Sport Specialization Syndrome

Summer camps are a great way for children to explore a variety of interests and sports. Just this past week, we had several kids participate in our football camp as a trial period for their interest. I commend their parents for using the camp system to test the waters of interest. Too often today, we (those in recreation and sports) are seeing the massive push for kids to be the best at a particular sport at an earlier age. Therefore, they are not experiencing or developing their bodies and minds for other sport/recreation disciplines. As I have been observing this trend over the last several years, I really believe its a microcosm of our culture as a whole - you have to be bigger and better at all costs.

Recently I was pleased to see in the Sports Illustrated magazine on June 7, an article pertaining to the topic mentioned above. Dr. James Andrews, leading orthopedic surgeon and director of the American Sports Medicine Institute, says that "we are seeing kids hurt before they even have a chance to become athletes." Andrews' sports medicine clinics are filling up with kids who are playing one sport year round in order to get the exposure and skill needed to make the junior varsity or local travel baseball team. A whopping 60% of the athletes that Andrews sees are now high school players or younger! Dr. Andrews says, "I don't think epidemic is too strong a word." Today it is common to see stress fractures in cross country runners, frayed ligaments in soccer players, and strained elbows and shoulders in baseball and tennis players. And the reason for the large number of injuries - sports specialization. Parents today must pay attention to the amount of activity their athletes participate in and ensure they are doing enough different activities that create proper muscle development as well as emotional development. The physical and emotional stress placed on our kids is in return giving us discouraging numbers in both health and participation in sports.

Here are a couple of recommendations to think about: It is recommended that kids "cross-train" in order to develop their bodies properly. Make a choice to encourage your child to play a variety of sports at an early age. Choosing one sport year round will create burnout for your child by age thirteen. Support your child one sport at a time. Don't sign your child up for two or more sports within the same season. Make sure your child is also playing a variety of positions throughout the season. Eliminate the same mechanical motions day after day. Teach the game from different perspectives.

While every parent of a child playing sports wants them to excel and make it to the college ranks or as a professional athlete, you have to ensure first that they are having fun and you are providing a positive experience for them. Besides, most professional athletes didn't decide their professional sport until college. Encourage your kid to try a variety of sports and activities. Give them time to develop, and don't chase the trends of our culture. Let them be kids and enjoy the game!

For more information on safety tips for sports, visit www.stopsportsinjuries.org.

Rec Interns

Awe..... the freshness of having Recreation Interns this summer!

Each summer the recreation ministry is provided the means to hire summer interns. And I love it. For several reasons: they are enthusiastic and breathe life into our ministry, they fill the gaps needed while volunteers are on vacation, and they are given the opportunity to lead and develop ministry skills.

This summer we welcome back Hunter Goins and Will Hausenfluck. And we welcome to our team Logan Spiers. Throughout the summer season they will stimulate interesting conversations among our staff as they are at different levels of college and areas of interest. I never thought I would be old enough to say this, but they are keeping our staff young! They will be, and currently are, responsible for planing and leading Vacation Bible School recreation, organizing a Monday night student recreation league, working the rec center desk, organizing equipment, and touching up the facilities. An intern will basically do it all! That's why I /we love them.

Investing in others and providing the opportunity for people to explore ministry and lead is one of my passions. It's going to be a great summer!

Camping out on Psalm 139

Football camp is underway this week with forty campers and 12 coaches. The lines have been painted, the field prepared, end zones set, and temperatures over 100 degrees! Oh yeah, are you ready for some football?

Throughout the camp our staff works hard to teach the game of football. From drills and skills that teach speed / agility, catching and receiving, passing, and defense. Each station is equipped with coaches ready to help each player develop into the best football player they can become. And each coach is prepared to help each player recognize the person God created them to be.

The camp verse for the week is Psalm 139:14 - "I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way. What you have done is wonderful. I know this very well." As we gather for our Game Plan Speaker time, this verse is taught and applied to specific sport attributes. There are several truths we want our campers to take home both athletically and spiritually. First, we teach on the concept of success. I love John Wooden's definition of success, "Knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming." Because of God's great creation of us as people and individuals, we can focus on becoming the best we are capable of rather than focusing on others and comparing ourselves to their abilities, lifestyles, and personalities. In order for us to see the potential inside of us and becoming the best we can, we must first see that we are God's creation and He has done an amazing work. With that perspective, we can then understand that our success is defined and built in/through our Creator.

We then build on this lesson with the concept of poise. Poise is often thought of as being calm or self assured. But poise can be defined simply by "just being yourself." Remember, God created you in an amazing and wonderful way. Learning to live in daily belief of who God has created you to be, will always lead to living in a spirit of calmness, becoming the best you can be, and facing difficult or anxious moments with self control.

The last part of our camp verse for the week leads us to the final concept of living in confidence. Unfortunately our world celebrates arrogance and self confidence. In many arenas, people are promoting themselves every chance they get. But when we look at the last part of the passage above, it says, "I know this very well." Knowing is not just head knowledge or a hopeful thought. It is a daily surrender to believe that you are amazing because of the image in which you have been created -God's. While our athletes are preparing themselves for on field success through drills and skills this week, we also want them to know that it is God who has equipped them for life and Godliness. Because of His plan for each our lives we are able to live in confidence each day.

When we live in God's perspective and understanding of who we are and the potential that is within each of us, we then can become the person or athlete we want to be. Remember, it's confidence in God and His work in us, rather than ourselves.

