Reflections On Our First Summer of Tournament Baseball

Reflections On Our First Summer of Tournament Baseball

by | Jul 21, 2022 | Sports Parenting

Well, we were warned.

We were warned about the tryouts, pressure on the kids, the long days at the ballparks, the expense of tournament fees, uniforms, and gear, the inability to plan family travel, and most of all, that we wouldn’t be able to wait for the season to finally end.

We were warned – and we loved every minute of it.

Our 7-year-olds just finished up their first summer of all-star tournament baseball.  The team ended on a very high note which, in retrospect, is truly remarkable given the way it all started.

For better or for worse, our local little league program does things a bit differently than others in the area.  The 6-, 7- and 8-year-old leagues all utilize pitching machines for recreational play.  They also use soft-core baseballs that are spongier and bouncier than regular hardballs.  Many believe these prescripts enhance safety and promote action, thus giving the developing player more opportunities to learn and improve.

While there are varying opinions on these benefits at the rec level, one thing is for certain – they don’t do any favors for the advanced player playing tournament ball.

Imagine hitting against perfectly grooved pitches for years, with velocity, and then having to adapt to coach pitch with inconsistent speeds, location, and timing.  Without the velocity of the machines, too, hitters had trouble generating power and hit an endless number of weak groundballs to shortstop.

Defense posed new challenges as well.  Our boys have been programmed to anticipate big, bouncy hops in the field.  It’s hard to say just how many balls went through our players legs with the use of regulation hardballs that don’t bounce the same way.  Together, these factors were enough to demoralize the team and raise doubts about their belonging.

The first couple of tournaments were brutal.  Many of the teams we faced had been playing together by tournament standards for years, while we were playing real, big-boy baseball for the first time ever.  Let’s just say it wasn’t an easy transition.

After two weeks the team had a 1-5 record, but honestly, it wasn’t even that good.  Many of the loses were mercy rule games with double-digit run differentials.  I understand that winning and losing isn’t the main goal at this level, but we had our fill of learning how to lose with grace and needed desperately to experience some success.

This is where the story and our summer turnd around.  These boys, to their immense credit, didn’t quit.  Either did the coaches.  They made adjustments to practices that emphasized the skills needed to compete at this new level.  Little by little, the kids learned to use their whole bodies when swinging and get their backsides and gloves down when fielding. And things began to click.

It wasn’t a straight line – not by a longshot – but by the last weekend of the summer, the team played well enough and consistently enough to actually win a tournament.  It was glorious – the joy on the boys faces as they received the championship rings that they rightfully earned.

Winning that final tournament is not the reason we loved summer ball, however.  It was due to the incredible growth that occurred, both individually and as a team, right in front of our eyes.

The boys don’t realize it, but their resilience, perseverance, work ethic, and courage in the face of adversity was truly commendable.  They overcame obstacles other kids and teams hadn’t had too, and in the end, were rewarded for it.  This summer will end up laying the groundwork for their future growth both on and off the field, and that’s what youth sports and healthy competition is all about.

And now, for as long and difficult as it all seemed at the time, it’s over.  Time to decompress, take back our weekends and maybe even go on a family vacation.  Which will all be great.

But for all those parents who are on the fence about playing tournament ball, be warned…you’re not going to ever want it to end.

Youth Sports Safety Month

Youth Sports Safety Month

by | Mar 17, 2022 | Health & Safety

Youth sports provide tremendous opportunities for young people to have fun, socialize and maintain healthy and active lifestyles.  These benefits, however, must always accompany safety education and protocols to ensure the wellbeing of athletes on the playing field.

There are an estimated 25 million scholastic and another 20 million community-based sports programs organized across the country – that provides a lot of opportunity for kids to get hurt!

Every year, over 3 million kids will visit the emergency room and another 5 million will seek care from their pediatric doctors for sports-related injuries.  And because kids are still growing, even minor injuries are can have significant impacts on their long-term physical growth and development.

TOP YOUTH SPORTS SAFETY TIPS

We have assembled a list of tips and recommendations that can help parents, coaches and administrators keep kids safe and out of the emergency room while participating in organized sports:

  • Have young athletes get a physical exam prior to starting a new season. These checkups can rule out unforeseen medical conditions and sport-specific health concerns.
  • Encourage proper warm-up and cool-down exercises that include stretching and light cardio activities. These routines increase circulation, promote flexibility and get the muscles and joints prepared for play.
  • Ensure young athletes drink plenty of water before, during and after strenuous activities to maintain healthy hydration levels.
  • Educate coaches and staff on the signals and warning signs of heat-related illnesses, particularly heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Both are potentially serious conditions that require immediate medical attention.

