My eldest son started swimming at 5 |
My daughter ranks in the top five of 11 year-olds in the Pacific Northwest. My son qualified for the 4A Washington State Championship as a freshman and will be captain of his high school swim team next year as a sophomore.
All three of my kids are proud to be on a swim team that has produced Olympic gold medalists and World Champions. Swimming is their passion.
All three of my kids are proud to be on a swim team that has produced Olympic gold medalists and World Champions. Swimming is their passion.
My friends? Sports these days are our lifestyle.
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With Olympic Medalist & Former Teammate Margaret Hoelzer |
I actually did know this because I belong to the worrier/researcher category of moms otherwise known as WR condition. Okay, I totally made that up, but you know the type. Heh!
This Sports Mom complex was why I was so excited when BlogHer and Gatorade chose me to be in a panel of Sports Moms. Not only was I invited to interview Stephanie Hamm, mom of Olympian soccer player extraordinaire Mia Hamm, but I was also the recipient of the latest research and science behind Gatorade's product lines.
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Scout's Honor/Heather Murphy-Raines |
Stephanie Hamm, Mother of Olympic Soccer Player Mia Hamm and Gatorade Sports Mom
Stephanie is a founding member of Liv in the Game, a non-profit organization aimed at empowering girls through physical activity and sports. She also served as development director for The First Tee of Greater Austin, which positively impacts the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf.
Now that we have the credentials out of the way, how was Stephanie, you ask? Just awesome. She is so down-to-earth and filled with the common sense only a seasoned mom of six could bring to the table. She admits the sports atmosphere she raised her kids in is MUCH different than today. She marvels at the involvement and time commitment the modern Sports Mom puts into her kids. She and her husband Bill raised their very large family in a variety of sports--most of which her kids could walk to on the Air Force base on which they lived. Wouldn't that be dreamy? No carpools...just bikes. I yearn for those simpler times as a former U.S. Army mom myself.
Having run the gamut of a multitude of sports with a multitude of kids, Stephanie says one of her and Mia's largest concerns is the early specialization path she sees most athletes these days take. She advocates for trying out a little of everything and trying to achieve balance early. She said she was her kids' biggest cheerleader until they decided they had enough.
8th Grade Graduation |
Along with year round swimming, we also swim our summer rec team simultaneously. On top of that, my eldest son started high school swim team this winter which had an attendance requirement.
As you can imagine, it is a struggle to keep on top of time management and grades, especially since he made swimming a priority over school. I asked her how to deal with this short-sightedness. It sounds like such a downer, but I try to remain realistic about my kids' sports careers. While college scholarships sound nice, in the end it's his education which will take him furthest in life. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve told my son, "Unless you are Michael Phelps, swimming is not a career."
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Competition As a Life Skill |
This doesn't mean your or my child won't be the next super star, but it is very unlikely. More likely is that they will gain success having received a solid education and learned life strategies in sports that will help them win (and not in the Charlie Sheen way) in life.
Fortunate for my family, we have agreement with that belief by our fabulous coach that academics are key. Stephanie did have some sage advice to try to inspire the competitive side of my son that comes out in his swimming and funnel it into academics. Stephanie Hamm suggests, "Make school a competition," if you must. She did say it was a struggle to get Mia, exhausted from tournaments to come home and focus on her school work. She said she and her husband spent many late nights, sitting there with Mia, hour after hour, helping edit and focusing her in her work. Often time, it was finding the energy that was the challenge.
Is it bad during the interview I was secretly relieved that I am not the only one with a teenager athlete whose attention span is that of a flea?
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Rec Swim Team on a Rare Sunny Day |
Gatorade and Hydration Science
One of the themes from Stephanie that came through in the interview was that with simpler times came more difficulty keeping their kids hydrated in the hot Texas sun-- until Gatorade products came along. I can relate since we too started our sports in one of the hotter parts of California where temperatures often soared in the triple digits for weeks on end.
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Meet my Daughter...and Future Olympian? |
At the end of the try out? I was stunned when they took them both.
She wasn't even trying out.
She wasn't even trying out.
