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10 Interesting Sports Health And Training Facts

trackmom — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:57:47 +0000

Girls grabing a bite after Long Jumping

Here are a few interesting facts about sports health and training that are interesting and helpful too!

1. The majority of Olympic records were made between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. This fact makes experts believe that the mentioned period of time is the best for doing physical exercises. Within those hours, a human body is the most tuned for achieving the best results in sports.

2. Athletes need to stay hydrated for optimal performance. Studies have found that a loss of two or more percent of one’s body weight due to sweating is linked to a drop in blood volume. When this occurs, the heart works harder to move blood through the bloodstream. This can also cause muscle cramps, dizziness and fatigue and even heat illness.

3. Hydration Before Exercise For Youth up to age 13 is the following :drink about 8-16 fl oz, 2-3 hours before exercise,then drink 3-8 fl oz 10-15 min before exercise double for over 13 years

4. Carbohydrate is the main nutrient that fuels exercise of a moderate to high intensity, while fat can fuel low intensity exercise for long periods of time. Proteins are generally used to maintain and repair body tissues, and are not normally used to power muscle activity.

5. Sports doctors say there is no doubt that time spent warming up and cooling down will improve an individual’s level of performance and accelerate the recovery process needed before and after training or competition.

6. Dynamic stretches are more appropriate to the warm up as they help reduce muscle stiffness. Static stretching exercises do not reduce muscle stiffness.

7. If you want the utmost efficiency, consistent improvement, and balanced abilities athletes must participate in year round conditioning programs. The bottom line in sports conditioning and fitness training is stress, not mental stress, but adaptive body stress. Athletes must put their bodies under a certain amount of stress (overload) to increase overall physical capabilities.

8. Glycogen is the main source of fuel used by the muscles to enable an athlete to undertake both aerobic and anaerobic exercise. If you train with low glycogen stores, you will feel constantly tired, training performance will be lower and the athlete will be more prone to injury and illness.

9. It is widely believed that by most coaches If you maintain some form of speed training throughout the year, your muscles and nervous system do not lose the feel of moving fast and the brain will not have to re-learn the proper control patterns at a later date.

10. In regard to circadian rhythm (a circadian rhythm is an approximate daily periodicity, a roughly-24-hour cycle in the biochemical, physiological or behavioural processes of living beings. I like to say simply the bodies natural clock for it’s life rhythm.) When an athlete travels across time lines especially east ,exercise is more useful to help re-tune rhythms than taking naps, which can anchor rhythms at the zone of departure. Training in the morning may be beneficial.

USATF Region 15 Championships

trackmom — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:21:30 +0000

A Happy High Jumper on her way To North Carolina

The weather wasn’t the only thing that is “Hot” in Cerritos,California this weekend

Friday was the beginning of the USATF Region 15 Championships, the top finishers will represent Region 15 at the USATF Junior Olympics to be held in Greensbro, North Carolina. Teams from as far south as San Diego and North as Santa Barbara and East Las Vegas converged on Cerritos California to compete for the right to represent the best of Region 15 this 2009 season.

Lauren began competition Saturday at 8:30am at the long jump pit and 9am on the track for the 100m and later that afternoon the 200m. Region 15 has a wealth of talent that shined this weekend. Many of the athletes I have highlighted previously and I look forward to many new athletes as they represent the region as well.

Exciting Moments

Bantam Girls

Adaugo Oguejifor pulled out a last minute jump of 4.11 to secure a gold medal and a spot in Greensbro. Lauren continues her quest in Greensbro for triple gold with 100m,200m wins and a silver in the Long Jump. Kaelin Roberson West Long Beach Cyclones holds on for the 800m win . Most exciting race of the day hands down was the 400m. Autumn Wright LA Jets, Cherese Patterson, Las Vegas Heat and Britanie Butts, High Desert Heat Had set the stage for a great race. Britanie edging out Autumn 2 weeks earlier in a surprise win. Cherese was unrelenting and in the end pulled away in the final 60m of ther race and clearly was the Region’s fastest competing 400m runner on the track Sunday. The final went like this; Cherese, Autumn and Britanie and this sets the stage for a great rematch in Greensbro.

