Home » Team Moms/Coaches

Team Moms/Coaches

The Road to Varsity - Mentoring Milestones on the Road Ahead

It's been five weeks since I moved to the Tarheel State, and in that time I have attended two basketball officiating clinics. The first was held at UNC Charlotte and served as an introduction into North Carolina high school basketball. The second was a teaching camp at Liberty University, run by NCAA officials and my fourth summer attending that camp.

A high school basketball official's attendance at two summer officiating camps teaches her some valuable lessons on the Road to Varsity.

Youth Sports Coaches: Building Character, Winners, Or Ego?

Most youth sports coaches are honorable and we can trust that their overall intentions are positive. But parents need to be aware of three possibilities when it comes to the true motives and goals of any coach.

The End of The Hockey Season Is Time to Reflect, Both for Coaches and Players

At the end of each season all players should take some time to review their performance and quality of experience playing the game. This process transcends the win loss record of the team and looks at individual development and overall quality of the experience. There are no so called “life lessons” on the score board and only through intentional review and discussions in the proper context can the real benefits of playing athletics be realized.

All top-level organizations have feedback mechanisms to help individuals develop. Without this type of communication and process between player and coach individual player development is likely to be slowed. This is very true in athletics as well as in the business world.

Woman Officials: Paying Attention, Not Drawing Attention Is Key to Success

Being a woman official who wants to achieve varsity status requires an understanding of the unique challenges and dynamics that may not exist in traditional work environments.

Being a woman basketball official who aspires to work high school varsity games requires a delicate balancing act: working to improve our skills while not drawing attention to our gender or any aspect that negatively influences the perception of our abilities.

Coaching Apps: The Next Big Thing?

The 2012 London Summer Olympic Games are now but a memory, but the accomplishments of the most notable and visible athletes, such as Alex Morgan, Gabby Douglas, Allyson Felix, Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, and Usain Bolt, are clearly going to have a long-lasting impact on youth athletes with similar aspirations of glory.

The 2012 London Summer Olympic Games are over but its athletes have no doubt inspired a whole generation of youth athletes to aspire to achieve the same kind of glory.  But how many parents have the kind of money to invest in private trainers and coaches that is required to achieve gold medal status?  Enter the new era of personalized sports instruction via smart phone app.

Ray Lokar (Coach and Positive Coaching Alliance Trainer): Young Athletes Will Play With Joy If Adults Let Them

 Editors note; The following article originally ran in June 2012 for our “Sports Dads Month” focus on dads we identified as helping to keep all kids safe.

With MomsTEAM's June Is Sports Dads Month winding down, we hear from longtime coach and trainer for the Positive Coaching Alliance, Ray Lokar:

MomsTEAM: Were you an athlete and what sports did you play as a youth (under 19)?Ray Lokar and family

A longtime coach and trainer for the Positive Coaching Alliance says that young athletes will enjoy the experience only as much as adults allow them to because, to them, it is only a game.

NATA Offers Online Sports Safety Training For Youth Coaches

Youth sports coaches cite lack of time and access to a quality, credible safety course as barriers to improving their knowledge.  A new online sports safety course from the National Athletic Trainers' Association will fill that need, said NATA President Marjorie J. Albohm, MS, ATC in announcing the new course.

David Benzel (Effective Coaching Advocate): Dedicated To Improving Youth Sports Experience

Being the father of an athlete is a challenging yet rewarding role. At MomsTEAM we think sports dads deserve to be honored, not just on the third Sunday in June, but for an entire month. So we have designated June as National Sports Dads Month and invited some veteran sports dads to share their wisdom by responding to a series of questions (the same ones we asked sports moms in May).

So far this month we have heard from a wide array of sports dads, from a former Major League Baseball general manager, from a Minnesota hockey coach and safety advocate to a sociologist with an expertise in gender and sports.

A former water skiing champion and author teaches a new way of thinking about how adults can best influence children through the sports experience.

The Road to Varsity : Dealing with Disappointment

The 2012 Summer Evaluation Program, or SEP as my association calls it, is coming up and several officials have been invited to attend and be evaluated for potential promotion. I was NOT on the invitation list and am very disappointed to say the least.  The elation of last year's promotion has been abruptly and unceremoniously replaced with a lousy feeling of failure and self-doubt.

A high school basketball official reminds herself that, if it is one thing she has learned about life's setbacks, it is that they often represent blessings in disguise.

Do Players On High School Varsity Deserve At Least Some Playing Time?

I'm writing this blog under the protestations of my 15-year-old son. He would prefer that I don't write this at all, or that I write it anonymously, so that he doesn't suffer the playing-time repercussions from his coach, but it can't get any worse than it is. And, frankly, I will be completely quiet if someone - anyone - can explain to me the benefits - to the coaching staff, the team record, AND the kids - of having an entire group of players (say, 5 or 6) ride the bench the entire season and see no playing time.

Is it okay for bench-warmers on a high school varsity baseball team to get no playing time whatsoever, even when their team is way ahead? One sports mom is looking for answers.
Syndicate content