Posts Tagged ‘Sports’

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Cross Training

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Try This At Home……………………

Sit down with your child and help her make a list of all of the abilities and skills that are required to be successful in her sport.  For example, for track cycling I’d have listed endurance, fast sprint, power, and maybe a few more.  Next to each one have her write down which specific drills or workouts she does within her sport to address each item listed.  For example, on my list I’d put long, easy five hour rides next to endurance.  Next, for each item on her list, have her think of an alternative activity she could do to achieve the same goal.  For example instead of doing sprints maybe she would do plyometrics.  If she isn’t already doing some kind of cross training for her sport, have her choose one thing to try either during her upcoming season or off season. 

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Practice makes perfect, and in most cases the best way for your child to become good at something is to do it a lot.  Sometimes however your child may benefit from cross training, doing another activity that compliments her usual activity.   For example a wrestler may run cross country to improve his endurance or lift weights to increase his speed and power.  Cross training can be highly effective in helping your child achieve her full potential in sport; the benefits are both physical and mental.

Most sports are relatively unique and require a specific set of skills and abilities, but there are some basic, fundamental requirements that many sports share, and that is where cross training can be beneficial.  For example, having good endurance and stamina is helpful in wrestling, cycling, running, swimming and cross country skiing.  Likewise, strength and speed are required in weightlifting, wrestling and track sprinting.  There is more than one way to improve your endurance, strength and speed and that is why athletes find cross training so beneficial.  

Most people think about cross training as doing a different sport entirely, but your child may also be able to cross train within her sport.  During my racing career I specialized in track cycling, which is bike racing done on a special bike track called a velodrome.  (To read more about track racing visit http://momsteam.com/sports/cycling-track/-sport.)    My events on the track were the points race and pursuit, the first being a half hour event with multiple sprints throughout and the second an approximately three and a half minute time trail against the clock.  Neither were very long, but I spent most of my time cross training on the roads and road racing.  I found that my endurance and ability to race well on the road directly correlated with my success on the track.  What I gained from road racing enhanced my abilities on the track and helped me raise my game. 

Cross Training is also a healthy mental break.  Doing the same thing day in and day out is monotonous and boring.  It is hard for your child to perform at her best when she is burnt out and sick of it.  Cross training will allow your child to take a break from her sport without losing anything in the process.  In fact, she may be making valuable gains.

Every sport is different and has different ideal cross training.  Talk to other athletes and coaches within your child’s sport to find out what is the best cross training option for her.  In the off season it’s okay for your child to do some cross training because it’s fun, not because it directly correlates to her sport.  Swimming may not be the best cross training for a runner, but if she loves it, it won’t hurt her to do a little bit of it during her off season.

There is a time and place for cross training, but it isn’t always appropriate.  There are certain times during a sport’s season when it is crucial for your child to be doing her sport.  How much cross training your child does will depend on which sport she is focused on.  Some sports allow for more of it than others.  Cross training was one of my favorite parts of training.  It was a nice break from my routine and good for me mentally and physically.   Do the Try This At Home activity with your child and encourage her to talk with other athletes and coaches to find the best cross training for her sport.  Next week I’ll blog about one of my personal favorite cross training workouts, Plyometrics.  Stay tuned and tell a friend.

For more information on me or my children’s books please visit www.erinmirabella.com.  Don’t forget, you can sign up to follow me and twitter and receive a message each time I update my blog.  Click on the green twitter box on the right to follow me.

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Building A Foundation

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Thanks for checking back again this week.  I appreciate you coming back to check out my blog this week and hope that you’ll tell a friend about it. 

Try This At Home……………………….

Gather together blocks of different sizes and shapes.   You’ll need some that are very small and light and some that are big and heavy.  Have your child build a tower using the smallest, lightest blocks on the bottom and the biggest, heaviest blocks on top.  Have him note how many blocks he uses and how high the tower gets before it topples over.  Next, have him build another tower using the biggest, heaviest blocks on the bottom and the smallest, lightest blocks on top.  Again, have him note how many blocks he uses and how high the tower gets.  Explain that the towers of blocks are like his success in life.  The bottom layer of blocks in the tower equals the amount of work and practice he puts into his activities. If he is diligent and works hard on the basic skills, he is laying a foundation of big, heavy blocks for his tower, and his tower will be sturdy and high.  Likewise, if he skips practice, or doesn’t master the basic skills of his activity, he is laying a foundation of small, light blocks for his tower and it won’t get very high before it topples.

