Parents Guide of Las Vegas

Features
Youth Sports A to Z
Get Involved: Youth Sports
Children and Sports: Advice from a Mother of Three
Dr. Nielson Works to Prevent Youth Sports Injuries
Nevada PEP LV Trainings
Self-esteem as a Generator of Academic Achievement
Graziano’s Pizza & Youth Sports

Departments
Letter from the Publisher
Recommended Reading
Featured Teacher
Family Calendar
Boredom Busters

Dear Parents,

I have had some pretty cool jobs in my life. For example I was a Nintendo game play counselor. My job was to learn how to play all of the Nintendo games so I could help people who couldn’t figure them out. During college I had a part time job as one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (I hope you all get a chance to go see them at Club Sport on July 11th). As a TMNT I would make appearances at skating rinks and perform martial arts demonstrations, sign autographs and get free pizza. Notwithstanding all of my past jobs, nothing has been more rewarding than being the publisher of ParentsGuide of Las Vegas.

I appreciate the support and feedback I have received from so many parents in Las Vegas. The response to our website (www.ParentsGuideLV.com) has been incred­ible. We already have more than 2,800 parents on our e-newsletter list and more are signing up every day. Finally, I want to thank the PGLV advertisers. They make this possible every month.

Our July issue is all about sports. In our magazine, and on our website, we are building the most complete information source for Las Vegas parents. This is particularly true of Youth Sports which is the topic of this issue. Given the constraints of space, I know we have not been able to include every youth sports program and league. If you would like your youth sport program promoted in our online directory send us an e-mail and we will include you free of charge. Also be aware that beginning in August we will run a monthly calendar for youth sport sign ups. If you have a youth league that you would like to promote please e-mail the sign up information to editor@ParentsGuideLV.com.

Best regards,

Mark Sherwood, Publisher

Advisory Board		Publisher
Ethel Archibald		Mark Sherwood
Jen Flinders
Carmen Miller		Event Director
Ellen Gianni Nelson		Pamela Ann Schumacher
Steve Orrico
		Distribution
Art Director		Richard Kleinman
Hugh Roper
			Account Executives
Graphic Designer		Sarah Jones
Brittany Lish		Susan Thomas

 
To advertise call: (702) 530-2380

ParentsGuide of Las Vegas is published monthly by Postman Right Media, LLC. Copyright 2009.

By Audrey Sherwood

Heat
By Mike Lupica

12- year old Michael Arr­oyo loves the game of baseball. Pitching for his team, they are on track to the Little League World Series. But trouble comes when a jealous parent from another team challenges Michael to prove his age. Being born in Cuba, he doesn’t have a copy of his birth certificate. Getting documentation would jeopardize the secret he and his 16-year old brother have been keeping—that their father died recently and they are orphans. Michael is torn apart by being kept from the baseball he loves and the desire to not be separated from his brother. Luckily, Michael has friends to help him like his gum-chewing buddy Manny, Mrs. C, his grandmotherly neighbor and a mysterious girl.
Ages: 9-12
Check out other titles by Mike Lupica: Travel Team, Summer Ball, and The Big Field.

The Million Dollar Shot
By Dan Gutman

Eddie Ball lives in a trailer park in Louisiana with his widowed mother. When she gets laid off from her job at Finkle’s Snack factory, Eddie is worried about their future. He enters a poetry contest sponsored by Finkle’s with a prize of shooting a million-dollar foul shot . Using his friend Annie’s poetry, he wins the contest. Annie’s dad help him prepare but Mr. Finkle is trying everything he can to get him to miss. Can Eddie make the shot?
Ages: 8-10
A prolific sports story writer, Dan Gutman has written other “million dollar” stories as well as sports historical fiction (even some for beginning readers).

Just Like Josh Gibson
By Angela Johnson, Illustrated by Beth Peck

A grandmother tells her young granddaughter about her love of baseball growing up and how she never got to play in a league like the boys. Her idol was Josh Gibson, star of the Negro leagues, and she dreamed of playing like him. Sometimes, her cousin Danny and his friends would let her practice with them and the boys would say “Too bad she’s a girl”. One day, at the all-star game Danny injured his arm and couldn’t play. A player short, Grandmama pulled on her cousin’s cleats and jumped in , fancy pink dress and all. Playing in the all-star game let her “hear all the cheers” and feel just like Josh Gibson as she helped the team to victory.
Ages: 5-7

By Jason Parson

Whether it is basketball, football, soccer, swimming or track and field, youth sports is an exciting way to help children learn and grow. Children develop physical skills, get exercise, make friends, have fun, learn to play as a member of a team, learn to play fair, and improve self-esteem. To help a child get the most out of sports, the parents should to be actively involved.

Besides the amazing physical benefits of your child participating in a sports program, there are so many opportunities to teach life lessons, including:

• Providing emotional support and feedback
• Attending some games and talking about them afterward
• Helping to create realistic expectations for your child
• Learning the sport and supporting your child’s involvement
• Talking to your child about their experiences with the coach and other team members
• Helping your child handle disappointments and losing
• Modeling respectful spectator behavior

Although involvement takes time and may create challenges for work and family schedules, it allows you to develop a deeper relationship with your child and helps them to better understand social interactions. Your child’s behavior and attitude reflects a combination of the coaching and your discussions about good sportsmanship and fair play.

It is also important to talk about what your child observes in sports events. When bad sportsmanship occurs, discuss other ways the situation could be handled. While you might acknowledge that in the heat of competition it may be difficult to maintain control and respect for others, it is important to stress that disrespectful behavior is not acceptable. Remember, success is not the same thing as winning and failure is not the same thing as losing.

As with most aspects of parenting, being actively involved and talking with your children about their life is very important. Being proud of accomplishments, sharing in wins and defeats, and talking to them about what has happened helps them develop skills and capacities for success in life. The lessons learned during children’s sports will shape values and behaviors for adult life.

Jason Parsons is Club Manager for 24 Hour Fitness — Silverado Sport at 9875 South Maryland Parkway in Las Vegas. He can be reached at (702) 361-8199.