Every December since I was a kid, the Elks have hosted their annual Hoop Shoot. Boys and girls take free throws and the kids with the highest number of points in each age division get trophies. The winners qualify for the next level of the Hoop Shoot which is regionals and so on. Years ago I won the local competition and got to move on to regionals. So, this year when I saw a flyer at the Rec Center announcing the date for the Elks Hoop Shoot, I decided to sign my oldest daughter up. My kids don’t play basketball formally but they get to shoot hoops a lot during extended day, the afterschool program that takes place either in the gym or out on the playground. The best part about taking your kids to new things is that they have no expectations, very few nerves, and no pressure. The Elks Hoop shoot has an informal check-in where you basically show up within the window of time of the competition, a parent registered the child, they wait for their turn, and then they get called up and shoot, sit back down for a bit, and then get called a second time to shoot a few. Scores are calculated at the end of the competition and a few weeks later, the Elks call you if you came in first, second or third. This year my eight year old got a phone call and had come in second. The Elks invited her to an evening at the Elks Club where she got a trophy and a t-shirt and had snacks with all of the other winners. We’ll definitely be signing up again next year! Visit us at www.besporthappy.com for more info on the 35 sports available for kids in Saratoga ages 3-13. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/besporthappy or join our Be Sport Happy Saratoga Equipment Exchange group on Facebook and exchange used sports equipment with other Saratoga families: www.facebook.com/groups/besporthappy. Also find us at www.healtheconcessions.com and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/healtheconcessions. |
0 Comments
As 2015 comes to a close, and we welcome 2016, our Be Sport Happy family wants to wish you a very merry New Year’s Eve and a fabulous New Year. For our family of six, it has been a happy and fulfilling year, complete with all sorts of youth sports adventures and fun times. Skiing, snowboarding, skating, field hockey, lacrosse, ballet, martial arts, basketball, fishing, ice hockey, soccer, t-ball, golf, tennis and swimming. We look forward to what the next 365 days has in store for our athletic pursuits. To all the youth of the world, keep playing sports and make it your lifestyle to never stop moving your bodies and challenging your physical abilities. What a better way to end 2015 then to go sledding in the new snow at our log home in Saratoga Springs, NY. Lots of fun was had by all…cheers and Happy New Year to all!
Visit us at www.besporthappy.com for more info on the 35 sports available for kids in Saratoga ages 3-13. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/besporthappy or join our Be Sport Happy Saratoga Equipment Exchange group on Facebook and exchange used sports equipment with other Saratoga families: www.facebook.com/groups/besporthappy. Also find us at www.healtheconcessions.com and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/healtheconcessions. Ice Hockey. It’s not just for the boys. Girls play and they play hard. They play quick. They play with agility. One of the best days of the year is when college kids and USA Hockey organize the Girls Hockey Play Day at rinks all over the country. There is something cool about seeing your daughters and other girls suit up in all of the hockey gear, grab their sticks and go out on the ice for some drills and coordinated play. This year both my daughters suited up and gave it a try. The hockey organization provides all of the equipment that is needed (and there is a LOT of it!). I write all of the equipment on a piece of paper so that my girls can keep track of what they have and what they need to put back in their bags or give back to the organizers. Sometimes we lose a set of hockey gloves or elbow pads, but mostly we get home with all of the right stuff. Getting the right fit on the helmet is critical, as are the right size skates and stick. Each girl who participates gets a USA hockey jersey to wear and take home! One of the coolest things to wear for sure is a USA jersey. The coaches are friendly and I always see improvement in the way the girls skate or handle the puck or shoot on goal, even after only one session. Some girls stay on for the season and play with the Mites, and higher levels, while others play with their friends and brothers in pick-up games on local ponds or rinks throughout the winter. Next year, look for the next Girls Hockey Play Day! There is a second day for both boys and girls and I always encourage my girls to attend that one as well, but there is a still a special place in my heart for the all-girls session!