Six And Under Finalist at Age Four |
Fast forward to today, living in Seattle, our concern is not so much the hot sun, but the lost electrolytes the kids don't even realize they've melted off during a 3 hour work out in an indoor pool. This is where finding a product to keep them at their best performance is important and here in the Pacific Northwest, Gatorade seems to be king for the younger set.
I must admit, I and my other swim moms were leery of the high fructose corn syrups (HFCS) and dyes of the original Gatorade formulations. My question to the Gatorade researchers and dietitians on the call involved both of these concerns:
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I Love it When a Brand Listens To What Moms Want |
Imagine my surprise when I learned from GSSI scientist Lisa Esposito that all Gatorade product lines had been HFCS-free for over a year.
Even better, they have a new Gatorade G Series Natural line at Whole Foods in select markets which uses vegetables to color their electrolyte beverages and uses all natural flavors and ingredients. Sweet. I can't wait for it to hit the Seattle market.
Easily my two biggest concerns wiped away
with a little research and a few quick questions.
with a little research and a few quick questions.
My friends, it costs us as much to swim each month as some people's mortgages: Wouldn't it be silly to spend the time, energy, and money on practices only to fail hydration and on the refuel that spares muscle and allows quicker recovery?
Quick Sports Nutrition Tips
Protein
Quick Sports Nutrition Tips
Protein
- Most athletes need 10-20 grams of protein within 30-60 minutes post workout to help muscles recover. It will actually make them less sore the next day. I always tell my kids they better drink the chocolate milk, protein drink, PB&J, or whatever protein source we brought that day, quickly in the car on the way home or else that practices was useless.
- Monitor urine of your children, especially in the warmer months. If their pee is lemonade color? Great. Apple juice? Not so great. Soda or Guinness ale color? Rush them to the hospital. Funny enough, according to Gatorade's team, clear urine isn't great either. It indicates over-hydration in a short time whereas the body expels the hydration/electrolytes rather than being able to store it. This is where I found out I was doing it wrong as a swim mom. Instead of telling my kids to chug a sports drink, they should have been slowly sipping a couple hours before practice, every 15-20 minutes during practice, and a little more after practice. Another method is to weigh the athlete before and after practice being sure to take off sweat-soaked clothes. For every pound lost, 16-20 ounces of electrolyte beverage is recommended to replenish the body's stores.
- Kids that are not hydrated are less likely to be able to focus during a game or swim meet. Strikingly, the scientist from Gatorade mentioned a study in which basketball shot accuracy gets better with plain water, but the best accuracy was found drinking Gatorade. It was also found athletes playing dehydrated were a full degree warmer in body temperature after a short time of play which could quickly snow ball into the dangerous category.
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My Little Sea Urchin |
I wonder some part of that specialization that she and her mother worry about is simply finding the time to do more than one sport now days. I know my three kids swim because it's easier for them all to do the same sport.
We've tried a variety of sports too when they young: karate, dance, basketball, soccer, ballet and in middle school my kids have been also been able to enjoy volleyball, track, and basketball. However, to be a single sport athlete is challenging enough with children today's busy schedule. However, my third guy's interest is starting to wane from swim and seems to be headed toward football. We tried out flag football in 3rd grade, but we finally bit the bullet and are trying TACKLE football. Yikes! This will be a whole new world to us come fall. Help!!
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Summer 2010 |
These thoughts lead me to the GIVEAWAY I am so happy to offer. Since I, more than any mom, realizes how costly it is to raise athletes today, I am so excited to be offering a $100 Dick's Sporting Goods certificate for one lucky reader who leaves a comment, tweet or writes a post to the following question.
So tell me your families sports experience: How do you balance sports and support the athletes in your family academically and nutritionally with all the other demands our busy kids have today? Leave a comment and be entered in my Gatorade Giveway for $100 to Dick's Sporting Goods.
Contest runs June 1st through June 30th.
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Do You Dream Big For your Kids? My kids with their former teammate, Olympian, & World Record Holder Ariana Kukors and Olympian Katie Hoff |
No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post. Please either leave your email address in the comment so you can be contacted in the case win OR you can also fill out the special Google doc form to leave your email contact with me more privately after you have first commented on this main page.
