Amber Smith / The Post-Standard

If you notice people jumping rope in Solvay, just know they're on a fitness kick. They may be a little nostalgic, too.

Rene Bibaud - - jump-roper extraordinaire - - made her annual visit last week, teaching physical education classes at the schools and an evening community-wide assembly where, she says, she is ''hopefully, revitalizing that spirit."

That spirit ... of creative fitness, of getting outside and doing something physical for fun, of delighting in improving your abilities.

The jump-rope, she points out, is an inexpensive piece of exercise equipment that you can use almost anywhere for a good workout. "Depending on how you jump, it's on par with running" in terms of calories burned, Bibaud says.

For parents, the jump-rope is retro, a toy they remember from childhood. For kids in physical education classes, it's something new. And for students at more than 40 schools in Central New York, it's part of a major fundraiser for the American Heart Association. (Jump Rope for Heart takes place during April, May and June.)

by Ed Hruska, Post-Bulletin

If you spent any time traveling around Rochester during the weekends in June you probably noticed a lot of activity. The Rochester area sports business just completed a record month for hosting youth amateur sporting events.

There was a large variety of regional, state and national tournaments which included wrestling, baseball, softball, pool, soccer, swimming, weightlifting, volleyball, figure skating, gymnastics, golf, track, lacrosse and basketball. More than 1,500 athletes accompanied by approximately 6,000 fans and family were guests of our city during that time.

A key factor in being selected and hosting these numerous events is the ability to utilize quality sports venues. Gone are the days when the dads fixed up the neighborhood baseball field and the kids chose teams and played for the fun of it. Today all sports require top facilities to make competition fair and enjoyable. Restrooms, concessions, bleachers with all the trimmings are usually required.

Not only are these sport venues used by thousands of guests on the weekends, but they are also used by the youth of Rochester all year around. More than 10,000 area youth participate in local youth sports! Whether it is the National Volleyball Center, the Rec. Center pool and figure skating rinks, the Graham Arenas, Watson or Mansour soccer fields or the Regional Sports Center and Stadium/Bubble; these venues are used by our area youth to develop their skills, make friends and get much needed physical exercise. This helps to create a healthier community and a more desirable quality of life for the citizens of the Rochester area.

by Alan Schwarz, New York Times

The National Football League is producing a poster that bluntly alerts its players to the long-term effects of concussions, using words like "depression" and "early onset of dementia" that those close to the issue described as both staggering and overdue.

The poster, soon to be hung in locker rooms leaguewide, becomes by far the N.F.L.'s most definitive statement on the cognitive risks of football, which it had discredited for most of the past several years as academic studies and reports of deceased players' brain damage mounted.

The new document also warns players that repeated concussions "can change your life and your family's life forever," a clear nod to retired players' wives who have spoken out on the issue, occasionally before Congress. A draft of the poster also features photographs of unnamed youngsters in various sports with the reminder, "Other athletes are watching."

The new poster, which will also become a brochure given to all players, presents a stark change in league approach. It replaces a pamphlet given since 2007 that said, "Current research with professional athletes has not shown that having more than one or two concussions leads to permanent problems if each injury is treated properly," and also left open the question of "if there are any long-term effects of concussion in N.F.L. athletes."

The sobering new warning could affect not just the behavior of current N.F.L. players and youth athletes, but also how retired players' claims of cognitive decline are handled under the disability plan operated jointly by the league and the players union.

"That poster is shocking," said Domonique Foxworth, a cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens. "It gives people facts before they take risks. But it's not exactly a new revelation."

By Joanne Fox - jfox@siouxcityjournal.com - Sioux City Journal

SIOUX CITY -- An individual who was instrumental in bringing soccer to a much higher level in Siouxland is the reason why one of his former players took on soccer coaching himself.

"It was the only way I saw to really pay him back for all of the direction he gave me," said Shane Tymkowicz of the late Domenick Guarneri, who also pioneered the soccer program at Briar Cliff University.

Tymkowicz now serves as a volunteer coach for the Gateway City Fusion, a girls soccer club team. He had played club soccer in the mid- to late-1980s under Guarneri, who later went on to be president of the Iowa Soccer Association. Although the Heelan graduate did not participate in the sport in college, when his daughters indicated an interest in soccer, he began helping out.

"When my own kids started playing, I didn't want to be the coach," he admitted. "But somebody found out I knew something about the sport and next thing I knew, I'm the coach."

Read more at siouxcityjornal.com

BY ED PIERCE • FLORIDA TODAY • JULY 18, 2010

Sitting on the sidelines is no fun. As long as there have been youth sports leagues, conflicts among players, parents and coaches arise about the amount of playing time young athletes should get.

Disputes on the subject are commonplace and often result in anger and frustration and may eventually lead to children giving up on a sport while they are still learning how to play.

Statistics from the Youth Sports Institute at Michigan State University show 56 percent of kids in America ages 5 to 10 participate in some form of organized youth sports activities, but that 70 percent quit by the time they reach age 13.

Dr. John F. Murray, a clinical and sports psychologist in Palm Beach, believes prolonged bench warming in youth sports can have lasting psychological effects on children.

Mark Benton - Buffalonews.com
Updated: July 16, 2010, 12:18 pm /
Published: July 10, 2010, 12:30 am

When my two sons ask me what is the difference between youth sports today and when I was growing up in the 1960s and early '70s the answer is simple: Organized street teams.

Little league baseball didn't begin in our neck of the woods until 1959. Youth football followed seven years later. But outside of those two sports for boys only, that was it. A few of my friends and I benefited in basketball because our local parochial school had a middle school team.

