Chris@PlaySportsTV.com

Blog Post # 100: Lessons Learned

2008-11-16T21:27:29Z

I've been writing this blog for more than two years, and this is my 100th post. In looking back at my previous posts, I realized that I've learned a lot about being a youth sports parent, primarily from my kids.

I was very into playing sports as a kid, and assumed my kids would be as well. They have been, but they've chosen the sports they want to pursue, and, with the exception of basketball, they are not the so-called traditional sports.

This bothered me initially, but I quickly realized that the kids' motivation and interest are essential to their enjoyment, and that I was better off to support and encourage their interests.

I also have a tendency to be a hands-on coach, offering instruction at every opportunity. Here again, I came to understand that while my kids take instruction willingly from other coaches, they don't want it from me.

My approach now is to introduce them to as many different sports as possible, and to make sports fun. The kids enjoy sports much more if they have some say in what they do and when they do it, without constant coaching or urging to play a particular sport from dad.

I feel I've become a much better sports parent thanks to this blog, which has largely focused on my experiences with my kids. I've also learned how to ride a RipStik, witnessed the benefits of karate and gymnastics firsthand and figured out how to coach my kids in a way that works for all of us.

I'm looking forward to sharing more of my learnings in my next 100 blog posts.

A Basketball President

2008-11-09T02:05:29Z

When Barack Obama won the presidential election on Wednesday night, that meant, among other things, that come January 20, 2009 the new presidential sport will be basketball.

I, for one, think that is a good thing.

I play basketball with a group of guys my age on Wednesday nights, and it's one of the highlights of my week. The reasons I enjoy hoops are many, but here are a few:

It gets my competitive juices flowing, as you need to win to play the next game.
To be successful you need to work together/function as a team.
It's a great workout.
It takes my mind off of whatever else I was thinking about before stepping onto the court.

I suspect Obama likes basketball for some of these reasons, and others as well. Given the pressure and demands of the presidency, an activity like basketball can help him stay relaxed and sharp both on and off the court.

And if he's ever looking for another player for a pickup game, I'm just a few miles away.

A Good Reason to Listen to the World Series

2008-10-27T01:56:03Z

ESPN's Jon Miller has been my favorite baseball announcer for years, dating back to his time as the voice of the Baltimore Orioles before joining ESPN.

Miller is also calling the World Series on ESPN Radio, and he's reason enough for me to listen to the games. Miller is one of the rare announcers who makes the game come to life, and he sets the scene so well that it almost feels as though you are there.

Baseball, with its slow pace and plenty of time between pitches, is a sport that lends itself very well to radio, and for my money, no one is more fun to listen to than Miller.

Ask for Tips from Your Kids

2008-10-20T01:20:12Z

When playing sports with my kids, I find myself often trying to teach them the fundamentals so that they can improve their skill level. I've learned over time that they are not always receptive to this, and that I need to pick my spots, and be careful not to dwell on a particular point.

I've also recently learned another way to make my kids more willing to listen to and try my advice -- by having them teach me to do something.

My son is very into a two-wheeled skateboard called a RipStik. He mastered it right away, and can make it do pretty much whatever he wants. I, however, have not had much success with it at all. I decided I needed my son's help and advice, and he was very willing to teach me. He's been surprisingly patient, and has done a good job of teaching me the basics. I'm still no master, but I've gotten a lot better, thanks to him.

I've mentioned to him how helpful his teaching has been to me, and made the larger point that knowing how to do something right can improve your skill level and enjoyment as well. Since our RipStik lessons he's been more receptive to my teaching, and I'm looking for more situations for him to teach me to do something.

Wednesday Night Hoops

2008-10-03T02:25:12Z

As a parent of two children interested in sports, so much of what we sports parents do is centered around our children and their activities. This is as it should be, but it's also important to attend to your sporting interests.

Most Wednesdays during the school year I play basketball with a group of similarly aged men, which is one of the high points of my week. I have always loved playing basketball, and have played on and off since middle school.

Wednesday night hoops is about me. It's very competitive, and a chance for me to test my skills against others. I often head home thinking about what I can work on to improve my game, and I'm just glad to have the opportunity to play on a regular basis.

I think it makes me a better sports parent, but more importantly, it fills my need for competition, and to be a part of a team. I can't wait for next Wednesday.

Coed vs. Single Sex Teams

2008-09-27T04:10:05Z

In many youth sports leagues, kids, and especially girls, have the chance to play on coed teams. One school of thought is that playing with the boys, who tend to be more aggressive and physical, and more skilled in many cases, will help the girls improve their performance more quickly than playing on an all-girls team. This is the reason that for many years, top women's college basketball programs would routinely practice against men.