  • Build-in scheduled days of rest for young athletes to recover after playing sports. Rest is a key component of prevention as fatigued athletes are at much greater risk of both minor and serious injury.
  • Invest in quality protective gear applicable to individual sports and ensure the equipment fits and is worn properly by kids.
  • Encourage kids to play multiple sports throughout the course of a year to avoid the risks associated with overuse injuries.
  • Certify coaches and all on-the-field personnel in CPR and first-aid procedures.
  • Don’t allow kids to “play hurt” or “tough out the pain” due to injury or illness. Doing so only risks further injury and longer time to full recovery.
  • Practice the recommended protocols of “R.I.C.E “ for minor sports-related injuries – Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.

LOCAL YOUTH SPORTS SAFETY INVOLVEMENT

To get involved on a local level during National Youth Sports Safety Month, try hosting an event spotlighting important safety measures parents, coaches and league officials can implement to keep kids safe from harm while playing their upcoming seasons.

Another idea is to reference and share the standard safety measures each sport’s governing body produces and publishes on an annual basis.

Please join Play Ball Youth Sports Magazine this April in creating awareness of sports-related injuries in kids and educate all involved on measures to improve the safety and wellbeing of young athletes out on the field.  Please go to Safe Kids Worldwide for more information.

National Anthem Day In America

National Anthem Day In America

by | Mar 17, 2022 | Special Interest

National Anthem Day in America is March 3rd, when we celebrate ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’s’ official designation as our nation’s anthem.  The song has a long and storied history beginning in the War of 1812 and only cementing its place in the American sports landscape over a hundred years later.

NATIONAL ANTHEM DAY

It’s a few minutes before the start of a sporting event anywhere in the United States.  Baseball, football, basketball, hockey, soccer; in professional stadiums, college campuses and even high school gymnasiums.

Everyone stands up as a performer, organist or audio recording gets warmed up to play our national anthem.  It’s a time-honored tradition of our sporting lives that seems as natural as cheering for the home team.

March 3rd marks the 91st year since “The Star-Spangled Banner” formally became our nation’s chorus.  A special resolution drafted by congress and signed by President Herbert Hoover in 1931 made it official, but the song’s legacy and significance began to grow well over a hundred years prior.

DEFENCE OF FORT M’HENRY

Original copy of what would become the Star-Spangled BannerFrancis Scott Key, a lawyer serving in Georgetown during the War of 1812, penned a poem describing the horrors of a bloody, but victorious, battle where the U.S. successfully fought back the Brits from overtaking Fort McHenry.  Originally entitled “Defence of Fort M’Henry,” he vividly described witnessing the “rocket’s red glare” and “bombs bursting in air,” and ultimately, his immense pride that in the aftermath “our flag was still there.”

From that moment on, the lyrics of the anthem have become synonymous with battle, sacrifice, victory, freedom and national patriotism.

Over the course of time, the song gained prominence for its place at national events and holidays.  In 1889, the U.S. Navy began singing it while raising and lowering the flag and in 1916 President Woodrow Wilson declared it the official anthem of all the country’s armed services.

But it was a fateful day in September of 1918, amidst the first game of the World Series between the Cubs and Red Sox, that an unheralded third baseman named Fred Thomas would forever cement the song’s legacy in our sports landscape.

FRED THOMAS

The fall of 1918 was a somber one in the United States.  The country was 17 months into World War I and had suffered over 100,000 casualties by that September.  The economy was weak, the government announced additional draft mandates and even America’s pastime couldn’t lighten the mood of the nation.

In front of a sparse and tepid crowd, Babe Ruth was throwing a 1-0 shutout for the Red Sox leading into the 7th inning stretch of game 1.

As was common at such events, a military band was on hand to perform for patrons between innings.  What was uncommon was their choice of music as the leader called out for “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Fred Thomas, a sailor on furlough from the Navy, stopped in his tracks while running out to his position, stood at military attention and saluted the flag throughout the duration of the song.  Others on the field and in the stands followed suit by placing their hands on their hearts and singing along, then cheered wildly with national pride upon its conclusion.

The New York Times described the scene in this way: “First the song was taken up by a few, then others joined, and when the final notes came, a great volume of melody rolled across the field.  It was at the very end that the onlookers exploded with thunderous applause and rent the air with a cheer that marked the highest point of the day’s enthusiasm.”

THE NATIONAL ANTHEM – A NEW TRADITION

As other ballclub owners witnessed the joy and sense of pride fans received from the song, they too began including it as part of their game festivities and the rest is history.

National anthem beiung performed at 1918 World SeriesIronically, as this world series sparked the beginning of this new tradition, it also notably marked the end of others.  The 1918 World Series would be the last games Babe Ruth would play for the Red Sox before he was infamously purchased by the New York Yankees.  It also proved to be the last championship Boston would win for 86 years, and it would take the Cubs another 98 before claiming the elusive title again.

Beginning with a battle in the War of 1812, to an unassuming patriotic ballplayer over a hundred years later, “The Star-Spangled Banner” continues to be played at sporting events around the country, forever representing and honoring the “land of the free” and the “home of the brave.”