Batons were flying

Bantam girls and Midgets girls just couldn’t seem to hold on to the baton Sunday has top contenders from the San Fernando Valley Earth Quakes(midget girls) and the LA Jets(Bantam girls) gave up their opportunity to represent the region in the 4×100m by dropping the stick on the way to qualifying.

Bantam Boys

We,er getting used to this season watching the SoCal Cougars Jaylen Rasheed Nailor 100m, 200m and 4×100 relay And Isaiah Richardson 400m.800m 4×100 relay

Region 15 “The Ones” To Watch

There was lots to watch this weekend and although I can write on every athlete accomplishments this weekend there was great sucess in winning and falling just a little short . The So Cal Comets are looking very impressive as the San Fernando Valley’s All Star stand out team this season.It was great to see their team in almost every final and very competitive.Quite Fire once again will bring a strong presence to NC with many top three finalist heading for NC later next month. California Rising Stars, So Cal cougars and La Jets will bring a strong team that promise to be in contention for Gold.

My favorite perfomances this weekend

Jaela Williams Midget girl is looking amazingly confident and strong as she runs and jumps effortlessly to NC this summer.I have been a hugh fan of Jaela since she was a Bantam.Everytime watching in amazement at how easy she makes winning look.

Again Jaelen Nailor was all by himself as he ran to victory 3 times in two days in Cerritos

National record holder Mystasia Alexander (midget girl) Of LA Jets totally out throws the competiion with an over 40m Javelin that once again sends her sailing to the Junior Olympic

Jashonna Owens (youth girl) wins the 100m field in 12.32 to lead the region with Tiasyn Crutchfield (lower youth girl) in second looking poised and very good as well

Justice Maze QF Midget girl looking fast and confident this season wins the 100m

It is official post Championship Season is off to a fast pace and before you know it we will be seeing some of you in Greensbro and Des Moines. Don’t forget to stop me and say Hi!!

Until Next Time

Are Sports Drinks Really Necessary?

trackmom — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:05:31 +0000

Here is another revisted article on Sports Drinks

Today I am going to outline briefly how to prepare a homemade sports drink for training and competition.It really comes down to the hydration and the type of nutrition the athlete consumes on a regular basis but especially during track season or any other sport for that matter to maximize performance effort.

I have seen the change in athletes workouts and competition with these strategies.You can see immediate change in mood and behavior when the athlete is prepared with the right fuel and proper hydration .You would never put water in a car and expect it to go anywhere.Why do we put junk food,soda,HFCS drinks etc. (including Gatorade yep I said it) and expect great performance and attitude. You are doing your coaches a great disservice if you are bringing your child to practice with nothing or not the proper food as fuel on board. Attention span is there,ability to work hard…I think you get the point.

The major consideration for any hydration beverage is the provision and retention of water in the body. If your child is exercising only moderately vigorously, and in mild weather, the form in which the water is provided is less important than for high activity/hot weather: plain water, flavored water, commercially-available sports drink or home-made sports drink (made according to the criteria below) are all adequate.

However, there is good evidence that a cooled, flavored sports drink of suitable composition encourages drinking and so may be better than plain water as a means of preventing dehydration, even for low-moderate physical activity in mild conditions.

For more vigorous and/or sustained exercise, particularly in the heat, the evidence is even stronger that the addition of carbohydrate and sodium (eg as salt) to water will assist significantly in preventing dehydration. A satisfactory drink can be made cheaply if it conforms to the following criteria:

With the availability of a multitude of pre-mixed, flavored sports drinks, or powders to which you simply add water, it is only the very dedicated (or money-conscious) sports person who is likely to bother with mixing their own sports drink. Always check the label of any drink you buy to make sure that it does not provide more than 8% carbohydrate

TrackMom Sports Drink

1 caffeine-free lemon tea bag

16oz of Water

2 tablespoons sugar or Agave syrup(my favorite)

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons orange juice

o Bring 16 ounces of water to a boil.
o Steep lemon tea bag.
o Dissolve sugar and salt in the tea and let cool.
o Combine the tea and orange juice and chill.

