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Archive for the ‘Youth Sports Teams’ Category

How to Get That Hard-to-Find Thing Your Kid Needs

Posted on: June 29th, 2009 by Coleen Bennett No Comments

Have you ever gone from store to store to find something? The more specific and unusual an item is, the harder it will be to find in a local store. Kids sporting activities often require gear that is specific to that sport and can be difficult to find. Luckily, we no longer have to find things locally or drive to the nearest big city to shop. There are more online stores than ever before, and since they serve a nationwide or worldwide customer base they are able to offer products that wouldn’t sell in enough quantities in one geographical area.

I ran into this problem recently when I tried to get a swimsuit for my daughter for a junior lifeguard program. It needs to be red and strong enough to stay in place no matter what she does. My daughter also wants a two-piece. This shouldn’t be too hard, right?  We started at a local swim shop that specializes in gear for competitive swimming and water polo. They have all kinds of good stuff for water sports. Unfortunately, they don’t have a red two-piece suit in my daughter’s size. The sales lady was very nice and tried to help. When it became apparent that they didn’t have what we needed, she asked if it had to be red. Yes, it does. We’re looking for something very specific. I understand if they don’t have it in stock. How many red two-piece competitive swimsuits in this particular size can they sell in South Orange County?  If they carried everything that anyone might want, their inventory would have to be huge. The more specific the item you’re looking for, the more likely it is that shopping online will save you time and money. What if you need goal keeper gloves, a swim parka, or kid sized golf clubs? If you do find them at a local brick and mortar store, you’re going to pay whatever price the store asks. If you shop online, you have the opportunity to compare prices at your leisure.

We’ve tried Sports Chalet, Big 5 and Chick’s (now Dick’s) with no luck. So I went looking online and found several good online stores that sell swimwear. But there are some things you need to do in order to make the most of your online shopping experience.

You must shop early. If you need it tomorrow, shopping online is not the right answer. You need to be organized enough to shop ahead of time. A few weeks is optimal. You can shop a few days before you need something if you’re willing to pay for expedited shipping and you’re positive that it’s going to be the right thing the first time.

Make sure that you’re shopping on a secure website. Look at the url or the website address. It should be at the top of your browser and it usually starts with http. When you get to the page where you need to enter private information, like your credit card number, it should start with https://  That means that there are standard security features in place so that your private info won’t get hacked. How secure is it? Well, I don’t know the technical details of how the security certificate works, but I know that major reputable online stores like Amazon and iTunes use it successfully. I have been making online purchases at a variety of places for at least 5 years and have never run into a problem having my data stolen.

Speaking of reputable stores, you need to make sure that the store you buy from has a good track record. Fortunately that information is available at your fingertips too. Go to the Better Business Bureau’s site and type in the website address. If the BBB has received any complaints about the business, you’ll be able to see what the complaint was about and whether the company addressed it to the customer’s satisfaction. The BBB report may also tell you how long they’ve been in business.  If they don’t have any information on the store, at least you know that they haven’t received any complaints about them. If you have doubts and you’re willing to do a little extra research, you can check out how long that domain name has been registered by doing a whois search on Godaddy. If a site has been registered for only a few months, the fact that it has no complaints probably doesn’t mean much. In fact, unscrupulous store owners would be smart to just go register a new domain name when their old one gets complaints.

Before you hit the checkout button, be sure to check the store’s return policy. This is doubly important if it’s something like clothing and you aren’t positive that it will fit correctly.

Check the shipping / handling cost too. There is a wide range of prices for shipping because many stores mark up the shipping cost that they’ve negotiated with their vendor. One of the biggest benefits to buying online is the ability to compare prices on the same item at different stores. But make sure you include the shipping costs in your comparison.

Last but not least, look for Coupons. There are many sites out there that list coupon codes for online stores. The easiest way to find out if there is a coupon for the store you’re looking at is to do a search on “storename coupon”. You might not find anything, but if you do it’s well worth the extra few minutes.

If you haven’t shopped online before it may seem a little scary, but more and more people are doing it with great results. Give it a try!

Referees: Idiots or Superheros?

Posted on: March 9th, 2009 by Coleen Bennett 1 Comment

“Are you blind?”

“How could you not have seen that?”

“Have you ever played this game?”

blindrefWe’ve all been to our kids’ sporting events and seen these guys in action. They miss fouls, make bad calls and generally fail to see what is obvious to everyone else.

Parents and coaches yell at them from the sidelines, questioning their intelligence, their sanity and occasionally their parentage.

I started wondering, though, why all of them are so bad. I don’t ever remember a game where parents and coaches were happy with the job the referees did. If they’re all so bad, why don’t the sports organizations just fire them and get better refs? It’s not just kids’ sports either. Referees in professional sports get a lot of um.. negative feedback too. What’s wrong with these guys?

So I started thinking about how they could do a better job. First of all, we need more of them. Two sets of eyes can’t see everything on the field like the many sets of eye in the stands can. And we need cameras. Lots of them. If there were cameras filming the action from different angles, the refs could review the tape whenever there’s a dispute. Games might take a little longer, but they’d be more fair.

And if they still made the wrong call, it could be appealed to a higher level. The tapes would still be available.

Or maybe…

Maybe whoever put this system in place knew that it wasn’t perfect and thought that was okay. Maybe they thought that by putting two independent judges on the field they could avoid utter chaos. They wouldn’t catch everything, but the most blatant rule breaking would be stopped. Decisions would be made in a timely manner so the game could continue.

superrefBut where would you find people willing to do this job? They would know that every time they refereed a game, they would be yelled at by both sides and that they would never be thanked for a job well done. Maybe this person knew that there are people out there who love the game that much. People who loved playing as kids and want to make sure the next generation has the same opportunity.

