Sports Girls Play

Girls youth sports news, tips and resources for raising a happy, healthy athlete

Have a Ball! Forever Stamps

 I get a lot of email and pitches from companies for stories and such, but when this one came across my desk this morning, I just had to share it – probably, because it is fun, not expected and I know sports enthusiasts will like it.

The U.S. Postal Service has launched a new set of Forever stamps, the first-of-its-kind, with the look —and feel —of balls used in eight popular sports.

USPS Forever Stamps - Sports Balls

The Have a Ball! Forever stamps depict balls used in baseball, basketball, football, golf, kickball, soccer, tennis and volleyball.

A special coating applied to selected areas of the circular stamps during the printing process gives them a texture that mimics the feel of:

  • a baseball’s stitching;
  • a golf ball’s dimples;
  • a tennis ball’s seams;
  • a soccer ball or volleyball’s textured panels; and,
  • the different raised patterns of a football, basketball and kickball.

For more information or to order, visit the Postal Store® at www.usps.com or call 800-STAMP-24.

How fun are these – whether you are a sports enthusiast or stamp collector, I just had to share these with you!

Extended Stay America for Team Travel

When I ask my daughter what her favorite memories of her high schools sports years were, she always says the travel. She can’t tell you whether they won their competition or not, but she can tell you all about the team bonding, late night chat sessions with her teammates and the team dinners. That is what she remembers with the greatest fondness.

We recently worked with Extended Stay America who gave me a few nights in their Colorado Springs location in exchange for my honest review of my stay.

First of all, let me just say, that if you are traveling with a team, Extended Stay America is a great choice! The fact that they have very clean and spacious room coupled with the full kitchen in each room is ideal for team travel.

Rooms are available with one or two beds (in most cases) and have all the important amenities of home that make travel enjoyable.  Extended Stay America has over 600 locations throughout the US and Canada, and the location I visited in Colorado Springs is probably one of the cleanest hotels I have ever stayed in.

The fully functional kitchen is a huge plus when traveling with a team. We were able to stop at the local grocery store on our way in to pick up healthy breakfast and snack foods for our stay, however, you can get a full set of pots/pans and do all your cooking. Depending on the size of your team, this definitely makes preparing a team dinner less expensive and more comfortable than trying to coordinate restaurant options.

Other amenities at Extended Stay America include free wi-fi, on-site laundry facilities, grab & go breakfast, and they are pet-friendly.

Next time you are looking for high value, affordable hotels for team travel options, be sure to check for an Extended Stay America near your destination – they are becoming my go-to for family and team travel – you will love them, too!

Free Printable Summer Camp Packing List

Summer camp packing list I originally posted this list a few years ago, but it continues to be a very popular post, so I decided to give it a quick update – especially as we start getting my daughter packed for camp.

Summer is here and I know there are athletes all over the country anticipating one thing… SUMMER CAMP!!  Many of the gymnasts at our gym go to week long overnight camps in the summer and I know one source of stress for many parents (and kids) is WHAT TO PACK!  Luckily one of the very experienced camp Moms from our gym was kind enough to share her master packing list with me to use as inspiration for the official SportsGirlsPlay.com Summer Camp Packing List.

How to use the summer camp packing list:

  • Print out the Summer Camp Packing List from the PDF files below – one is gymnastics specific and the other is for any sport
  • Slip the printed packing list into a plastic notebook sleeve or laminate it
  • Check off items as they are packed with a dry erase marker
  • Wipe off once everything is packed and pack in your camper’s luggage so she can use the list to re-pack her stuff on the last day of camp

Feel free to print out as many copies of the list as you like and share the list with your friends. All I ask is that if you post the list online (whether it be on your club or camp website, Facebook, or a forum), you link back to SportsGirlsPlay.com for the actual file download.

Have fun at Summer Camp!