Visit us at www.besporthappy.com for more info on the 35 sports available for kids in Saratoga ages 3-13. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/besporthappy or join our Be Sport Happy Saratoga Equipment Exchange group on Facebook and exchange used sports equipment with other Saratoga families: www.facebook.com/groups/besporthappy. Also find us at www.healtheconcessions.com and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/healtheconcessions. On Halloween, I thought this would be a good topic to discuss. Candy. Sweets. Sugar. Junk food. Kids love it but is it really a smart idea to sell these items at youth sports concession stands? Sure, it sells. And it sells for a good margin. But is it really the best we can do for our kids who need energy and a healthy body to play youth sports? Look at most football concession stands, or hockey, or lacrosse, and baseball concessions, and you will be hard pressed to find any food that one would consider healthy. Nachos, hot dogs, pizza, burgers, French fries, donuts, muffins, bagels, pop-tarts, cookies, candy, salted popcorn, soda, Gatorade. Is this supposed to give our kids the long lasting nutrition and strength to go out there and physically, mentally and emotionally play their best on the field? Fortunately some concession stands are run by volunteer parents who are trying to change the image of youth sports concession stands. Popping up recently, I have seen bananas, protein bars, granola bars, apples, oranges, eggs, veggie sticks with peanut butter, oat bars, apple chips, pretzels, all natural fruit gummies, water, chili (the healthiest of the hearty foods, good for many endurance sports like rowing). I wish we could swap out all of the unhealthy food at concession stands and replace it with healthy food. It’s not so easy. It will take a lot of grass roots efforts to get it done.
Last year I started a second company for my children to run called Healthé Concessions (aka Heal The Concessions). We picked out and tested our favorite foods for youth sports concession stands with kids at local sporting events, and we selected the best received ones. Our products can be found here - http://www.healtheconcessions.com/food-products.html. We continue to brainstorm how best to get them into the market or at least to make people aware of organic packaged foods made in the USA that can be bought nationally that give kids a solid base of energy while playing sports. We always recommend fresh fruit and veggies too, whenever possible, but many of these are not feasible for concession stands because the food at concession stands needs to be stored and doesn’t always involve shopping for it that day. The best part about starting a company with the kids is that they actually ask for the healthy food now – awareness – and they pass up on the unhealthy ones (or at least pause before asking if they can buy the junk food). I remember the fun of the concession stands, especially up in Canada during the speedskating meets – Canadian foods were so interesting and different than what we saw in the US – so I know the draw that the junk food can have. But I also remember loving fresh oranges and bananas right before a race and a granola or protein bar just afterwards. Test your kids out with healthy foods next time you are at youth sports, and see if they eat them. Give them healthy foods over and over, and I can almost guarantee that, even though their minds might be tricked into thinking they like the junk food better, their tummies will request the healthy food 9 times out of 10! Visit us at www.besporthappy.com for more info on the 35 sports available for kids in Saratoga ages 3-13. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/besporthappy or join our Be Sport Happy Saratoga Equipment Exchange group on Facebook and exchange used sports equipment with other Saratoga families: www.facebook.com/groups/besporthappy. Also find us at www.healtheconcessions.com and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/healtheconcessions. Had a bit of adventure with my eight year old daughter on the way to the field hockey tournament last weekend. If you know me, you know that I like my kids to be responsible for packing their own bags. And it usually works fine, except when I intervene and wash things in between practices or games. Anyway, my daughter packed her field hockey bag the night before and we headed out early in the morning. Johnstown is a one hour ride from Saratoga with not much in between but open road and a few little towns. We left at 7:30 in the morning for an 8:30 arrival. It was early so I told my daughter that she didn't have to get dressed for field hockey before we left. We were on time and all was well until 30 min into the ride, when I asked my daughter to get her things on, she said "um, mom, where are my socks?" My face must have turned from happy to disbelief. I left