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. Visit the Official Rules here. </s>
For more chances to win, check out BlogHer's Prizes & Promotions section at the round up page.
I wrote this post while participating in the Gatorade/BlogHer program on behalf of Gatorade. I received product information to facilitate my post and monetary compensation for the time to write my post.
My son isn't old enough for team sports yet, but we spend almost every day at the pool teaching him swimming, so one day he might be on a swim team.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome Angie! I think swimming is one of the best sports there is. He'll let you know when he is ready. As I said, my daughter was 2.5 years, but my boys were 5/6 years before they were ready. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is such a tough one. When my daughter has dance class, it's after school, and she comes home only to have to jump into homework, followed by a quick meal, bath, bed, etc. We try to balance the "quick" with healthy foods on the weekends when she's doing sports activities during the week!
ReplyDeleteI hear you Jeanne. I feel a bit guilty that practices were until 8:30 last night 45 minutes from home and another 15 minute walk from the parking lot. So we brought the kids two huge pizzas. After three hours of swimming and dryland, they devoured them. If it's any consolation, they were natural ingredient, organic pizzas from a local chain, Zeeks. Cherry Bomb and Organic Drift, baby!! My 11 year old ate EIGHT slices. Swimmer's appetite!! we are so screwed. $55 bucks of pizza gone with three kids (Beau and I had already eaten) in 10 minutes Funny enough, my teen who ate almost a whole large by himself hid his pizza in his armpit while his coach walked by. Ooops, sport's mom fail! :) Seriously, they were not kidding about Michael Phelp's appetite.
ReplyDelete~Scout/Heather Murphy-Raines
Homework is tough on some nights. some nights are late nights, the hubby is preparing dinner while I am at practice.. so when they hit the door, dinner is ready on the table for everyone. The hubby and I both sit down and help go over their homework.
ReplyDeletekarenmed409 at comcast dot net
My son takes karate and seems pretty serious about it (as serious as an 8-yr old can be), but my 6-yr old daughter has shown no interest in any sport except possibly running. She makes me time her as she runs back and forth at the school field during karate class. :-)
ReplyDeleteThankfully, school and karate class are walking distance from home and on the two nights a week he has class we just plan on eating leftovers or cooking something really quick.
If he continues with karate things will definitely more hectic since a lot of training events and tournaments are held on the mainland!
I try to find fun ways for our family to workout. We all play tennis so doing that together as a family is fun. Our community recently built a disc golf course too so that's a new way to enjoy the outside and get some exercise too!
ReplyDeletemy 5 yo is into taekwondo and recently has shown an interest in Tball. He is a good student now but he is only in Kindergarten. Whenhe gets older the real challenge is to find and maintain a balance between school & sports.
ReplyDeletehttp://twitter.com/#!/rsmc1/status/77574114927316993
ReplyDeleteMy kids aren't really old enough for organized sports yet (the oldest just turned 4), but I'm kind of dreading it. It feels like we're so busy already and we only do Awana one night a week! I'm pretty sure I will let them do maybe one sport a year (while they're little) and if they want to try t-ball one year and soccer the next that's fine with me.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of sad that the hyper competitive-ness of our society means that if you even want to play you have to go to practice 6 days a week, special camps in the summer, and then still you might only make the "B" squad. I wish it could be for fun still!
teacherkrista at gmail dot com
My daughter had practice mainly once a week and it ended around 8:30 and only lasted an hour so it wasn't that bad (volleyball)
ReplyDeletetbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
well i don't have any children yet, but when i was growing up, my parents limited us to only one sport per year, and even then made sure that it did not overwhelm our lives. that allowed her to still be able to make us nutritional meals and make sure we had ample time to study and socialize. it's all a balance!
ReplyDeletetweet
ReplyDeletehttp://twitter.com/#!/ChelleB36/status/78226465992355840
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
DD is into soccer now, we try to stay organized and follow the schedule in order to keep balance between school and sports. Balanced meals, plenty of produce and fruit smoothies are what I do to keep my family healthy.
