One cold, raw and blustery late autumn afternoon a few years back, I was running a soccer practice for a group of nine and ten year olds. A game was being played on an adjacent field. Suddenly, a snow squall struck. A gust of wind sent one of the goals crashing to the ground. We all looked to see what caused the loud noise and were shocked when we saw what had happened. Fortunately, no one was injured. But, to this day, I still remember the sound of that goal toppling over and I shudder each time I think what might have happened had it fallen over on a child. More >>

In her speech to a who's who in the world of sports concussions, MomsTeam founder and Editor-in-Chief, Brooke de Lench, laid out an eleven-point Parents' Concussion "Bill of Rights" and offered suggestions on how each of the stakeholders in youth sports, whether parent, coach, official, athletic trainer, clinician, current or former professional athlete, sports safety equipment manufacturer, national governing body and professional sports leagues, could work together with parents as a team to protect the nation's most precious human resource — its children — against catastrophic injury or death from sudden impact syndrome or the serious, life-altering consequences of multiple concussions. For full speech click here >>

Here's what every community needs to know in order to save lives of victims in Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). More >>

The largely unregulated world of children's sport has typically been slow to address the issue of sexual abuse of youth athletes. While sexual abuse of girls in sports has received some attention, the issue of the abuse of boys in sports has largely not appeared on the radar screen of most youth sports organizations. More

Many factors contribute to being a successful athlete, including physical skill and good coaching. Yet the primary reason players succeed in sports is they have a love for the game. More >>

Here's what every community needs to know in order to save lives of victims in Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). More >>

Raising sports active kids is difficult, perhaps never more so than today. Parents feel pressure to help their kids succeed and to keep up with other parents in an increasingly winner-take-all society. Too often, parents feel that if they don't do everything for their child, they are bad parents. Some parents seem to take pride in how busy and stressed are their lives and those of their kids, as if it is a measure of how successful they are and how successful they must be as parents. More >>

It's May once again. Time for spring sports, warmer weather, longer days, and, of course, Mother's Day. This year, instead of celebrating mothers with the usual cards and flowers, I have put together a special wish list for the more than forty million mothers in this country with kids playing sports. More >>

If the world were a perfect place, talking to a youth sports coach would be as natural and stress free as talking to your child's teacher. Mothers should feel free to let the coach know anything we feel will affect our child's participation, such as stress in his home life or school, the fact that he has chronic asthma, that he is grieving over the death of a family pet or has to miss a game to attend a family wedding. We also should be able to expect that the coach will share any concerns with us about our child at any time. More >>

Coaches and parents often ask me whether a child's grades in school should impact their ability to play organized team sports. It is a difficult question to which there are no easy answers. More >>

From the MomsTeam Nutrition Channel

Whether it's training for a soccer game or playing a backyard game of catch, children's athletic performance, development, and growth depend largely on eating the right foods. Unfortunately, most children (and adults) forget just how important nutrition is to good health and athletic performance. Many children, especially in the years before puberty, have poor eating habits (skipping breakfast, eating the same foods day after day). As a result, their diets are missing nutrients and their growth and athletic performance may be impaired. More >>

Parents have a right to expect that, when they entrust their children to a sports program — whether it be Pee Wee hockey, youth lacrosse, Olympic development soccer, or high school football — that it will take reasonable precautions to protect them against harm. In other words, parents have a right to expect that the entire team to whom they entrust their children's safety — including the national governing body for the child's sport, the state association, the athletic or club director, the athletic trainer (if there is one), and especially the coaches — are part of the youth sports safety solution, not part of the problem. More

While community acquired methicillin-resistant staphylococcus infection (MRSA) is on the rise, there are simple steps that parents, coaches, athletic trainers, other health care professionals and participants can take to prevent the spread of communicable and infectious diseases. For the full article click here >>

Little League Baseball® and Little League Softball® will be mandating the use by all leagues of bases that disengage their anchor (e.g. "safety-release bases") beginning with the 2008 season. More >>

There is an epidemic of overweight kids - and you don't have to read the newspaper or watch the news to find that out. Just take a look at kids at the mall or in the schoolyard. You can also see a shortage of kids outside playing, biking or running. What can parents do to make sure their kids are not part of the statistics? Here are some answers from Bridget Swinney, author of "Healthy Food for Healthy Kids" (Meadowbrook Press). More >>

Anabolic steroids - more properly termed anabolic-androgenic steroids - are synthetic derivatives of testosterone - the hormone that makes a man a man. Testosterone has two different kinds of effects on the body: androgenic (development of male genitals, growth of body and facial hair, and deepening of voice) and anabolic (increased bone and muscle mass). While all steroids have androgenic and anabolic effects, some synthetic steroids have been developed with minimal androgenic effects. More >>

Injuries to your child while playing sports are almost inevitable. But how long your child is out, and how well he or she performs when finally returning will depend on following the proper road to recovery. More >>

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