Category: Uncategorized
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Let’s try this again
After the fun of bloganuary, I certainly petered off on this site. It is time for me to get it going again. I want to get back on a regular posting schedule here, with at least one post per week. That is my goal. Part of the issue is that without out that concrete goal…
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Am I the problem?
As a coach and leader of programming, the thing that I used to complain about the most to my colleagues was that the kids were not engaged. They were not playing the games. They were sitting on the bench. They were distracted. They were on their phones. It was all about them and their behaviors,…
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The phone’s in the way
I have a confession. I love sport. I see its power in so many ways. But I haven’t engaged in it personally in a while. And I find the busyness of my current schedule has made it difficult for me to even watch live sports. Well, that’s not entirely true. I have to admit, that…
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People, right?
Let’s say I were to come into a large sum of money. If I were using it to start a youth sports program from scratch what would I spend the money on? Of course, I would spend money for the space, equipment, jerseys, and just overall keeping the light on. But to be perfectly honest,…
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The stories not yet written
We, the collective youth sports sector, like to say that sport changes lives. We use it as a blanket statement without getting into the nuance, and without calling to attention that change isn’t always good. We can’t keep generalizing. We don’t know enough. There are stories that have gone untold for far too long. There…
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Leisure and freedom
As a grownup, when I think of leisure time, I think of freedom: Freedom from work or responsibilities, freedom to make my own choices and enjoy my time as I want however I want. I enjoy getting the chance to explore different things, to try something new, to let my curiosity get the best of…
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I can’t remember the last time I was at that field
That park holds so many memories for me, as a kid who grew up playing soccer. But it was more than just a sporting field. It was so much more. I can tell you about all the games I played in and those I later officiated. And let’s not forget the grueling practices and hill…
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You make it fun
Yesterday I wrote about the idea of your co-participation being important to kids actively engaged in sport. But it is because you can make it fun. When you play alongside the kids, you can set the vibes. You can model the rules for safe game play. You can move the energy from this is boring…
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You can’t just sit on the bench yourself
I have been looking into some of the background that could explain studies showing fathers as more influential on their children’s physical activity than mothers. I won’t say that I found the answer exactly, but maybe one piece. Coparticipation. When Zahra et al (2015) interviewed British families about their children’s physical activity, mothers brought up…
The Sideline Fix 