SportsLetter

Swimming's wardrobe malady

Last week FINA, the governing body for swimming, released its updated list of approved swimwear for 2009.  Controversy surrounding the latest advances in high-tech swimwear has produced a tidal wave of emotion and debate in the swimming world.  Craig Lord revealed the depth of anxiety amongst swimming fans and aficionados in a passionate piece on SwimNews.com.  Brent S. Rushall of Sports Science Associates, and a critic of FINA’s handling of the issue, does a good job explaining how the suits increase swimmers’ speed, on his website.  [The link can't be opened from this page.  Cut and paste:  http://coachsci.sdsu.edu/swimming/bodysuit/burns.htm  ]

The issue at the elite level, of course, affects younger swimmers. With advanced technology comes advanced cost, making access to these performance-enhancing suits difficult for young swimmers.  Nevertheless, high school swimmers and coaches feel that they have no choice but to join the arms race.

Josh Katzowitz reports on Rivals High: “In the Ohio state championships, swimmers would wear their $300 blueseventy Nero models or their $500 Speedy LZR Racers, race in them to times never before accomplished, wash them out and pass them along to a teammate or friend.”  A freshman swimmer from Wyoming (Ohio) High School said, "Every guy you swim against has one of these suits, so if you don't have one, you're already behind when you jump in the pool."

Andy Pedersen, the boys' and girls' swim coach at Hamilton Southeast High School in suburban Indianapolis told Katsowitz, "I'm kind of an old-school guy and I did not want to deal with the suits . . . But I had to. I couldn't put our kids in a position to lose based on a suit. We're a Speedo team and we got some LZRs and we got some blueseventys. They were hard to come by. A lot of people complain about the price, but for me, that wasn't one of the factors.”

For some suburban teams, price may not be a factor, but at a time when USA Swimming has created a special task force to attract “economically disadvantaged youth” to the sport, the introduction of $500 swim suits creates a new barrier to participation. 

The last hurdle

As SportsLetter has pointed out previously, track and field is the second-most popular participatory high school sport for boys and girls in California.  Nationally, it is the second-most popular sport for girls and third-most for boys.  So, why doesn’t the elite version of the sport do better as a spectator sport in the US?  There were only 4,500 spectators at the 2009 adidas Track Classic held at Carson's Home Dept Center on May 16.  Reporter and blogger Alan Abrahamson recently asked the same question and proposed some solutions in an open letter to US Track & Field head honcho Doug Logan, who to his credit had some answers.

The health of high school sports

ESPNRise's Chris Lawlor had a chat with Bob Kanaby, the executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations, on the state of high school athletics in today's tough economy, including issues such as drug-testing, recruiting and revenue-streams.

The interview can be found here:  http://sports.espn.go.com/highschool/rise/news/story?id=4187239

Some excerpts:

"Schools cannot make payrolls and their districts are begging taxpayers to approve bloated budgets for the upcoming academic year. Athletic departments are especially hard-hit; sometimes failing to make the cut.

From his headquarters in Indianapolis, Kanaby tackles these issues tactfully. His mission is to maintain a level playing field for high school sports, while at the same time looking to add additional revenue streams, trying to make sense of national tournaments, directing and leading national committees and overseeing rules changes in various sports ... "

"ESPN RISE: Some have suggested 'pay for play,' while some schools have implemented this policy for years. Is this good? What's the alternative?

Kanaby: From my experience, it doesn't work. There are schools in 35 states that do it. We've seen an attendance drop where they have it; families won't move into a community where you have to pay extra. People aren't willing to pay for a beaker for the science class, why pay to play?"

Disney GOALS

Disney GOALS is dedicated to encouraging and promoting the social development and growth of low-income youth and building their self-esteem, primarily through participation in organized sports, supplemental education programs, mentor relationships, and community service.  One of the programs is the A+ Academy, designed for students in the Anaheim City School District who are off-track in school.  Anaheim City School District, Disney GOALS’ partner, provides the teachers for the academic enrichment sessions, while Disney GOALS oversees the athletic sessions.  Click here to learn more about Disney GOALS and the A+ Academy:  http://disney.go.com/goals/

Tomorrow on HBO's Real Sports Frank Deford takes a look at the lengths to which parents are going trying to produce athletic wunderkinder.

From HBO's website ( http://www.hbo.com/realsports/stories/2009/episode.146.s3.html )

"In today's ultra-competitive sports landscape, parents are going farther than ever to produce athletes with the ability to excel at the next level. Whether through private coaching, practicing almost nonstop, DNA testing to predict which sports a child is best suited to play or even selecting sperm donations from top athletes, parents seem willing to go as far as possible to produce children who obtain college scholarships or lucrative professional contracts. Are these parents pushing their kids to extremes, living vicariously through them or just doing everything within their power to help their children succeed? Correspondent Frank Deford investigates."

Us Too Gymnastics

Children with high functioning disabilities have many factors that complicate the quest for physical fitness.  In addition to physical limitations, a need to develop emotional boundaries and social skills, along with a natural tendency towards obesity can greatly restrict opportunities for sports and exercise.  These factors, combined with the isolation experienced by most families with special needs children, can make the most committed parent give up in frustration.

Of course, access to programs like those offered by Us Too Gymnastics is ideal for this profile of child, but a safe place with specially trained educators may not be available to all parents.  For these parents, a few helpful tips follow; 1) Use a heart monitor to teach your child about exercise intensity level – they will enjoy self-monitoring and you will not have to worry about them overdoing things.  2) Any physical activity is good.  Kicking a ball or shooting hoops is great, but even better are rhythmic, large muscle activities that may appeal to a disabled child’s natural affinity for rhythm.  Running, hopping, jumping and bicycling all fulfill this goal.  3) Add fun to activity with music or sing-along videos, and finally, for younger children, 4) Make colorful cards, cut pictures from magazines or use shapes and stuffed animals to bring songs alive.

Every child can find success and explore their potential, and physical activity is a wonderful gateway for special needs children.  Help your child explore the world by using sports and fun activities to explore the world inside your child: http://www.ustoogymnastics.org/

Tips on getting girls active

From the Women's Sports Foundation's GoGirlGo! Initiative:

"You've heard many of the reasons girls should be active. We know that if a girl does not participate in sports by the age of 10, there is only a 10% likelihood she will be participating at age 25 ... Research suggests that physical activity is an effective tool for reducing the symptoms of stress and depression among girls.  Sports help girls develop leadership and teamwork skills.  Girls who participate in sports have higher self-esteem and pride in themselves.  So how do you get the girls in your life to get on the path to being physically active and reaping all of these rewards?"

Click to find out more after the jump!

Concussions and high school athletes

High school athletes are suffering head injuries at an alarming rate, according to a recent article in USA Today.  Citing statistics from a study by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, it also points out that some athletes are returning to action much sooner than they ought to, quite possibly due to "inadequately trained personnel on the sidelines unprepared to make accurate diagnoses and informed decisions about sending players back on the field."

From the article:

Highest numbers of high school concussions last year were in:

• Football: 55,007
• Girls' soccer: 29,167
• Boys' soccer: 20,929
Source: Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio

Funding Little League Baseball

Tom Hoffarth of the Daily News directed readers of his blog to an AP story on the funding crisis in Little League Baseball.  Victims of a tight economy, teams and leagues nationwide are scrambling for dollars.  Moneyball takes on a whole new meaning.

National Physical Fitness and Sports Month

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month!  SportsLetter will be highlighting some of LA84 Foundation’s grantees who are getting kids active and playing sports.

How are YOU getting kids moving and playing?  This Celebration Toolkit will help you get started.