ReplyDeletehttp://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/78305322401406977
ReplyDeletetcarolinep at gmail dot com
I'm not sure what to say, I only have furry babies. :)
ReplyDeletemendyd15 at yahoo dot com
http://twitter.com/#!/mendyd/status/78315906232627200
ReplyDeletei honestly don't know how to post the link for my twitter.
ReplyDeleteHey Hope! You click on the date of your tweet and it will open the tweet in a new window and you can get the url from there. I was the same way. Beau had to teach me. Geeky husbands come in handy for something. :)
ReplyDelete~Scout's Honor/Heather Murphy-Raines
http://twitter.com/#!/TheTrophyMom/status/79034323562532864
ReplyDeleteSo, so true. My son's team played a double header last week in 90+ degree heat and guys were dropping on the field with leg cramps. Hydration is SO important. I wrote a post related to this also on my blog: http://thetrophymom.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/45/
Cooking several meals at a time, so there is always something in the freezer! I also freeze a lot of drinks and I find that my teens like frozen Gatorade, frozen yogurt/fruit pops and other things when they might not want to drink something.
ReplyDeleteShalasBeads@gmail.com
On days we have sports I make sure everyone eats a healthy lunch or dinner and we bring water and snacks to the field
ReplyDeletes2s2 at comcast dot net
http://twitter.com/#!/susan1215/status/79611919740305408
ReplyDeletes2s2 at comcast dot net
It is a balancing act to have everything fit into place. Athletics is important but so is education. Education comes first and sports are a priveledge.
ReplyDeleteJennifer Marie
lilnursejen at yahoo dot com
tweeted!
ReplyDeletehttp://twitter.com/#!/JenniferCNP/status/79615246465105920
jennifer marie
lilnursejen at yahoo dot com
My niece plays baseball and she is very good at it!
ReplyDeleteMCantu1019 at aol dot com
Gatorade saved me from having to go into the hospital, when I was about 22, and suffering from dehydration - which is no joke. To the point of no sleep, hallucinations, etc. Couldn't keep anything down for 5 days, lost 11 lbs, and was already less than 100 lbs. Doc said, "Go home and start drinking Gatorade. If you're not any better by tomorrow, we're putting you in the hospital." Luckily, I actually like Gatorade. It worked. I swear by it, for the electrolytes, and re-hydration. Also drank it after my first child was born, to give back some of what I was giving.
ReplyDeleteRight now "sports" for us it whatever we happen to be doing that day, playing soccer in the yard, swimming, playing tag etc. School starts this September and that is all going to change. Soon there will be structure to the exercise, I am looking forward to that.
ReplyDeleteI firmly believe nutrition is important and since I love to cook I make balanced meals every chance I get but I am also grateful for my oldest sons love of raw carrots and other healthy snacks. I actually thought Gatorade still had HFCS in it, now that I know that (because I avoid HFCS like the plague around here) it doesn't, I will be buying it for our next adventure.
I have been giving my boys vitamin juice boxes when we go out and get sweaty but you can only give them one a day unless you want to overdose them on vitamins so I am really glad I can turn to Gatorade now.
Thanks for this fantastic article, it was informative and inspirational.
Tweet: http://twitter.com/#!/Serina_/status/80115836811091970
http://twitter.com/#!/teamsnap/statuses/80341023250853888
ReplyDeleteMy family always put a big emphasis on family dinner. Even with three athletes playing on multiple teams, we would try to work around everyone's schedules to come together for dinner. We were fortunate that our mom is an amazing cook and would prepare very healthy and well balanced meals. In the long run, this ritual positively affected our nutrition AND our academics because of the conversation. I realize that this is not easy to pull off but I plan to try!
Thanks for this great post.
-Margaux
Tweet.