There were no organized youth leagues in soccer, hockey, softball or any other sport so we created them ourselves. I was nine years old when we put together the first group of neighborhood kids in the sport of wiffleball to challenge our counterparts from the other side of town.

Phone calls went back in forth in March when the snow was still on the ground to set up the first contest of the season. Everything was ironed out in these preseason discussions between nine-year olds. Where would we play, what time, how many balls, bats, and bases did we have? By the time the first pitch was thrown, everything was in place. No umps, no parent interference, our rules. And we played.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson led the N.F.L. in rushing the last two seasons. So why is Peterson in seemingly every commercial, but Johnson is rarely seen?

"It's all about image and perception," Jerry Horowitz, the N.F.L.'s director of youth tackle football, told a group of high school players at a league-run clinic last month in Jamaica, Queens. "The days of hoodlums are over."

Johnson has never been in trouble off the field, but he told The Orlando Sentinel in April that "I know people think I'm a bad guy because of my dreads and gold teeth."

As Commissioner Roger Goodell has cracked down on player misconduct, he has made clear his aim is not only to punish lawbreaking but to prevent actions that tarnish the league's reputation.

Horowitz left no doubt that he saw a link between the N.F.L.'s efforts to clean up behavior and the more than 125 high school player development clinics the league is running around the country this summer.

Speaking to nearly 150 high school players at the start of the camp in Queens, he opened his remarks by saying, "The landscape of the N.F.L. is changing."

The programs, co-sponsored by the National Guard, generally run for 10 hours over five days. In their 10th year, the free clinics will reach more than 20,000 high school players in 34 states. Participants practice football skills, but they will also take part in character development lessons.

Date: 7/15/2010
For Immediate Release

Owego, N. Y. - The Owego Youth Football program has set up a training date with the SUNY Youth Sports Institute and is inviting other local youth programs to join them.  Vestal Youth Football, Apalachin Youth Football, the Owego Boys and Girls Club, and Owego Youth Soccer are among the other programs expected to attend the course.  The coach's training session will take place July 17th at the First Presbyterian Union Church starting at 9am.  The church can be found on 90 North Avenue in Owego, NY.  The training is expected to last approximately two and a half hours and at the completion of the course a certification test may be completed on site or online at www.youthsportsny.org.  The test takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.  

The SUNY Youth Sports Institute already certified 30 Owego Little League coaches last February.  The trainer at that course, Gary Vail, will also be instructing Saturday's course.  Vail is one of the SUNY Youth Sports Institute's most intriguing instructors due to a successful coaching and athletic director career at the high school level.  Most recently, Vail instructed a course in June with various sport coaches in Whitney Point.  

If you are interested in becoming a SUNY Youth Sports Certified Coach you can register online for this course at the cost of $20 or find future training dates at http://www.youthsportsny.org/eregistration.html.

On May 29, the Carman Little League in Rotterdam, NY held a Sandlot Day that attracted around 30 kids of various ages.  Jed Ingersoll, president of the league, was introduced to the idea through a New York Times article citing the SUNY Youth Sports Institute and its idea for taking one day out of the season to give the game completely to the kids.  The league firmly believes in the need for adults to back off every once in a while so the players can build a sense of ownership and, subsequently, a passion for the game.  "Today there is so much parent involvement.  Kids are constantly told what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. We wanted to give the kids a chance to figure things out for themselves" said Ingersoll. 

To kick off this event, the Carman little leaguers picked captains, chose up sides, and took the field, some in their team uniforms but most in street clothes.  One parent, watching from the bleachers, was surprised at how capable the kids were of picking their own teams without any hard feelings.  The parents also enjoyed watching their kids play with new teammates and mixed ages.  Ingersoll was pleased to see that "the older kids gave the little kids confidence by playing with them and allowing them to play all positions.  They didn't always stick them in the outfield."  After nearly three hours of playing, they had to wrap it up, though the participants insisted that the league put another one together in August.  The day was a great success and the Carman Little League intends to make Sandlot Day a regular part of each season to come.    

Date: 7/14/2010
For Immediate Release

Monticello, N. Y. - In February, 2010, Vincent Gilmore and Dennis Martin launched the Monticello YMCA Youth Basketball League.  Initially, participation in the league was minimal, with only 15 children registered, but by April their league participation had multiplied to 85 children.  Due to the rapid growth, Gilmore and Martin plan on having the league in session year round with a short break between each season.  The predominantly instructional league has two age divisions, 8-11 year olds and 12-17 year olds.  Currently, each division has approximately half a dozen teams.  July 10th marked the beginning of the league's summer session in which Gilmore and Martin expect to see continued growth due to added interest from the local community. 

Gilmore attributes much of the league's success to the SUNY Youth Sports Institute's coaching certification class that he and Martin attended last January. Gilmore felt "the class was very informative and he learned a lot about working with youth sports despite being a recreation major in college."  Because of this, Gilmore and Martin have made the SUNY Youth Sports Institute coaching certification mandatory in order to "ensure all of their coaches and volunteers involved with the league are knowledgeable when it comes to coaching youth basketball."  Gilmore feels the public perception of their league has improved since mandating the course and their "increased credibility" has helped generate more community sponsors. 

The Monticello YMCA Youth Basketball League currently has 28 SUNY Youth Sports Institute certified coaches and volunteers.  For more information on the Monticello YMCA Youth Basketball League visit http://www.middletownymca.org/sullivancountyymca/index.shtml.   To learn more about the SUNY Youth Sports Institute visit http://www.youthsportsny.org.