NBC’s Kate Snow of Rock Center did a very informative piece on this alarming trend, how it affects the girls (girls in the interview claimed having multiple concussion over the past few years), what the warning signs are and what needs to be done to lower the numbers. Watch below:

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One trend I am very happy to see, at least in our area, is concussion testing at the high school level. Every high school athlete – whether they play football or are on the swim team – go through baseline concussion testing each season. I am wondering if this needs to become a service that is more readily available at the club sports and recreational sports level, too?

Additionally, there are three really important steps you can take as a parent to help prevent concussions in your athlete:

• Make sure she is wearing a mouthguard – mouth guards have been proven to provide additional structural stability in the skull which helps prevent a concussion.
• Know the symptoms of concussions and when in doubt have your athlete seen by a physician
• Resist the urge to let your athlete return to play until she is 100% medically cleared – stick to your guns – no matter how much she or her coach pressure you to let her go back early.

You may also be interested in a documentary by the University of Minnesota’s Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport highlighting the untold story of female athletes and concussion injuries. Knowledge is power when it comes to reducing the number of concussions young girls are suffering on the field.

What amazing role models these athletes have had their entire lives. And one of my favorite quotes – which is what I tell parents about the sports journey, too – is Motherhood is a Marathon, not a Sprint.

In the segment Shawn’s mom talks about everything from keeping a balance to not being “THAT MOM” – you know the pushy one who thinks their child is the next Olympian and how she has been their for Shawn every step of the way in her gymnastics journey.  Add to it all, the adorable footage of Shawn as a little gymnast, and I quickly found myself reaching for a box of Puffs tissues!

I’m not sure if Shawn will make this year’s Olympic team, but regardless, I think she has contributed so much to the sport of gymnastics that she is always going to be a champion as far as I am concerned.

Starting in the upper left corner:

• Alexandra (Aly) Raisman – 2011 World Championships team gold medalist and floor exercise bronze medalist
• Jordyn Wieber – 2011 World Championships team and all-around gold medalist and balance beam bronze medalist (and her list of winning moments is miles long)
• McKayla Maroney – 2011 World Championships team and vault gold medalist
• Sabrina Vega – that’s her in the jump photo, too – 2011 World Championships Team gold medalist
• Shawn Johnson – yep, two photos of her too – Won four medals at the 2008 Olympics: Gold (balance beam) and silver (team, all-around and floor exercise)
• Alicia Sacramone – Ten World medals (four gold, four silver and two bronze); the most World medals by an American gymnast. 2008 Olympic medalist, 2011 World Championships Team gold medalist
• Anna Li – Alternate for the 2011 World Championships Team that won a gold medal. Former NCAA gymnast, 8-time All American
• Gabby Douglas – 2011 World Championships Team gold medalist
• Kyla Ross – 2012 Kellogg’s Pacific Rim Championships, Everett, Wash. – 1st-Team, BB; 2nd-AA, UB; 3rd-FX
• Nastia Liukin – Won the all-around gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games
• not pictured here, but on the actual Facebook album, Rebecca Bross – Six-time World medalist – three silver and three bronze.

* career highlights found on USAG National Team bios

Only five gymnasts will make the Olympic team and in my opinion you could put together just about any combination of five of the girls pictured above and come up with a solid US Olympic Team. It is going to be tough, because only the top placing girl at Olympic Trials is guaranteed her spot! The next four plus as many as three replacement athletes will then be determined by a selection committee. Yikes.

The competition format at the Olympics is going to be 5-4-3 format in preliminaries, and 5-3-3 in team finals. What that means is there can be 5 athletes on the team. In preliminaries 4 athletes will compete on each event (it doesn’t have to be the same four on each event) and the top 3 scores will count for that event’s score. In team finals, each team still has 5 athletes, but only 3 can compete on each event and all three scores count. That means the team who makes the least number of mistakes – wins.

And, if I had to go out on a limb and make my predictions for the 2012 US Olympic Gymnastics team now, I would go with:

• Jordyn Wieber
• Aly Raisman
• Gabby Douglas
• McKayla Maroney
• Alicia Sacramone
• Alt: Kyla Ross

It will be interesting to see if I am right and I would love to hear your predictions for the 2012 US Olympic Gymnastics team! And do you have your Team USA Olympic fan gear yet?

I was at my daughter’s swim meet a few weeks ago when I saw this woman wearing the most colorful running shoes I can remember seeing in a LONG time! Having been an Asics fan since I got my first pair during high school cross country almost 30 years ago, I had to find out where I could get these!

