tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48318595864075328722024-03-18T21:00:33.141-04:00STATS DADA dad blog that covers the drama, comedy and competition of youth sports in America.STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.comBlogger404125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-71709097124714287242014-03-24T23:24:00.000-04:002014-03-25T14:26:57.940-04:00Switching Sports at Age 15
Can a young athlete change sports at age 15 and find success?
My son's baseball career came to an abrupt end after playing at the highest level from age 9 to 14. A nagging elbow injury limited his ability to throw hard enough to compete on elite teams anymore. He could have moved to a lower level team, but he had lost his love for the game after three years of constant ice and physical therapy.
STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com250tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-53465651068456114932014-03-16T09:51:00.000-04:002014-03-17T09:54:46.877-04:00Youth Sports or Science Fair?
If your young athlete had to choose between competing in a sports tournament or a science fair what would you do?
In December, my daughter, CC, worked on her science fair project. All honors students in her school were required to participate. My daughter decided to study beach erosion after seeing the destruction of the New Jersey beaches from Hurricane Sandy. She replicated a shoreline and STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com121tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-32326535577462537482014-02-04T23:47:00.000-05:002014-02-05T16:48:38.618-05:00Youth Volleyball: Crazy Weekend, Crazy Money SpentI had to share my crazy youth sports weekend and the ridiculous amount of money I spent because of it.
Flash back to November, my wife and I planned a five day getaway trip. Five days is about all I can handle being away from the kids. We planned to leave on Sunday, January 26th and return on a Friday, January 30th. We typically plan our getaways on a Sunday to Friday schedule for two reasons: STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-34983724808832705272013-09-08T09:57:00.003-04:002013-09-09T11:52:26.393-04:00Youth Soccer: Is Field 6 Cursed?
Field #6 is cursed at the Mead CUSA Cup Invitational in Beavercreek, OH.
What is wrong with field #6 at the Ankeney soccer complex in Beavercreek. Was it built on an ancient indian burial ground? Something ugly always seems to happen on this field when I stand on the sidelines.
Flash Back
On April 20, 2010, my son played in what I think was the dirtiest game of soccer that I have STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-4125208961566135002013-07-25T05:57:00.000-04:002013-07-25T16:59:05.310-04:00Youth Basketball: What Makes A Basketball Player a Great Leader
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STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-46306178027674716352013-06-11T17:51:00.004-04:002013-06-11T17:51:58.741-04:00What do I need to know and do to play basketball in college?
BasketballHQ developed an infographic that will help answer the question - What do I need to know and do to play basketball in college?
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The Main Point
It is not easy to get a scholarship or even play at the STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-90436719566010384082013-05-27T08:01:00.000-04:002013-09-09T12:00:08.981-04:00Youth Soccer: Horrible Egotistical RefIt is so unfortunate when the outcome of a game is determined by questionable refs. It happened 3 times this weekend for my daughter's team. The refereeing in each game got progressively worse.
I am not one to complain about the refs, but I could not contain myself yesterday. I know that they are not professionals. I know that it is not easy to ref a game. I know that they take unnecessary abuseSTATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com178tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-9256229821979006252013-05-21T06:00:00.000-04:002013-05-21T11:00:22.012-04:00Youth Soccer: Fighting for a PositionMy daughter, CC, is in a fight for a starting position for the first time in her soccer career. She has been a standout soccer player since she was 6 years old. Recently, she was selected to the Ohio State Pool ODP team as a goalie after making it through 3 tryout phases. That does not seem to matter as the club season comes to an end.