them in the dryer! My mind went into overdrive. Do we have extra socks in the car? No. Can my small socks fit over her big shinguards? No. Does the coach have soft shin guards she can borrow so we don't need socks? Maybe. We stopped at Stewart's. No socks. Every store we passed (very few) was closed (before 8am in the morning). No Target. Where to go? We were really in the middle of nowhere. Just then we saw a Dollar General and it was open (it had just opened at 8am!!). My daughter screamed at me to pull into the parking lot. We were laughing, mostly with disbelief that there still might be hope! I looked at my GPS and told my daughter that we had exactly three minutes (we were already running behind our schedule to arrive on time). She jumped out of the car ahead of me, and ran into the store. The woman behind the counter told me that she thought she saw a little girl run by. With a child in my arms (I had my toddler with me too), we yelled out my daughter’s name and found her in the many aisles of this rather large dollar store. Sensing our urgency, the woman behind the counter walked us across the store to the sock section, and, just like that, we found $5 knee high sports socks that my daughter absolutely loved! In fact, she liked them better than the $10 socks from Dick’s that we had accidently left at home. My daughter was ecstatic! I breathed a sigh of relief! The woman working at the checkout was pleased we had found what we were so desperate to get! We paid, got back in the car, and arrived just in time for the tournament to start. My daughter even scored two goals in her new socks. What an adventure. We learned our lesson about double checking the sports bag before leaving home (I always think we should have a checklist in each sports bag)…but knowing my daughter, she might leave something home next time, just knowing that she might score some cool new gear if it happens again!
Visit us at www.besporthappy.com for more info on the 35 sports available for kids in Saratoga ages 3-13. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/besporthappy or join our Be Sport Happy Saratoga Equipment Exchange group on Facebook and exchange used sports equipment with other Saratoga families: www.facebook.com/groups/besporthappy. Also find us at www.healtheconcessions.com and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/healtheconcessions. Courtesy. Integrity. Perseverance. Self-Control. Indomitable Spirit. These words are on the wall at Cutting Edge Martial Arts in Saratoga. You see them when you enter the building. The students see them as they sharpen their skills in tae kwon do and go after the coveted black belt. A year ago, I never imagined that my kids would be practicing martial arts at such a young age. In fact, I never really thought my kids would be practicing martial arts at all. It’s not something I grew up with as a kid. I only started to learn about Tae Kwon Do, a Korean martial art with a heavy emphasis on kicks, when my kids came home from camp telling me about their experience with Master Miller. They were instantly hooked, practicing moves in the house. Then Cutting Edge Martial Arts and Master Miller came to their school for an afternoon program, and my oldest daughter jumped at the opportunity. Several weeks later, we arrived at the martial arts school for Lira’s white belt ceremony. Watching from a distance, hearing them shout out the Student Creed that they repeat at the beginning of each class, seeing the discipline and respect between the teacher and the students, watching the precision with which they all did the moves, I was overcome with a sense of astonishment at how truly beautiful this sport is. We signed up for the one month for a nominal fee for the uniform and classes, and soon after signed on for the year, with my second daughter in tow for her white belt shortly after her sister. Now we go twice a week and I could not think of another place I would rather take my girls to learn how to be leaders, strong and tough and respectful. It’s a culture, not a sport. It’s a way of living. These are all things we have learned. We can’t wait to get our sons out there, since age four is the earliest to start in the Little Ninja program. We have the commitment from our girls to try to go for their black belts...potentially four years to reach that huge milestone. This week my girls received their first and second yellow stripe which means they will hopefully able to test for their yellow belts at the next testing period. Aa a parent, I am amazed to see how much respect the teachers get from my kids, “yes, ma’m”, “yes, sir”. The lifelong lessons that the children in this program get is unmatched by many other sports that we have participated in. Many people put their kids in this sport for the safety and protection skills, but I see it as much more. Looking forward to watching them grow up in this sport.
