My weeks are sandwiched between weekends filled with the kids’ swim meets, gymnastics meets and team events. The 8 weeks from January 1 – February 28 are undoubtedly the 8 craziest weeks in our schedule. But, its a good crazy – a crazy I wouldn’t trade for anything. So what does a busy, always on the go sports mom read? Below are some of my favorite articles from this week:

• Youth Basketball – Do you have to be a star to be great?  (StatsDad) I think this article plays to all sports, not just basketball… definitely a good read.
• It’s always a proud parent moment when the coach asks your athlete to train up with the next level or age group – but is it always a good idea? Moving Athletes Up: Good or Bad Idea? (JBM Thinks)
• On the ice skating front, twelve year old Jin Baseman’s story is one that gives me goosebumps! Abandoned in a box on the side of a road in China as a baby, Jin was adopted by and American family, started skating at age 5  and immediately loved it. Jin has had lots of injuries and set backs, but her love for ice skating and aptitude for it indicate that she has a very bright future.
• Determining what and how much your athlete should eat after practice or a game can be a little tricky as there is no simple one-size-fits-all answer. This article by Nancy Clark for Our Game magazine helps take some of the mystery out of it! Remember, if you are an athlete you need carbs.
• While we are on the topic of nutrition – Chicks Play Sports has a good post about teaching your kids how to read nutrition labels.
• Any guesses as to who will be the stand out star of the 2012 Olympic games this summer? It looks like there is not a general front runner at this point, however, gymnast Jordyn Wieber and swimmer Missy Franklin are definitely on the top of the list.

Have a great weekend everyone! One swim meet, one gymnastics meet, and one high school swim team bowling event define my weekend and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

The DegreeGirl  “Don’t Fret The Sweat” campaign recently awarded $20,000 to five winning cheerleading teams of the Degree Girl Varsity Awards on their Facebook page. These cool and confident teams told DFTS how they were able to come together to overcome sweat-inducing moments and then rallied their communities to vote for them on Facebook. In celebration of the winning teams SportsGirlsPlay.com is hosting a giveaway a Degree Girl gift set for you, too!

The giveaway package includes:

• iHome – inspiring teams to get active before, during or after practice, with quick and easy music access
• Degree Girl Just Dance deodorant
• Degree Girl gym bag to hold gear
• Degree Girl water bottle to stay cool during workouts

The Degree Girl team sent us one of the giveaway sets to keep so we could give you our take on each item in the set. The iHome player is a fun docking station and speaker for your iPod that changes colors as the music plays. It charges your iPod while it plays music – perfect for practices, relaxing in your room or hanging out with friends. My 13-year old daughter immediately took the iHome to her room and it has become a part of her decor.

In addition, the gift set comes with a black gym bag for carrying all your gear to and from practice. The bag is very roomy and has plenty of pockets, too. The Degree Girl is my teen’s new favorite deodorant – according to her, it smells good and after using it for the past few weeks of gymnastics practices she has asked for a second one to keep in her locker.

So, how do you win this gift set for yourself?

Required entry: Leave us a comment on this post telling about a situation in sports that tested your nerves at first, but through determination, courage or encouragement from friends, you made it through! It could be about your first game, a championship meet, learning a new skill – you name it, we want to hear about it!

Bonus entries: Get BONUS ENTRIES by letting your friends know about our giveaway. Get one extra entry for each of the following, but come back and leave a second comment telling us where you shared it:

• Post about it on your own blog, in a forum, tweet about it or share it with your friends on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter (we are @SportsGirlsPlay) – please send us a tweet letting us know you are following us and introduce yourself, too.
• Like us on Facebook (we are SportsGirlsPlay and Don’tFretTheSweat) – again, feel free to leave us a note on Facebook saying hello and that you are entering the giveaway.

Rules

• Leave your comment(s) no later than midnight January 10, 2012.
• Make sure your email address is right. We only use it to contact the winners and we will NEVER share it or publish it.
• You must be 13 or older to enter. If you are under 13, just ask your parent, grandparent, favorite aunt or uncle to enter for you!
• We will be using the “And the winner is” plugin to select one (1) winners at random.

Disclosure: Degree Girl sent us a gift pack for purpose of review but the opinions of the products are our own!

 As summer starts to wind down, there is a lot going on in the sports world – especially in this pre-Olympic year!  Here are some of this week’s top girls sports news articles and resources.

Looking Ahead to London

• Missy Franklin is definitely cementing her spot as one to watch in London on the swimming front. After a successful FINA World Championships meet, Missy claimed two more US titles this week at Nationals!
• Natalie Coughlin talks about her FINA Worlds performance leading up to next year’s Olympics and how at this point every little bit counts
• The 2011 Visa National Championships kick off August 17 and USA Gymnastics has released the event program online. Check it out and get the competitor information and meet details before you go. Will Jordyn Wieber be the next US Champion? Who knows, but the mix of experience from Shawn Johnson and Alicia Sacramone combined with the energy of up and comers make this meet one to watch!

