Bye, Bye, LeBron! Hello ______?

You have to face it, Cleveland Cavalier fans, LeBron James is gone. Now what? You will persevere (at least I certainly hope you will).

I have a strong belief that excellence breeds excellence. Although the fact remains that LeBron is gone, there were, and still are, many other players that makeup the CAVS team.

Who were (are) they? My guess is that many of you don't know the names of the supporting players. Well, it's their turn to shine. King James is gone, so there is no longer a shadow.

This concept also applies to youth teams--there are always "stars" and supporting players. Terrific. Everyone has a role. And everyone will likely improve by playing with better players.

If your child is tired of being in the shadows of a star, please remind him or her to persevere. Teams change daily--players improve, players come and go, coaches come and go. Life goes on. Encourage your child to look towards the future because he or she might be tomorrow's star.

High-Level Youth Sports are Expensive...

Unfortunately, most high-level youth sport programs have extraordinary costs. And this is often a disadvantage for young athletes who can't afford proper training.

Hockey, figure skating, lacrosse, soccer, dance, swimming, and other sports can cost anywhere from $500 per year to more than $10,000 per year, including travel. This is nuts and there's not a lot you can do to avoid it.

NHL blogger Alan Adams discusses this issue further in the following article: Brian Burke: Money, Parents Hinder Youth Development.

I'm a huge believer in free-form sports. You know what I mean--playing kick ball outside in the yard or meeting at the park for a pick-up soccer or basketball game. Yet at some point high-level coaching and training and organized competition is necessary for young athletes who desire to persevere and progress in a sport.

If you can't afford the costs of high-level programs, what should you do? Well, I only recommend pushing the financial limits only if your child desires to persevere. There are sponsors, scholarships, and plain good will out there. You'll have to talk to coaches, parents, local program directors to find a potential route to success.

Progressing in youth sports is not always an easy path on the pocketbook. If your child is determined, driven, talented, and bugging the hell out of you to participate in a sport, then I encourage you to search for ways to help your child succeed. Just do it!

Girls, please toughen up...

Your twelve-year-old daughter runs across the field with her arms flapping and and swinging, holds up her lacrosse stick, and misses the ball. Yikes!

I'm fired up after seeing this scenario over and over again in a real-life youth lacrosse games. Perhaps I'm wrong, but as I see it, parents are babying their daughters too long.

Dads, I know you get out there and teach your sons to run, throw, and catch a ball at very young ages. But what about your daughters? Oh, my. Are you keeping those girls in the kitchen?

Your daughters are just as capable of learning athletic form and strategies as your sons. Even at young ages, there are travel teams in soccer, softball, and other sports that available for girls or boys. And I've seen young girls demonstrate just as much talent and good form as the boys. Go, girls!

Let's face it, many of us go easier on our daughters. There is no need for twelve-year-old girls to run around a field in a beehive like a bunch of preschoolers. Girls are not any more fragile than boys.

Please encourage your daughters to participate in sports with good form and with some strategy.

Sorry that I'm ranting, but I thought some of you could use a pep talk.

Kim

Against the Odds...

As we all know, many athletes train hard from very young ages. Now and then I hear a story about an athlete who waits until his high school years to try a sport and manages to prevail with success. If you saw The Blind Side movie, you know precisely what I'm talking about.

To my surprise, I stumbled upon one of these intriguing stories last week that we can all learn from. Basically, an inexperienced high school tennis coach pulled together a group of inexperienced tennis players. Do you want to hear the result? Read the article here (scroll down to "Brookhaven").

This is a nice reminder that pure heart, determination, and effort can go a long way. And it is quite inspiring when a coach and all the team members have these traits. Nice!

Sports Injuries: Navigating Medical Care

***Disclaimer*** I am not giving medical advice. I'm simply pointing out how a mom handled her daughter's injury situation. Please consult your physician for all formal medical advice.

My friend's daughter (Anne) fell and hit her toe on something. Within minutes, Anne's toe and foot were swollen. My friend (Michelle) took Anne to urgent care, and an x-ray revealed a broken bone in her toe and a possible broken growth plate. The doctor referred Anne to an orthopaedic physician for further analysis. Instead of taking Anne to see the orthopaedic physician, Michelle called her pediatrician who recommended seeing him first. The pediatrician reviewed the x-ray and declared that the toe was not broken. This was in direct contrast to the radiology report and the urgent-care doc's diagnosis.

Now what? Well, Michelle called me and asked what I would do--she knew I've dealt with at least 10 sports injuries with my own children, including approx. 4 broken ankles, 2 broken arms, an avulsion fracture in the hip, a broken collarbone, a high-ankle sprain, and many others. Again, I am not a medical expert. I am a mom that uses her best judgment, just like you.

First, I suggested that Michelle get another opinion since the 2 prior opinions contrasted each other. Next, I suggested that Michelle find an orthopaedic physician who specializes in pediatrics and in foot injuries or sports injuries. Why? Because she wanted the best possible person to read the x-ray and because she wanted clear parameters for treatment and for when-to-return-to-sports.

Michelle did exactly as I suggested. (Honestly, I'm sure it would have worked out if she hadn't taken my advice because Michelle has good judgment.) And she was please with the results. The orthopaedic physician (who specialized in pediatric sports injuries and in foot and ankle injuries) agreed with the urgent care doc--the toe was broken. He specifically told Anne to take a 2-week break from gymnastics class and from her volleyball league. He also told her to immobilize it with tape and walk normally because her pain and swelling at that point was minor. Then he asked her to return in 2 weeks for a re-check and to re-judge return-to-sports parameters. (I'm leaving out a few details here, but I think you can get the gist of it.)

At the 2-week check, a new x-ray revealed that the broken toe was healed. And the doctor cleared Anne to return to sports.

Medicine is an art and a science. It is not exact. You, the parent, usually navigates your child's medical care using your best judgment. When your child gets injured, there are often many choices and routes that are appropriate. I'd love to hear what choices you've made in the past and why the results were successful.

In the meanwhile, I hope your young athlete stays injury-free.

-Kim