Archive for youth sports
Weplay – An Online Community for Sports Families
Posted by: | CommentsRecently I was introduced to a pretty cool website called Weplay.com. It is an online community for sports families that gives kids, parents, and coaches the ultimate youth sports experience. One of the primary goals of Weplay is to responsibly engage our audience on the internet while encouraging fun, positive reinforcement in sports.
Weplay is getting noticed, too- especially with the involvement of pros like Peyton Manning, Summer Sanders, Derek Jeter, LeBron James, Jennie Finch and more. We’re also funded by Major League Baseball, Creative Artists Agency and partnered with Pop Warner, ASA Softball, the Positive Coaching Alliance and more.
So how does Weplay work?
Go to the Weplay website and create a free account. You can add your photo, your own sports interest and add your athletes. You can create a group for your sports team and use it as a means of communicating announcements, celebrating successes and staying connected.
You can play games, read articles and get the latest news from Weplay’s growing list of pro athlete contributors – like Summer Sanders who will be live in Vancouver covering the Winter Olympics. You can ask sports related questions and get answers from any number of Weplay’s thousands of users. Check out the ParentHood section of the site to get sound sports parenting advice, tips and connect with other parents in your child’s sport.
As you begin to build your own circle of friends on Weplay you can give each other props – fun, virtual pats on the back, for everything from great effort, leadership, and other positive qualities.
Weplay is a really cool and unique social site for those of us who spend so much of our time involved in youth sports from every angle – athlete, parent, coach and fan. Go check it out and while you are there, friend me!
Tales from the Tee – Better than a Barbie
Posted by: | CommentsI just had to chuckle when I read the latest entry at Women on Course’s Tales from the Tee blog. Author Carolyn Luepkes talks about how she got her 6 year old granddaughter hooked on playing golf – and how well her granddaughter picked it up.
I just love Jenna’s response in the closing paragraph:
The best part was when we were in the clubhouse eating and watching women’s golf on the TV. Jenna loved the outfits and the ribbons in their hair. At the end of the tournament when the big silver trophy was presented to the winner, I asked Jenna if that trophy was better than a Barbie. She looked at it very seriously and said with complete conviction: Yes, way better than a Barbie!
That is just priceless!! Go Jenna. You’ll have your own trophy before you know it.
National Center for Sports Safety
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I recently found out about the National Center for Sports Safety (NCSS), which was founded to promote the importance of injury prevention and safety on all levels of youth sports through education and research. The NCSS focuses on decreasing the number and severity of injuries through developing and teaching sports safety courses and collecting, analyzing and researching injury data.
HISTORY of NCSS
The NCSS was founded by renowned orthopedic surgeon Lawrence J. Lemak, M.D. in 2001 to promote the importance of injury prevention and safety on all levels of youth sports through education and research.
The vision of the NCSS is to standardize the level of care available to athletes on and off the playing field. By educating youth coaches in sports safety techniques and skills, they will gain the knowledge and confidence to prevent and respond to injuries and emergency situations appropriately until professional help arrives.
In 2004, the NCSS in conjunction with the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), launched a comprehensive sports safety course called PREPARE. The course, which is available online at http://www.sportssafety.org/prepare/course/, is targeted at volunteer coaches and parents, many of whom have no formal training and need the basics in sports safety education. PREPARE covers everything from minor blisters and ankle sprains to life-threatening head and neck injuries. In approximately two-three hours, coaches and parents learn vital skills that could help save a child’s life. For a limited time this summer, volunteer coaches, community volunteers and parents in Alabama can take PREPARE for free with a special code. You can get the code by calling 866-508-NCSS.
“This movement to ‘raise the standard’ is so important to keep our youth athletes healthy and safe,” says Lawrence J. Lemak, M.D., founder of the NCSS. “There is not one parent that would drop their child off at a local community pool if there were not a certified lifeguard on duty. That same standard of care should be available for every sports facility in this country. If we can prevent just one fatality or injury, it will be worth the effort.” adds Lemak.
ABOUT THE NCSS FOUNDER
Dr. Lawrence J. Lemak, world renowned orthopaedic surgeon, is a founding partner of Alabama Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center and head of Lemak Sports Medicine, one of the nation’s leading orthopaedic clinics. He has played an integral role in sports medicine and arthroscopy research as one of the founders and board members of the American Sports Medicine Institute, a research and education center.
Dr. Lemak has traveled the world giving presentations in locales that include Japan, England and parts of South America. Many professional sports organizations call upon Dr. Lemak’s expertise as he serves as Medical Director for Major League Soccer, NFL Europe, Professional Golf Association and the Ladies Professional Golf Association. He is also Team Physician for many colleges and universities including Auburn University, Samford University, Birmingham-Southern College, Alabama State University, Miles College and the University of Montevallo.
You can find more information about Dr. Lemak and the National Center for Sports Safety at http://www.sportssafety.org.
