Sports Then and Now

Although organizing a youth sports program requires time and effort, the feeling of putting together an organized, functional sports program for the community is gratifying. Some communities have a void when it comes to a well-working sports league, especially among youth players. It may be up to you to fill that void.

Successfully starting a youth sports program involves considerable foresight, though, and there are several tasks and fees are worth considering before you start the program. Here are some of them:

1. Find a Facility

A youth sports program needs somewhere to play, reliably. Waiting until the last minute to book games can result in failing to find a place to play, which will turn off members in the league fairly quickly. Instead, make a list of options in your area, including public and private schools, parks, sports complexes, churches and community centers, and make sure they can accommodate your program consistently.

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One of the hardest things about regularly exercising and training isn’t the workouts themselves. Rather, keeping your workouts fun and exciting poses bigger challenges. Sometimes the promise of results isn’t enough to motivate you, but an extra twist of fun and entertainment during your workout can do the trick.

Here are four easy things you can do right now to shake up your routine and make sure you have fun while training.

1. Listen to Podcasts

Listening to music that pumps you up is a tried and true staple of working out, but sometimes it’s nice to give the music a break for a while. In these instances, there are plenty of fun and interesting podcasts you can listen to while out for a run or hitting the weights at the gym.

When you workout with music, the music turns into motivating background noise while you focus on your workout. Podcasts force you to pay a bit more attention, putting your mind to work while your body does the same.

Another benefit of workout podcasts is you might also learn something in the process. Read the rest of this entry →

It may be summer, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be relaxing 100 percent of the time. Instead, you — or someone you care about — will be playing sports this sunny season.

Because of the warm temperatures and bright skies, it may seem the perfect time to get out onto the field or court. However, it can be dangerous to exercise outside during the summer: athletes often fall victim to dehydration, heat exhaustion and even heat stroke if they’re not properly prepared to get sweaty when the mercury’s at the tip-top of the thermometer.

Want to know how to safeguard your summer sports outings? Here are six ways to keep yourself hydrated, healthy and ready to play all season long.

1. Wear the Right Clothing

It likely goes without saying, but you shouldn’t be wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants for a summer workout. Instead, choose your most breathable, airy T-shirt and shorts. It’s important, too, to choose pieces in lighter colors: black and other dark colors absorb light wavelengths, transforming them into heat. On the other hand, white and lighter colors reflect wavelengths so heat doesn’t get absorbed into the fabric. Read the rest of this entry →

Most of us bowl for fun. It’s an activity both young and old can participate in, and it’s a chance to socialize and enjoy casual dining with friends. It’s an opportunity to wear a wacky shirt, maybe even one with your name stitched on it. The rental bowling shoes are always good for a laugh at you or your friends’ expense. Clown jokes abound and fun is had by all. Competition doesn’t get too fierce.

Everyone gets a strike now and then, or even has a hot streak where they get a few. However, maybe you are not just a good bowler, but a great one. Maybe you take it seriously every time and consistently get scores in the 200s. If a perfect 300 isn’t something that will only happen once in your lifetime, perhaps you can make a career out of your bowling skills.

Your main goal is to consistently beat your competition and always end your game with a high score. That sounds like a good start. Here are a few other things you need to know before you pursue it further.

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Most sports injuries occur when we fail to properly prepare before hitting the turf or the track. Warming up properly loosens muscles before activity and allows for better range of motion without harming joints and ligaments.

There are many different ways to warm up before physical activity. Some routines might fit your sport better than others, but what is important is to find one that works and see it through prior to your exercise. It can make the difference between a stellar performance and sitting out hurt.

Why Warming Up Is Critical

In professional sports, it’s often the athletes who are not only talented, but stay healthy, who leave lasting legacies. A dynamic warm-up routine serves to activate all of the muscle groups you will use during your workout.

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Former F1 pilot Hans Stuck is credited with one of the most memorable quotes in autodom.

“When I raced a car last,” Stuck proclaims, “it was a time when sex was safe and racing was dangerous, now it’s the other way around.”

Social commentary aside, Stuck is right. The advances made in safety for racing drivers over the last half-century have reduced the sports mortality rate by orders of magnitude, and even allowed drivers to walk away from crashes that at one time would most certainly have been fatal.

Even now, engineers and medical experts work tirelessly to continue to improve the safety record of a sport that is inherently dangerous. Let’s take a look back at how things came so far.

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