Heather McKenzie (Informatics Nurse): Days As Athlete Over, It's Time To Pay It Forward

Submitted by May Is Sports Moms Month on Sun, 05/20/2012 - 15:58. | comments

Being the mother of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. So MomsTEAM has designated May as Sports Moms Month and is celebrating by asking some of our favorite sports moms to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions.

So far this month we have heard from a fascinating range of sports moms, from a mom of an Olympic athlete to moms who were themselves Olympic athletes, from a mom of two former minor league baseball players to a Minnesota hockey mom and author.

Today, we hear from Heather McKenzie, a nurse, sports mom and cheer coach from Union Bridge, Maryland:

MomsTEAM: Were you an athlete and what sports did you play as a youth (under 19)?

A nurse and sports mom to four active young kids believes that, now that her own days as a youth athlete are over, it is her turn to pay it forward by volunteering as a cheerleading coach for her 8-year-old daughter's team.

May Is Sports Moms Month

Janis Meredith (Sports Parenting Blogger): Advises Parents To Let Kids Learn Sport Lessons On Their Own

Submitted by May Is Sports Moms Month on Sun, 05/20/2012 - 14:31. | comments

Being the mother of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. So momsTEAM has designated May as Sports Moms Month and is celebrating by asking some of our favorite sports moms to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions.

So far this month we have heard from a fascinating range of sports moms, from a mom of an Olympic athlete to moms who were themselves Olympic athletes, from a mom of two former minor league baseball players to a Minnesota hockey mom and author. Janis Meredith

Today, we hear from sports mom and sports parenting blogger, Janis Meredith:

A blogger and sports mom to three college athletes talks about helping parents see that sports can be a huge character building experience for our kids if we let them learn the lessons on their own.

Brooke de Lench

Heads Up: Recent Developments in Sports Safety

Submitted by Brooke de Lench on Thu, 05/17/2012 - 13:39. | comments

Three hot topics are on my mind today: wearable technology, head impact sensors, and football helmets.

Wearable technology

During the past year, I have been invited many times to participate in conversations about wearable technology for athletes. With our headquarters close to the hotbeds of technology centers of MIT and Harvard, I am often asked to sit in on meetings to provide my insight.

What I know is that this is a rapidly-developing field in which we are going to see some amazing technological advances in the next decade.

Three hot topics are on my mind today: wearable technology, head impact sensors, and football helmets.

Emily Cohen

The Shoe Goes on the Other Foot -- For Real

Submitted by Emily Cohen on Thu, 05/17/2012 - 04:27. | comments

So this is what it feels like. To be yelled at while playing. To be told you're not good enough to be on a team ... by someone who's not even playing herself and isn't an expert or a true, certified coach -- just another player who wants to play certain people for a specific end that benefits her ego, not anyone else's real development.

Youth athletes should feel empowered to say, "This coach does not have MY best interests at heart and I need to find that team myself." It truly does not matter if the athlete has professional aspirations or not, the issue is live game or match experience for personal improvement.

May Is Sports Moms Month

Elaine Raakman (Justplay Founder): Abusive Youth Sports Coaches Should Not Be Cultural Norm

Submitted by May Is Sports Moms Month on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 21:09. | comments

Being the mother of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. So momsTEAM has designated May as Sports Moms Month and is celebrating by asking some of our favorite sports moms to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions.

So far this month we have heard from a fascinating range of sports moms, from a mom of an Olympic athlete to moms who were themselves Olympic athletes, from a mom of two former minor league baseball players to a Minnesota hockey mom and author.

Today, we hear from Canadian youth sports reform advocate and sports mom, Elaine Raakman:

The Canadian founder and developer of Justplay, a program which monitors the behavior of coaches, spectators and players and generates reports which youth sport administrators can use to make data-driven staffing and policy decisions, says if she could change one thing about the culture of youth sport, it would be the acceptance of abuse by adults in general and coaches in particular as the cultural norm.

May Is Sports Moms Month

Emily Cohen (Sports Parenting Blogger): Most Important Lesson Kids Learn in Sports Is Hard Work Pays Off

Submitted by May Is Sports Moms Month on Wed, 05/16/2012 - 21:08. | comments

Being the mother of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. So MomsTEAM has designated May as Sports Moms Month and is celebrating by asking some of our favorite sports moms to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions.