ReplyDeletehttp://twitter.com/#!/mgoss123/status/84743143198695425
marcia.goss@gmail.com
I WAS ALWAYS A BIG SWIMMER MYSELF & MY FAMILY HAS FOLLOWED IN MY FOOTSTEPS. ALTHOUGH THEY'RE NOT MUCH COMPETITIVE WITH OTHER KIDS, FINDING THE TIME FOR THEIR ENJOYMENT (SWIMMING) IS REALLY NO ISSUE. WE LIVE ACROSS THE STREET FROM A BEACH & THEY'RE VERY EXPERIENCED WITH WATER SO IT'S NOT SO BIG OF A CONCERN WHEN IT COMES TO THEIR SAFETY. WE TRY TO EAT HEALTHY- I WANT TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO BE PROPERLY FED FOR SOCIAL ACTIVITIES OF KIDS THIS DAY, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, WE STAY BALANCED... I REALLY HAVE NO COMPLAINTS- KIDS WILL BE KIDS =D
ReplyDeletekytah00@yahoo.com
2ND ENTRY TWEET @ http://twitter.com/#!/kytah00/status/84794828088545281
ReplyDeletekytah00 {at} yahoo {dot} com
My son is only 14 mos. so I have a bit of time yet until he gets into organized sports. I am going to try to plan ahead as much as I can to make sure we have thr right types of food on hand to keep him satisfied and healthy as well as make sure he is drinking enough fluids, especially to compensate for high activity! Thanks for the giveaway. :)
ReplyDeletegina.m.maddox (at) gmail (dot) com
tweet-http://twitter.com/#!/CrazyItalian0/status/85389111850057728
ReplyDeletegina.m.maddox (at) gmail (dot) com
First off, let me say that I do not have kids. That said, IF I did have kids, I would make it a point to avoid ever having crazy schedules as much as humanly possible. I do that now in my marriage. We do not say yes to everything and do not join every club/group that we would want too, but we always have plenty of time for each other. I think you could do the same with kids. AND if you did this, you could definitely stress the importance of learning vs sports...to me there should never be a competition...learning is always first.
ReplyDeleteAngie
14earth at gmail dot com
I tweeted here: http://twitter.com/#!/FotoMacro/status/85750404733865984
ReplyDeleteAngie
14earth at gmail dot com
My kids are giving football and soccer a try this year! And we just put up a pool so there will be lots of swimming going on! I like to make sure we stay on a schedule, making time for a family dinner, and at least a half hour of reading or math, just to keep their minds swirling over the summer! Sticking to our schedule isn't always easy, but it's vital!
ReplyDeletecoriwestphal at msn dot com
Tweet: http://twitter.com/coriwestphal/statuses/85912408299798529
ReplyDeletecoriwestphal at msn dot com
Hey y'all,
ReplyDeleteTwo days until the drawing. So excited to find out who wins. Just an FYI that tweets and comments should be separate since Gatorade will be randomly choosing a comment number. If you put tweet url and comments together, you technically will only have one entry. I want you all to have as many chances as possible. :)
~Scout
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletewe exercise together & talk about nutrition all of the time. it's a lifestyle.
ReplyDeletekolpin4680 at gmail dot com
tweet
ReplyDeletehttp://twitter.com/#!/kolpin4680/status/86481600325500930
try to find a sport that everyone enjoys doing at least part of the time. luckily we all like tennis. schoolwork always comes first.
ReplyDeletehlee99 (at) gmail (dot) com
it's nice if your kids get into team sports so they spend time with friends at the same time and you can share driving duties and talk sports and school and such with other parents.
ReplyDeleteeugeniewu at gmail dot com
In our house, academics always came first, although I encouraged him to participate in sports - but i was just as likely to put the brakes on him if he didn't keep his grades up.
ReplyDeleteFor nutrition, I always made sure to have plenty of sports drinks on hand (we go through TONS of Gatorade) as well as good quality snacks, and my son knows the importance of choosing fruit over things like cookies and chips.
My son and I take Tae Kwon Do 2 nights a week and on tuesdays and thursdays there is special emphasis on hydrating. It's nice to be able to use TKD as leverage for doing homework or behaving in class. My girl will be starting soccer in the fall, but I don't think academics will be a problem for her as she'll just be starting Kindergarten.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a chance to win!
This Contest is officially closed. The good news? Trophy Mom @TheTrophyMom(chosen by BlogHer via random.org) is the BIG Winner. Congrats!
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