A counter argument is that since the boys tend to be more aggressive and dominating, girls on coed teams get less opportunity than they would on an all-girls team.

In short, I feel coed teams are right for some girls, and some boys, but that the kids should be making these decisions and not the parents. After all, our kids get many benefits for participating in team sports, and we should do all we can to encourage and support them.

We Are ... Penn State

2008-09-22T00:43:41Z

I am a very big Penn State football fan. I not only went to school there in a five-year span in which the Nittany Lions won their first two national titles, but I also covered the team as a reporter for the Penn State student newspaper, the Daily Collegian.

A few years ago I took my kids to see Penn State's spring football scrimmage, but they had never been to a regular season game.

This was the year that was going to change. We picked yesterday's game against Temple, were able to get nine tickets for other members of my extended family, and we rented a 12-passenger van for the 4-hour trip to State College, Pennsylvania.

The weather was perfect -- 70 and sunny -- and we parked on one of the vast grass parking areas surrounding Beaver Stadium, arriving moments before the noon kickoff. The kids were amazed at the vastness of it all -- more than 40,000 cars, RVs and all other types of vehicles, many of which had something showcasing the owners' Penn State spirit in what was a sea of blue and white. The same could be said for the clothes, as almost everyone, except for the few Temple fans, were wearing someting with blue and white.

Walking up the tunnel to our seats was something my kids will always remember. There they were, in the middle of more than 107,000 fans, who were doing the wave, waving pom-poms and generally rooting on the home team. The kids wore their Penn State football jersies for the occasion, and they quickly became an active part of the crowd, cheering all positive Nittany Lion plays, while always keeping an eye out for Penn State's Nittany Lion mascot.

The game was very one-sided -- Penn State won, 45-3 -- but the kids enjoyed the game and the surroundings very much. They also were very interested in our 3-hour postgame tailgate, which ended just about the time the sun went down on what was a very memorable day for my family.

This was one of those outings I had thought about a lot, and that really lived up to my expectations. I'm hoping it becomes an annual event. Now to teach them the words to the fight song ...

Take Kids Out to a Ballgame

2008-09-12T02:24:35Z

There's something special about going to a sporting event in person. I know I felt that way when I was a kid, and still do.

I took my kids to a Baltimore Orioles game last night, and they really enjoyed it. And unlike our previous trips to baseball games, they were very content to sit and watch the game. They also asked several questions about what was happening on the field, and I was able to point out some fundamental-type things as well.

They also liked the surroundings, such as the between-innings entertainment, the foul pops that came near us, watching, and imitating, the vendors hawking their wares, and observing the mannerisms of the players, especially the batters in the on-deck circle.

Most of these are things you miss by watching the game on TV. When it came time to leave at the top of the eighth, the kids wanted to stay. I was always that way, not wanting to leave until the game ended, and it was nice to see them share that enthusiasm.

Baseball's Feel Good Stories

2008-09-04T00:54:58Z

With the Major League playoffs just a month away, there are several teams of particular interest to me:

1. The Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays have never had a .500 record in their history, but with just over 20 games to play, Tampa Bay is 32 games over .500 and has the best record in the American League. Who would have thought they'd be leading both the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in the American League East at this point in the season?

You'll learn more about their many young stars, such as pitchers Scott Kasmir and Matt Garza and position players B.J. Upton, Rocco Baldelli and Evan Longoria come playoff time.

2. The Chicago Cubs. It's been 100 years since the Cubs won a World Series, but this could be their year. The Cubs have the best record in the National League at 31 games over .500, and have shown that they can win games with their hitting, pitching and defense.

The Cubs have the veterans needed to make a deep postseason run in players like first baseman Derrek Lee, third baseman Aramis Ramirez and outfielders Alfonso Soriano and Jim Edmonds. Chicago also has great starting pitching led by Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden and Ryan Dempster, and a talented bullpen featuring Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood.

I'd love to see these two teams meet in this year's World Series. You may have different teams you'd like to see reach this point, but I find it fun to have a rooting interest in two teams going into the playoffs. It will be fun to see what happens.

Making Football Fun

2008-08-27T03:00:28Z

I've enjoyed throwing the football for many years, going back to the days when I used to toss the ball with my dad. I like nothing better than doing this with my kids, but I've learned that for them, they more creative or fun I can make it the better.

For example, during a recent beach vacation, my kids were both very interested in throwing the ball while in the water, diving through and over waves to catch the ball. What made it fun for them was that this was something different, and we spent parts of several days doing this and had a great time.

