10 Pictures that Explain Why I Agree with USA Gymnastics #BoycottIndiana

Religion and politics–two things that I try pretty hard to avoid making public comment on because almost no good comes from entering debates where everyone is so emotionally charged that none of us can think straight.  It just alienates people from reading this blog, which is about doing good things for kids using sports.  So […]

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We Are Each Just One…But Imagine What We Can Do Together if We AIM HIGH.

Sirens were squealing and the rain was pouring down when the roof collapsed on nearly 60 people, mostly children, at a gymnastics club in Oklahoma yesterday. Miraculously, no one was seriously injured and the fire fighters were able to carry the terrified kids to the arms of their parents. The news of this story left […]

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Because Sometimes You Just Have To Laugh…

        What do gymnasts, acrobats, and bananas have in common? They can all do the splits. Why didn’t the blonde make the gymnastics team? When they asked for a cartwheel, she stole a tire from the hot dog vendor. What did the vampire gymnast say to the vault coach? “I want to […]

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Fun, Fitness and Fostering Character: 9 Tips to Make Youth Sports Great for Kids

Earlier this week, I was asked to contribute a blog post as part of a series curated by the editors of HuffPost’s The Tackle on the importance of youth sports.  Click here to read the post on the HuffPost or the text is below: Parent brawls, coaches who belittle athletes and the kids who are suffering from injuries, […]

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10 Habits of Coaches, Parents and Athletes in Strong and Healthy Relationships

The coach-parent-athlete triad is a complicated yet important part of the development of a happy, healthy athlete. Establishing a positive partnership, rooted in trust and mutual respect, doesn’t happen by accident. In fact, if there is not a deliberate effort to develop and maintain a healthy relationship between each of the parties, most certainly there […]

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The ABC’s of Great Coaching

ADAPTIVE BOLD CARING DELIBERATE PRACTICE ENTHUSIASTIC FEEDBACK GOAL ORIENTED HIGH STANDARDS INTUITITVE JOYFUL KNOWLEDGABLE LIFE LONG LEARNER MEASURED NURTURING OPTIMISTIC PATIENT QUESTIONING READER SPIRITED TEACHER UNDERSTANDING VALUES WILLPOWER X-CITED YOUNG-AT-HEART ZEALOUS

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The ABC’s of Successful Athletes

AGAIN BELIEF CHALLENGE DETERMINATION EFFORT FAILURE GRIT HOPE INETGRITY JOY KNOWLEDGE LOVE MOTIVATION NOVELTY OPTIMISM PLANS QUALITY RESPECT SINCERITY TIME UNDERSTANING VALOR WILLPOWER XTRA YES ZEAL

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A Dozen Mindsets for Success

Talent is often the first attribute that people think of when they talk about what it takes to be a success. And, while talent is certainly useful, I believe wholeheartedly in the quote “Nothing in the world is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.” In the end, it is the mental portion of how […]

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9 Beliefs That Will (Eventually, Probably) Lead Your Gymnast to Quit (or at Least be Very Unhappy)

It has been said life is equal parts what happens to us and how we process what happens to us. I think that is very true in gymnastics. The attitudes and beliefs that a gymnast has about herself and the sport will inevitably shape how long she participates, or at least how happy she is […]

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