When my husband and I had kids, we had a pretty good idea that they wouldn’t be very “athletic.” We’re kind of a nerdy couple who do not play any sports ourselves and tend to focus on activities like computers and theater. Yet over the last several years I knew that we needed to create some healthier habits in our house, so I took up running. After running two half marathons myself, I convinced my husband to join me for my third. Before too long, my older daughter Jillian (who is 10), decided that it looked interesting to her as well and started running a couple of miles at a time.

At intermediate school orientation I saw a sign for cross country. I asked Jillian if she might be interested and she decided to give it a try. It only lasted about 7 weeks, but it was a great experience for her both from a physical standpoint of getting exercise and the mental standpoint of achievement. I asked her the other day to answer a few questions about her experience and here is what she had to say:

Tricia:  Did you ever think that you would be competing in a sporting event?
Jillian: No, actually, I didn’t. I never thought about it much. I’m usually into stuff like composing music, and choreographing dances. I’ve never played soccer or basketball or anything like some of my friends. The closest that I ever got was taking gymnastics when I was little.

Tricia: What is your favorite thing about being a runner?
Jillian: Finishing. When you’re a runner, the best feeling is the feeling to finish a race and to say in your head, “I did it.”

Tricia: What were you thinking as you were running through the course during your first meet?
Jillian: At the start of the race I was just trying to listen to the rules. Then as I was running I started thinking, “Oh my gosh. How am I going to finish this?” But I just kept telling myself to keep going, and to finish strong.

What would you tell other girls thinking about starting cross country?
I would tell them to try it once. If they like it, continue. If they don’t, stop.

Tricia: What are your future plans for running?
Jillian: I am probably going to continue to race. And to compete in longer distances than a mile. Like the 5k Race for the Cure.

My sincere hope is that I am instilling a lifelong love of running in Jillian because I have found it to be one of the only activities that I have no excuse not to keep up with. I can run on vacation or at my in-laws’ home. I can run by myself or with friends. And now I can run with my daughter.

Tricia Meyer is the owner of Helping Moms Connect and other female-focused blog sites. She is a mom to two daughters, Jillian and Cassie, and hopes to eventually be running half marathons with both of them.

Voting for this year’s Sports Illustrated SportsKid of the Year 2011 is now open!! Go to the SportsKid of the Year voting page and cast your vote as many times as you want for your favorite youth athlete. There are four outstanding girls who are in the running this year including:

• Sage – Kayak
• Nastasya – Rhythmic Gymnastics
• Lynne – Swimming
• Lauren – Track 

All four young ladies are very deserving of the title, however, I am a little biased this year!  One of the athletes, Lauren, has been featured on SportsGirlsPlay.com, her Mom happens to be a good friend of mine and is the author of an excellent track and field resource site – TrackMom.com.

So, go vote for your favorite! You can vote as often as you wish through October 17, 2011.

As we awaited the birth of our third child, my wife and I picked out two names. We had one for a boy and one for a girl, but we were both convinced that our new baby was going to be another athletic boy.

After a thorough search of baby names, my wife suggested the name Derrick Phillip. That name sounded great to me after my wife agreed to spell “Derrick” like Derek Jeter, the great Yankee shortstop, spells his name. Two reasons: 1) I’m a huge baseball / Yankee fan and 2) the other spelling reminded me of a bully I knew in junior high. I also liked the name Phillip for a middle name and not because it’s my wife’s dad’s name. I liked it because another Yankee shortstop was named Phil too, Hall of Famer, Phil Rizzuto. Derek Phillip would be the perfect name for my future baseball-playing boy.

Twenty weeks into the pregnancy, the ultrasound confirmed we were not having a boy after all. I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed. You see in the world where I grew up in New Jersey in the 70’s and 80’s, girls didn’t seem to play sports. My mom was a singer / dancer. She actually sang on American Bandstand. My two sisters showed no interest in sports beyond cheerleading for boy’s teams. And I cannot think of even one girl who I knew / dated when I was growing up who played sports. In short, outside of Billie Jean King beating Bobby Riggs in the battle of the sexes, I was never exposed to women’s sports.

My wife grew up a world away in Iowa and was a multi-sport athlete. She played basketball, volleyball, boy’s baseball, softball and golf. She also participated in track and field (she held her HS high jump record at one time). She eventually played softball in college. My wife was, heck is, a more accomplished athlete than I ever was.

In the early years of our marriage, my wife and I played softball and / or volleyball in co-ed leagues three nights per week. We won many league championships together. Admittedly, we won because my wife and her athletic girl friends were the difference makers. So after the initial disappointment of hearing we were having a girl, I thought to myself that maybe, just maybe my little girl would be an athlete someday too.

