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The Debate Over What Type of Bat Is Building the Value of Sports The official member publication of the National Alliance For Youth Sports X <> 1 www.nays.org BACK FORWARD HOME CHANGE VIEW SEARCH PRINT SAVE QUIT »» INTERACTIVE, HYPERLINKED, SEARCHABLE ARTICLES IN A PDF FORMAT »» SPRING 2009 the lineup COVER STORY SPORTSMANSHIP pg.19 Wood vs. metal pg.28 Big things come in The debate over what type small packages of bat is safest for children Mizhrua Bautista exemplifies participating in organized everything good about youth baseball programs heats up, as sports through her model coaches, parents, politicians, behavior on and off the scientists and equipment basketball court. manufacturers all are weighing ASK THE EXPERTS in on the issue. pg.31 Treacherous territory – By Adam Shilling Breaking bad news to kids FOR COACHES pg.32 Protecting catchers pg.14 NYSCA Coach Choosing the right gear of the Year Meet Clarence McQueen, COLUMN who impacts kids’ lives at the pg.5 Welcome Fort Campbell Army Base in NYSCA program upgrades Wood Kentucky. DEPARTMENTS pg.17 Quick Shots pg.6 sureshots An array of fun-filled drills to Mailbag, out of bounds, incorporate into your practices. vs.metal screening for MRSA infections, FOR PARENTS performance-enhancing drugs, pg.26 PAYS Parent of the Year City of Clearwater’s (Fla.) excellent Meet Bernie Gill, a positive sports programs, and more influence in the Patterson, Calif. bats community. pg.33 Perspective Hank Paulson, successful CEO, learned many valuable life lessons through sports. X <> 2 www.nays.org BACK FORWARD HOME CHANGE VIEW SEARCH PRINT SAVE QUIT »» HOW TO USE THIS MAGAZINE SportingKid is an interactive, hyperlinked, Executive Staff Use the navigation bar at the bottom of Founder, President and CEO Fred C. Engh searchable digital publication in PDF format. each page for the following functions: Chief Operating Officer John Engh Chief Financial Officer Yolanda Williams Membership Programs Emmy Martinez, Vice President Communications Greg Bach, Vice President For full functionality, read this magazine using < > To change pages Adobe Acrobat, not your Internet browser or To return to the cover/contents The Official Member Publication of the National e-mail program. If you’re not reading this Alliance for Youth Sports starter page magazine in Adobe, click here to save this managing editor Greg Bach editor Adam Shilling editorial review committee NAYS Executive Staff magazine to your computer. Then reopen the art director Brent Cashman To toggle your view of contributors Brian Kilmeade cover photography by Kaycee Biles magazine with Adobe Acrobat. Adobe Acorbat Reader NAYS Membership and Education Programs To search the magazine Click on underlined, red or blue body text, to link for a keyword Chapter Management Michele Ramirez Chapter Development Sandy Kelchner directly to Web sites, e-mail addresses and Please direct all membership inquiries to [email protected] more. This magazine will stay open, and a To print the magazine NAYS Professional Administrator Programs browser or e-mail program will open separately. To save the magazine to Director Lisa Licata Administrative Director Denise Escobal your computer Please direct all professional administrator inquiries to To the right you will see how you can navigate [email protected] through this publication and what tools you All media inquiries for advertising and editorial comments To close this magazine and should be submitted to NAYS at [email protected] X National Headquarters, 2050 Vista Parkway have to use. Adobe Acorbat Reader West Palm Beach, FL 33411 Tel: 561-684-1141, Fax: 561-684-2546 www.nays.org X < > 3 www.nays.org BACK FORWARD HOME CHANGE VIEW SEARCH PRINT SAVE QUIT aboutNAYS The National Alliance for Youth Sports has been America’s leading advocate for positive and safe sports for children since 1981. It serves volunteer coaches, parents with children involved in organized sports, game officials, youth sports administrators, league directors and the youngsters who participate in organized sports. The Alliance’s programs are utilized in more than 3,000 communities nationwide by parks and recreation departments, Boys & Girls Clubs, Police Athletic Leagues, YMCAs/ YWCAs and various independent youth service groups, as well as on military installations worldwide. Education Division Youth Sports Development Division National Youth Sports Coaches Association Start Smart Sports Development Program More than 2 million volunteer coaches have been trained through NYSCA, which This proven instructional program prepares children for the world of organized provides training, support and continuing education. E-mail: [email protected] sports without the threat of competition or the fear of getting hurt through an innovative approach that promotes parent-child bonding. E-mail: [email protected] Parents Association for Youth Sports Parents gain a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in youth sports through this sportsmanship training program, which is utilized in more Hook A Kid On Golf than 500 communities nationwide. E-mail: [email protected] Thousands of children of