Archive for April, 2007
The Perfect Gift for a Soccer Girl
Posted by: | CommentsMy daughter has a few friends who play soccer. And a one of them is a total soccer crazed girl. Really. She can tell you who the stars are on all the teams from the 2006 FIFA World Cup and she generally lives and breathes soccer.
Her birthday is coming up and we were looking for a really unique gift for her. The Southern California-based soccer store, Nikys-Sports has a large selection of World Cup soccer gear. While the store primarily caters to adults, they do have a kids section where we found an adidas kids sized replica of the Madrid uniform.
If you have a soccer fan of any age, it is a site worth checking out – especially if you are looking for something different from what you would find at your local “big box” sports store. They carry a large line of soccer essentials too – like shoes, balls, jerseys, DVDs, and memorabilia. And coaches, you should definitely check out their selection of instructional DVDs and team apparel.
One of the things I also like about this site is that there is a photo gallery with photos of the store, the store owners, and photos with famous soccer stars like David Beckham.
The Male vs. Female Coaching Dynamic
Posted by: | CommentsI was just reading Tom Burgdorf’s Parenting an Athlete newsletter and he brings up the topic of male coaches vs. female coaches.
He notes that in most cases the female coaches tend to be more compassionate while the male coaches tend to be more tough. While this is true in many scenarios, I know that in the gym I coach at it is the opposite!
My coaching partner is male and he is a pushover. Don’t take that the wrong way – the girls adore him and he is technically an outstanding coach – his coaching style compliments mine very well. I tend to be more strict (but I try to be fair and sensitive, too) and push the girls a bit more. Oddly enough, we both are parents of gymnasts (his daughter is a level 10 and mine is a level 4) and bring a very different perspective to the whole coaching situation.
At the optional level we have a similar situation. The male coach is technically fantastic, but sometimes you have to check his pulse and make sure he is still breathing. He is very stable, even keeled, and has a very dry sense of humor. He can thwart a teenage temper tantrum without ever raising his voice and is very sensitive to the girls’ needs. The female coach has a much tougher style that produces results but often produces tears, too. She has a sensitive side, too, but she is definitely considered to be the toughest coach in the gym.
Like Tom said in his newsletter, the most important factor is to not to select your child’s coach based on whether they are male or female, but rather if their coaching style is compatible with your child’s personality and learning style.
NCAA National Championships for Womens Gymnastics
Posted by: | CommentsThe field is set! All six of the regional competitions are now complete with the top two teams from each region advancing to the National Championships. The championships will be held at the University of Utah on April 26-28.
Teams qualifying to the championships include:
- Stanford
- OSU
- Utah
- Nebraska
- Georgia
- Denver University
- Alabama
- Â Oklahoma
- Florida
- Michigan
- UCLA
- LSU
Additionally, there were a handful of individuals who qualified to the National competition even though their team did not.
Congratulations to all the teams and individuals who qualified – your hard work has paid off!