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The COVID Athlete

The COVID Athlete

by | Mar 17, 2022 | Athlete Mindset, Health & Safety

Covid-19’s impact on young athletes has been holistic, simultaneously impacting their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.  They are undertaking an unprecedented challenge in returning to normalcy in the face of a global pandemic.  They may, however, be better off in the long-run as this experience has engendered unique life lessons kids will carry with them throughout their lives.

TRANSFORMATIONAL IMPACT OF YOUTH SPORTS

Sports have the ability to transform kids’ lives – to alter the trajectory of their lives in ways not always recognized or fully appreciated in the moment.  It’s inherently why we want our kids to participate in youth sports and why we make the time and financial sacrifices for them to do so.

Athletics force kids out of their comfort zones.  They test their ability to achieve success and persevere through failure, on full public display of their friends and family.  But the true value of youth sports is that no matter the outcome, kids grow.  Victories prove that they do belong amongst their peers and failures are not really the end of the world, just opportunities to improve and do better the next time.

It’s this imparting of confidence and poise, almost through osmosis, that enables bigger and better things outside of sports.  The confidence to know they can ace the math test at school, the composure to actively participate in social settings, the willingness to take on something new, or the resolve to apply to college or get a job.  It can all stem from participation in youth sports.

It’s in this way, too, that sports aid in the development of a young person’s identity and sense of purpose in life.  Setting goals, working hard to achieve them, and overcoming adversity on the field are the same journey’s they will embark upon as adults off the field.  It’s through this process that kids will uncover a perspective on who they are, who they ultimately want to be and how they fit into the world around them.

And that’s transformational.

COVID-19’s IMPACT ON YOUNG ATHLETES

What happens then when young lives are suddenly interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic?  When athletic programs are turned upside down or, in many cases, taken away entirely?  What happens when all of those dividends are derailed in the blink of an eye?

The weight of that burden has fallen on parents, who have been forced to adjust to constantly changing conditions, irregular stops and starts and frequently revised protocols in an attempt to keep kids out on the field.  In the absence of pre-Covid youth sports, parents have had to find new and creative ways to replace the transformational processes sports customarily provided.

Like the Six-Million-Dollar Man of our childhood, this generation’s ‘Covid Athlete’ can be built to be stronger, more resilient, and better prepared to face life’s challenges than any other generation before it.  In fact, with the right influences, they may be better off in the long run for having endured the hardships of the pandemic.

Early shutdowns had the devastating impact of stripping away an entire year of sports from many athletes.  The chaotic days of school followed by over-scheduled afternoons and evenings were suddenly replaced with home learning and huge gaps of unstructured time.  Time once allocated toward athletics prioritizing preparation, consistency and work ethic suddenly ceded to isolation, loss of motivation and a massive yearning for a return to normalcy.

These disruptions also influenced young athlete’s sense of identity, purpose and self-esteem.  In its place came all the things we try to protect kids from – uncertainty, anxiety, and fear; and without seasoned coping mechanisms, most struggled to process this major upheaval to their lives.

Recall the immense pressure adults felt at that time too.  They were forced to work from home while educating and entertaining their children at the same time.  Not to mention the enormous burden of keeping their families and loved ones safe from a virus that early on no one knew very much about.

LIFE LESSONS LEARNED THROUGH COVID-19

Many took advantage of their new found family time by re-engaging with kids and re-opening lines of communication.  If we’re being honest, the time available for those calm, one-on-one conversations are few and far between in our hurried daily lives.  The downtime provided parents the opportunity to

convey the shared nature of the pandemic and that even we, as parents, were uncertain about that was happening.  Gaining a broader perspective on unforeseen events, along with recognizing and accepting emotions as normal, were learnings uniquely afforded by the pandemic.

Parents also found Covid an opportune time to help kids expand their sense of self-identity and purpose beyond the playing fields.  We understand that kids are much more than just athletes, but many character traits and personal identifiers can be underappreciated since sports play such a dominant role in many kids lives.  Covid provided young athletes the environment to discover unrecognized qualities about themselves which added to their full sense of identity.  Being a great student, a loving brother or sister, a loyal friend; that they are kind, patient, generous or funny.  Covid turned out to be invaluable time that enabled kids to perceive their full value and significance as young people.

Perhaps more fundamentally, however, the extended time without sports helped kids rediscover why they play sports in the first place.  Regardless of what the scoreboard says, it’s not actually all about winning and losing.  Kids play for the competition and sense of achievement that comes from improving on the field.  They play simply for themselves, their teammates and for the pure fun and enjoyment of it, nothing more complicated than that.

THE COVID ATHLETE

In many ways, today’s young athletes have had their individual growth and development put on hold as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.  But they’ve also developed more mature perspectives on the world, stronger senses of personal identity and purpose, and an unrivaled resilience to persevere through adversity.

It’s in this way that Covid, as with youth sports, has been transformational and altered the trajectory of kids lives for the better.  From an unprecedented period of unease and uncertainty has emerged the bigger, faster and stronger ‘Covid Athlete.’

The latest information and updates on Covid-19 can be found on the CDC website.