These cool shoes are ASICS – GEL-Noosa Tri 7 (Neon Pink/Coral/Noosa Glow) – Footwear and they are designed to be a lightweight training or racing shoe perfect for triathletes. They have speed lacing and no-slip footbeds and are designed to be comfortable with or without socks. Reviews have been mixed as to whether or not you should go up a half size in these shoes or not so you may want to try them on at your local store first or get them from my favorite place, Zappos, since shipping is free both ways if you need to return them.

The ASICS Gel-Noosa Tri 7 is priced around $120 which puts it right into what I consider a mid-range running shoe. And while I know these are designed for racing, they are so cute and Asics are so comfortable, I am considering getting a pair for low mileage training days and wearing when I coach conditioning with the kids at the pool.

Mizuno Volleyball is having an online contest and the grand prize is a volleyball clinic given to the winner’s team in their hometown, conducted by a  USA Volleyball team member. To enter, Mizuno is asking young volleyball players to submit video diaries, photographs and essays, showcasing their own personal journeys and elaborating on how competitive volleyball has affected their lives and made them better, stronger individuals because the journey is just beginning for thousands of aspiring young volleyball players across the country.

Where will your journey take you?

The story is about McKenna Brooks, a young gymnast with her sites set on the Olympics. The side story has to do with keeping the balance in your life as McKenna struggles in school. An injury seems like the end of the world to McKenna at first, but ends up being the catalyst for taking on other challenges in her life. It will probably have just enough gymnastics in the movie to make gymnastic fans not want to change the channel and the story line will be popular with girls and their parents, too. In a way it reminds me of a Disney-fied version of Stick It- specifically the pretend telephone scene right at the beginning, but I think it will be fun!

Official movie synopsis: Meet McKenna Brooks™, a determined and confident young gymnast, in this all-new modern-day adventure. McKenna™ is on track to make the regional competitive gymnastics team but off-track in school, where she’s suddenly struggling to keep up. When her teacher suggests a tutor, she’s embarrassed and desperate to keep it a secret from her friends. Then a bad fall at the gym sidetracks her from her favorite sport. Will she recover in time to make the team? Can she succeed in school, too? McKenna™ needs to focus on her strengths to overcome her challenges – and, with the help of family and friends, find a way to believe in herself again.

And Olympic legend, Cathy Rigby, stars as McKenna’s coach. Got your DVR set?

For more on American Girl’s McKenna, her collection (much of which is already sold out – so glad we got her bars and beam when we did), and more on the movie, visit DollDiaries.com. You can also get her books – which my daughter loved – McKenna (American Girl) (American Girl Today) and McKenna (American Girl) (American Girl Today).

• A bat generally should not be any taller off the ground than your waist.  
• You also need to pay attention to the weight of the bat. For younger players it is a good rule of thumb to get bats that have a -12 weight ratio. This means if a bat you choose is 30 inches long, the weight of the bat would be 18 ounces. This helps with bat speed which is critical when hitting against faster pitchers. An exception to the rule would be if your child is much taller and stronger than most of her peers. 
• The next thing to consider is the type of material you want the bat to be constructed out of. The three most common are steel, aluminum and composite. The first two are going to be the most cost effective and provide a decent “pop” off of the bat when making contact off of the bat. Composite bats on the other hand range in price from $100 to $300. They provide an extreme amount of “pop” off of the bat when making contact with the ball. This essentially means that a hitter making contact with a ball is going to hit the ball further when using a composite softball bat versus a metal bat. One downside to a composite bat is durability. You should never use a composite bat when the temperatures are below 55 degrees. 
•  The last option to consider when buying a softball bat is weather the bat you choose is balanced or endloaded. A balanced bat means the weight of the bat is evenly balanced over the full length of the bat making it easier for younger and smaller players to have enough bat speed to hit the ball against all types of pitchers. An endloaded bat puts more weight towards the end of the bat making the ball go even further when hit. It makes the bat feel even heavier than the listed weight making it ideal for the bigger, stronger, power hitters in the game. 

Of course, this commercial puts the athlete spin on things, but whether your child is an athlete in the making, aspiring musician, budding academic, or just an all around great kid, chances are you can relate to the commercial. And if you are not a Mom, you have a Mom and she probably was there for you every step of the way, too.

And before we start hearing, what about the Dads? Well, Dads do a lot of great things too, and in many cases the same things Mom does. I’m sure we will see Dads show up in commercials at some point this summer, too. Either way, our athletes can not do it with out us! It is a long road full of ups and downs – enjoy the journey!

Watch the video below or watch it on YouTube.

Amazing showcase, really! Or if you need an alternate title – 101 ways to get on a balance beam