all ages and skill levels tee up every year in the nation’s most comprehensive junior golf development program, which features an array of instructional clinics and tournaments to choose from. Academy for Youth Sports Administrators E-mail: [email protected] More than 1,600 administrators worldwide have gone through the Academy, which is a 20-hour certification program that raises the professionalism of those delivering youth sport services. A skilled faculty presents the information Game On! Youth Sports and participants earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs). This worldwide effort introduces children to actual game experience by giving E-mail: [email protected] them the freedom to create and play on their own. E-mail: [email protected] National Youth Sports Administrators Association The program provides training, information and resources for volunteer administrators responsible for the planning and implementation of out-of- school sports programs. E-mail: [email protected] National Youth Sports Officials Association Officials who go through this certification program gain valuable knowledge on skills, fundamentals and the characteristics that every good official must possess. E-mail: [email protected] X <> 4 www.nays.org BACK FORWARD HOME CHANGE VIEW SEARCH PRINT SAVE QUIT The National Alliance for Youth Sports is focused on ensuring that every child who participates in sports has a safe and rewarding experience. NAYS Board of Directors Welcome Fred C. Engh, President and CEO West Palm Beach, Fla. Marty Johnston Vice President & Chairperson of the Board NYSCA program upgrades Savannah Civic Center Director, Savannah, Ga. Dr. Michael Gray Ever since I created the National Youth Sports Coaches Association (NYSCA) way back in 1981, it has been 2nd Vice President Professor, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Ky. my personal goal to help ensure that the moms and dads – and anyone else who commits the time and energy to Dr. Daniel L. Wann coach children’s sports – has the best and most useful information at their disposal. 3rd Vice President Through the years we’ve made pretty significant strides, and introduced a lot of different resources, to enable Professor of Psychology, Murray State University, Murray, Ky. volunteer coaches to be the most prepared they can be to meet the ever-changing needs of their young athletes. William Baggett Treasurer As we’ve flipped the calendar on another year, I couldn’t be more enthused about the major changes we’ve made to the Former President of Juno Beach Little League, Juno Isle, Fla. NYSCA program – all done with the single goal to help you and your team have the most rewarding season possible. Brian Nakamura And I’m anxious to see what you think. Secretary City Manager, City of Banning, Banning, Calif. For starters, we’ve unveiled a new Coaching Youth Baseball videotape that will be used at all of NYSCA’s training clinics. Thanks to the help of the Tom Streit wonderful instructors at Ripken Baseball – the video was filmed at their highly acclaimed baseball camp in Baltimore, Md. – it covers everything that a Legal Counsel volunteer baseball coach needs to know. From proper throwing and hitting mechanics to detailed drills and activities for practice, it’s all there. Attorney, Akerman, Senterfitt & Eidson, Pa., West Palm Beach, Fla. But that’s just one of many significant upgrades to the NYSCA program. Board Members If you haven’t checked out our new web site – still found at www.nays.org – I encourage you to do so. Albin Handy Recreation Supervisor There are all sorts of new tools for members to utilize. Ocean City Recreation and Parks Department, Ocean City, Md. You can head to the Coaching Forum to post a question or problem you’ve encountered and get feedback from other member coaches Dr. Keith Wheeler who have dealt with the exact or similar issue themselves in the past. Or, you can scan the postings and share your expertise on issues you Director of Clinical Nutrition are quite familiar with. Ross Products Division, Columbus, Ohio Anyone who has ever coached knows how much time goes into planning practices and determining drills, so I’m confident our Skills and Hon. Loreen Bannis-Roberts Parliamentary Secretary Drills section will come in pretty handy. There are hundreds of drills – both animated and those that you can print out and take with you – to Dominica Government Headquarters, Roseau, Dominica help you run a really good practice that the kids enjoying taking part in while gaining skills in the process. Jim Young Plus, there is the NYSCA Coach Rating Tool, which allows you to get an accurate gauge of how well of a job you are doing. The system Director of Membership Programs Ducks Unlimited, Eads, Tenn. rates you in 14 different categories, and the feedback is provided anonymously by the parents of your players. You can utilize the system to Willis Whalen find out what, if any, areas you need to work on improving; or your recreation agency may use the system to find out which of its coaches are Membership Services Manager performing well and which ones need a little extra guidance.
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