Well as it turned out, my daughter, now 10 years old, loves to dance, sing and act. And she is an absolute card. She is constantly making us, and others laugh. And I could not love her any more than I do.

She also happens to be a terrific athlete. She has excelled in sports since she was five. This year she is the star goalie for a soccer team that just finished 4th in the Ohio State Cup. She also happens to play point guard for a 4th grade AAU basketball team that has a very serious chance to win a National title. They already won the AAU Ohio Super Regional and Ohio District.

Ironically, she is a better athlete than her two brothers and that’s saying something. She has talent, but more importantly, she is self-motivated and has boundless confidence. These traits make her a better athlete than I ever was. There I said it. A 10-year-old girl is a better athlete than I ever was.

I am in awe of my little girl and my wife and I thank them for opening my ignorant eyes to all the great women athletes in this world. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with a little girl and an athletic one at that.

Fran Dicari, Stats Dad

Editor’s Note: This was a guest post by Fran Dicari of Stats Dad – a dad blog that covers the drama, comedy and competition of youth sports in America. You can also follow Fran on Twitter at Stats_Dad.

As the parent of three kids (14, 12 and 9) – all of whom have different talents – I can tell your best laid parenting plans often get changed once you have kids and are in the thick of raising them! I would have never envisioned my kids being where they are today in sports, but I’m glad they are and am proud of each one of them!

As a young child my son was not athletic, confident or really interested in group activities – he would have rather read a stack of books or played cars all day. We tried soccer – he did the season, but wasn’t really in to it. We tried t-ball. Can we say bored out of his mind? Then we gave him ice skating lessons. He took to it – but on his own terms at his own pace. After a year of lessons he was ready to play ice hockey in the recreational league. He played seven years of house league ice hockey and really enjoyed it. He wasn’t interested in the travel league and it wasn’t until he was about 13 that he really started to get the confidence to be a leader on the team. And then they closed the ice rink!!

Faced with the realization that the only sport he had enjoyed was no longer an option, we convinced him to try summer league swimming. Again, he didn’t love it, but stuck with it and slowly improved. He joined the year round team and the longer he stuck with it the more he began to embrace it. He grew 13 inches in middle school so now at age 14 he is 6′ 1″ tall and is able to really use that height to his advantage in the pool. As a result of his swimming experience he was able to try out, make and then score points every meet for his High School Swim Team – an opportunity he would not have had, had they not closed the ice rink. If you would have asked me 10 years ago what sport I thought my son would play in High School, I would have laughed and said, “none.” Instead he has developed the confidence to take on new challenges like the JROTC Raider program. The Raider team trains for and does competitions that include a run, push ups, sit ups, orienteering, rope bridge building, first aid and more. Again, would I have ever guessed this is what he wanted to do? Nope!

My second child, a girl, was destined to be a gymnast in one respect or another. After all, with me being a gymnastics coach, Miss M was always at the gym. She did classes and then went on the developmental team. She loved it and always wanted to do what the big girls were doing. However, as she got old enough to compete, she didn’t seem to be enjoying it as much – she was moderately successful but didn’t have the natural strength that so many of her teammates had. She decided to try swimming competitively while still doing gymnastics to see if she liked it. In her mind, swimming would be so easy – you know, she was a gymnast. Miss M swam but wasn’t passionate about it and meanwhile her days at the gym were becoming more and more unhappy as skills got harder, scarier, and she was trying to figure out if she liked having her Mom in the gym coaching her.

The gym was all she really knew and I think she thought I expected her to be an elite gymnast. So much of her identity as a child was wrapped up in the fact that she was a gymnast and that made it hard to make the decision to quit. But they day she finally quit gymnastics I think a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders and she came to the realization that life goes on and we all still loved her the same – gym or no gym. She finished the season swimming and took a break from gym. By May she came to me and said that she really missed gymnastics and really didn’t like swimming, so could she go back to the gym. This time it was all her – she returned on her own terms and joined the All Star team (and was no longer coached by me). The All Star team was not as intense as the track she had been on before and it allowed her to tailor her routines to highlight her strengths and gave her time to work through some fears while still being able to compete. By December of this year, she was begging me and trying to cut a deal with me to let her add another day to her gymnastics schedule. She has had a very successful season – but it is because she wants it and does gymnastics for herself now. I don’t expect her to stick with gymnastics the rest of her school years, but it works for her now.

