Springing Outside

Yesterday was the official first day of Spring, and I am excited for spending more and more time outdoors with my LO! I'm sure you can tell by now, but playing sports and staying active is a huge part of our lives, from both my hubs family and mine. Not to say I'm a sucker for reminiscing about the good ol' days of playing outdoors with all of my cousins... from kickball... to pretend carnivals... to ice skating (aka rollerblading). We LOVED being outside and using our imaginations to be whatever we wanted to be. And I will fully support that with Mata and his sister-to-be!

Yes, it would be great if he picked up a sport here and there (football never disappoints my cheering game!), BUT I also don't wanna be a parent who pressures him to be this or that... not as young as he is anyway. So you can imagine how excited I am that Mata loves any type of ball, ever since he was able to hold his first Husker football. He loves watching me chase after the ball that rolls down the street when he throws it out to nobody. I may get tired after the 5th ball rolling down the street, but it's well worth hearing him laugh and giggle.

I swear there's such a huge difference in my LO's attitude and sleep from when we spend time outdoors rather than staying inside the whole day. Moving to Nebraska requires some tolerance of winter days meaning you just can't seem to leave the house when it's freezing and snowing. BUT it also makes us that much more grateful for gorgeous days where we can actually enjoy the weather outside!

In any case, if you're wondering what we've been up to lately... a whole lot of sunshine and catching some fresh vitamin D outdoors!

From the Eyes of the Child

We're a household full of LOVE... for each other and for the game of football! There's no doubt in my mind that we will expose our baby boy to sports once he's old enough to stand [okay, maybe old enough to learn how to run with the ball in his hand]. In any case, staying active will be our focus as we raise him... whether that means football, golf, polo, basketball, or just working out! It means so much to the Hubs and I for him to be on the move and appreciate the outdoors so much as we did when we were little kiddos.

As important as this is to us, we also can recognize things that may suck the simple joy out of being active... in a sport or just being a kiddo [read more on this great article on Changing the Game Project blog]. I keep hearing and seeing how things are changing in our athletic world today, even in youth sports. Parents are arguing aggressively in the stands at flag football games, putting too much pressure on their child to perform at impeccable standards when coaches are around, expecting consistent PT (playing time) on a team that many players on the roster, or even making academics secondary just so their child can make extra lessons or play on travel ball. Don't get me wrong, I may be partaking in some of these actions... in moderation and fairness. However, what I don't believe in is draining a child from the happiness while playing these sports.

My dad was very supportive of sports I wanted to play and activities I wanted to pursue. To continue these standards within my family, my hope and wish is to remain patient and understanding of my baby boy's perspective in life. THIS is the starting point of sharing our knowledge and shaping our future generation.

How are you staying tune with your kiddos' perspectives?

Balancing in Cleats and Books

Practice, classes, lift, meetings, study table, homework... all too familiar to student-athletes. Whether you're in college, high school, middle school or even younger- trying to juggle life in cleats and with the books is an endless struggle. Student-athletes go through such a straneous process, mentally and physically. They test their bodies in the physical practices they have... they exhaust their mental capacity by learning so many new things throughout class and even in meetings for their sport!

One football player from Dordt College captured an amazing documentary of what a glimpse of his life looks like behind closed doors, in which you can appreciate the hard labor these student-athletes are exuberating!

You might be a parent of a child who is starting to play sports... or you might be a student-athlete yourself. Whichever the case, there are a few things that you can start to practice that might help overcome some obstacles during these difficult years:

1. Master TIME MANAGEMENT
You just might feel like there's something to do every waking minute. To be honest, this is a great lesson for what's to come once you start working in your career field! Every day presents itself with the same number of minutes and hours. It all lies in how you utilize those minutes and where you want to spend that time in order to fulfill the best YOU. If you have scheduled meetings or classes, make the best of those minutes and find a moment to seek happiness in what you're doing. Here's more to say about managing your time in this J&BT post.

2. NETWORK
There are so many students in the same boat as you that surround you day in and day out (aka your teammates). BUT, if you are able to grab a quick coffee or lunch with someone from your classroom, you can start to build relationships that can steer you in a specific direction for life after sports. Check out this J&BT post for more happs in networking, or this J&BT post for some ideas for convo starters.

3. Get plenty of REST
Sleep is such a sacred thing. Some of us cherish it, while others abuse it. Our bodies and brains recharge at it's best when we rest as much as we can. Put away those cell phones, turn off that tv, and lie in bed with a clear mind. Try not to think about what you have to do the next day, or what you didn't do earlier throughout the day. Just BE... and allow yourself 6-8 hours of beauty rest so you can rejuvinate yourself for practice and school (or work)!

I also recommend a great article titled, "8 Tips for Being a Great Sports Parent" written on Changing the Game Project. He talks about some great insights we can appreciate as parents to support our children who play sports.

The truth of the matter is that you will always have to balance in life. Cleats and books... work and family... time and happiness... children and career... on and on and on. The best thing we can do for ourselves and others is to be as present as we possibly can to whatever it is we are doing in the moment.

How do you balance?

Sports in Numbers

I'm not the type of person to memorize numbers or stats when speaking on any topic. BUT there are some numbers that are just mind-boggling when I do read about them. Even further, it's astonishing to interpret the stats into an actual real life stories, some in which I want to share with you all today:

FOOTBALL
Did you know...
     There are +1 million high school football players?
     Of these high school players, only 6.5% will play in college?
     Of these college players, less than 2% are drafted by the NFL?

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Did you know...
     There are +430,000 high school basketball players?
     Only 3.8% of these high school players will play in college?
     Less than 1% of these college players will be drafted in the WNBA?

BASEBALL
Did you know...
     There are +480,000 high school baseball players?
     Only 6.9% of these high school players will play in college?
     8.6% of these college players will be drafted by the MLB?

Ultimately, this means that majority of our kids that are playing the game from high school (some even earlier on) through college are NOT going to make it to the pros to play ball (which is no surprise based on this post). The call to action here is simple... we need to put more focus on preparing our student-athletes as best as we can to rely on their education and networking resources to pursue another type of career!

This can mean... sprucing up the resume  //  creating or updating a LinkedIn profile  //  being productive during the summer breaks  //  benefit from some professional coaching (more to come on this offering soon!)  //  conducting informational interviews with professionals and/or coaches.

If you're a student-athlete yourself, or are a parent to a student-athlete (or any parent!.. you never know what sport your little one may be playing), or maybe a coach or a friend or a relative... don't wait until after graduation to address these concerns. There are so many resources to take advantage of during school and even in preparation for college. You're always more than welcome to email me if you're interested in learning more about these offerings!

*Stats cited from NCAA website