Nutrition Information (per 8 ounces):

Calories - 60

carbohydrates - 15g

sodium -130mg

What Do You Say?

trackmom — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:38:29 +0000

What Do You Think Can Make Track and Field Better?

1. List at least 4 things USATF could do today that doesn’t take money to improve the sport

D writes: “Being on the elite level of things I am acutely aware that 99% of the things WE can do to improve the sport will take money in some way shape or form. I am sure some grass roots people have better ideas and thoughts on this than I do”.

Ken writes: “A. Add a search engine to usatf.org. The site has vast resources — but many great sources of information are buried in its bowels.
B. Move to online voting for a “sense of the track community” — in advance of the annual meeting. Handful of delegates don’t possess all wisdom.
C. List incomes of all professional track athletes — to show the sport is worth pursuing as a livelihood.
D. Survey other Olympic sports for “best practices.” We could learn a lot if we tried”.

2. List 4 things they could do today with up to 200,000 dollars to improve the sport

D writes: “I am not sure how much these things will take. What WE can do to improve the sport is advertise and have a viable marketing plan. Not necessarily TV time, just exposure. We cannot keep relying on high school parents, and word of mouth to get people to meets. Street teams, radio announcements, occassional personalities to support the various meets.
We definitely need to get brand recognition at the elite level. We are healthy at the high school level, the college levels, and even the big relay meets we have, but it all falls down beyond that.
That 200k should go towards a position in Indy for a domestic czar whose sole purpose is to market the sport”.

3. What is your dream list for USATF to help improve and grow the sport of Track and Field

D writes: “My dream is one solitary wish, to have a real marketing department that is working to grow the sports profile on the American landscape”.

Cheryl writes : I wish USATF would stop allowing somebody else to do their job,shoe companies,vitamin companies.Find people to grow the sport that love it so much they would promote track payment or no?? Stop doing business as it has been done to long already. Integrate all of track and field (Youth through the Masters) at high profile may be just a race or two for each meet. Show the world that you can be a track and field star at any age this is the ultimate forever sport and the beauty of track and field . Watching all ages is inspiring to everyone and I believe it would go very far to reaching out the genral public. Everyone has run at some point in their life, this sport can be relateable on many levels . Lastly stop blaming the elite athletes for all the woes of Track and Field, better support and guidance of America’s finest need to be a major goal. Highlight and make public interest of more of the athletes not just 5 or 6. We have many more great talented athlete than the small number few even know thew name of. Marketing is King.

4. Do you think the youth program of USATF could be improved to serve the children and developing elite athletes better? If so how?

D writes “ I am of the belief that all grass roots prgrams should be separate from USAT USATFs main responsibility should be to the elite level program, I believe this for all NGBs. It is too much of an undertaking for USATF to manage all levels of the sport especially in the US where we have 100s of thousands if not up to a million participants at the age group level. The demands for youth programs is different from the elite level which requires a different set of rules, and causes conflicts up the chain. And we have not talked about budgets”.

Cheryl writes: Provide better cohesive leadership in the youth ranks,share best practices, have a standard to run regions. I guess this can be hard with all volunteers and parents but USATF should overhaul the proigram and make it more unified. Provide a best practices manual, hold accountable regions for poor performances by that region based on set criteria. Better web presence and information on web sites. Utilize local non-profit advertising to actively promote the sport .

Attitude And Success

trackmom — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:58:25 +0000

Smiling Faces After A Long Day of AAU National Qualifying

One of my favorite radio pastors is Chuck Swindol. He has a special way of sharing important, timely thoughts. I thought about one of my favortie quotes from him today after talking to Lauren about her upcoming big races and jumping She said to me “Mom I am fine and ready, I am going to jump as far as the pro’s this weekend, I know I can do good this season in the Long Jump”.My response is always okay if you say so : - )

The focus on the Long Jump comes from not winning a National Championship in this event yet. (She has a 4th place 2007 and a 7th place 2008 Copper AAU JO’s medal) She has yet to break into the top 3 spot.She really loves jumping so much she just has to “experience” it so she says. Her positive attitude tells me so much about her performances and drive. Attitiude really is the key to sucess. Lets see what happens In Greensbro….But First Regionals In Cerritos,CA

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

And so it is with you - we are in charge of our Attitudes!”