I've also found that taking a football on family walks and hikes is a good way to get the kids engaged. The key is to find or create opportunities to make sports fun for your kids. The focus on the above examples is not on throwing the football, but combining it with other activities that make those events more enjoyable -- for my kids and for me.

Olympic Inspiration

2008-08-24T14:23:20Z

Our family has spent most nights during the past two weeks watching the Summer Olympics. For my kids -- ages 8 and 11 -- one of the best things about this has been exposing them to so many different sports featuring world-class athletes.

While paying special attention to sports like gymnastics, swimming and basketball that they participate in, they've also expressed interest in trying other sports, like volleyball, badminton, pole vaulting and diving, that they watched.

This is a great opportunity to build on this Olympic inspiration and have my kids try some of these sports. While we're not going to rush out and start pole vaulting anytime soon, we've had several discussions about what sports they liked most and might like to try. I'm eager to see where this inspiration may lead.

What I Like About the Summer Olympics

2008-08-07T03:15:58Z

I officially have Olympic fever. Here are some of the reasons I enjoy the Summer Olympics:

I like watching the best athletes in the world compete for Olympic gold.
I like the pagentry of the opening and closing ceremonies.
I like watching and talking Olympics with my kids.
I like watching sports I see only once every four years.
I like stories like U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps going for a record eight golds.
I like rooting for the U.S. athletes, especially in events where they are underdogs.
I like learning more about great foreign athletes I've never heard of.
I like listening to NBC's Bob Costas in prime time.
I like hearing the Star-Spangled Banner.
I like the fact that in many sports, it's truly amateurs competing for the highest honor in their sports.

Let the Games begin.

Don't Be Like Manny

2008-08-01T02:25:33Z

Boston Red Sox all-star outfielder Manny Ramirez did everything he could the past week or so to force the Red Sox to trade him, which they did today to the Los Angeles Dodgers. His actions included:

Sitting out of two games when he was healthy enough to play
Not running out several ground balls in a recent loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Seeming to strike out intentionally by not swinging on three straight pitches in a recent game against the New York Yankees
Basically being a disruption to his team by talking about how he wanted to be traded to the media, holding up signs in the dugout focusing on his situation and in general being a bad teammate

Ramirez is one of the game's best hitters, and he played a key role in the Red Sox winning two World Series since 2004. The Red Sox put up with his antics, which included past demands to be traded and many other incidents, because of his offensive skills, but could not put up with his act any longer.

The bottom line is that Ramirez is anything but a role model for young baseball players. He is really only interested in himself, and he doesn't care what his teammates, the fans or others think as long as he gets what he wants.

Ramirez refers to his disruptive actions as "Manny being Manny." I think that for the Red Sox, this is a case of addition by subtraction, and that they will be better off in the long run without Ramirez.

Mind Over Matter: Focus on Good Results

2008-07-28T00:11:10Z

I took a golf lesson yesterday, and was surprised when the instructor spent the first 10 minutes talking about the importance of the mental approach to the game. Specifically, he talked about focusing on every shot, and forgetting about any bad shots before you hit your next shot.

He said that many golfers follow up a bad shot with several others, as they dwell on the bad shot rather than focusing on the next shot. A part of focusing is visualizing or seeing the result you'd like to have before you hit a shot. Not letting one bad shot affect future shots is easier said than done, but I realized he was right to stress this before he watched me hit any balls.

I also realized that this advice applies to all sports. While it's important to practice your skills, take some time to work on the mental approach to the game as well. Chances are that the more focused you are, the better the result will be and the more you'll enjoy the sports you play.

Competing Against Your Kids

2008-07-24T02:32:54Z

When playing games or sports with your kids, do you let your kids win, try about 50% or go all out? For years, I've taken one of the first two approaches, fearing that if I did my best my kids would quickly lose interest.

As my kids get older, though (8 and 11), I've learned that they would rather lose with me really trying than having me let them win. They now call me on this whenever they think I'm not trying to win.

The good news for me is that really competing with my kids has several advantages to the let-them-win approach:

It's much more fun for all of us.
The kids take it as a challenge, and raise their level of play.
The kids are looking forward to the day when they will win in 1 on 1, golf, tennis, etc.
The kids take pride in their good moments, knowing they did it against me when I was trying.
The kids have more respect for my modest athletic ability, and are more open to the teaching of certain fundamentals as a result.
Learning how to lose is a good thing for everyone, and something all kids will experience and need to know how to handle.

This transition wasn't easy for me, but now that I've made it, I wonder what took me so long. I look forward to many more years of such competitions.