Youth Sports

• Do you have an athlete who is starting to think college sports? Check out this list of the Top 10 College Sports Programs – from the female athlete perspective at Pretty Tough
• For girls in Saudi Arabia, the tides are slowly beginning to change and advances are being made in the acceptance of girls participating in sports. Case in point – Women’s Football (aka Soccer) Making Headway in Saudi Arabia
• Teach Winning Through Losing – every game offers up opportunities to learn, and you learn more when you lose – if you approach it the right way
• Did your child’s team make the play-offs? Then you must read this – A Parent’s Code of Conduct for Post-Season Play. Go. Now. Read.

Have a great weekend!

• I know summer swim season is just about over for us, but this article on determining whether your child is ready for summer swim team is too good to pass up. A lot of the points they make regarding summer swim – like meeting minimum skill requirements and taking directions from someone other than a parent are important factors in deciding if your child is ready to participate in organized sports.
• My daughter is headed to golf camp next week and has already been out cleaning up her clubs and getting her bag ready. I can only imagine how she would act on the golf course if she got a hole in one like six year old Reagan Kennedy did recently.
• Former Olympic Gymnast, Amy Chow is just amazing! She was on the 1996 and 2000 Olympic teams for gymnastics, went to Stanford and got her degree in medicine, is a licensed pediatrician and surgeon, then tried her hand at pole vaulting and did so at the elite level. Now Amy is back with another challenge – platform diving! I tell you this lady is amazing! Although she recently sustained an injury in training, the fact that she has been able to go from just playing around with diving in 2008 to being a contender on the National scene now is remarkable!
• Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin is 29 and has no intentions of retiring any time soon. She will be competing this week at the FINA World Championships and has her sights set on London in 2012.
• While we are on the topic of swimming, I found one of the most complete and common sense guides to youth swimming. From who decides what events your child will swim at a meet to how are relays determined, what to bring to a meet to why did my child get DQ’d, this is the PERFECT resource for new swim parents.
• Still on the topic of swimming, I went looking for this t-shirt with the saying, “If I only had one day to live I would spend it at a swim meet, because they last forever!” and instead I found this great article called In Praise of Swimming. The best point in the entire article is that swimmers train in a co-ed environment, unlike so many sports. As a result, the girls on the team are not seen as anything other than teammates – and that is a great thing!
• My latest article for Snackpicks.com is out. The focus is on making the most of local family activities – what to do, what to take, and how to capture the memories. Check it out!

1. Always remove makeup before any physical activity

Whenever you are involved in any type of physical activity (sports, running, biking, etc.) be sure to remove your makeup. Sweating is a natural thing, everyone does it, but makeup and sweat don’t mix.

Not only does makeup clog your pores,  it will look like a mess by the time your workout is done. It is never attractive to have foundation dripping down your face and raccoon eyes. If you must wear makeup, try to limit yourself.  Wear a good waterproof mascara and apply it only on the top lashes. Your cheeks will naturally be flush and try using a lip stain for your lips.

Recommended : CoverGirl Waterproof LashBlast Mascara (Black) & Benefit Benetint cheek and lip stain.

2. Put your hair up

If you have long hair, listen up and grab your hair ties, bendy clips and/or headbands. Your hair has natural oils in it that can cause you to break out. Yes, I know you all are thinking, seriously? My hair can break me out? Well think about it, when you workout, you sweat and your pores open up. Your hair contains oil that will get in those pores if your hair is in your face resulting in blackheads and pimples. That is why you should always tie back your hair and any bangs or stray pieces. It will also keep it out of your way, so you can focus on what you are doing.

3. Wear Sunscreen

If you happen to be involved in any outdoor sport or activity, wear sunscreen! I know that everyone under the sun (no pun intended) would like a tan, but the sun’s harmful UV rays will do more damage than you would like. Try to use an SPF 30 or higher. For your skin, a spray is the easiest way to go. It is fast and effective. No more white, smelly lotion to rub in, just spray and let your skin absorb. For your face, they make face lotions that have SPF in it, but they usually only have SPF 15 in them. They work fine, but if you plan on staying out in the sun for any length of time, you should use something higher than that. Now don’t forget your lips – they burn also – and trust me, it isn’t fun. It is easy to find lipbalms with an SPF in them, check your nearest drugstore.

Want more makeup and beauty tips that are age appropriate and won’t break the bank? Visit my daughter’s site at www.razberriez.com.

And for those of you wondering, we did not receive any compensation or product mentioned in this post. There are affiliate links, but all opinions are based on our own personal experience.

It has been a busy week in sports, not only for me, but obviously for the rest of the sporting world!  What were the highlights of your week? For us, it was my daughter’s field hockey team finishing the season undefeated and I got to spend the day on the golf course yesterday.

There have also been a lot of great girls in sports articles this week that I wanted to share with you:

• Pretty Tough has a great reminder and resource post on NCAA Rules and Summer/Vacation Job Rules
• Speaking of rules – whether your child runs track or does a different sport, Track Mom reminds us that there are 10 Sports Manners they should know by 12 and apply them
• I like JBMThinks’ article 9 Traits to Look for in a Great Coach
• Will Olympic Champion Shawn Johnson be ready for London 2012? No one knows but you can get a glimpse into her training and outlook in this interview of Shawn Johnson by Amy Van Deusen for ESPNW
• Speaking of Olympic champions – Mary Lou Retton has taken on her role of Sports Mom quite well – and I love her attitude of letting the coaches coach.
• Have you ever had a crazy shot on the golf course? Well, yesterday I did – my first one off the tee landed in the sand next to a frog that was belly up. It sure made for a memorable start to a good day of golf. You can read the rest at IGolfPink.com.