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From the day your child is born, a foundation of knowledge, experience and morals is being laid which his entire life is built upon.  Just as your child isn’t ready to head off to first grade without first learning all of the things that are taught in kindergarten, he isn’t ready to play the game, before he’s learned the rules and basic skills that go along with it.

It isn’t uncommon for your child to want to put the cart before the horse and skip to the fun part, the game, race or fancy tricks, but without a foundation he won’t be nearly as successful.  Practice isn’t always fun, but it is a necessary part of becoming good at anything.  The whole idea is for the boring part to become automatic, so your child doesn’t even have to think about it.  Later, in the most critical, challenging and stressful moments, he can fall back on the boring basics and they will carry him through.  When he is challenged the moral, physical and academic foundation he built will keep him from toppling over.  The beginning stuff may be boring, but it is vital to being able to do the fancier stuff later.

In soccer for example, your child and his team will have a much better season if they first work on building up their fitness through running, and the basic skills of dribbling, trapping and passing the ball. 

I was surprised the first time the national team coach sat me down and showed me an entire years training and racing plan, and then a multiple year plan for making the Olympic team.  I was used to following a training schedule, but it had never occurred to me that my day to day workouts were part of a carefully calculated plan that built upon itself month after month.  Beginning with the end of the previous season, my training schedule built upon itself in frequency, duration and intensity all culminating at the years ultimate goal, the World Championships.  My training was based on five heart rate zones.  In the early months of the season I did long easy miles, working in zone one and two and building a low intensity base of endurance; the miles gradually increased until I was riding for four to five hours at a time.  Later, zone three, four and five were added, but without the foundation of miles I wouldn’t have been able to handle nearly as much volume and intensity.  When training and racing got tough I was able to fall back on the foundation I’d built and it helped keep me from collapsing during a race or tough workout.

 The next time your child is being impatient and wants to get to the good part, remind him of the towers he built and explain that building a strong, solid foundation is vital to his success.

For more information on me and my children’s books please visit www.erinmirabella.com

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Posted in Building A Foundation, Goal Setting, self-discipline | 2 Comments »

Risk Taking

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Try This At Home…………………

Take three paper bags. In the first bag, place one piece of candy that your child really likes.  In the second bag, place two pieces of the same candy.  In the third bag, place one piece of her favorite candy.  Place the three closed paper bags in front of your child.  Don’t let her touch them.  Tell her that the first bag contains one piece of the candy she really likes. She can choose to take that bag, or she can take a risk and chose one of the other bags.  Explain that by accepting the risk and taking one of the other bags, she may find an even better surprise, but it could also be just an empty bag.  Tell her that the purpose of the exercise is to encourage her to take smart risks.  Share the rest of the blog with her.  

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Each of us has a choice; we can live safe in our comfort zone, or we can challenge ourselves and take some calculated risks.  Taking smart risks offers us the possibility of  achieving more than we ever could have imagined.  There is a saying I like, I believe it’s also a book title. “Shoot for the moon: even if  you miss you’ll land among the stars.” 

When it comes to taking a risk, the question you need to ask yourself is, “What have you got to lose?”  More often than not, the answer is, nothing but a bit of pride.  Taking a calculated risk is often what it takes to get ahead.  If we always live life in our comfort zone we don’t allow ourselves many opportunities to shine.   Likewise, if we always know what the outcome is before we start, we never get a chance to find out what we’re truly are capable of.  I think it’s safe to say that a lot of  people underestimate themselves.

On the other hand, sometimes there is something to lose from taking a risk. A risk is just that, a risk, there is no guarantee. That is why I like to use the term calculated risk.  Your child will need to weigh her choices, sometimes rather quickly.  If the potential upside, outweighs the potential downside, then it is probably a risk worth taking.  Likewise, the opposite is true.   If the downside of taking the risk, outweighs the potential upside, then your child should probably choose to pass. 

In my children’s book, Gracie Goat’s Big Bike Race, Gracie agrees to compete in a bike race with her friends, but she fails to mention that she doesn’t know how to ride a bike and that she’s afraid to learn.  Her Grandma comforts her and asks her what the worst thing is that can happen if she gives learning to ride a try.  She then asks what the worst thing is that could happen if she doesn’t try to learn. Through the questioning, Gracie realizes that either way her answer is the same.  She really has nothing to lose.  She can try to learn and if she fails her friends may laugh at her and she won’t be able to join them in the bike race, or she can not try, and her friends still might laugh at her and she won’t be able to race with them in the bike race.  The story is meant to help children overcome and rationalize their fears, but the approach can also be used to teach your child to take risks. The next time your child is contemplating a risk, have her play the Gracie game.  Ask her, what is the worst thing that can happen if she takes the risk and it doesn’t work out.  Next, ask her what is the best thing that can happen if she takes the risk and it does work out.  Also, have her think about what will happen if she chooses not to take the risk. 

