Strollerderby : soccer

Is It OK to Hate Your Kid's Sport?

Miriam Axel-Lute — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:30:00 GMT

Don't mess with the soccer moms. It might be a bit of a hackneyed sentiment in this post-Palin era, but as Sarah Rain from Delmar, NY, found out when she wrote a post titled "At Least It's Only 8 Weeks Long" on the local paper's blog for her town discussing her dislike of soccer season, the vicious soccer mom isn't gone.

You'd think from the vituperative comments that she'd said she hated her kid or couldn't be bothered to want to do anything with him at all. What she actually said, quite clearly, is that she believes that kids develop better social skills and autonomy from informal pick-up games, but since that's not really happening for her son she's dragging herself through soccer season because she thinks the benefits outweigh the costs, though all the while she's quietly hoping he doesn't fall in love with the sport.

"Mustering up the interest in something your child does is a challenge? How self absorbed can one person be?" writes one person, deriding informal games as "a can babysitting your child."

"The writer’s desire for 'informal games with their friends' means 'I don’t have to be there' . . . they are only young and “ours” for too short a period of time . . . relish the moment!" writes another. (Or, you know, she could actually believe that informal games and time not being hovered over by adults are better for children's development, an argument that has a lot going for it and is distinctly less selfish than trying to soak up the time kids are "ours".)

Another rhapsodizes about how much she loves dragging herself out of bed on Saturday mornings to pack snacks for games, clearly implying that this is the proper attitude of motherhood.

I happen to know that the writer was much amused by all the kerfuffle (and probably courted it on purpose), but what she wrote was hardly extreme. If these are the attitudes of the people she has to hang out with when her son's at soccer practice, I don't wonder that she dreads it. Is this level of martyrdom-to-the-planned-activity-gods attitude really so pervasive? It makes me scared to consider organized sports for my kids.

Photo CC by Chip Griffin via Flickr.

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Six-Year-Old Soccer Star Could be the Next Beckham

JeanneSager — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 22:02:00 GMT

At six years old, I got a whopper of a scar on my knee out of pure klutziness - put a soccer ball in front of me, and I was flat on my face.

Which makes me that much more impressed that the kid being hailed as the next Beckham - or better yet the next Zinedine Zidane - isn't suiting up to play in the English Premier League anytime soon. He's six.

Six, and Madin Mohammed can spin his body in a three-sixty around an opposing player without blinking - and more importantly without losing touch on the ball. His on-ball skills are stunning - mostly because they're effortless. At that age, the ability to move a ball with that accuracy is talent - pure and simple. There are players in the English Premier League today who don't have that kind of control. It's no wonder the top officials at Chelsea and Real Madrid (Beckham's old team in Spain) have their eye on him.

Maybe his age plays a role here - Mohammed moves without thinking, which is easier to do when you're six years old, playing purely for fun. His age doesn't account for the fluidity, the natural talent that can't be taught. But his parents would be wise to keep the sniffing scouts at bay, to allow him to develop that talent while he's able to take adantage of the youthful joy of movement, the lack of pressure.

Check out his skills - it could be the French rap (everything sounds better in French, doesn't it) but this video is mesmerizing.

Do you think he has the stuff to take over the soccer world? Would you suggest the world just back off for awhile?

Image: Polish News

Source: Yahoo

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Would You Buy a 9-Year-old a Porsche? Beckham Would

JeanneSager — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:26:00 GMT

Let me just issue a disclaimer here. I'm not bitter that I've never been behind the wheel of a Porsche. I am a country girl who still can't drive a stick. So there.

OK, so I'm a teensy weensy bit jealous of nine-year-old Brooklyn Beckham. Soccer playing hottie David Beckham and Posh Spice wife Victoria have purchased their oldest child his own Porsche. Don't worry, it's a miniature version of the real thing.

And it comes with a miniature pricetag - just $72,610.

Yup, it's an absolute bargain when you consider the economy, and the fact that this baby is handmade, with a honest-to-pollution-ess diesel engine. Not that they'd worry anyway - docs checking Becks out to make sure he's good for his loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy to Italy's AC Milan promise he is still in good enough shape to be bending the ball come World Cup 2014.

I am a big Beckham fan; made sure I made it to his first showing in the Meadowlands when he came here with the Galaxy. Still, this one has me betwixt and between. He's nine (about to be ten in March), and he's been given a diesel powered one-seater worth more than what I have left on my mortgage.

Throw the economics out of it, and I still think I'd be wary of giving a nine-year-old something with this kind of power (how cute he looks inside of it, aside). A diesel engine is not exactly your Power Wheels battery.

