#Get a Grip Newsletter, #9
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Hello fellow coaches and parents,
We have had a big week in women's sports! Congratulations to Coco Gauff winning her first WTA title, at the age of 15, Simone Biles becoming the most decorated gymnast in history, and Brigid Kosgei smashed the marathon world record! You can find a link to article on both in the "From My Desk" section below.
This newsletter issue I have an article written by an extraordinary member of our coaching community, here in San Diego, Ron Marquez. Ironically, Ron and I met for the first time when he was a ballperson for one of my matches in the late 80s. I cringe to think of what I muttered under my breath between points.
We all watch matches on tv and see the ballpersons on the courts with the players. So, I asked Ron to share his experiences up close and personal with professional players as a ballperson. I don't know about you, but I get squeamish every time they have to handle the player's sweaty towels between points. Yuck!
Thanks for reading and thank you to Ron Marquez for contributing this issue's article!
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My experience as a ballperson was awesome! I got to be closer than anyone in the stadium to the best professional tennis players in the world. I was able to see pro tennis in a way that not very many others get to see. I got to hear the sound of the ball coming off their racquets, the shuffling of their feet on the court, see their mannerisms and superstitions up close, and hear what they say to themselves between points & on changeovers. I got to experience their perspective of the match. Being a tennis player who loved the game, this was incredible!
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These three women are young. They're powerful. And they just made history.
You'll want to remember their names. This trio of female athletes just had quite a weekend.One flipped her way to becoming the most decorated gymnast ever. One served her way to becoming the youngest tennis titlist in 15 years. And one ran really fast for 26.2 miles to smash a world record.
Staying in the Game: Progress and Challenges in Youth Sports
In the often confusing and frustrating world of youth sports, some progress is being made. The Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program’s Project Play discovered these trends within research of kids ages 6 to 12:
NBA Stars Study Hollywood’s Playbook in China
With their own lucrative brands to protect, basketball players now have to navigate sensitive relations with Beijing. It’s time to learn the rules that American movie stars have followed for decades.
How to Help Your Child Succeed at School
In the high-pressure, high-stakes game of school, it can be difficult to know which parenting strategies really promote learning.
Family Dinners:
5 Ways to Make Them Happen Even With Homework and After School Activities
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During a recent presentation, I was asked a question that I had not thought about and honestly had no answer. So, I want to put it out to all our coaches and parent readers and see if you have an answer for us.
"Is there an issue with performance-enhancing supplements and/or drugs in the elite junior and collegiate ranks? And, what do you do if a parent asks you what is available?"
I know there is an issue with recreational drugs at the ITF junior level. Unfortunately, these issues are everywhere with teenagers, and we don't get a hall pass because our children play sports. I honestly have never thought about the performance-enhancing supplements/drugs at the younger ages.
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“Coach Parenting": Raising Teenagers with Advice from Pro Head Coaches, by Erika Katz
Did you ever wonder why your teenagers listen to their coaches and not to you? It’s because their coaches hold them accountable! Show up on time or get benched! If you want to turn your family into a championship team, take a page out of the playbook of the NFL’s greatest head coaches and start parenting like a coach!
Between the constant texting, crazy sleep habits, insatiable appetites, and pushback at every turn, it’s easy to wonder how you’re going to raise your sons and daughters to be responsible young adults. Grab your clipboard, because Erika Katz has sought the advice of Super Bowl-winning head coaches John Harbaugh, Tom Coughlin, Jimmy Johnson, Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and Howie Long, and so many more! Katz took their coaching advice and developed a parenting technique that is life changing for parents of teenagers. Katz’s unprecedented access to these renowned coaches provides parents with a guide to commanding the respect of their home and getting the whole family to work toward common goals!
Through entertaining anecdotes and easy-to-follow tips, Coach Parenting gives parents the tools we need to put our teenage sons and daughters on the path to success!
Erika Katz is a parenting expert regularly featured on The Today Show, Fox News, The Doctors, Access Hollywood, Access Hollywood Live, Inside Edition, NBC News 4 New York, Fox 5 New York, CBS2 New York, PIX11 News, and Telemundo.
Has anyone else read this book or have a great book to share? I would love your thoughts and suggestions in our
#Get a Grip Facebook Group. Or you can
EMAIL me here.
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This issue's
Meaningful Meals
conversation starter:
"What strengths do you bring to your family, and do you feel they are appreciated?"
This issue's
Meaningful Meals
recipe:
Casa Moseman Homemade Granola. Quick shout out to a friend, and fellow mom, of D1 athletes (volleyball and rugby), Kris Moseman. Kris is an fantastic cook and recently shared her homemade granola "method".
Granola makes a great yogurt and açaí topping as well as a snack on the go for healthy athletes.
I will attempt to put Kris' "granola method" into "recipe" form.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups rolled oats (not instant)
- 3 cups nuts or seeds of any variety and combination. In the picture below Kris used chopped almonds, flax seeds, pipits, sunflower seeds, pecans, and raisins
- 1/3 cup oil (canola, vegetable, or coconut)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup honey and/or maple syrup
- I teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Options to add:
- dried cranberries, cherries, or diced apricots
- any nut or seed
- butter instead of oil
- shredded coconut
- wheat germ
- omit sugar and add more honey
- agave syrup instead of sugar and honey
- one whipped egg white
Directions:
- Heat oven to 300 degrees
- Place oats, nuts, and seeds in a large bowl (equal amount of oats to nuts)
- Mix the oil, vanilla, and honey or maple syrup in a small bowl.
- Pour liquids over the oat mixture and stir until all the oats and nuts are coated
- Mix all ingredients. Proportions are flexible. You just don't want it too wet or too dry. If the mixture is too dry, add more honey. If too wet, add more oats and nuts.
- Spread evenly on a large sheet pan
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes so it doesn't burn. Note that it can be less time, if you use a very dark sheet pan.
It takes some practice to make it to your family's preferences. Have fun with some family time and let the kids experiment.
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This issue, I am spotlighting an incredible organization here in San Diego,
Voices for Children. I have many close friends who are active in advocating for children in the foster system, either as leaders of the organization, as CASAs, or raising much needed funds.
Voices for Children is the nonprofit organization that operates the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program for San Diego and Riverside Counties. CASAs are volunteers who are matched with a child or sibling group in foster care and advocate to ensure their needs are being met.
Children who find themselves in foster care have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Many feel alone and afraid—until they meet their CASA. While the foster care system comprises many talented and passionate professionals, it is also overburdened. A lawyer may represent 100 or more children, and a social worker may juggle a caseload of more than 25 families.
CASA volunteers devote their attention to one child or a sibling group, closely monitoring each child’s situation and advocating in their best interest. A CASA is often the only consistent adult presence in a foster child’s life—the one person a child can truly count on who is not paid to oversee their welfare.
Aside from their time spent with the child, CASAs communicate with all of the other adults in a child’s life – teachers, doctors, lawyers, biological families, social workers, and caregivers. With the knowledge they glean, they request important services for a child, such as counseling, tutoring, physical therapy, or medical services. At critical junctures in the case, they submit written reports to the court, which can be entered as evidence in the case and upon which dependency judges rely to make important decisions about the child’s future.
Please take a moment to watch these two video, so you can see why individuals of all backgrounds have decided to become a CASA.
“Why I Am a CASA”, or watch
“Corrin’s Story” to see how a CASA made all the difference for one former foster youth.
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I love meeting my readers. Please email me to ask a question and share your thoughts on #Get a Grip.
Do you have ideas for books, recipes, and organizations that we should share in a future newsletter?
If so, click here to email me!
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Thank you for reading!
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