Visit us at www.besporthappy.com for more info on the 35 sports available for kids in Saratoga ages 3-13. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/besporthappy or join our Be Sport Happy Saratoga Equipment Exchange group on Facebook and exchange used sports equipment with other Saratoga families: www.facebook.com/groups/besporthappy. Also find us at www.healtheconcessions.com and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/healtheconcessions. Kids love horses. And summer in Saratoga means horse racing. So we thought it would be fun to think of all the reasons why kids are like thoroughbreds (race horses). I asked my six year old daughter and this is what she said:
Visit us at www.besporthappy.com for more info on the 35 sports available for kids in Saratoga ages 3-13. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/besporthappy or join our Be Sport Happy Saratoga Equipment Exchange group on Facebook and exchange used sports equipment with other Saratoga families: www.facebook.com/groups/besporthappy. Also find us at www.healtheconcessions.com and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/healtheconcessions. Summer is here! The sun is shining, school is out, and it’s finally time to play sports at the beach! The best part about beach sports is that most rules go away and kids just play! Whether running free in the sand, splashing in the water, tossing around a volleyball, playing paddle ball, or kicking a beach ball, the aim of the game is to have fun. Most competitive games go out the window (especially when the wind kicks up or the sun gets in your eyes) and the whole intent turns into keeping the ball in play on the beach (with the waves and pools of water being the only known boundaries). The game ends when the kids want to jump in the water for a swim or run to the snack bar for some healthy snacks. The other great thing about summer sports on the beach is that everyone can play, young and old, all on the same team, so it’s family bonding time with a lot of laughs (and a few tears). Sharing mommy and daddy time and making sure everyone gets the same number of turns can be challenging, but it’s easy to distract the kids when they get upset, and refocus their attention on the helicopter flying overhead or the “shark’ in the water or just a good old fashion game of building a sandcastle.
Visit us at www.besporthappy.com for more info on the 35 sports available for kids in Saratoga ages 3-13. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/besporthappy or join our Be Sport Happy Saratoga Equipment Exchange group on Facebook and exchange used sports equipment with other Saratoga families: www.facebook.com/groups/besporthappy. Also find us at www.healtheconcessions.com and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/healtheconcessions. With Memorial Day being a weekend off of sorts from scheduled sports, what better question to ask. In fact, this is the question every mom and dad (and probably every child up to the age of 13) asks themselves at least once a week all year. Do we (really) have to go to every practice and game? And the answer is a resounding…no way. I know there are parents out there that will disagree with me. Coaches too. I probably would have disagreed with myself before I became a parent. To be good in a sport, you say, you need to commit to the sport, attend every practice, every game, every race. If you don’t, you will be the one on the sidelines, not the starter, not the best, unfulfilling your potential. I can honestly say that this is far from the truth as I have experienced and known children who have ultimately made it to the highest levels in their sports – nationals, the Olympics, world events – who didn’t attend every practice or every game or every race as a child up to the age of 13 (and probably not even after age 13 either). In fact, some of them were the ones playing in the snowbanks while the others raced, or the ones taking off practice to play with friends or go on a vacation.
