SportsLetter

Soccer or cross-country?

This has become an annual dilemma for many high school athletes.  In the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), cross-country is a fall sport with boys and girls soccer contested in the winter.  Still, athletes often are pressured to choose one sport over the other, and when one factors in travel or club soccer, cross-country coaches feel their sport is being deprived of some quality athletes. 

In the latest issue of Cross Country Journal a panel of coaches was asked: "what advice do you give an athlete who must choose between cross country and soccer?"  Some coaches agreed that it was important for high school coaches at schools to coordinate with each other so that an athlete is presented with an opportunity to play both sports.  Others were adamant that concerns about over-use injuries demand players choose one over the other. 

Some coaches even described the "sales pitches" they use to convince indecisive athletes that cross-country is the right choice.  And if a choice must be made, as Jerry Popp, of Willmar (MN) High School said: "... if athletes have to choose, I tell them to follow their hearts.  If our program is doing what it is supposed to, we will keep the kids who truly belong."

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate those kids

The end of summer is near, but the beginning of fall sports is at hand.  As temperatures soar to seasonal heights, it is important to remember to have young athletes take in enough fluids.

Research has shown that although young athletes, on average, perspire less than adult athletes, they also weigh less than adult athletes, so their water loss is magnified. Studies also have shown that when kids are offered flavored-beverages, their consumption of fluids increases; in some cases, up to 91% more than water consumption.

However, some dieticians caution that some sports drinks are nothing more than sugar water, and not necessary for younger children.  Is there a time and place for sports drinks in children's sports?

Yes, says Boston dietician and sports nutritionist Nancy Clark in this New York Times article:

“Most kids younger than 10 or 12 don’t work out hard enough to require” carbohydrate and electrolyte replenishment, she says. “They should be playing and having fun, even during games.” If, however, your 12-year-old or older athlete has begun competing at a more intense level, especially if he or she participates in multiple practices or competitions in a single day during the summer, “sports drinks are appropriate,” Clark says. The salt in the drinks increases the body’s ability to hold on to the fluid, she points out, and few kids object to the taste, although in at least one study, some young athletes reported that sports drinks upset their stomachs.  No one suggests that, outside of fields or courts, sports drinks are wise. “These are not health foods,” Clark says. “They’re fancy sugar water. You see kids having them with their pizza at lunch. That’s not a good idea.”

SL Interview: Author Joe Drape finds perfection in Smith Center, Kansas

Smith Center is a small town (population: 1,931) located about four hours west of Kansas City and just minutes from the geographical center of the continental United States.  What initially drew New York Times reporter Joe Drape to Smith Center is the high school football team: the Redmen have won 67 consecutive games, currently the longest winning streak in the nation.

In "Our Boys: A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen" (Times Books/Henry Holt ; Amazon), Drape chronicles the season that he (and his wife and young son) spent in Smith Center during 2008.  He writes about exchanging the fast-paced, urban stylings of New York City for life in a one-stoplight, Midwestern farming town. Wheat is the primary crop and the nearest McDonald's is 90 miles away.

Swapping Wall Street for Main Street, Drape found himself rejuvenated by the experience. Smith Center, Drape writes, is a town where youth sports have become an integral part of a tight-knit community that values dedicated effort and teamwork.  Led by Coach Roger Barta, the football team has provided years-long inspiration to the community; in turn, the community bonds together to nurture the kids.  One example Drape cites: the players on the football team appear on a set of trading cards that are distributed to the kids at the elementary school.  They must also sign a contract pledging to remain alcohol-, drug- and tobacco-free.  If they violate that contract, their cards are revoked and they must explain to the elementary school students why they were booted from the team.

A Kansas native, Drape has worked at The Dallas Morning News and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  Currently, he is a staff writer at the New York Times.  He is the author of "Black Maestro: The Epic Life of an American Legend" (Morrow/HarperCollins), a biography of African-American jockey Jimmy Winkfield and the winner of the Castleton Lyons-Thoroughbred Times Book Award, and "The Race for the Triple Crown: Horses, High Stakes and Eternal Hope" (Grove Press).  He is also the editor of a collection entitled "To the Swift: Classic Triple Crown Horses and Their Race for Glory" (St. Martin's).

SportsLetter spoke with Drape by phone from his home.

--David Davis

High-tech swimsuits banned in high school swimming

In May SportsLetter reported on the growing controversy surrounding the use of high-tech swimwear in international swimming.  SportsLetter also described the pressure felt by high school swim coaches to provide their swimmers with the expensive performance-enhancing suits.  Yesterday, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) announced that it was banning the suits from high school swimming. 

Below is an excerpt from the press release on the NFHS website:

"The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Swimming and Diving Rules Committee approved changes to Rule 3-2-2 that will make the high-tech swimsuit no longer a legal suit for swimmers at the high school level. The committee's recommendations were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

Effective immediately, swimmers shall be limited to one swimsuit, which shall be constructed of a woven/knit textile material, permeable to water and air, constructed so as not to aid in buoyancy, and shall not contain zippers or other fastening systems. In addition, the suit shall be constructed so that the style/shape for males shall not extend above the waist or below the top of the kneecap and for females shall not extend beyond the shoulders or below the top of the kneecap, and it shall not cover the neck."