And then we have my youngest daughter. By the time she was three it was more than obvious to me that she was going to be way too tall to be a gymnast – not to mention that she was afraid of everything at the gym. Things her sister was doing at 3, she would not even entertain! The one thing I noticed was that Miss N loved being in water. I signed her up for swim lessons and she took to it right away – as long as her face was not in the water. She saw some kids about her age swimming in the other pool and wanted to know what their kickboards were, why they wore swim caps, etc. I explained to her that they were on the swim team and what it was all about. The summer of her sixth year she decided to do the summer swim team. It was a drama filled summer – full of nerves, tears and determination, but by the end of the summer it was pretty obvious to me, that she was right where she belonged.

Over the next few years she swam year round. It became more and more apparent that Miss N is an intense child expecting nothing but perfection in herself. She wanted to win her races and you could see it in her body language and the way she competed. But it wasn’t just at swim – it was showing up in school, at home and with friends. She is intense in everything she does – and puts an amazing amount of pressure on herself. She has been very successful in the pool but we have really had to work on the emotion aspect of the sport and trying to teach her how to manage nerves, her goals and how to handle it when she does not achieve her personal goals. (The benefit – the lessons she is learning from sports are helping her deal with her emotions and perfectionism in all aspects of her little life.)

This spring I decided she needed a change of pace and she is trying something totally different – field hockey. It has been really good for her to be the new one, be part of a team and get some good cross training in. Trying another sport has also helped take some of the pressure off, and at the same time it has helped her realize that she really does love swimming. She has already told me that she is going to play field hockey again next spring, but is getting excited about summer swim meets.

As parents, I think we have to be willing to help our children navigate their own destinies by gently guiding them towards the activities where they will not only enjoy but also flourish. Sports are an essential part of childhood development, however, they are not the end all. Whether your child enjoys sports, academic challenges or beauty pageants, it is our job to support our children, not live our own dreams through them,  and to help them “keep it REAL.”

One of the athletes recognized through out the night was a senior whose impact on her peers was so great that they named an award after her – and she got to present it to a teammate. I found myself very moved by this young lady’s achievements – partially because as a young child, she was one of my students. I was her gymnastics coach for a few years and the sense of pride I felt in watching her be recognized for all her success was so rewarding. To know that I was a part of the development of this young woman’s character, work ethic and athletic achievement is why I love coaching.

Then my parental pride got its turn as I saw my son get his Varsity letter for swimming his freshman year. Honestly as a younger child I did not see him having the confidence to try out for a high school sport. He played ice hockey but the rink closed and he reluctantly changed to swimming (let’s call that silver lining).  For him to have the opportunity to be part of a team, make a contribution and build up the friendships he has, is just priceless. The evening was very motivating to him as he saw friends and acquaintances recognized for their achievements – I think it gave him perspective and a true purpose for his efforts in sports and academics.

And then seeds were planted – and this is where it gets good!!! Remember that award named after my former student? My 9 year old told her 12 year old sister about it (she wasn’t at the banquet – she was at gymnastics practice) and she then looked straight at me and said, “I want to earn that award.” Nice!! And I know she can.

My 9 year old heard the names of girls being called for field hockey scholarships and swimming excellence. She sat with the swim team – as they treat her as one of their own already anyhow – and she was able to envision all these things as possible for her own future. She heard of the sacrifices, the practices, the travel to games, the late nights doing homework, and she sees the rewards. The rewards are HUGE.

The power of youth sports is not all the recognition of achievements. Part of the power is in the relationships and character it builds. In amongst all the victories and accolades, there have been plenty of trying times and tragedies and the athletes are there for each other. Their strength and caring amazes me on a daily basis.

I’m leaving you with two more positive youth sports articles to start your weekend.

• Olympic gymnast Alicia Sacramone knows all about the sacrifices and will tell you they are so worth it.
• Youth sports as a force for positive social change

A good mouthguard will serve two key roles in the safety of an athlete:

• The mouthguard will protect the teeth and gums from lacerations, breaks and other injuries as a result of being hit by the ball, a stick, another player, or falls.
• The mouthguard will also offer a level of protection against concussions by stabilizing the jaw and absorbing some of the impact.

Mouthguards will not prevent all injuries, but according to mouthguard manufacturer Shock Doctor, it is estimated that mouthguards prevent more than 200,000 injuries each year.

The athletes are required to wear their mouthguards anytime a ball is in play – which means from the beginning of practice until the end and the entire game. It’s just that important. Our league has even gone as far as to require the athletes wear colored mouthguards to make it much easier for coaches and referees to visually check for mouthguards.

So, what kind of mouthguard do you get? Based on the research I have been doing and the recommendation of our coaches, the newer technology, double layer mouthguards are the way to go. Yes, they are more expensive, but the construction of the mouthguard is going to give more protection for your athlete. If your athlete wears braces, they make mouthguards specifically for braces, too (like the one pictured at the left).