When I coached recreation soccer kids ages 13 (and volunteered when I was a wife but not yet a mom), I couldn’t understand why some parents would tell me their kids couldn’t go to the game or practice because they had a pool party to attend, or a playdate, or even that they just wanted to take a break. But, now, as a parent of four young children all under the age of eight, I know why we cannot attend every practice and every game and every race. It’s not realistic or even recommended. It is not just a physical break, but also mental and emotional. When we are on, we are on. When the kids are excited to play, happy, healthy, interested in the sports, we go. We are 110% in. But when there is hesitation, like when hockey lasts from Sept-March and its three days a week, it becomes their choice. We play lots of sports in our family. And we would never not sign up for a sport even if we knew we couldn’t make it to all of the scheduled events. We do try to attend at least 2 out of 3 scheduled events per sport per week, say, or 7 of the 8 weeks of the season, and often get to more. But at this age it’s about having fun, enjoying the game, committing to what we can commit to, and not worrying about what we miss. I communicate to the coaches when possible, and I don’t get angry if my child is missing a skill (he or she will get it eventually, and may even be considered one of the best in the sport someday, or maybe not, but either is ok). Missing practices and games is not ideal, but it should also not be frowned upon. Just like missing church every now and then when we attend weekly. It’s ok. As my kids get older, the percentage of time we attend gets higher, though sometimes overlapping seasons get in the way of one another, and then a choice has to be made…this one today or that one, but not both. As I said, it’s ok. My kids are achieving. Gaining skills. Learning discipline and commitment. They are also learning that choices are important and happiness is critical, and sports can bring such good things into our lives. But free play and rest days are also good for us to regain that excitement and passion to be out on the field. So, next time another parent looks at you strange or asks you why your kid was not at the last game or practice, just smile and tell them that your kid loves to play sports, even when they miss a day or two. Visit us at www.besporthappy.com for more info on the 35 sports available for kids in Saratoga ages 3-13. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/besporthappy or join our Be Sport Happy Saratoga Equipment Exchange group on Facebook and exchange used sports equipment with other Saratoga families: www.facebook.com/groups/besporthappy. Also find us at www.healtheconcessions.com and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/healtheconcessions. Yes, I’m that Mom. The one with her i-phone always in her hand. Snapping photos left and right. Videos too. Up close, far away, action and still shots. You find me at all the sports games and practices trying to get the next best shot. Of the goal. Of the uniform. Of the playing field itself. Of the smile (or the serious “leave me alone, mom, I’m about to do something great"). The impromptu moment of glory when the smile is so genuine, the child so innocent, the moment so pure. It takes at least 50 photos, maybe even 100, for me to find four or five that I really like. But it’s worth it. All that anticipation and practice to get the shot of the day.
Life is short and kids grow up fast. And if you blink you miss the moment. Go back to your photos…a year ago…two years ago…three years ago, and see how much your kids have changed. Their little faces change, their bodies grow out, then tall, then out again. Their hands are soft and squashy, then long thin and tough. I get pure enjoyment in watching my kids play sports, and I get a second round of happiness later in the evening, reliving the day’s sporting adventures by looking at the photos and replaying the videos back, sometimes to myself and sometimes to my kids as they lie in bed ready to sleep. We laugh about moments, share thoughts and feelings, excitement, disappointment, wonder, surprise, and the love of sports…all sports…for my kids do all sports, and I take photos of all sports. Watching the body perform, especially the young child’s body, is a little miracle when you think that this kid began as a tiny little thing inside of my body only a few years ago. And now those little legs kick a soccer ball, those little arms throw a baseball or hold a lacrosse stick, and those little heads are busy learning all the rules of these sports. Muscles strengthen. Friendships form. Goals are set and achieved. I never forget to watch the sport. I don’t let my camera blur the moment so I miss it. Sometimes I even hold the camera away from my face to watch the action live, hoping the camera is in the right angle or with the right zoom. Who cares anyway? So many moments. They can’t all possibly be captured on film. And I can’t expect my kids to go through all these photos when they are older. But I am still that mom. And I will always be that mom. The photo mom. The proud mom. The super mom. The sports mom. Cheering for my kids, lending support, kicking around a ball, chasing after my other kids, all in stride. And always the one with the iphone in my hand, poised for the next best shot of my kids on the sports field. Click. Visit us at www.besporthappy.com for more info on the 35 sports available for kids in Saratoga ages 3-13. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/besporthappy or join our Be Sport Happy Saratoga Equipment Exchange group on Facebook and exchange used sports equipment with other Saratoga families: www.facebook.com/groups/besporthappy. Also find us at www.healtheconcessions.com and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/healtheconcessions. |
Be Sport
|