Welcome to Sports Girls Play! I have created this blog and resource site to share my insight into girls (and youth) sports through the eyes of a coach, an athlete, and Mom of three.

As a child I participated in competitive swimming, softball, gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, cross country running and judo. I can’t say that I was overly successful at any one sport, but the life skills, time management skills and positive self-esteem I gained from participating in sports as a child have all helped shape my life. Now in my forties I have discovered a love of golf and rediscovered my love of running – recently completing my first 5K in twenty years!

I began teaching gymnastics in 1984. Since then, I have coached competitive level gymnastics full-time and part-time producing state champions, TOPS National qualifiers/team members and have had quite a few of my gymnasts go on to get scholarships at the college level.  In 2010 I decided that after 26 years of coaching, it was time to refocus. The schedules of my three kids were becoming more demanding and I needed more flexibility in my own schedule. While I miss coaching gymnastics dearly, I now have more time to get involved in the kids’ sports on a different level and I am helping with the swim team as one of the conditioning coaches.

Additionally, I am Mom to three athletes. After years of ice hockey my son was forced to find a new sport when the local rink closed down. Now he is beginning his Junior year of High School, swims for the High School team, does JROTC Raider competitions and runs 5K races for fun. My 14 year old daughter recently traded in her grips after a “lifetime” of gymnastics and tried out for the High School Cheerleading Squad – and yes, she made it.  My youngest daughter is 10 and loves sports in general. She swims year round, plays field hockey in the spring, is happy to join us on the golf course and now wants to try volleyball.

As the primary blogger at Sports Girls Play, I have written for Kellogg’s Snackpicks site as their sports and family travel Mom. In May of 2011, I was invited and attended an exclusive event for Sports Mom Bloggers at the Gatorade Headquarters in Chicago.

I also invite parents of athletes to become contributors of the site. If you have an article, story or tips related to girls in sports, feel free to submit your article for inclusion in the site. You may email it to [email protected].

This site does accept advertising and is available to do product reviews. For advertising rates or information regarding product reviews or sponsoring a giveaway, please contact me at [email protected].

And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter – twitter.com/SportsGirlsPlay or like us on Facebook – facebook.com/SportsGirlsPlay!