Once you have the mouthguard, be sure to follow the manufacturers  instructions to a tee to get the best fit and most comfort for your player. Most require the mouthguard be boiled and then the athlete to bite on the mouthguard very hard while it is in their mouth. The better fitting mouthguard, the better! You may have to try a few mouthguards before your athlete finds the one that works best and while there are mouthguards for youth, intermediate and adult, take into account your child’s mouth size not just their age when picking out a mouthguard. Our daughter is very tall for 9 and while the youth mouthguard says ages 10 and under, her mouth fits much more comfortably into the one for ages 11 and up.

After each wear be sure to wash and dry the mouthguard and remind your athlete not to chew on it.

More resources on Mouthguards and their relationship to injury and concussion prevention in youth athletes:

• Mouthguard Facts
• Commentary: Role of Properly Fitted Mouthguards in Prevention of Sport-Related Concussion
• American Association of Orthodontics on Why Mouthguards

If your child (or you) play field hockey, ice hockey, soccer, lacrosse, football, softball, baseball or any other potential contact sport (ball, puck, stick or person), a good quality, good fitting mouthguard is an investment you absolutely must make!! As you can see, there is a wide range of styles and sizes available. Find one that works for your child and if the league doesn’t require it – you should! (click on the images below for where to buy).

Shock Doctor Gravity 2 Mouthguard (Strapless) Shock Doctor Gel Max Strapless Mouthguard / Mouth Guard / Mouth Piece (Blue / Black) Youth Braces Strapless Mouthguard from Shock Doctor (Blue) Double STC Adult Strapless Mouthguard from Shock Doctor Youth Double Braces Strapless Mouthguard from Shock Doctor (Pink) Adult Double Braces Strapless Mouthguard from Shock Doctor (Pink) Youth Double Braces Strapped Mouthguard from Shock Doctor (Blue) Adult Double Braces Strapped Mouthguard from Shock Doctor (Blue) Youth Double Braces Strapless Mouthguard from Shock Doctor (Blue) Adult Double Braces Strapless Mouthguard from Shock Doctor (Blue) Adult Ultra STC Convertible Mouthguard from Shock Doctor Youth Ultra STC Convertible Mouthguard from Shock Doctor

In a recent article by Sharon Chirban, Ph. D. for the Huffington Post, she discusses the benefits of letting kids sample different sports. I agree. At a minimum, offer it up.

When a child cross-trains in other sports, they are working different muscles and joints, which creates better overall conditioning. This training model also allows for young athletes to develop a new set of athletic skills, which can transfer to their other sports, leaving many experts to believe this type of training creates better overall athletes.

My 9 year old daughter who swims year round cannot wait to start field hockey season this Monday – it is something new and different and I hope she loves it. My twelve year old daughter has tested out a few different sports and when asked if she wants to try something new at this point, she just keeps saying no – she’d rather be in the gym doing gymnastics than anything else. But she has already checked out a variety of other options and has made the choice to be in the gym on her own.

What is your opinion? I tend to agree that at least exposing children to a variety of sports is a good thing. Some kids will still gravitate to one sport year-round, but by giving them the opportunity to try different sports you help them make that decision on their own. And if you have a child who wants to play another sport in addition to their primary sport – consider it a good thing – its a good diversion mentally and physically.

The University of Minnesota’s Tucker Center Associate Director Nicole LaVoi and Research Assistant Alyssa Norris have released a cutting-edge report on parent perception of how much youth sport interferes with family time. In the report they look at factors such as how sports affects meal time, sleep, homework, family time, vacations, and religious commitments.

Click here to read the report first then let me know what you think!

I say youth sports can interfere with family time, however, the benefits my children receive from participating in youth sports are just as important as the benefits they receive from sitting together around the table eating dinner.

My kids have some sports activities they do on their own and then they all swim on the same summer swim team. This gives them opportunities for independence and opportunities to work together and support each other on the same team.

They get time with each parent on their own depending on the schedule for the week and let me tell you, one on one time with your child is precious. You have a captive audience and so do they. I can’t tell you how many really important conversations have been had on the way to or from a swim practice or a gymnastics meet.

As far as homework time goes – I think doing sports teaches a really important life skill – time management. All three of my kids have good grades and get homework done with little to no prompting. All of their schedules leave ample time to do homework – whether it is before or after practice.

Overall, I think our kids would agree that youth sports are a positive part of their lives that have led to better friendship opportunities, taught them skills they can apply in school (like don’t give up, be patient, how to work with others, etc), and given them each something different to excel at (as well as something they can all do together).

Thanks to the Tucker Center for taking the time to research Youth Sports and Family Time.

I’d love to hear how youth sports affects your family time!

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!

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.