Taking a risk and failing, is simply a mistake to be learned from.  Throughout my cycling career, and life, I’ve found that sometime the only way to reach your goal is by taking risks.  Sometimes taking a risk and failing turns out to be a blessing in disguise, because it makes you better.  Have your child think of it like this:  Her goal is like a really high wall.  She’s climbing up it, but she’s stuck just a short distance from the top.  There is no where else for her to grab.  By taking a risk and failing, her wall will crumble some, but the crumbled wall may make a new hand hold for her that will allow her to keep climbing.  She can take advantage of her mistake and let it help her scale the wall and stand on top victorious.

Taking a risk can be scary, but really, what do you have to lose?

Note- There are good risks and bad risks.  It’s important for your child to know the difference.  No amount of success or glory is more valuable than life.  Taking a dangerous risk, one that could get you hurt, or worse, isn’t a good risk to take.  (However, sports are inherently dangerous, so there is always some risk involved.  A skilled athlete taking a reasonable, but risky chance, is sometimes what it takes to win.)

For more information on me or my children’s books, please visit www.erinmirabella.com.

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Someone Is Always Watching

Monday, March 1st, 2010

This At Home……….

Without asking for specifics, as your child to think about a time when they did something that they regretted doing in public.  Have them imagine how much worse it would have been, if it were broadcast for the whole world to see.  If he wants to share the details that’s fine, but respect his privacy. Ask him how his actions affected him and how he thinks they may have affected others. (Family, friends, coach, etc.)

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Even if you’re not famous, someone is always watching.  You never know how your actions, good or bad, will affect those around you.  It could be as simple as your child watching how you react to a driver who cuts you off in traffic, or a stranger watching you help another stranger.  Help your child understand that their actions have consequences and that one moment of carelessness, in some cases, can have huge repercussions. 

With today’s technology, even for the “unknown,’ there really aren’t any private moments in public places.  Help your child understand the these days everyone has a camera, because everyone has a cell phone. His behavior, good or bad, is literally just a keystroke away from being in cyber space for everyone to see. If you are famous, or at least temporarily in the spotlight, it is even more crucial for you to think before you act. 

I was planning to write about seizing the moment, but I just saw a story on Geraldo At Large, on Fox, about all of the athletes gone wild at the Olympic Village, and felt compelled to blog about it.

Every Olympics there is a news story about all of the condoms shipped to the Olympic Village and a story about some athlete who gets a little too out of control. 

This Olympics the spot light is on the American snowboarder, Scotty Lago.  After winning the bronze medal, he went out to celebrate in Vancouver.  Someone shot a picture of him behaving questionably, and after its release on the internet, he volunteered to leave the Olympic Village, presumably with some pressure from the United States Olympic Committee.

The hot topic seems to be whether or not the Olympic Committee overreacted, but I prefer to focus on the lesson.  However, I do feel compelled to say this, when at the Olympics, athletes are representing more than themselves.  It’s natural for athletes to want to blow off steam after four years of preparation, and the huge let down that comes when all the pressure is off after competition.  However, athletes need to remember that while they are at competitions, they represent more than just themselves. They represent their families, sponsors and their country.  So, regardless of whether or not you think what Scotty did is worthy of getting booted from the Olympic Village, you have to take into account how it reflects on the other parties involved.  We know how the Olympic Committee reacted, but I can only imagine how his sponsors and family felt.   For some celebrities, even bad press is a good thing. For others, like Olympians and Tiger Woods, whose image is built on being wholesome and squeaky clean, it has the potential to be damaging.  (I say potential, because sometimes the public is surprisingly forgiving.)

Remind your child that besides having to deal with the consequences of his actions, he also potentially affects others around him, including  family, friends, team and school.  There is nothing wrong with having some fun, but there is also nothing wrong with keeping it under control and acting responsibly.

For younger children, my book, Shawn Sheep The Soccer Star, is a great way to start a discussion about how a person’s, “or sheep’s” behavior can affect those around him.  Please visit www.erinmirabella.com for more information about my children’s books.

