Generation Next
January 31, 2014
Young women who are interested in leadership as well as men and women responsible for recruiting, hiring, training and retaining women as coaches, administrators and officials will be in attendance. Click here for program details.
I fully expect to see meeting rooms and hallways full of enthusiastic people with a “can-do” spirit. After all, that’s the type of person who takes the time and goes to the trouble to attend a conference like this and to encourage or even arrange for others to attend or even to lead sessions.
And they won’t be dodging tough topics. They will talk about significant health and safety issues. They will address problems caused by improper perspective. They will wonder about the future of education-based athletic programs in a world of decreasing funds for schools and increasing distractions from society.
But as sure as I am that the sun will rise tomorrow, I’m just as sure that this weekend’s crowd includes at least several individuals who will tackle today’s and tomorrow’s problems, and solve many of them. In this generation of women in sports leadership are the genuine leaders who will assure school sports is as alive and well for the next generation of girls and women as it has been for this current generation.
The Specialty of School Sports
July 24, 2018
(This blog first appeared on MHSAA.com on November 18, 2016.)
There is much finger pointing when it comes to sports injuries, and I’d like to point in a direction that is often missed.
Some people blame equipment – it’s either inadequate, or it’s so good that it encourages athletes to use their bodies in unsafe ways.
Some people say the rules are inadequate, or inadequately enforced by contest officials.
Some people say the pool of coaches is inadequate, or they are inadequately trained.
But let’s not miss the fact that risk of injury is inherent in athletic activities, and at least part of the reason injuries occur is because the participants are developmentally deficient. In fact, this may be the fastest growing contributing cause to injuries in youth sports. It’s not the sport; it’s the lack of development, the lack of physical preparation.
When rushed into early and intense specialization in a single sport, youth may not be ready for the rigors of that sport. Lindsay J. DiStefano, PhD, ATC, of the University of Connecticut, has researched the topic among youth basketball and soccer players and linked higher injury rates to lower sports sampling, and vice versa. Exposure to multiple sports during early childhood positively influences neuromuscular control and reduces injuries.
Do we encourage youth to sample several sports and help them learn basic athletic movements and skills? Do we offer opportunities to train and condition and focus special attention on strengthening knees and necks? Do we provide more time and attention on practice than on competition and assure safe technique is taught and learned?
Early and intense specialization, with excessive attention to competition, invites injury. There is a much healthier way for most youth – and that’s balanced, multi-sport participation – the specialty of junior high/middle school and high school sports.