Have a great weekend and don’t forget to take a moment to enter to win a $30 Gift Certificate to ChicksPlaySports.com which has a great selection of girls athletic wear! Click here to enter. Ends 5/24

Whether you are the parent of a college bound gymnasts looking for the latest recruiting information, a college coach looking for a list of up and comers to begin keeping watch of, or a die-hard college gymnastics fan, you have to add CollegeGymFans.com to your regular reading – if you haven’t already.

CollegeGymFans.com is the single most comprehensive portal of information, news, results, and community for college gymnastics. Every single Division I, II, and III NCAA school that has a women’s (or men’s) gymnastics program is listed – with links to their websites. Additionally, there is an extensive database of gymnasts from across the US (and beyond) that are eligible for recruiting during any given year and it is updated as gymnasts make verbal and written commitments to various schools.

Let’s get caught up.

After 26 years of coaching gymnastics, 13 at the same gym, I have decided to take a leave of absence for a while. My own kids sports schedules are getting harder and harder for me to keep up with, and if I could have a clone, all would be great. Add to that my Dad is having both knees replaced this fall, my need to spend more time building up my own websites (like this one), making time for more fitness and golf time for me, and you can see why I just have to take a break. Deciding to step away from coaching was probably the hardest thing I have had to do in many years, but for now, it is the right thing for me to do. The SuperMom cape is off and I will just wear the SportsParent hat for a while.

Here are some “related” links that you will find interesting:

• Speaking of sports parents, I wrote an article for Kellogg’s Snackpicks on Kids Sports Snacks – in other words, what kind of snacks to bring if you happen to be in charge of half-time or post-game snacks for your child’s team. There is also a great snack planning sheet you can download with it!
• Since my Dad is having his knees replaced and my gymnast daughter wants to be a surgeon, we visited one of our favorite sites last night – EdHeads.org – and performed our own virtual knee replacement surgery. Let me tell you, EdHeads is just cool! From a virtual hip replacement to designing the ultimate cell phone to investigating a crash scene, the site really gives kids the opportunity to explore some hi-tech skill sets in an age appropriate setting. Go check it out!
• One of the things I am trying to find more time for in my busy schedule is running. Years ago I ran 3-4 times a week and I just loved the way it made me feel. Then kids happened and I let my own fitness take a back seat to my kids. Now that they are all busy in their own sports I have set a goal – I want to run a 5K race this spring. I have been training since May and while the return to the miles is a little slow, I’m fine with that. One of my friends just introduced me to a site called SeeMommyRun.com which allows you to find other moms in your area who want to get together to train. What at great support resource! Between that, keeping up with my online friends at DailyMile.com and my NikePlus sensor, I think I have all the support I need now to reach my goals!
• The new season of BigBreak has started and it is really getting me excited to play golf at Half Moon Bay in a few weeks! I love the range of ages, body types and personalities the show brings together and hope to pick up a few golf pointers along the way.

Among my goals in the coming months is to increase the frequency of posts here and share even more great girls sports information with you. If you have any topics or sports you would like me to cover, please leave me a comment! And in the meantime, check your balance – and feel free to ditch the SuperMom cape, too.

I am giving the Beautiful Blogger Award to:

• Jenn at Jeneric Stories for sharing the Dad’s Get Involved PSA video – Let’s Go D-A-D-S
• Lorraine at TrackMom for posting a great collection of inspirational quotes as their outdoor track season gets started in So. Cal.
• Sherry at Ladies on the Tee for making me super jealous that she has been able to get out on the golf course in 2010 already and I haven’t! I wish all this snow would melt and the temps would warm up so I could go try out my new G wedge and other goodies I got for Christmas.
• ChicRunner for her awesome LA Marathon course preview photos. While I am not training for a marathon, I have started running with a bunch of the moms from swim team while the kids practice.
• And while we are on the topic of running – I think Jess and her pink shoes need this award too.

Ladies, you are not under any obligation to pass this award on, but it is a fun way to share your favorite reads with your audience and to let another blogger know they are doing a great job. Have a fabulous weekend.

So by now, you all should know that I am one of the Kellogg’s SnackPicks.com Moms (if not, read this post). Since we are right in the middle of prime time tailgating season, the SnackPicks team is having a virtual tailgate party on Twitter on Thursday, October 1 at 9:30 pm (Eastern) and I will be the Guest Panelist!

Visit the party hostesses, at 5MinutesforMom to RSVP and get a coupon for a free box of Keebler Townhouse Crackers, then join us Thursday evening for more fun as we share our favorite tailgate tips, adventures, do a few giveaways, and cheer for the home team!

Just so you don’t get confused, I will be using my personal Twitter account (@charpolanosky) for the event (not @SportsGirlsPlay) so be sure to follow me and join the fun.