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Posted in Role Models, Sportsmanship, values and morals | 3 Comments »

Genetic Testing

Monday, February 15th, 2010

This week I’m breaking from my normal routine and focusing on a news story I saw about Atlas Sports Genetics.  The Boulder based company does DNA testing on kids to determine their genetic predisposition as an endurance or sprint athlete.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having your child tested, I just think in 99.9% of the cases the money is best spent elsewhere. The company claims that the information derived from the test will help kids select their ideal sport, and may increase their chances of a college scholarship.  While this may be a true, it is also a fantastic marketing scheme that plays on the emotions of loving, well intentioned parents, who want to give their child every advantage.  The truth is, you don’t need a fancy test to tell you what your child is predisposed to, all you have to do is watch him. 

The Atlas First basic test, priced at $169, tests both copies of the ACTN3 gene for the presence of the R577X variant.  It’s been a long time since I’ve studied genetics, but according to their website, if both genes have the R577X variant, then your child is predisposed to endurance events.  If only one gene has the variant, your child may do well at both endurance and sprint events, and if neither gene contains the variant your child is predisposed to sprint and power events.  In addition to the basic test, they offer the Atlas Pro test for a measly $999, which in addition to the DNA test, includes a vertical and broad jump assessment chart, electronic timer and EPIC Talent Identification Ratings based on your results. 

The Atlas Sports Genetics tests don’t tell you exactly what sport your child should play, only the type of sport he may excel at.  While I don’t doubt that the results would be accurate and informative, I find them unnecessary.  There is a much simpler and free way to determine what your child is predisposed to.  All you have to do is enroll your child in a variety of activities, or just watch him play.  If he’s a swimmer and excels at the long events, but is not as good at the short events, then he’s probably predisposed to do well at endurance events.  If he plays basketball and has a great vertical and can sprint faster than most of his teammates, but lags behind on your family’s 10 mile bike ride, then he is probably predisposed to do well at sprint and power events.  If he seems pretty good at both, then he probably can go either way and should try to find a sport that requires both endurance and speed and power.

Encourage your child to try a wide variety of sports and activities that utilize whichever area he is predisposed to.  He will find the sport he loves and wants to pursue.  If it happens to be a sport that doesn’t fit into the category he’s predisposed to, I wouldn’t worry too much.  You can always introduce him to new sports you feel he’d be better at, while he is playing the one he chose.  The important thing is that he loves it.   Even the most talented kid on the field won’t have any success if he doesn’t want to be there.  The reality is that kids, like adults, like to do what they are good at and will naturally gravitate towards sports that suit them. There is certainly nothing wrong with encouraging your child to try something new, just make sure not to take away what he already loves.

I found my strength simply by trying a wide variety of events within cycling.  When I was fourteen I set a national record in a 200 meter time trial, a sprint power event.  For years I thought I was destined to be a track sprinter.  A few years later, I remember doing very well on a long, hilly road ride while at a training camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. At the end of the camp they encouraged me to road race and I insisted that I wanted to be a track sprinter.  Thankfully, I continued to compete in the endurance events as well, and in 1996 I was invited to move to the Olympic Training Center as part of the endurance track program.  I am a combination athlete, I can go either way.  What I found was that I excelled at events that combined both endurance and speed and power.  While I was a good sprinter, I was not as strong and fast as an elite sprinter.  Similarly, while I had good endurance and loved to climb, I did not have the endurance and stamina of an elite endurance rider.  I was perfectly suited for events, like the points race, that combined the two.  

There is great value in determining what your child’s strengths and weaknesses are, but there is so much more that goes into it. Drive, determination and work ethic often out weigh raw talent. 

Atlas Sports Genetics offers additional testing in its Atlas Pro package, the vertical jump, 10 meter dash and Pro agility run.  There is no doubt that these are good tests to gauge improvement.  However, you and your child can do them, or something similar, at home for much less than $999. While their testing equipment may be fancier and their rating system may give you some insight, I’m not convinced they’re necessary.  I don’t think having a rating would really help you or your child.  A high rating doesn’t guarantee success, and a low one doesn’t guarantee failure.  As your child moves through the levels of his sport: local, state, regional, national, and international, you’ll see each step of the way how he rates.  

One of my hesitations about the test is the potential for the information to be used carelessly, either inflating egos unnecessarily, or discouraging kids prematurely and damaging their self confidence.  As much as we all want our kids to be great athletes, every child has their own special and unique talents, and not all of them are going to be Elite athletes. I’d hate to see your child hang his worth and potential on a rating, when so much more is involved in being a successful athlete.  Throughout my career I was told by a handful of people that I was no good.   After finishing fourth at the Olympics I certainly felt vindicated, but some of their wounds left scars. 