Making Time for Conversation

Recently I was reading ESPN the Magazine. In each issue they have a professional athlete that writes particular stories about life in the professional sports world. This past article was about the on field conversations that take place throughout a baseball game.

For most of us, we see and hear the umpires, the crack of the bats, the sound of vendors barking sales, gloves popping, and reactions from both players and fans. It's part of the thrill of the game. But for major league players, there is another element taking place: the on field conversation. While these players know each other, they rarely have time to spend with each other. So, while playing against one another, it's catch up time. The conversations that happen on the field and in between innings consist of wishing each other luck in the next series, critiquing the pitchers, how funny someone looks in a uniform or acting in a commercial. One player wished the base runner good luck just prior to yelling out, "Running" before the steal. And of course, there are the third party conversations between player, bat boy, and fan that even take place. Who would have thought that while the average fan is locked into the atmosphere of the game, it's the players time to communicate with each other.

So, who are we talking to and what about? Everyday we cross paths with people we work with, people we do not know, and people who our in our lives at the start and conclusion of each day (family). And it seems we have gotten so busy with our schedules that our conversations have slowed down. Creating opportunities for conversation has become more of an art form than a past time at the local market or dinner table.

Having and developing relationships is important. Christ lived His life conversing with others about their lives and His. He found ways to engage them and talk about everyday experiences while communicating His love with them. As you go about your day, look for ways to communicate with people. It's not always going to be the long conversations, but rather the one minute impacting ones. The scripture speaks about the person who speaks a word of encouragement, speaks truth in love, and whose words add salt to the conversation. Be a person of communication. Listen to those talking, engage others around you, and share a word of encouragement through Christ's love.

Graduation # 1

This weekend I will be celebrating the first high school graduation of our family. My son Tyler has completed (I hope no last minute surprises) his 12 years of education. Several interesting facts about his 12 years are that he has lived in two different countries (spoke English, Arabic, French), two different states, seven different school systems and eleven different homes.

In watching him prepare for graduation, I found myself reflecting back to my high school graduation. As the years have passed I can not really remember the feelings or emotions I had on that last week of school or graduation night. So I decided to look back at both our achievements and compare. What I found was this:

Things in common between us:

1. A High School Diploma
2. Accepted in to college (Chowan College for me and George Mason Univ. for Tyler)
   

Things not in common between us: (Tyler's awards that I did not receive)

1. Hanover Scholar
2. 4.1 Grade Point Average
   
3. Principles Service Award
4. National Honor Society
5. BETA
6. Weighted Internship TV 99

Well done son. You have pressed on toward the goal despite many relocation's and making of new friends at each place. You stayed focused on your task ahead and trusted Christ's direction for your life.

Although our achievements may be somewhat different, I am still two more degrees up on you!
(In time I am sure you will pass this as well)

Have Fun Go Nuts

The buzz phrase at The Diamond is: Have Fun Go Nuts! The Richmond Flying Squirrels continue to promote themselves in a positive manner and reinforce family and baseball as a winning combination.

Last night I had the opportunity to head to the Diamond to see the Squirrels play the Double A Mets. Myself and youngest son Brendan were invited to join Renton Arkesteyn and his son Caleb. Caleb and Brendan are the same age and will be playing fall ball together in September.

The night started out with a free Inaugural Baseball and an invitation for Brendan and Caleb to play a middle inning game on the field. We then headed to the picnic area for a full buffet of hot dogs/burgers/ribs/drinks/and salad.

At the fifth inning, the kids headed down to the field to get ready for their game. Caleb on the first base line and Brendan on the third. With the fans cheering, they raced back and forth building a pizza. From putting out the crust, to laying on the cheese and pepperoni. In great stride they finished strong and each given a Ledo pizza to enjoy. We then headed back to our seats next to the Mets bullpen and they worked tirelessly in gaining the attention of future Major League players. By the end of the night, they both received a legit Eastern league baseball that was used on the field of play.

What a night for us fathers at the ball park. To watch out kids dream about playing baseball, to seeing them on the field playing in the half inning game, to receiving a baseball from the players. It's what a night at the park should be. It was a night that allowed for Renton and I to have memories with our kids. And it was a night that the boys could Have Fun and Go Nuts!

New Age Joshua's

The World cup is under way. Soccer games, I mean football games, are being played each day in South Africa with great anticipation. And while I know our attention is supposed to be drawn to the actual matches being played, it appears that the players and teams have been robbed by the sound of buzzing bees....The Vuvuzelas. Vuvuzelas are South African horns being played throughout each match. While you can not see them through the TV screen, you certainly can hear the awful buzzing noise over the commentators. They have become a popular expression of soccer that is rocking the World Cup.

While thinking about or trying to comprehend the concept of the Vuvuzelas, I couldn't help but think back and wonder what the people thought about Joshua and the horns of his people (Joshua 6:1 - 20). If the people of the world are irritated by cheering fans blowing horns, what was the level of irritation when Joshua's peeps started to blow their trumpets for a victory at Jericho? Even I asked the question during the USA / England match, "what's up with these buzzing horns in the background? They are going to do what?" Certainly that was the same thought people had when Joshua gave instruction for the them to shout and sound the trumpets. The result was a wall falling down for a victory. God was glorified.

While I am not sure the Vuvuzelas will guarantee a victory for any team, it is safe to say they have grabbed our attention. Whether you like them or not, they have created a buuzzzzzzzz.