Did you know that of all college sports, the men's lacosse final over the past five years has had the third highest attendance behind only football and men's basketball? This year's final between Johns Hopkins and Duke, which was played in M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens, drew 48,443 fans, which establishes a record for an NCAA men's lacrosse championship game.

There are plenty of reasons for this. Lacrosse is a very exciting, fast-moving sport with plenty of action. It combines the best aspects of both team and individual play, and is fun to watch. It's also a lot of fun to play, and is equally accessible to both boys and girls.

Lacrosse used to be a sport played primarily in the Mid-Atlantic region. That is beginning to change, in large part because of the exposure lacrosse has received from the ESPN family of networks, College Sports TV and others.

It's a sport I wish I had access to as a kid, and my kids have had fun playing with miniature lacrosse sticks. At a time when many of our kids are overweight and hooked on TV, computers and video games, lacrosse is a great alternative. Expose your kids to lacrosse and see where that leads.

Posted by Chris Lindsley at 11:17 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Having coached youth sports basketball, baseball and now softball, I've learned how important it is to have realistic expectations, and to celebrate small accomplishments. Working with kids who are learning the fundamentals, as a coach you can't, and shouldn't, take anything for granted.

Remember what it was like when you were learning the sport -- or anything new for that matter. It takes time to become good at anything, so rather than be upset by fielding or baserunning errors, focus on catching your players doing something good, and celebrate those moments with them.

These moments, be they a first hit, catching a pop fly, or turning a ground ball into an out, are special to your players, as evidenced by their smiles. Praising them for such plays increases their confidence, which makes them more likely to succeed the next time as well.

Working with young kids and/or those relatively new to a sport provide many teaching moments. You want to show your players the right way to do things and correct mistakes, but in as positive a manner as possible. Yelling and screaming is harmful not only to the player in question but to the entire team, as all players will fear a similar fate upon making a mistake.

Conversely, sharing your players' joy as they make plays and improve is what coaching is all about. After all, the more fun your players have the more excited they are going to be about participating, which should be what you and they are trying to achive in the first place.

It's easy to get caught up in winning and other issues head coaches on any level face, but keep in mind it's only a game, and games are meant to be fun.

Posted by Chris Lindsley at 09:22 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

My daughter Olivia decided she wanted to play softball this spring. New to the sport, she is in the Rookie League, which is comprised of second and third graders who are just learning the game. 

After having several practices or clinics involving all the Rookie League players, a draft was held to select teams. It turned out that they had more teams than coaches, so Olivia's team needed a coach.

I've coached both youth baseball and basketball previously, but not my kids' teams. I was interested in doing it, but wanted to get Olivia's thoughts before signing on. She was all for it, so I said yes.

I've read a lot about what to do and not to do when coaching your kids, but what I was most looking forward to was spending some quality time with my daughter doing something we were both interested in.

Driving to and from practices and games, we have some interesting conversations about my coaching her team, what she likes about softball and how the practice or game went. Once we arrive at the field, she helps me prepare, sort of like an assistant coach.

And once the practice or game begins, she listens well to me and the other coaches, tries hard and seems to have fun, not necessarily in that order. The fact that I am there to witness and share in this is special. This is our time together, and I look forward to future practices and games. Olivia and I have always shared an interest in sports and games, and it's fun to be doing this together.

Posted by Chris Lindsley at 08:38 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The Dallas Mavericks were clearly the NBA's best team this year. They won 67 and lost just 15 before entering the playoffs, and as the Western Conference's best team, they earned the right to play the lowest-seeded team, the Golden State Warriors, in the first round.

The real question before this series started was how many games it would take Dallas to win this best-of-seven series. Golden State, then promptly went into Dallas and took the first game, and home-court advantage. The Mavericks had three chances to win at Golden State and regain home-court advantage, and they figured to do so. After all, Dallas was an amazing 32-10 in road games during the year.

The Warriors' confidence seemed to grow after they won the series opener, and after Dallas won game two, Golden State went home for games three and four. The Warriors' fans literally willed their team to two straight wins, and all of a sudden people began to imagine an outcome that few thought possible before the series began.

After almost winning the series in game five in Dallas, Golden State returned home and finished it with a convincing win. The Warriors' upset has captured the nation's attention, and I for one am rooting for them to win the NBA title. It very well may not happen, but it will be fun to watch them try. Nothing was expected of them, and they have nothing to lose, all of which makes this a great story, and must-see TV for me.

Posted by Chris Lindsley at 08:56 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)