Am I just overreacting? Peevish because I don't have a Porsche?

Image: Elite Choice

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Old Bat Who Kept Kid's Football Sues His Family

JeanneSager — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 17:05:00 GMT

Remember the eighty-nine-year-old woman who proved every neighbor kid's worst fears about the cranky lady down the street? You know, Edna Jester, the octogenarian who actually kept the kid's football?

She got out of the charges of petty theft, jail time and the fines the cops threatened back in October. But since the satisfaction of keeping the pigskin didn't do enough for her, she's now suing the family of seven who called the cops over the missing ball.

She claims "emotional distress" because balls keep ending up in her yard. I know Amy put up a good argument for ol' Edna back in October, citing the parents' need to get their kids under control. Yes, kids should be taught to respect the neighbors.

But I know this type of woman (do I dare say I'm related to her?), and I know what it's like to live with neighbors on top of you. Balls flying into the neighbors' yard is one of those facts of living in close proximity to one another. My husband, daughter and I love to kick the soccer ball around our back yard - and I can't begin to count the number of times it's sailed out of the yard (I never said I was particularly GOOD at kicking the ball around).

If the balls were going through her windows, if the kids were trampling her begonias, if Edna had called the parents first - instead of keeping the dang football - she would be so in the right it isn't even funny. She'd probably even be able to get money in court for said broken window or begonias. Instead she's tying up the courts over balls and playthings flying into her yard.

I've got a few suggestions for you Edna - how about you build a really tall fence or pack up your fanny and move? Maybe a nice family will move into Blue Ash, Ohio so a pick-up football game can take place across TWO yards.

Image: GovGab

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A Genetic Test That Predicts Kids' Athletic Futures

JeanneSager — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:32:00 GMT

Think your toddler has the foot to bend it like Beckham one day? What if the only thing standing between you and knowing if they'd one day be kicking balls in the big leagues was $149? Oh yeah, and a cheek swab which should be bagged and sent out to a lab in Colorado for testing.

The Boulder-based Atlas Sports Genetics is touting a new test which they say can help pinpoint a child's natural athletic future. For that $149, you'll get a report telling you whether your kid is designed for speed or endurance.

It all sounds a bit West German, Soviet bloc to me, but Atlas owner Kevin Reilly says his test will actually help protect kids with an overzealous parent from being pushed into a sport they simply weren't made to play. The tests are built off of the 2003 study which linked the gene ACTN3 to athletic ability. The study found that the R variant of the gene directs the body to produce a protein used in developing the type of muscle mass needed for power and speed. By contrast, the X variant of the gene was found to be more prevalent in the elite endurance Olympians studied.

Atlas' test breaks down the ACTN3 gene from the swabs and looks for either R or X variants, then reports back to parents. They test kids ages one through eight, with the hopes of giving parents a chance to properly foster a kid's natural abilities from a young age (although, to give him credit, Reilly advises against heavily pushing children into competitive sports until at least eight years old . . . to avoid burnout).

Besides the fact that many scientists have said ACTN3 studies are still in their infancy, and a more in-depth look at the genetic make-up of athletes is in order, I'm skeptical. So a kid may have an R variant of a gene (the one supposedly pointing to power sports); what if he doesn't like football? Won't this promote more overzealous parents rather than limit them?

My husband is a big soccer fan, so he loves kicking the ball around with our three year old. For a tot, she's got a great handle on the ball. But does that mean we should cut out all requests for tee-ball, softball, even a bid to run cross country? Whatever happened to letting our kids play sports because they enjoy them, because they'll gain discipline, learn sportsmanship, get their butts off the couch? Last time I checked, it really is just a game.

Growing up in a small town where the fight for passing the school budget was to ensure we'd still have a football program every year - so boys would have a chance to get noticed by a college scout - I've got to tell you, excellent athletes are few and far between. The best athletes may not be the girls who score every goal or the quarterbacks who lead their teams to the state championships. The kids who are told constantly that they're destined for great things are often ball hogs and prima donnas.

But the kids who discover talent on their own . . . they're the kids who play just for the love of the game.

Image/Source: The New York Times

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Do You Let Your Kids Stay Up to Watch the World Series?

JeanneSager — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:34:00 GMT

Now that the Red Sox are finally out of contention (yes, I confess, I'm a Yankees fan - pity freely accepted), I'm actually considering watching the World Series. Too bad my daughter won't be watching it with me. Game One will start at 8 p.m. tomorrow night, just as I'm preparing to hurry her into a bath.