During her 12 years, she has made every team she has ever STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-65314212306594720562013-05-13T22:27:00.002-04:002013-05-13T22:27:33.606-04:00Youth Hockey: Unbelievable FightYou just have to watch it. You will not believe it. The fight between two Russian youth hockey teams (U12) was so big that the two refs could not do anything about it. Where were the coaches during this? The parents behind the glass just watched. No one in the stands seems overly concerned. Perhaps they were as stunned as I was just watching the video. I find this video a bit hard to STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-88273136117003481232013-05-10T06:30:00.000-04:002013-05-10T11:31:10.591-04:00Youth Track: Religious Gesture Disqualifies Winning TeamA religious gesture to "God" disqualified a winning relay track team at a Texas high school recently. The track team from Columbus High School (the Mighty Cardinals) won the 4 X 100m relay by 7 meters. The anchor leg runner, Derrick Hayes, made a simple "finger point to the sky". It was an impulsive action from a kid who was raised to thank God. The God gesture was not excessive in any way, STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-65671289843504989482013-05-05T09:17:00.003-04:002013-05-05T09:17:42.918-04:00Youth Sports: Hanging up the Spikes to Spike a VolleyballMy son, Nic, was born to play baseball. Or so I thought. He excelled at baseball at a young age. Age 10 he played on a super elite team. That team went on to be finalist in the CABA World Series and Nic was named to the All Tournament Team. He could hit and he had a great arm. He set his dreams on playing in college and perhaps beyond.
I was amazed at how hard he could throw a baseball at STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-40378360425431078222013-02-25T22:17:00.000-05:002013-02-26T16:20:05.405-05:00Youth Basketball: Feel Good StoryMy last post was about some poor sportsmanship from a dad. This story about good sportsmanship more than makes up for the poor actions of a mis-guided dad.
In this story, a high school senior with some developmental issues scores a basket at the buzzer and the assist came from an unlikely player.
The Main Point
This blog is about the good, the bad and the ugly. This is the good side of STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-67914346995088995902013-02-21T22:42:00.000-05:002013-02-22T10:43:36.980-05:00Youth Sports: Stupid Immature ParentCrazy Youth Sports Parent Alert. You are not going to believe this one.
What do you think about the ACE cheer in girls volleyball?
If you have ever watched girls volleyball you know that, the players on the court form a circle and on girls on the bench stand up in a line and they all do a coordinated cheer after each service ACE. My daughter's team stomps their feet right, left, right three STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-60609697249950265042013-02-04T06:12:00.000-05:002013-02-04T09:13:35.333-05:00Youth Volleyball: 23 Things I learned at my First JO TournamentMy daughter recently gave up AAU basketball to concentrate on soccer and volleyball. So I went to our first Junior Olympic Volleyball Tournament this weekend. This is what I observed.
JO Volleyball tournaments may only be one day events, but they are long and grueling - we arrived at 7am and left at 6pm.
Teams in a 12 team event are guaranteed 4 matches.
Each game lasted about STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-2247127785419024432013-01-24T23:04:00.000-05:002013-01-25T12:04:58.690-05:00Youth Soccer: How to Make an ODP team (Part 2)If you do not think that your kid made a team after tryouts, do you prepare them for it? I did.
My daughter, CC, started the tryout process for the Ohio ODP team (Olympic Development Program) in November.
The process started with fall training / tryouts for the District 1 team. Ohio has three Districts. The initial District tryouts / training took place over two weekends in November (outdoorsSTATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-39076674161629765802013-01-18T17:19:00.001-05:002013-01-18T17:19:16.765-05:00Youth Sports: Winning at all CostsIf the win at all costs, Lance Armstrong, is the most despicable athlete on earth right now, then Basque runner Ivan Fernandez Anaya is the most admirable.
During a cross country race in Burlanda, Navarre, Ivan was outpaced by Abel Mutai, the London Olympic Bronze Medalist in the 3000M. Ivan ran a good race, but trailed Abel by a wide margin entering the final stretch. Abel, who had an STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-13000471953370727432012-11-14T05:56:00.000-05:002012-12-07T09:15:54.200-05:00Growing Up and Away From SportsThere comes a time when one realizes his or her sports career is coming to an end. It is a depressing time. It was for me.
My youth sports career was limited by my lack of focus. I played soccer and basketball and baseball and tennis and golf. I did not play any of these sports at a high level. I didn't even know that there were higher levels above town leagues. And I guess my parents were not STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com126tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-46394921466740871022012-11-11T23:15:00.000-05:002012-11-13T10:56:24.568-05:00I swear I didn't make my daughter play injured.I do not miss many games at all. I am lucky to have a job that I can manage my own schedule fairly easily.