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.

It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.

It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.

It will make or break a company - a church - a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.

We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude!

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it.

Youth Motivation

trackmom — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:03:21 +0000

A Blue Ribbon Can Be A Motivator In Sport

One of our biggest tasks as parents is to teach our children right from wrong. What integrity and character are and help develop these areas in them . Another very big area of development is self motivation. The ability to do tasks that need to be done in a timely manner with self initiation. Some kids have more of this naturally some have less, all need to have it. How we can help the process of self motivation is of utmost importance. Being active in sports requires a level of self motivation and as time goes on the level of competition progressively higher for some, the level of self motivation also has to .If your child one day has collegiate aspirations sooner than later is the rule for a productive athletic experience.

It would be so nice to come home and your child immediately starts the dishes or begins homework , the track shoes being tied up ready for practice before told to do it. We have to build the correct circumstances and situations to help them learn one of the most important behaviors they will ever need in sports and life. If you want them to be self-motivated, you are going to need to do many things the list below is a start.

Watch the messages you send them, be an example and be very consistent in all that.
Never leave any room for interpretation in what you mean when you talk with your children. The message always have to be very clear; no ambiguity.
Be consistent in being a role model. Remember that all of the above is what your kids watch all the time, from day one.
Encourage your kids to question themselves and accept their responsibility in their actions.

You don’t want your kids to grow up falling into the victim mode where it’s always someone else’s fault, or bad luck. They have to learn to think in terms of their responsibility. This is a lesson that must be taught daily.

When my daughter recently had a very good training session, I not only praised her for the good job, well done but also that her hard work that has lead to a good performance. For every action there is a consequence good or bad. You always get a consequence. Which one is up to them.

Ultimately, a self motivated child helps make life at home more pleasant and if your child is an active athlete she must learn to do things in order and on time because there is only so much time for all tasks in a day forgoing or forgetting one or two may cause them not to be able to participate in the sport they love, it’s a privilege to compete a bonus for doing their part in the life of the family and themselves.

Proper Hydration Guidelines

trackmom — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:47:59 +0000

Are your Kids drinking enough water?

How Much Water Is Enough?

Experts tell us that If your urine is dark and scanty, it is concentrated with metabolic wastes and the athlete needs to drink more fluids. When your urine is pale yellow, your body has returned to its normal water balance. Your urine may be dark if you are taking vitamin supplements; in that case, volume is a better indicator than color is in this case.

All athletes must drink water before, during, and after exercise. Re-hydration can start when an athlete loses as little as 1 percent f body weight. In a 70-pound child, this would be less than 1 pound of weight loss. Young athletes should be weighed before they train or compete and again during the event (if it will be specially long) or afterwards so you know how much water they have lost. Follow the basic guidelines below to be sure that a child s drinking enough water throughout an exercise session.

Before Exercise Drink 10 to 14 oz. of cold water 1 to 2 hours before the activity. Drink 3-6 oz.of cold water or diluted fruit juice 15 to 20 minutes before the activity.

During Exercise Drink 3 to 4 oz. of cold water every 15 minutes.

After Exercise Drink 2 cups (16 oz.) of cold water for every pound of weight loss.

With no weight loss still drink the minimum of 8oz of water

You must watch and see how much water a young athlete actually drinks. Supervision is essential because children do not instinctively drink enough fluid to replace body water losses. Children may not recognize the symptoms of heat strain, and they may push themselves to the point of heat injury. Young athletes can use non HFCS sports drinks, especially during activities lasting lore than 90 minutes.(Football, Soccer) these drinks should contain between 6 and 8 percent carbohydrate or 15 to 18 grams of carbohydrate per cup.