I've always wondered why sports championships are played so late - at least for those of us on the East Coast.

Football ends with just one late night for kids, the Super Bowl is over and done after one long, junk-food filled night. Basketball closes out in June, when fewer kids are in school anyway. And unfortunately, soccer has yet to catch enough fans for the MLS Cup to break too many hearts.

When the Yankees won their last championship, I was passed out in bed. As hard as I tried to keep my eyes open, work the next morning beckoned along with my bed. I did a little cheer when my husband woke me up to tell me the news, then I rolled over and went back to sleep. Seven late nights were too much for the adult me, not to mention the little Bronx Bombers out there. Every sappy commercial meant to make moms blubber so hard they forget they don't need the product and buy it anyway features a dad and a kid playing catch in the backyard. Little boys might as well be handed a glove on the way out the door of the hospital in this country. Haven't you heard? It's supposed to be America's game, and games are for kids.

So why don't they split the seven games across the clock the way they split them between stadiums? I mean, I'm happy for the little Phillies fanatics out on the West Coast who are ready to cuddle up on the couch with Mom and Dad this week. And those Rays fans. . . if there are any? (sorry, I'm a fan of anyone who can keep the Red Sox out of the series!).

Maybe when my daughter's a little older, she'll be camped out on the couch with us too. Will you be keeping your kids up to watch the series?

Image: AllPosters

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Panic at the Soccer Field

Adrienne Martini — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:00:00 GMT

How can you help your kid over a full-blow case of panic, the sort of state where he loses his mind over something that he has the power to fix? If you are one of the lucky few who has offspring who don't come completely unglued every now and again, please skip ahead to the next post. And know that I think you're lying.

Slate's Emily Bazelon, who is on the short list of moms I'd like to drink a beer with, has a five-year old who is currently losing his grip right before soccer practice. Her solution is elegant and involves little more than a Sharpie and a letter on her son's hand. The column is bittersweet, written with both compassion and rue. Hopefully, Ms. B will give us an update on her son's progress.

Now if someone could remind me why I wrote this big "W" on my hand, I'd appreciate it.

Weekly Check-Up: Girls Get Hurt More Than Boys

Kelly Mills — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:02:00 GMT

I hope you caught the New York Times magazine article on Sunday about girls and sports injuries, because if I could just soapbox for a sec, I think we all ought to be concerned about this. There's lots to digest in there, but one of the things that stands out: Some experts believe that in sports that both sexes play, girls rupture their A.C.L.s (i.e. blow out their knees) at rates as high as five times that of boys. Girls are also more likely to suffer concussions in sports like basketball. And as more girls play sports, we'd better figure out what to do about it.

Some possible reasons include the fact that girls have more estrogen, which makes ligaments more flexible and likely to tear; wider hips may lead to being 'knock-kneed'; and smaller necks can contribute to concussion rates. There's talk of how the mechanics of boys in running and jumping are better for the body, and that girls need to learn to "jump like a boy." One possible aid for the problem comes from a program designed to build strength through plyometric drills and lunges--but the initial study showing effectiveness needs to be replicated in a more scientific manner. I will say that I fail to see the harm in this program, and we may want to do some quick implementation. If my personal training client base is any indication, in ten years some of those girls will probably be handing money over to a trainer to learn the same movements.

But I just can't help but add that we can't allow kids to play one sport year-round. It's wearing out the bodies of all our young athletes. We have to get parents and coaches on board, and basically stop the practice before our children are hobbled at age thirty.

Therapist Keeps the Attention of ADHD Fathers

Madeline Holler — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 12:21:00 GMT

Move over Ritalin. There’s a new ADHD treatment in town.

A therapist has come up with a simple way to help treat kids with behavioral, emotional and learning problems.

Soccer therapy with Dad.

As a graduate student, Gregory Fabiano noticed a pattern at summer camps for kids with ADHD and their parents. The fathers would bring the kids to the soccer matches and watch. When sports time was over and talk therapy ready to start, moms would drive up and wave good-bye to Dad and the kids. Even those few fathers who braved the open emotions of sad adults sitting in a circle didn’t stick with this traditional form of therapy for long.

So Fabiano developed a program: COACHES, Coaching Our Acting-Out Children: Heightening Essential Skills. The kids play soccer games, the dads right along with them. Later, when the kids are working on soccer skills, the fathers meet to learn parenting strategies for their children’s particular challenges.

The fathers stay involved in their kids’ therapy, they learn to parent their children, who are learning coping skills of their own. And the moms? I guess they're on the sidelines arranging Capri Suns and carrot sticks.

