky at appearance and it will also prevent guests from entering certain rooms.

Tip #7 – Hang plastic bats from the ceiling and fake spider webs in all of the corners.

Have a public haunted house? We can tailor make accident and/or liability policies for a variety of “haunted events”.

Live Action Role Playing has been around since the ‘70’s but has only been brought to my attention in the last few years. Wikipedia defines Live Action Role-Playing (LARP) as a form of role-playing game where the participants physically act out their characters’ actions. The players pursue goals within a fictional setting represented by the real world, while interacting with each other in character. The outcome of the player actions may be mediated by game rule, or determined by consensus among players. Event arrangers called gamemasters decide the setting and rules to be used and facilitate play. A game can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

Typically LARPers will choose a scenario to act out, I have heard of Star Wars re-enactments, Civil War re-enactments, but the most popular in my opinion is the Medieval Renaissance historical time period re-enactments. Think Medieval Times brought to life. They will dress up in character, and bring a fantasy situation to life! Combat is also very highly regarded in LARP situations. They will use padded weapons, or rubber swords, but there are safety rules that every LARP organization has set in place. Safety is obviously of the utmost of importance. Games without combat are also available…really any make believe situation is available if you have enough interest to conduct a game.

LARPers generally take their hobby very seriously which is shown by the number of websites available that provide LARP gear. I have seen weapons (specially padded for safety), medieval armour suits, and even Elf Ear Tips. The re-enactments appeal to a variety of people…male, female, youth, adult, white, orange, and blue! A typical LARPer has a little more creative juice than the average Joe and a bit more imagination.

If you are interested in finding a game in your area, the website is a great place to start. You would be surprised how many people just like yourself are eager to do this as well.

As an insurer of youth amateur sports organizations for accident medical and general liability insurance, I’m aware of assigning “risk” by age brackets and then calculating the appropriate premium.  No one in my industry asks for the weight of any one player, nor is that taken into consideration when an organization fills in our application for underwriting review.  Insurance companies accept there are going to be variables to the norm for height and weight in every age category.

However, for the purposes of this blog, I’m going to comment on something I see as a mother and grandmother regularly involved in my children’s sports tryouts.  The weigh-in!  There’s nothing that brings more tension in my family than the pre-season weigh-in.  Funny, as a mother, I went along with the flow – naive to the implications because I had an average size son, falling well within the acceptable height and weight categories for every sport he was involved.  The tide has turned though, and I’m now watching my grandson step into his sports shoes, with one obvious difference.  He’s at the top of the weight chart although not so much so regarding height.

The initial weigh-in for 9 yr. old youth football was held and my grandson was .09 lbs. over the 100 lb. weight limit for his age bracket. The ultimatum was to lose the .09 lbs. or move up to the next older age category.  The second weigh-in will be in one week, after three stressful weeks of monitoring his calorie intake.  Observing him on the field during this time, there is no noticeable difference between him and his teammates; in fact, quite the opposite.  Since he’s short, he’s not as fast or aggressive.  The taller boys seems to move with more agility and speed, and with that speed pick up velocity, which can produce some pretty bell-ringing hits, regardless of your weight.  His size doesn’t seem to be a detriment to his teammates, as his lack of agility keeps his feet somewhat planted on the ground, much to his dismay.  Compound that with little knowledge of the game, no significant skill to speak of, and a healthy dose of 9-year-old fear of hitting and being hit, I think he’s right where he belongs.

If he doesn’t lose the .09 lbs, he’ll automatically be sent up an age bracket in the league with older, more mature athletes.  He may be in their weight class, albeit at the low end, but according to the scale, that’s where he belongs.  What the scale doesn’t take into consideration is the edge these “big-leaguers” have in knowledge, skill, maturity and again, for some, agility and speed.  The likelihood of him getting hurt has accelerated greatly in my mature eyes.  Far greater than his ability to hurt someone because of his teeter-tottering weight.

Add to that the humiliation of being told you have a “weight problem” at 9 yrs of age, not being able to join in the occasional ice cream treat, a hot dog at the ball game and enduring daily weigh-in’s “just to see where you are,” I doubt this has been an enjoyable three weeks for junior.  While there are exceptions to everything, I think we need to let kids be kids, cope with the advantages and disadvantages of playing against the next guy regardless of size or height, and let the chips fall where they may.  Until someone can scientifically or medically support injury statistics that show there aren’t just as many injuries moving up a class according to weight versus age, I’m not likely to be on the side of using weight as a predictor of risk to injury.

By the way, what do they do with the underweight or significantly shorter child?  Do they move them down a class?  Seems the same argument could apply in reverse in their behalf.  Any comments sports fans?