If products labeled “sports drinks” do not meet these guidelines, they may need to be diluted. Water is adequate for most children. However, some youth athletes are more likely to drink sufficient amounts if you give them flavored fluid; sports drinks or diluted fruit juice are appropriate choices. Be sure to dilute fruit juice at least twofold: 1 cup of water for every 1 cup of juice. Tell children not to drink carbonated sodas or undiluted fruit juice as a fluid source during exercise. These beverages are too rich in carbohydrate (which can cause stomach cramps, nausea, and diarrhea). (Caffeinated beverages (such as tea, co coffee, and cola beverages) will dehydrate the body even more. Athletes can also replace their body fluids with foods containing a lot of water, such as oranges, watermelon, apples, grapes, and tomatoes, along with water. These foods provide water and carbohydrate, and they are good for replacing lost water and lost energy (glycogen) after exercise. Read more about water here

Until Next Time

The 2009 United Age Group Track Coaches Association Youth Invitational

trackmom — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:34:46 +0000

Last year I was one of the “Curious” ones Coach Jackson mentions below. Since then, actually, while I was at the 2008 meet I became a believer in a meet that is competitive and fun. If you live on the east coast, it is the must go to Invitational right before JO’s.

The 2009 United Age Group Track Coaches Association Youth Invitational

It has been said before but it may bear repeating that the UAGTCA Youth Invitational (UAGI) may not be the granddaddy of all Invitationals but we believe it has made a pretty impressive start in its first four years of life. The meet has grown from 900 curious onlookers in 2006 to 1300 serious competitors in 2008 that came from 10 states and the Island nation of Bermuda.

The year 2009 promises to show even more impressive growth. The first three years found us battling the traditional scheduling problems facing any meet, Regional J.O.’s, established Invitationals and the normal skepticism that accompanies any new venture. Many brave souls threw caution to the wind and supported our efforts based on our word and long history of achievement. Most were pleasantly surprised and vowed to return. The relaxed and reliable schedule along with the diversity of events and the strength of competition made the UAGI the place to get an excellent tune-up before the National meets. The favorable support of National publications like Youth Runner Magazine, TrackMom.Com, Dyestat and Milesplit helped raise the consciousness of the prep stars that were just looking for a place to compete without all of the hassles and complications of many larger meets.

The UAGI promised and delivered both, a hassle free schedule and great competition. The genie was out of the bottle and would not go back in. The introduction of the Race Walk in 2008 was the final link in the competition slate.

The Race Walk is a Sunday morning (finals day) showcase that emphasizes our commitment to the event as well as to the athletes who participate. The Introduction of the Madeline R. Willette Memorial Scholarship Award, dedicated to the ideals of one of our charter members, also helps demonstrate our commitment to the entire athlete involved in our program.

With growth, hopefully, comes knowledge. The 2009 version of the meet brings with it several dramatic changes to the structure of the meet. The athletes that we hope to attract wanted bigger and better facilities to showcase their talents. Travelling teams wanted better and closer accommodations and the surprises that accompany any venture of this size meant being prepared for any eventuality. The meet has moved to the Widener University Track & Field complex which is located in Chester, PA. Widener University is located just 5 miles south of Philadelphia, PA on the easily accessible I-95 corridor. It is just 3 miles from the Philadelphia International Airport. Our new host hotel is the Renaissance Airport Hotel and we have a host of activities planned at the headquarters.

We are growing daily. You can look at our 2009 Planned Participants list (Clubs who voluntarily state their intent to participate) and see that we are already at 12 stateside clubs and 2 clubs from Bermuda who have decided to join us this year. Visit the website at www.uagtca.org/invitational.htm to keep up with the changing details.

We hope to see you there!

Coach Jackson

Houston Was On “Fire”

trackmom — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:59:41 +0000

” RED HOT FIRE” Youth Boys Team

THE GOLDEN BOYS

Track Houston Invitational - Quiet Fire Youth Boys Results

Darrell Fuery 3^rd Place 100M, Morgan Simon, 8^th Place 100m, Elijah Dunston 2^nd Place 400M,

Darrell Fuery 6^th Place 400M, Iyasu Kelbiso 3^rd 1500M.

