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 >>

1. How much training do you have (i.e. do you have a coach's license or certificate)?

2. Will a properly equipped first-aid kit be brought to all practices and competitions?

3. Will an automatic external defibrillator (AED) and someone with up-to-date certification and training in first-aid, sports safety, and the use of an automatic external defibrillator be present at all practices and competitions?

Safety Tip: From The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Tips To Prevent Baseball Injuries: Each year, almost 500,000 baseball-related injuries are treated. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons offers the following tips to prevent baseball injuries. More >>

You've just moved to a new school. They've got a pretty decent basketball team. You were the best point guard at your old school. But, here, the coach doesn't really know you -- and your position is a seat on the bench. You are getting pretty frustrated and angry. You don't even want to talk to him! More >>

I write this letter to youth sports officials from the point of view of a parent who has been involved in youth sports for 15 years. I have been on the sidelines with all kinds of parents. These are some of these things that as parents we want officials to know. More >>

Cats and dogs. Oil and water. Parents and youth sports officials. Some things just don't mix.

Parents and officials never seem to be on the same page. There always seems to be some tension between them. It often seems to parents that the person officiating must be seeing a different game than they are. Every call seems to go against their child's team. More >>

Many youth sport parents have witnessed inappropriate behavior on the part of players, coaches and other parents at practices and during games. When they do, they may scratch their heads and think to themselves "I didn't think that we acted this way in our program." The problem is that, all too often, the behavioral guidelines for the program haven't been clearly spelled out in advance. More >>

One way to minimize the risk that your child's coach will sexually abuse or harass your child is to hold a pre-season meeting of parents, athletes, coaches, and board members to discuss, negotiate and draw the lines between acceptable and unacceptable behavior. More >>

Recently, I consulted with a high school athletic program the day that team selections were announced. As would be expected, the disappointment was obvious on the faces of players who did not receive good news. They were not selected to the team they wanted to be on. There were tears, harsh words, and, mostly, the desire to be left alone. 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 >>

An emergency medical plan should include an established set of actions to follow in the event of a medical emergency during a youth sports practice or game.
The plan should identify:

• Who will provide emergency first aid, including the use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED) in the event a player or spectator goes into cardiac arrest, such as from a blow to the chest causing commotio cordis.
• Who and how paramedics or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) will be called.
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Conditioning-related injuries most often occur at the beginning of a season when kids are most likely to be out of shape. Such injuries are preventable if, before the start of the season, your child follows a conditioning program designed specifically for the sport he is playing. Don't assume that your child is in shape to play sports simply because she is young, healthy, and appears physically fit. For more on the importance of proper conditioning, More >>

The most successful sports seasons are the ones that begin with a preseason meeting for parents and players. A preseason meeting sets a positive tone for the season by opening the lines of communication early so that everyone ?parents, athletes, and coaches ?understands and agrees on what they expect from one another. More >>

The PPE: Important but not Foolproof Injury Prevention Tool

Most experts agree that you should have your child undergo a thorough pre-participation evaluation (PPE) every year. Not only can a PPE be an effective tool in identifying athletes who should not be playing sports because they have congenital heart defects or a history of concussions, but it is also useful in identifying medical problems effecting sports participation, such as asthma or the female athlete triad. More >>

When my first daughter was born, 28 years ago, I was a very young, very optimistic woman. I was determined my daughter would not be gender-stereotyped. After all, it was the early 1970's; I had been doing my marching in Washington to ensure that she would have parity with all the little boys in anything she pursued. More >>

A PPE should include the taking of a complete medical history on the following:

Heart

1. Family medical history. Has anyone in the athlete's family:

• Died for no apparent reason (SIDS, car accident, drowning)?

• Have a heart problem?

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During the past year, I have had the opportunity to conduct training workshops on sideline parental behavior all across America. Whether I was at a national meeting of soccer coaches or a regional meeting of a sports organization, the initial question for discussion was always the same: Should parent training be mandatory in youth sports? More >>

Cindy Trames, Director of US footwear for Nike, says that replacing shoes and deciding whether they can be handed down to another child, depends on the child's growth rate and the amount of shoe wear. More >>

Fifteen students were charged with misdemeanor battery and two adults were charged with alcohol-related misdemeanors. One student faces both battery and alcohol-related charges. Thirty-one students were expelled. More >>

Picture this: the exhilaration of a new season; spotless uniforms, equipment just out of the box, clipboards jammed with fresh paper, boundless enthusiasm and cooperation. It's the euphoric honeymoon phase of youth sports. Now, "fast forward" a few months. The honeymoon is long since over and conflicts among and between the players, coaches and parents have inevitably emerged.
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