So far this month we have heard from a fascinating range of sports moms, from a mom of an Olympic athlete to moms who were themselves Olympic athletes, from a mom of two former minor league baseball players to a Minnesota hockey mom and author.

Today we hear from writer, MomsTEAM blogger and sports mom, Emily Cohen:

A sports mom and blogger says the most important lesson her child is learning from his/her sport is that hard work pays off. If you put in the time by participating in team practices (even the optional ones) and spend time honing your skills on your own, you will improve, the coaches will notice, and you will reach your goal. But it's critical that the desire to improve be the child's goal, not the parent's.

May Is Sports Moms Month

Marla Miller (Writer and Author): Would Parents Scream Less on Sidelines If Shoe Were On Other Foot?

Submitted by May Is Sports Moms Month on Mon, 05/14/2012 - 18:48. | comments

Being the mother of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. So momsTEAM has designated May as Sports Moms Month and is celebrating by asking some of our favorite sports moms to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions.

So far this month we have heard from a fascinating range of sports moms, from a mom of an Olympic athlete to moms who were themselves Olympic athletes, from a mom of two former minor league baseball players to a Minnesota hockey mom and author.

Today, we hear from sports mom and writer, Marla Miller:

A prolific author and writer thinks that if parents were asked to play a team sport for a season themselves, they might not scream at their kids as much on the sports sideline.

May Is Sports Moms Month

Brooke de Lench (MomsTEAM founder): Proud of Role Moms Have Played In Making Youth Sports Safer

Submitted by May Is Sports Moms Month on Sat, 05/12/2012 - 22:17. | comments

Being the mother of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. So momsTEAM has designated May as Sports Moms Month and is celebrating by asking some of our favorite sports moms to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions.

So far this month we have heard from a fascinating range of sports moms, from a mom of an Olympic athlete to moms who were themselves Olympic athletes, from a mom of two former minor league baseball players to a Minnesota hockey mom and author.

For Mother's Day, we hear from MomsTEAM's founder and publisher, Brooke de Lench:

On Mother's Day, the founder and publisher of MomsTEAM pauses to reflect on the role she and mothers everywhere have played in making sports safer for the nation's children.

May Is Sports Moms Month

Shaquille O'Neal's Mom, Lucille: Parenting Student-Athlete Most Rewarding Aspect of Being Sports Mom

Submitted by May Is Sports Moms Month on Fri, 05/11/2012 - 13:35. | comments

Being the mother of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. So momsTEAM has designated May as Sports Moms Month and is celebrating by asking some of our favorite sports moms to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions.

So far this month we have heard from a mom of an Olympic athlete, two sports moms who were themselves Olympic athletes (one a gold medalist), an award-winning health and safety reporter for the Chicago Tribune, the mom of two former minor league baseball players, a mom and writer from Texas with a football-crazy son and cheerleader daughter, a Minnesota hockey mom and author, and a top sports nutritionist.

Lucille O'Neal, the mom of former NBA great Shaquille O'Neal, tells Brooke de Lench, MomsTEAM founder and publisher, about her work with the Boys and Girls Club and Kimberly Clark, what she learned as a sports mom from her three sports-active children.

May Is Sports Moms Month

Sports Nutritionist Nancy Clark: Would Ban Youth Sports On Sunday Mornings

Submitted by May Is Sports Moms Month on Tue, 05/08/2012 - 18:09. | comments

Being the mother of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. So momsTEAM has designated May as Sports Moms Month and is celebrating by asking some of our favorite sports moms to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions.

So far this month we have heard from a mom of an Olympic athlete, two sports moms who were themselves Olympic athletes (one a gold medalist), an award-winning health and safety reporter for the Chicago Tribune, the mom of two former minor league baseball players, a mom and writer from Texas with a football-crazy son and cheerleader daughter, and a Minnesota hockey mom and author.

An internationally-recognized sports nutritionist and best-selling author imagines a world in which youth sports would only be played on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings, and Sunday mornings would be sports-free.