Has 2012 Already Passed?

Wow, this year went by quickly.  I thought I just posted that blog on Danny last week....  ok...j/k a little.

I hope you had a good year.  It was tough for a lot of people, even me.  But although I've had my struggles, I keep reminding myself of the same thing that I remind my players.  There are two things you can control:  Your attitude and your effort.

As the holidays approach it's time to remind ourselves that we control more than we might realize at times.  Happiness is a choice.  Forgiving someone else when we feel offended is a choice.  Choosing to write a blog, go to work, create something...is a choice.  So is giving up.

Even though I still have concerns about our country and our economy, I feel optimistic about 2013.  I have a lot to do and my goal is the same as it always has been - to help our young people learn about sports and about life.  I have recently received 501(c)(3) status for the National Youth Sports Association and will be progressing with building that to help young athletes to have more opportunities to develop their skills.  I know I also need to update www.kidznsports.com and get that back on track as well.  There are still plenty of new young athletes and parents that need information about youth sports.  I should be graduating from Westwood College and hope to be able to expand my career in a few ways as well.

There are so many things that can take our minds of where it should be.  It's easy to get caught up in politics, work, disasters, wars, and everything else life throws at us.  I try to remember what a good friend shared with me on more than one occasion.  Most of what we see on the news or in the media does not directly affect our daily lives to a great degree.  It's time to get back to focusing my attitude and effort to benefit my family and those young people who look to me for guidance, encouragement, and motivation.

I just added a few adjustments to kidznsports.com.  I've posted my CYBER MONDAY sale for CUSTOM LINEUP CARDS.  I'll be adding some more updates soon.  Plus I've decided to add a special FREE section that I think you baseball and softball fans will appreciate.  Please visit Kidz "n" Sports and check in often.  Even better yet LIKE my Facebook page or send me an email.

And have a very happy and SAFE holiday season.

Coach Mike

Read This Before You Shred Without A Helmet.

Danny Toumarkine cannot remember what happened.

Danny is a professional snowboarder.  He and his brother were filming video when Danny went over a hill.  Nobody saw what happened.  Danny doesn’t remember anything from the incident.

Danny is fortunate to be alive today.

Any time you choose to play a sport, drive a car, work with power equipment, or do any extensive physical activity you assume a certain amount of risk.  When it comes to our young athletes, parents also assume the risks involved with their child playing a sport.  Of course, no parent wants to see their child hurt.  And many times parents are quick to blame coaches, equipment manufacturers, school districts, etc., when their child is the injured party.

Whether it’s getting hit by a line drive, breaking an ankle sliding into a base, breaking anything playing football, basketball, etc., we want to protect our children.  Yet when it comes to protecting ourselves we often sing a different tune.  And when a law is passed, i.e. motorcycle helmet laws, we suddenly forget about the risks we are taking and scream loudly about somebody infringing on our rights to go unprotected.  How is it that we can so easily lose common sense when it comes to safety?

We don’t complain about the protection equipment we have to wear if we work with certain equipment or machinery.  We want our paycheck.  We don’t have too many options there.

When it comes to youth sports or adult sports, we have plenty of excuses NOT to wear certain protection UNTIL it’s our kid, or ourselves that get hurt.  The NCAA does not mandate that softball players wear facemasks on their batting helmets.  Facemasks are optional.  Last year I saw a player take a foul ball up under her chin to her throat.  She was not wearing a facemask.  It could have resulted in a very serious injury, or possibly even death.  She came back up to bat a few moments later and guess what, she had a facemask.  Some people want to mandate facemasks for infielders who sometimes get hit by line drives.

When you talk about boy’s baseball, I don’t think any self respecting baseball player gets caught dead wearing a facemask.  Although in recent years we have seen some coaches starting to wear helmets in the 3^rd base coach’s box.  Like softball, I think part of the reasoning is that the actual percentages are so low and we think we should be able to react quickly enough to avoid or defend ourselves.  Can we?

So now back to Danny Toumarkine.  Danny was not wearing a helmet when he had his accident in 2010.  Danny now wears and advocates wearing a helmet for snowboarders and skiers.  The official governing bodies and most ski resorts do not mandate helmet usage.  Like the motorcycle community, will skiers and snowboarders revolt at the loss of rights and freedoms that would be sacrificed if one had to wear that “thing” around your head?  You might want to ask Danny how much freedom he had when he was in that hospital bed.

And while one might defend the options when it comes to sports like baseball, softball, etc., there is a very uniquely different factor one might consider when it comes to motorcycles, skiing, snowboarding, etc:  A baseball or softball player usually will survive being hit by a ball, even in head or face.  But the last I checked, trees and rocks have never lost a battle when colliding with a skier or snowboarder.  The record is just slightly less than that of an Amtrack train challenged by that driver trying to beat the train across the tracks.

So while we never have any guarantees – we are all subject to die at any moment for almost any reason – I vote to try to stay alive for as long as I can possibly do so.  Please watch the video about Danny’s story.  Share this with your children, especially if you like to snow ski or snowboard.  Share it with your friends.  Danny’s story is a miracle.  His recovery is very inspiring.  This is a determined young man who loves his sport and who I’m quite sure would like to keep participating for many years to come.

He also now wears a helmet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZnALI7Lz1A