Parenting Elite Athletes
Disabled Athletes
Politics
Hot Button Issues
Fundraising
Tournaments
Summer Camps/Clinics
College Scholarships

by Jeannette Twomey

1. Parenting Elite Athletes

   The challenges facing a parent of a talented athlete are enormous. Increased expectations, pressure, stress, expense, risk of burnout, overuse injuries, to name just a few. MomsTeam will offer advice from experts and moms on what it's like to parent an elite athlete and tips on such topics as:

   • Parenting The Superstar: Are You Up To The Task?

   • Is She Really Talented? How To Identify The Gifted Athlete

   • Early Specialization: The Pros and Cons

   
   
   Articles

   Elite Youth Sports Parenting: An Introduction
   College Recruiting for the Elite Athlete
   Kathy White: Keeping Her Children Grounded Despite Their Athletic Success
   Youth Sports: Taking A Toll On Family Life

2. Parenting Disabled Athletes

   Fortunately, the fact that your child has a disability doesn't automatically disqualify her any more from playing youth sports. Do you have a disabled athlete? We want to hear about the challenges you have faced.

3. Politics

   The politics don't end when the last game of the season has been played. As veteran moms know, a lot happens in the off-season as well: electing new members to the Board of Directors, holding annual meetings, changing by-laws, picking coaches for the following season. How does an outsider who sees a program headed in the wrong direction get elected to the Board? Get the club to revise its policy on playing time or increase the number of travel teams to give every kid who wants to play at a more competitive level a chance? MomsTeam will look for answers from experts and veteran moms to these questions, and others such as:

   • Should Board Meetings Be Open To All Members?

   • When Should You Start Your Own Club?

   • What Can You Do To Build A Good Youth Sports Program?

   • What Can Be Done To Make Try Outs/Team Selection Fair?

   
   
   Articles

   Selecting Summer All-Stars
   The Effects Of "Cutting" Athletes From Middle School Athletic Programs:One Parent's Perspective
   Fighting For Change In A Local Soccer Club: A Letter To The Club's President
   About The Effect Of Cutting
   Making A Travel Soccer Program More Inclusive: Some Suggestions

4. Hot Button Issues

   This is where MomsTeam will debate the hot issues in youth sports like:

   • What Can Be Done To Reduce Youth Sports Violence?

   • Background Checks For Coaches: Should They Be Mandatory?

   • Should All Youth Sport Coaches Be Certified?

   • Scores, Standings & Trophies: Are They Necessary?

   • Cut Versus No-Cut: Sports For All Or Just A Select Few?

   • Winning And Player Development: Finding The Proper Balance

   
   
   Articles

   The Effects Of "Cutting" Athletes From Middle School Athletic Programs:One Parent's Perspective
   Fighting For Change In A Local Soccer Club: A Letter To The Club's President About The Effect Of Cutting
   Making A Travel Soccer Program More Inclusive: Some Suggestions
   Equal Playing Time: Should It Be The Rule, Not The Exception?

5. Fundraising

   As veteran moms know all to well, youth sports organizations are constantly looking for ways to raise money to make ends meet. MomsTeam wants to hear you fundraising and team sponsorship ideas - what's worked and what hasn't.

6. Tournaments

   More and more, competitive youth sports are all about tournaments: Christmas tournaments, Thanksgiving tournaments, Fourth of July tournaments; Labor Day tournaments, you name it. So much for a relaxing three day weekend! This is the area where you'll find advice, suggestions and ideas about:
   

   • Finding the right tournament for your child's team

   • Home or abroad: domestic versus foreign tournament

   • Surviving tournament travel: tips and tricks

   • Tournament nutrition: the team that eats the best has the edge

   
   
   Articles

   Airline And Foreign Travel: Some Nutrition Tips
   

7. Summer Camps/Clinics

   The explosive growth in the number of specialized sports camps tells the story: if your child is serious at all about sports he or she will want to spend at least one or two weeks at a summer sports camp. MomsTeam will tell you what to look for and help you find a camp that it is right for your child.

8. College Scholarships

   If your child is one of the very few good enough to be considered for an athletic scholarship, MomsTeam will have advice and suggestion on the recruiting and scholarship process from experts and veteran moms.

You are all members of MomsTeam. Because no one person or even small group knows everything there is to know about youth sports, and because MomsTeam.com wants everyone's input, "growing" the Endless Season department will be a grassroots effort. Do you have some advice, a point of view, or a personal story to share with other moms about any of the topics in the Postseason Department? A question to ask one of MomsTeam.com's professionals, experts or veteran moms or a topic to suggest? Send it .