I do not miss my kid's games because I do not want to miss the action. I want to be there when my daughter sinks a three at the buzzer or when my son makes a birdie on 18 to win a tournament. I want to see their faces when it happens. I want them to see my proud reactions too. I also want STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-64294887517615420222012-11-04T11:47:00.000-05:002012-11-06T11:59:58.289-05:00Youth Soccer: How to Make an ODP TeamI'm back after a short vacation from blogging. Work has been very busy so I needed to take a hiatus.
Last year, my daughter, CC, was planning on participating in ODP (Olympic Development Program). I described the ODP program and process in a detailed post at that time. When sign ups came around last year, however, CC decided to pass. She who was burned out from all the sports she STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-24895600954107440142012-09-27T23:23:00.000-04:002012-09-28T09:47:08.289-04:00Youth Sports: How to Get Great Action Photos
Do you want clean, crisp action shots with little or no blur in both indoor and outdoor settings like the images below?
First of all great shots start with the right equipment. Here is the camera that we use and I recommend.
Get a Nikon D7000 camera. It has a terrific processor, an expanded ISO range and shoots 6 STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-35122025576774904952012-09-24T21:51:00.000-04:002012-09-26T13:59:42.497-04:00Nike FuelBand is perfect for inactive kids and parentsMy kids gave me a Nike Fuel Band for my birthday. Well, that is not completely true.
My cash-strapped kids recommended it. My wife actually gave me a Nike FuelBand, but she put the kid's name on the box.
When I opened the gift, there were two Nike FuelBands in it. A M/L for me and a S for my wife. His and hers matching Nike FuelBands.
So if you think about it, I technically, I gave myself two STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-85885150518825480732012-09-18T22:12:00.000-04:002012-09-19T10:20:02.259-04:00Youth Sports: Preventing Sexual AbuseThe best thing that you can do as a youth sports parent is to make your kid feel comfortable talking to you about anything. The second best thing to do is ask questions and listen attentively to what is said and perhaps not said.
Here are two situations where I talked with my daughter, listen attentively and helped her out of an uncomfortable situation.
2nd Grade YMCA Basketball
In second STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-18220559096409547872012-09-12T23:30:00.000-04:002012-09-13T17:33:01.803-04:00Youth Football: $60 Million High School StadiumFootball is big in Ohio, but not as big as it is in Texas.
Check out the new $60M stadium at Allen High School in Allen, Texas, a suburb of Dallas.
This $60,000,000 stadium seats 18,000 people, has a three-tiered press box, and a huge 26 ft by 44 ft jumbotron. I'm sure Jerry Jones was impressed with this until he heard that Carthage HS spent $750,000 on a 1,200 sq foot scoreboardSTATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com67tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-42885241880079894132012-09-11T05:32:00.000-04:002012-09-11T17:48:58.532-04:00Youth Baseball: Pitchers Should Wear Helmets
Oakland A's pitcher Brandon McCarthy was hit in the head by a line drive. The blow to the head instantly dropped him to the ground. He was able to get up and walk off the field, but he suffered a epidural hemorrhage, a brain contusion and a fracture skull that required a two hour surgery.
Brandon McCarthy was lucky, he was released from the hospital today.
There have been kids that were not soSTATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4831859586407532872.post-10537821351748326042012-09-09T09:28:00.000-04:002012-09-09T10:02:17.406-04:00Youth Sports: Is God In or Out?In Bremen, Georgia, local high school football fans would not be bullied by a Wisconsin-based Atheist group who filed a lawsuit to stop the pre-game prayer. The cash strapped school district could not fight the lawsuit, so they reluctantly agreed to ban the pre-game prayer. They are not the first school that had to succumb. The Bremen fans of both God and high school football, would not tolerate STATS DADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02064339642016778441noreply@blogger.com8