Author Archives: Mike Thompson, Jr.

NYT: Sports Pay Dividends for Girls

The New York Times published this story on February 15, 2010, about the life long benefits of sports, especially team sports, to girls.

From the story:

Now, separate studies from two economists offer some answers, providing the strongest evidence yet that team sports can result in lifelong improvements to educational, work and health prospects.

As Girls Become Women, Sports Pay Dividends

By TARA PARKER-POPE

Stuart Bradford

Almost four decades after the federal education law called Title IX opened the door for girls to participate in high school and college athletics, a crucial question has remained unanswered: Do sports make a long-term difference in a woman’s life?

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Great Story: 'Dumb Jock' Just a Myth

This is a great story from Reuters:

‘Dumb Jock’ Just a Myth: Physically Fit Students Do Better Academically

Friday , February 26, 2010

NEW YORK —

Getting students to exercise more might not just address obesity issues but also improve their grades with a U.S. study finding physically fit students tend to score higher in tests than their less fit peers.

Test scores dropped more than one point for each extra minute it took middle and high school students to complete a one mile run/walk fitness test, according to Dr. William J. McCarthy and colleagues at the University of California in Los Angeles.

Schools and parents seeking to optimize their students’ academic performance should take heed, McCarthy noted in an email to Reuters Health.

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New Study Finds Limited Risk in Youth Soccer

An article in the February, 2010 issue of Pediatrics (the official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics) has reach some important conclusions about youth soccer.  Among them, there is no evidence that heading the ball leads to concussions.  You can read the whole report here: Injuries in Youth Soccer

First, soccer can provide a valuable component of fitness and physical activity strategies for young people.

Second, knee-injury risk-reduction programs seem promising, particularly for adolescent and collegiate female players. Research-validated programs are easily accessible at no cost on referenced Web sites.

Third, to reduce soccer-related fatalities, goalposts should be secured in a manner consistent with guidelines developed by the manufacturers and the CPSC.

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What a Cool Program!

Homelessness is a problem in the United States that a lot of people don’t want to talk about or deal with.  One of the groups that has stepped up to help homeless adults and teenagers is Street Soccer USA.

This organization is dedicated helping the homeless through sports.  Here’s what they say:

“We take the best from the world of sports and we combine in with the best of social services and we get amazing results. 75% of the homeless teens and adults we work with connect to jobs, education, and housing within a year of joining our programs.”

This is an awesome idea.  Watch this video and get involved!

Officer Cruz is Way Cool!

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This is a write up from the old blog originally posted on July 14, 2009:

Yesterday evening I went out to Lynbrook Elementary School.  I was asked to go see a soccer program run by Fairfax Police Officer Al Cruz and some other officers from the Springfield substation.

I am not sure what I expected, but I can tell you this:  It was awesome.

Kids from about six years old to nineteen were out there playing.  There are four different sets of kids playing pickup games and running drills.  In all, there were more than 100 kids out playing and there are some Monday afternoons that there are more than 200 playing.

On a field and in a community where kids weren’t able to play safely just a few years ago, the police have created a safe haven free of gangs and drugs.  It’s not often you see a police 4×4 in the middle of a playground or uniformed and plain clothes officers walking around with their side arms clearly visible – but it works.

Here’s a link to a Washington Post article about the program.

Back (Sort Of)

So, Network Solutions lost my blog.  I tried to do something nice for the PTA (donated a domain and hosting for three years).  But because of a screw up at Network Solutions, the PTA gets their site but my blog got zapped.

So…

I will be starting over and trying to get the content back online.  I apologize for the inconvenience.