Parents Corner

Editor’s note: This week the local paper did an expose about a local high school wresting coach who was arrested and charged with sexual assault on a minor by a person in a position of trust.  Turns out this coach has a stellar won-loss record, steered his team to a State Championship and was...
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by Stephen Walker, PhD and Alec Baker, PsyD “The most important reason that kids play sports is because it’s fun.  When it stops being fun, they’ll stop wanting to play, and they’ll stop learning.” – Harry Sheehy Parents have a huge impact on the quality of their sports kid’s experience.  This article is designed...
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by Ryan Rivera  After a Major Injury Athletes take a lot of physical abuse on their way to achieving greatness. They deal with nicks, cuts, aches and pains every day, and in general it’s easy to overcome those bumps and bruises and keep active. But when you suffer from a major injury, it can...
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by Will Murray & Stephen Walker Pre-race jitters bother almost everybody.  For some athletes, the jitters are so bad that they withdraw from some races or decide to give up racing altogether.  For others, those nervous feelings impair their ability to perform. One professional triathlete, an 11-time Ironman finisher, got so nervous before his...
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By Dr. Stephen E. Walker, PhD, CC-AASP Have you ever wondered how your thinking might influence your physical health, performance or well-being? In the second quarter issue of 2005, research was presented by Dr. Alan Rozanski in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology focused on developments in the field of Behavioral Cardiology....
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There are all kinds of coaches.  Some are CEO’s, some are Presidents of the United States, some are coaching the U12 soccer team down the road.  Some are good, some aren’t so hot, and a few are great.  Simon Hartley spoke of the “reasons” an athlete is training in the pool at 5am each...
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by Simon Hartley Be World Class Why does a swimmer get out of bed at 4am on a cold, wet Tuesday in December. Why do they drive all the way to the pool and swim up and down for two hours? Why do they then have a bite of breakfast before doing a tough...
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Sasha DiGiulian Win’s the 2011 SCS National Championships in Sport Climbing Photos by Dominik Walker Editors Note: Goal Setting is commonly referred to as an integral mental skill. However, in our experience there are few coaches and athletes that really know how to do it properly. It is a mental skill that will require...
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by Dr. Haley Perlus To best understand ways we can better support our child athletes, we would all do well to remember a few important facts.  The number one reason your athletes participate in sport is to have fun. Of all the young people who participate in athletics, 90% are involved in some form...
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There were several top videos presented on You Tube this year that merit another viewing – especially because they represent many of the values and principles Podium would like to share with its readers.  Research on laughter and its impact on the nervous system and our stress hormones suggest that we should look for...
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