Great Activities for Kids with ADHD

Posted on: February 26th, 2009 by Coleen Bennett 2 Comments

Children with ADHD have a high need for structure and motion. Of course these pastimes are good for all children, but kids with ADHD are especially challenged with activities which they find boring, have very little structure and which involve the need to wait quietly (like school!)

There’s a lot of controversy about ADHD and its diagnosis. But whatever you believe and whatever your child’s situation, these activities are good for any kid who exhibits impulsivity, distractibility and an inability to keep still. They also present a child with a situation in which he/she can succeed. That’s important for every kid, but especially for one who feels that they often don’t measure up to adults’ expectations. Do you ever find your body busy, but your mind wandering? This is one of the problems kids with ADHD face. You need to completely occupy them in order for them to stay in the moment. There are a lot of activities that can fully engage a kid, mind and body. These activities are inherently good for kids with ADHD, but they also have a side benefit. Many instructors and leaders are likely to have worked with kids with similar traits in the past and are prepared to channel all that energy in a good direction.

Martial Arts

Martial Arts offer structure and physical activity

Martial Arts offer structure and physical activity

Martial Arts offer structure, clear directions, positive reinforcement and lots of action. They keep a kid’s brain and body busy at the same time. There’s not much waiting around because all of the students can be practicing at the same time.

Sports

Soccer is ideal to keep a kid occupied

Soccer is ideal to keep a kid occupied

The more active, the better. I prefer basketball to baseball because in basketball several children are active at a time. That means less waiting. Also, the fast-moving action is more likely to keep those on the sidelines engaged. Swimming, gymnastics and dance are great because a kid is always on the move. Some kids prefer team sports while others prefer individual achievement. If they enjoy the sport, it will occupy their brain as well as their body.

Music or Art

Music engages kids minds and creativity

Music engages kids minds and creativity

Music involves the mind on a different level and in different ways that most other activities. Kids find that interesting, so they’ll stay tuned in. Art allows a lot of freedom. For a kid who struggles to conform to someone else’s way of doing things, some extra leeway to do things their way is heaven!

Scouting

Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Y Princesses and Y Guides offer a variety of different activities, many of which involve the great outdoors, which is endlessly fascinating. There’s structure, opportunity for achievement and enough flexibility to pursue things they’re interested in.

boy-kicking-heels

There are, of course, other activities that could be great for your child. One of the most important factors is to pick an activity that your child is interested in. If they are drawn to it, chances are that it’s going to engage their interest and they’ll be better able to handle the challenging parts. Fortunately, Orange County offers just about every activity that you can imagine, so you have a wide variety to choose from. And if your child loses interest after a while, then it’s time to move on and try something else!

It's Time to Sign Up for Pop Warner

Posted on: January 27th, 2009 by Coleen Bennett 1 Comment

Registration is open now for the Fall 2009 Pop Warner season!  It seems really early, since practice doesn’t start for more than 6 months, but the best activities seem to fill up the fastest.

When my son told me he wanted to play tackle football, like many moms, I resisted.  I signed him up for flag football instead.  It took him and his dad about two years to convince me to let him play tackle.  My husband’s best argument was that if he was that serious about football (which he still is), he should learn how to play safely while he’s young.  So I finally gave in.

Pop Warner is a great program.  They’re very well organized and very large.  Although I’m sure there are some exceptions, my experience has been that the volunteer coaches are great – not just at coaching football, but at being leaders and role models for kids.  When my son first started playing with them, I was surprised at how many rules there were.  As things progressed I realized that the rules were needed to make sure that it remained a kid-friendly activity.

First, a child has to maintain a certain GPA in order to participate.  My first thought was, “These are little kids.  How much should grades matter?”  But they practice a lot of hours a week, and if a kid lets his grades slip, this program will take him away from schoolwork too much.  Besides, they might as well get used to this rule before high school.

Next, there are very strict, very detailed rules about which level a kid can play at.  It’s a combination of age and weight and there are no exceptions.  Why?  Because it’s tackle football and if you have kids of different sizes playing together, someone is going to get hurt.  There are some kids who fall into a gray zone (like someone who is small for his age), and they might have a choice between two levels.

There are explicit rules about how much the kids can practice.  Pop Warner allows a lot of practice hours every week, and coaches take advantage every minute so they can compete with other teams who do the same.  Apparently they’ve had some people try to push the envelope in the past, because now they specify exactly what constitutes a practice.  Want to get the team together for calisthenics but not call it a practice?  Nope.  How about inviting the players over for a ‘birthday party’ at which they’ll play ball, but don’t count it in your practice time?  That won’t work either.  Thank goodness.  If they didn’t have limits, the team who practiced the most would win.  No one would have a fighting chance if they didn’t commit way too many hours to football.

Lastly there are serious and specific rules about sportsmanship, and a lot of them apply to the parents!  If a parent does something unsportsmanlike from the sidelines, the head coach (a volunteer!) will be fined personally.  Yep.  Apparently this is what it takes to keep some over-competitive parents in line, and it seems to work.  They also make a big deal of sportsmanship with the kids.  The trophy for the team that wins the top sportsmanship award is almost as big as the trophy for the team that wins the championship!

Although it took a while for me to come around, I know that the Pop Warner program has been good for my son.  He’s already signed up for next season!