PRESS RELEASE

Players from Six SUNY Baseball Teams, Competitors; Volunteer to Help Little League Coaching Standards and with Free Hudson Valley Baseball Clinic

Cortland NY- A clinic, free for Little League players, is being conducted on field, while a new coaching certification is being offered inside, for the introductory price of $20.00 per coach. Program is offered at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, NY through a joint effort by the State University of New York Youth Sports Institute, the Hudson Valley Renegades and players and coaches from the SUNY baseball teams at Dutchess, Orange, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester Community Colleges. Attendees may join one of the two sessions on Sunday May 18 from 9 AM-12 PM and 1PM-3PM. There is a maximum of 10 registered Little Leaguers for every registered coach.

In the first step toward the ultimate goal of playing in the National Junior College World Series, players from six SUNY Community College baseball teams compete each spring for the championship of the Mid-Hudson Athletic Conference. These outstanding players and coaches will put their standings aside and join together to hold this unique Little League players’ clinic. The event is part of a SUNY youth coaching certification program, Youth Sports NY, designed to improve the culture of local youth sports; for players, for parents and for communities.

Our college players wore Little League uniforms a few short years ago. They know the effect that coaches and parents have on youth sports and they’re jointly taking a unique stand to encourage our youngest players while the men and women who coach our children become trained in a comprehensive coaching program.

According to Timothy Donovan, Director of the SUNY Youth Sports Institute, "Organized youth sports have become an important part of the fabric of family life for millions of New Yorkers." "Youth sports programs rely almost exclusively on volunteer coaches and lowly paid or volunteer officials, 90% of whom have little or no formal training. These youth programs are responsible for formative experiences in sportsmanship, physical education and relationship building through organized sports".

For many players who do not progress on to interscholastic or intercollegiate sports, youth sports are their singular organized sports experience. Sadly however, for a growing number of kids, the experience is a poor one replete with hostility and unsportsmanlike conduct from coaches, parents, players and fans. On May 18, while the Little League players enjoy a clinic on the field run by college coaches and players, Little League coaches will be upstairs in the stadium attending the SUNY Youth Sports Institute’s youth coaching certification course.

About the SUNY Youth Sports Institute

In 2008 youth sports have become a professionalized environment while proving to be a robust challenge for civility in many communities. The SUNY Youth Sports Institute was established in 2007 as a response to community and youth development issues arising within the current organized youth sports model. For the past year its training program, Youth Sports NY, has created a statewide network of training centers with 47 trainers at 29 community colleges. After drafting its comprehensive non-sports specific coaching curriculum at SUNY Cortland, in March 2008 the Institute began training coaches through the Continuing Education programs at SUNY Community Colleges across New York State .

In the Youth Sports NY program coaches in diverse sports are all trained to a common set of coaching standards. Following the three-hour certification course and online test, coaches are provided with sport specific skills and drills training to improve their competency in their specific sport. Youth Sports NY is eager to come to your community. Please call the number below for more information. Training centers for coaches are being established in urban, rural and suburban centers across New York State.

Advanced registration for the clinic is required and can be done at www.youthsportsny.org, at Dutchess Stadium, or by calling toll free 877-828-8811. The maximum is 10 Little League players per coach. The first 150 Little League players who sign up at Dutchess Stadium will receive a shirt with emblems from the participating teams.

April 29th, 2008

First News 12

DENISON, TX - Many kids start playing sports at a very early age. But when a child has a disability, sports aren't always an option. But now, the Denison Little League has a new division designed specifically for children who are mentally or physically challenged. Here’s Mystic Matthews with more about this new program.

The first challenger game hasn't even taken place, but the division has already received an overwhelming response from the little league community.

Coaches and kids are fired up and can't wait to play ball!

Millions of kids play little league ball all over the world. But this weekend in Denison, a new group of players will be taking the field for the first time.

“The challenger division is for physically and mentally challenged children," says Scott Marr, the Denison Little League President.

Read on...

April 14th, 2008

Daily News

When Frank Reali 3rd was found dead in his Staten Island real estate office a year ago this month, his parents pledged to do something in his honor to benefit the community.

What Francine (Fran) and Frank Reali came up with could transform high school sports in this town, maybe nationally.

The couple, owners of Safari Realty on Staten Island, wants to provide free magnetic resonance imaging scans for all students about to begin high school sports.

MRI scans provide noninvasive but remarkably accurate pictures of a patient's body.

