My 8-year-old daughter Olivia took part in her first basketball clinic on Saturday. The clinic was meant to be for third and fourth grade girls, but due to a lack of interest, the third and fourth grade boys and girls clinics were combined.

I was interested to see how this would go, and how Olivia would like it. I knew the clinic would have a much different flavor than if it was all girls, and was worried that the boys would dominate at the girls' expense.

The boys did tend to take charge when they scrimmaged at the end of the clinic, but the girls held their own and didn't back down. Fortunately, most of the clinic focused on skill development -- shooting, dribbling and passing -- but the scrimmage is what the kids enjoyed most.

Being a basketball player myself, it was fun to see Olivia -- who wasn't sure she wanted to sign up for this clinic -- having fun on the court. She said afterward that she really liked it and wanted to keep coming.

I also realized afterward that as much as I was hoping this would be a girls-only clinic, that competing with the boys is probably a good thing for her and the other girls, and will more quickly increase their skill development.

At this age though, it's all about having fun, and this was a good learning experience for both Olivia and me. 

Posted by Chris Lindsley at 11:09 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Growing up, I spent a lot of time on weekends watching sports on TV with my dad. This, I'm convinced, played a key role in my interest in and passion for sports, both as a player and spectator.

Upon becoming a parent myself, though, I took a different approach. I thought watching sports on weekends wasn't in my kids' best interest, preferring to do something more active with them. I'd generally tape the games I wanted to watch and would view them that evening.

I've come to realize this was a mistake. I bonded with my dad on those long ago Saturday and Sunday afternoons watching basketball, football, golf and many other sports, and we still enjoy watching sports together. I wanted to see if the same would happen with my kids, and to some degree it has.

I'd still prefer to play sports with my kids than to watch it, but realized there's nothing wrong with watching sports with them. In addition to spending time together, my kids have developed more of an interest in sports and often ask me questions about various aspects of the games we watch.

The highlight came this past Sunday night, when we were heading to a hotel moments before the start of the Green Bay-New York Giants NFC Championship game. When I mentioned kickoff was a few minutes away, both kids were genuinely excited about watching the game. It reminded me of my childhood with my dad, and is an experience I hope to repeat often in the future. 

Posted by Chris Lindsley at 11:59 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I took my 8-year-old daughter Olivia to a women's gymnastics meet at the University of Maryland last night. Olivia has taken gymnastics classes one night a week for the last three years, and really likes going to college gymnastics meets.

At one point during the meet, she turned to me and said "I'd like to earn a college scholarship for gymnastics." This comment caught me completely by surprise, and I was uncertain how to respond. Do I talk about the amount of work required to earn a college scholarship? Do I tell her that anything's possible and that she should go for it? I compromised by smiling at her and giving her a hug, and we were quickly back to watching the action.

One of the best lessons my kids have taught me is to express your thoughts, dreams and goals without overthinking them. Adults, myself included, are often quick to point out the problems or challenges in reaching these goals. While that may be the rational response, that's not what kids want to, or should, hear, or at least not that alone.

In thinking about this incident more today, a response like "that is a great goal, and with hard work anything is possible" strikes me as more appropriate. Kids need to have goals and dreams, and we as parents don't want to discourage our kids from dreaming. 

Olivia is aware of the hard work gymnasts her age and younger are putting in. She's been asked to join a gymnastics team several times in the past but has declined precisely because she does not want to do gymnastics more than once a week.

At some point, she may decide gymnastics is a higher priority, and want to spend more time training as a result.  Or, she may not. I'm fine with this either way, but I want her to know that it's OK to dream.

Posted by Chris Lindsley at 11:14 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

For the second year in a row, the Oklahoma Sooners entered the Fiesta Bowl as the odds-on favorite. Last season, the Sooners lost an amazing game against Boise State. This season, it was West Virginia who shocked the Sooners with a 48-28 drubbing last night in Arizona.

Few thought the Mountaineers had a chance to win this game. One win away from playing for the national title, West Virginia lost its regular-season finale to lowly Pittsburgh at home. Shortly thereafter, its head coach, Rich Rodriguez, decided to become the head coach at the University of Michigan.

The Mountaineers named associate head coach Bill Stewart interim head coach for the Fiesta Bowl. Stewart prepared his team well, and he really seemed to enjoy himself and his team's success during the game, a refreshing change from the usually stern demeanor of college coaches.

For his efforts, Stewart was named the permanent head coach and received a five-year contract after the game. Every time Oklahoma pulled within two touchdowns of West Virginia, the Mountaineers responded with a touchdown, often needing only a couple of plays to march down the field against one of the nation's best defenses.

If you weren't a West Virginia fan before the game, chances are you were by the end of the game. The players knew that Coach Stewart's fate rested in large part on their performance, and they made a clear statement who the next head coach would be.

And with quarterback Pat White, who figures to be the leading candidate for next season's Heisman Trophy returning, Coach Stewart could have plenty of reasons to smile next season.

Posted by Chris Lindsley at 10:57 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)