Manchester United Recruits 9 Year Old

Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 12:01:00 GMT

Remember when Freddy Adu started playing for DC United when he was only 14 years old? No? Fine. Nobody in the US actually follows major league soccer, or you didn't before The Beckhams moved to L.A. It's okay. I don't blame you. I'd watch golf on tv if there was a slight chance that David Beckham would appear shirtless.

What was I talking about? I got a little bit hot and bothered thinking about David Beckham's chest. Oh right! Kids playing soccer. Thanks to YouTube and a bunch of people that aren't worried about exploiting children in order to make a buck (Hello, Mr. Glazer) Manchester United has recruited a nine year old.

Seriously. The recruiters on ManU staff saw a video that was posted on YouTube by Rhain Davis' grandfather and now the nine year old is training with their Youth Team.

Damn.

Adults Like to Play With Each Other, and Not THAT Way So Get Your Mind Out of that Gutter!

Karen Murphy — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 14:36:00 GMT

Where I live, the only people playing on sports fields are usually under 5 feet tall. Their parents sit on bleachers or mill around at the edge of the field, talking to one another and sporadically yelling things at their kids. Wow. What a great time (yawn). Which is why I was so amazed in my recent vacation in Vancouver to see adults actually playing at a city neighborhood park. With one another! There was a large soccer game going on, mainly 20- and 30-somethings, but also some amazingly buff-looking 50- and 60-somethings, all playing together and seemingly having a wonderful time. There was also quite a lively game of cricket going on just down the field, and the whole park would resound with a roar whenever some apparently good play was made (the whole thing was a bit mystifying to me).

But still...adults, playing. Together. And looking like they did it regularly, not just on annual beer-soaked occasions.

Is it a city thing? A pacific northwest thing? Well, no, because I sorta know a guy who plays with a frisbee, having renamed it a disk and calling the game "Ultimate", and he takes it quite seriously. Apparently. As well he should!

As do these people and their playing. Scavenger hunt? Bring it! Dodge ball? Four square? Kick ball? But of course, and why not? I've said before that parents need to play, and I think this is ideal. I am taking my kid's scooter and making my escape to the park right now. Who wants to join me for a game of four square?

Organized Sports for Preschoolers: Too Soon or Just Right?

Karen Murphy — Sun, 20 May 2007 20:06:00 GMT

There's a big debate a-brewing out on the soccer field these days as tiny three-and four-year olds are taking up scaled-down cleats and shin guards and milling about in confusion while their parents look anxiously on, calling out encouragement or instructions ("kick the ballll!"). The "traditional" age for an introduction to organized sports has always been at about age eight, when coordination and drive kick in for most kids, and many kids have been pushing that envelope with t-ball and other sports at about five or so, but parents seem to be pushing their kids into sports earlier and earlier now (even as young as 18 months!), which leaves child development experts shaking their heads.

Early-sports proponents say that being out on the field is far better than being on the couch in front of video games, and that preschool is a prime time for learning motor skills like throwing, catching, jumping and running. Okay, true enough. But development experts opposing this trend claim that it's too early to competantly learn game rules and that there's simply too much pressure on a kid that age to perform. Pressure that seems to come from the [cough] parents.

Parents these days seem especially keen on getting their kids into school teams as early as possible, pushing the poor kid into a practice regimen that's a sure-fire path to early burnout. Personally, I think that three and four is way too young for any kind of organized sports. Kids that age should be playing in an open-ended way. But that's me. What about you?

Dads Are Soccer Moms Too.

Melissa Summers — Tue, 01 May 2007 17:32:00 GMT

Andrew Oh-Willeke waxes poetic on the start of soccer Saturdays and opening of the season of the chauffeur. The kids play soccer the parents watch and gossip with equal vigor. The kids have fun and barely notice they're being pummelled by the more competitive west side neighborhood teams because they're having fun. The older kids are more involved in the play, but not the overall statistics of the season or even the outcome of the game.

His description of the soccer field reminds me of the year my son "played" soccer, though I use the term loosely. He pretty much ran up and down the field near the ball (but never kicking it) looking for any opportunity to give someone a high five. Even if they were on the opposing team. I really loved watching him and was always taken aback by the parents who really seemed concerned about the score. I know that's sort of the point but, enh, I like seeing kids have fun.

Andrew describes how the day fills with driving to get birthday gifts and juggle kids varying schedules and errands for the family. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by all the running around he views it as a chance to get out and about town. The guy reminds me of my optimistic husband who could find the bright side of Darfur. I don't like errands or frantic schedules, can you tell?

Strollerderby : soccer

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