4X100M Relay 1^st Place - Khyree Morgan, Elijah Dunston, Morgan Simon & Darrell Fuery

4X400M Relay 1^st Place - Isaiah Bernard, Darrell Fuery, Morgan Simon & Elijah Dunston

4X800M Relay 3^rd Place - Isaiah Bernard, Khyree Morgan, Jordan Gutierrez & Iyasu Kelbiso

Quiet Fire Youth Boys set the final stage at the Track Houston Invitational for being the team to bet in both sprint relays at the National Junior Olympic Championships in Greensboro, NC.

The Youth Boys Coordinator, La Fonda Riggins and Coach Chris promised the boys last season, that they were going to compete at the Track Houston meet in 2009 and indeed they did. The Golden Boy’s made great showing at the Track Houston 20^th anniversary invitational.

Starting with Elijah Dunston placing 2^nd place in the 400M, with a season personal record of 51.79. The 4X800M relay team ending the final race on Friday night with a seasonal record of 9:20.10. Saturday showed more great performances with Darrell Fuery 3^rd place finish in the 100M dash, with another seasonal personal best of 11.41. Iyasu Kelbiso a novice to track ran a personal record by 30 seconds, to finish 3^rd in a time of 4:50.10. The boys remain undefeated in both sprint relays. The 4X100M relay was a very close and exciting race to the finish. Morgan ran the 3^rd leg like he owned the turn. Track Houston and Southern Eagles made the boys run their fastest time of the year, a 44.78. They concluded the meet in golden style by winning the 4X400M relay.

Track Houston Track Club extended a first class hospitality to all of us. They made our stay in Houston a very enjoyable and exciting one. The meet was well organized and the races were very exciting as well.

The announcer did an outstanding job keeping the meet full of energy throughout the competition.

The torch is still burning bright as the Youth Boys start the Junior Olympics qualifier meets.

Again, Thanks Track Houston for A-1 Hospitality Southern Style

Inspiration Friday ….The Road To The Junior Olympics

trackmom — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:33:23 +0000

Lolo Jones a Champion in all seasons

This weekend marks the beginning of the journey to the JO’s. Whether USATF Junior Olympics or AAU Junior Olympic Games thousands of us will begin the process of going to the JO’s.

We parents will support ,cheer and hope with ”all good intentions“our kids” to the next level this summer.

It’s a love hate dance,we love watching our kids succeed, we hate the heat , expense and time for the opportunity to have the chance of a top 8 medalist or maybe even if things work just right a Natioinal Champion in our midst . This is track and field, one season rides into the next and slowly builds a lasting legacy for our athletes and their accomphishments.

As much as we can be PC and say it’s about fun….It’s about winning too. Winning is fun and hopefully along the season’s road there was opportunity to win in heats with no final, in practice and in the loving look you give your child just for trying her best. But JO’s is about the ultimate competitive level in the youth track arena. Simply, Speed is King and JO’s Crowns and appaludes it.

Winning of course isn’t just the person who crosses first. It is achieving a new personal best, breaking the barrier of the first time they made a top 8 final. Feeling satisfied as a parent and athlete that the best effort and reward were gained. The races mean different things to different people. No one shows up to lose but 99% will in the strictest sense of the word. If our definition of what winning ultimately is for us is fulfillment of your best effort that day there will be many winners,actually they all are my virtue of being the best competitor they can be. First place athletes don’t always stay there and neither do the lower place finishers.

No one wins all the time and the best winner has to thank a lose along the road for the current success. Winning isn’t so sweet with out a place of perspective. the reason why it is so special…. Losing (not winning a race) gives us this special gift of appreciation when the time is just right.

So here’s to winning and losing this JO season and the perspective it carries with it.

Here is one of my favorite videos featuring the gracious fastest Women of the hurdles Lolo Jones on losing In Beijing .No win in Beijing but a Champion all the same.