Produced by passing the patient through a powerful, often circular magnet, these photos can show even the tiniest injury or abnormality.

Read on...

Public Opinion

Sports around the world have provided many a child with opportunities to enjoy physical activity and the fundamentals of teamwork and sportsmanship -- considered by many a necessary and formative childhood experience.

At a fundamental level, youth sports -- whether team or individual -- originally evolved as ways for all children to learn and improve sports skills, obviously in hopes of discovering new talent for the future.

I also like to think that a more health- and social-conscious intention fostered the youth sports movement. But like so many good intentions, once adults with egos and money become involved, what may have once been a great way for children to "play" has become a venue for parents to often live vicariously.

Read on...

OAKFIELD, N.Y. -- The former treasurer for a western New York Little League is accused of using his organization's bank card to buy Internet child pornography.

Authorities in Genesee County say 40-year-old Richard Dunlap of Oakfield also used the Oakfield-Alabama Little League Association's debit card to access adult dating services and to take his family on a vacation to Disney World two years ago.

According to court papers, Dunlap emptied the organization's $30,000 bank account. Federal authorities say he purchased the child pornography on his home computer.

Dunlap, a married father of three, served as the local Little League treasurer for nearly four years. He resigned after federal agents searched his home in late January.

April 4th, 2008

South Delta Leader

team pride—(Left) the South Delta Secondary girls’ field hockey team traveled to Chile during spring break for a few games and humanitarian work. (Below) The girls raised $3,000 for an orphanage.

Contributed photos

A Tsawwassen field hockey team traveled to Chile to play the game and lend a helping hand, and returned having gained a few valuable experiences.

Fifteen teammates on South Delta Secondary’s girls’ field hockey team took off to Santiago during spring break with three goals in mind.

“One was of course to play a bit of field hockey,” said coach Neil McLennan.

Read on...

April 5th, 2008

Bleacher Report

I suppose the best answer to this question of specialization in sports (and I know I might get some grief for this) is that there really is no best or right answer, at least no right answer for everyone and every situation. There are just too many variables in order for one answer to truly be beneficial for all. In fact, doing so would not only be inappropriate but completely unfair to the athlete and/or situation they might be faced with. So, even though it might seem vague at first, let’s start with some general guidelines (and I do mean general; some will even come up with scenarios that would simply not fit these general guidelines either).
 

I do, in general, believe that young people who participate in sports should, within reason (too many is not good either), participate in a variety of sports. There are several reasons behind this, not the least of which is to help them become more well-rounded individuals. Young athletes should learn and know how to run, jump, shuffle, sprint, jog, hop, and skip along with catching, throwing, shooting, balancing, kicking, batting, etc.

Read on...

April 5th, 2008

Daily American

JOHNSTOWN — Veteran coaches know that the most frequent youth athletic injuries occur in football, gymnastics and hockey. Many even know that 52.4 percent of all skin infections occur in wrestlers. But that didn’t stop them, and younger coaches, from attending the Regional Resource Trauma Center at Memorial Medical Center’s Health and the Youth Athlete clinic Saturday.

“The reason I have my whole football staff involved is education,” said Windber head coach Phil DeMarco, who enters his 24th season in the fall. “We have heard several of these topics in the past, but we are always trying to protect the kids. That is the No. 1 priority. I made a few notes that I would like to address with the great training staff we have at Windber.”
Tom Causer, Trauma Coordinator for the event said, between 160-170 youth and junior and senior high coaches and officials, from several counties, attended the five hour clinic.

Dr. Lee Miller, Trauma and Critical Care Surgeon, and speaker on brain and nervous system injuries said, “We’re very happy with the turnout. We didn’t expect quite this many people.”

Read on...

April 8th, 2008

Inside Nova

Spring has arrived! And as the weather becomes nicer, individuals are spending more time outdoors enjoying a variety of outdoor activities and sports especially our youth.  And although being active is healthy for the mind, body and soul you are susceptible to injuries as well. 

According to Safe Kids USA, each year, more than 3.5 million children, in the U.S. under the age of 15 are treated for sports injuries. Older children are more prone to sports-related injuries because they are larger, faster and more competitive. This particular age group, 5 to 14, account for nearly 40 percent of all sports-related injuries treated at emergency rooms.

In team sports, the majority of injuries (62 percent) occur during practice, not games, with the extent of those injuries ranging from heat illness to traumatic head and neck injury (21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries are sports or recreation related), with cardiac disease being the number one cause of death among athletes.

Read on...