CDC - Heads Up: Concussion in High School Sports

Link to the Centers for Disease Control - Concussion Management in High School Sports - prevention tips and stats.



CDC - Heads Up: Concussion in High School Sports - Concussion - Traumatic Brain Injury - Injury Center

Summer Sports Camp - A Checklist

School is almost out which means summer camp is coming up.  

For those sports parents getting ready to send their student-athlete off to camp for the first time, here is a quick checklist for things to consider:

1.  Coaches Certification:  make sure the coaches, all the coaches, are certified in CPR, concussion management, and have passed background checks.

2.  Coach Experience:  Don't be dazzled by a coaching roster stacked with Div I players.  Div. I?  Yes, and?  Athletic ability and coaching experience are two very different skill sets.  Find out exactly how long your son or daughter's summer coaches have actually....coached.  And at what level.  They should have experience coaching at your kid's level to be effective communicators.

3. Multi-Sport Summer:  Better to spend time in camps in different sports than at three football or basketball camps over the summer.  This helps the student-athlete to get comfortable being uncomfortable - different coaches, campers, expectations, and muscle group and skill development.

4.  Parenting Plan:  Is your current parenting plan working for the child as a road map or as a weapon against the ex?  The summer parenting plan should work around summer camps and clinics rather than camps working around the plan.  Use the "Best Interests" standard.  

Navy Midshipmen Football Schedule for 2014 - Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day. 

And thanks to all vets, past and present, for all those sacrifices. 

Navy Midshipmen schedule for 2014:



Navy 2014 Schedule - Midshipmen Home and Away - ESPN

Wide Receiver Recruiting - Control the Controllables

A recruiter comes out to watch you play. 

Let's say your team has a total of 40 offensive plays  in that game.  And let's say the QB throws the ball your way four times.  Finally, let's say you caught only two of those four passes.  Is that enough for the recruiter to go on and make an educated evaluation?  Yes, you bet.  Were you directly involved in 10% of the plays that night?  No.  You were directly involved in 100% of the offensive plays that night. 

The ball got thrown your way four times, you caught two.  What did you do on the other 36 offensive plays?  Recruiters will evaluate your pre-snap reads to post-snap adjustments. 

What did you do (or not do) when the ball was not in your hands the other 90% of the game?  The little things count.  Stance and start, releases against man-press coverage, stacking the DB and staying on your route, stemming, footwork, handwork, top of the route breaks, discipline, stalk blocking, cross field blocks, hustle between plays, leadership.   It all counts. 

What you do when the ball is not in your hands, which will be a lot as a wide receiver in any offense, counts more than what you do with the ball.

David Epstein: Are athletes really getting faster, better, stronger? | TED Talk Video

Interesting Ted Talk by David Epstein on how sports science and technology play such a huge role in sports records and advancement.
Hard to believe, but a 1936 trained Jesse Owens could have competed against....and won, in a race vs. a 2014 trained Usain Bolt.

David Epstein: Are athletes really getting faster, better, stronger? | Talk Video | TED.com

How to Respond When the World's Biggest Pop Star Fires Your A**

Troy Carter, La Gaga's former manager for seven years, got fired.  No going-away party, no gold watch, no dry cake.  And how he responded.  From Fast Company magazine.



Troy Carter: Fired By Lady Gaga And Loving It | Fast Company | Business + Innovation

BYU investigating allegations of improper benefits to football players

If a "clean" school like BYU needs to investigate itself re: improper gifts and benefits to its football team, it is time to review to concept of amateur athletics and the governance of the NCAA.  Some of the rules just don't apply in 2014 - punishments for "free meals?" 



BYU investigating allegations of improper benefits to football players

Team Building tips From Pixar

Pixar has produced 14 consecutive profitable films which is unheard of for any Hollywood studio.  And no industry has to deal with egos like the film industry (and at Pixar they had to contend with Steve Jobs).  That can't be easy. 

Ed Catmull discusses how Pixar has achieved this success in his new book, Creativity, Inc.  Article and book excerpts below from Fast Company magazine. 

http://www.fastcompany.com/3027135/lessons-learned/inside-the-pixar-braintrust

Parents, players try to make sense of helmet products

Article from USA today regarding safety claims and football equipment. 



Bottom line - research any claims and get educated on concussion management.  



The Center for Disease Control is a good, objective start.  And most state's interscholastic athletic sites have free information as well.



Parents, players try to make sense of helmet products

NCAA Recruiting: Too Good for Junior College?

Not everyone gets a Div I look from a top BCS-contender school.  If a prospective student-athlete struggled with grades or injury in high school they may get passed over in such a competitive market (remember, only 3% of athletes receive an athletic scholarship). 

Junior college may not have the bright lights but it is a solid option, and sometimes the only options for certain student-athletes.  Spending a year or two at the JuCo level may allow the student-athlete to develop good study habits and prove recovery from injury.

Couple examples of the JuCo route - Aaron Rogers and Cam Newton.  Things worked out okay for them.

Wide Receiver Recruits - Twitchy Eyeballs

The art of attention is long gone - like a fade route to the corner of the end zone. 

For sports-parents and student-athletes looking to get the attention of college coaches and recruiters with personal websites and video highlights, keep in mind the following.....

From Fast Company's April '14 issue "Go Native, AD Man"

The average attention span at the end of 2013 was 8 seconds, a 33% drop from 2000, when it was 12 seconds. 

The same study reveals that about 17% of page views last less than 4 seconds!!!  (editor's note - I hope you are still reading this post.)  Only 4% of page visits last more than 10 minutes

....so, when putting together your website, highlight reel, and wide receiver resume you'll need to edit, edit, and then edit some more.  And when you are done, go back and edit one last time. 

NFL Draft - The Wide Receiver Era

It's a good time to be playing wide receiver these days at the high school level.  The game of football continues to change into a much more wide open, high speed, explosive style of play.

Take a look at the draft numbers:  For the first time in NFL history, a tailback was not selected until the 2nd round at the 54th pick. 

Leading the board in the 1st round were defensive backs - a total of 9 picks in the 1st round were DB's!  The total number of DB's selected in the draft - 53.  The next biggest group - linebackers with 37.  And third, Wide Receivers with 33.

Computer Science as a NCAA Core Course

Believe it or not, computer science is not considered a "core course" in the vast majority of states and high schools when considering what is and what is not a "core course" for NCAA athletic scholarship eligibility.

In 2013, Idaho and Tennessee passed legislation to allow computer science to fulfill math or science core course requirements.  This is progress, slow progress, as it's hard to find a more relevant and important set of skills than computer science technology when kids are hard pressed to find employment after graduation from college. 

Let's hope this trend continues at a faster pace across the country.