I think, in this case, the best bet is to skip the fancy expensive testing, and instead, offer your child a lot of different experiences and opportunities.  I don’t think Atlas Sports Genetics’ tests are going to make or break your child’s chances of getting a college scholarship; if your child is talented and has work ethic and discipline, his accomplishments will speak for themselves.

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Posted in Peak Performance, Selecting a sport, Strengths and Weaknesses | 1 Comment »

Taper- Resting Before A Competition For Peak Performance.

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Try This At Home………………………

Have your child hold her hands straight out to the side at shoulder height, like an airplane, for 30 seconds.  Depending on her age and ability you may need to make some adjustments by either decreasing or increasing the time or having her hold a water bottle in each hand for extra weight.  You want her to feel a little fatigue at the end of the 30 seconds, but most importantly, be successful in completing the task.  Afterward, tell her that this exercise is meant to show her what she can accomplish when she has allowed her body to rest before a performance.   

Next, have her hold her arms out first for 15 seconds, then 20 seconds and finally 25 seconds with a minute rest in-between.  After another minute or two of rest, have her hold her arms out for 30 seconds again, like she did in the first exercise.  Have her compare how she felt during the first 30 second exercise to the second time she did it.  Explain to her that  not allowing her body to rest and recover before a big competition can cause a less than optimal performance, just as it did in the second exercise. 

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Resting before a big competition or game is generally called a taper.  It is an extremely important part of achieving peak performance.  A complete taper is only done before the most important competitions.  A mini taper can be done before other competitions, but for some competitions your child may choose not to taper at all.  Your child needs to know what her ultimate goal is and understand that in order to be as prepared as possible, she may need to sacrifice by training through less important competitions.  In order to improve, she needs to increase her work load and intensity; if she is always tapering for relatively unimportant events, she won’t maximize her gains.

I found that racing unimportant races in a tired state was a great way to raise my game.  I am extremely competitive, so I always pushed myself harder in a race than I ever could train by myself, even when I was exhausted.

A mini taper generally ranges from a few days to a week.  During my career, my main goal each year was either the World Championships or the Olympics.  Therefore, before World Cups and important National selection races I only did a mini taper.  All of the coaches I worked with during my cycling career worked backward from my competition when they developed my taper. 

  • The day before my competition I did what we called,”openers”.  Openers were about half of a normal workout and focused on the heart rate zones and intensity I’d be using most in my race.  The purpose was to wake my body up and make sure it was ready to work hard again after several days of rest. 
  • Two days before my race I would go for an easy hour ride. 
  • Three days before my competition I would generally do an easy hour ride as well, but sometimes I would take completely off. 
  • Four and five days out I’d do a normal workout, but I would control myself and wouldn’t over do it.  If I did a second workout either day, it consisted of an easy half hour to hour ride.
  • Six days out I’d generally ride for an easy hour or two. 

A big taper can begin anywhere from a week to two weeks out from the competition. It follows the same structure as a mini taper, but is less dramatic further  from the competition.  In my regular training I generally trained three to four days in a row before taking an easy day.  Often I did two workouts a day.  For a big taper, two weeks out I’d decrease to one intense workout a day, and if there was a second workout it would just be an easy ride.  I’d also decrease the number of intense days between rest days, so instead of going three days before a rest day, I’d do two days or sometimes even one.

It is easy to think that more is better and that last minute cramming will pay off, but in general you child is better off going into her competition rested. That is a true statement for sports as well as other activities and academics.

Every athlete and every sport is different, but the principle is the same; peak performances come from rested athletes.  Decreasing her work load is the most import part of a taper, but making sure she is getting proper sleep and nutrition is also important.  She should know, that just because she has a rest day doesn’t mean she can go play Ultimate Frisbee with her friends, or spend hours on her feet shopping.  She truly needs to rest if she wants to perform at her best.  

For more information on myself or my children’s books please visit www.erinmirabella.com

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Raising Confident Kids

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Try This At Home………………

Take a glass jar and at least thirty colored strips of paper.  On each strip of paper have your child write down one thing that he or she likes about his or herself or does well.  Fill the jar with the strips and have them put the jar someplace they will see it everyday.  The next time your child is feeling down or is lacking confidence, have he or she read through all of the papers in the jar and remember how blessed and loved he or she is.  You can always have your child add five or ten more strips to the jar for good measure.

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I recently spoke to a group of moms with children ages 0-5, about how sports can facilitate teaching their children the fundamentals for success.  One of the discussion questions afterward asked if there was a related issue that their child was struggling with.  Two of the moms said their child lacked self-confidence and one said her son was over confident.  This caught me off guard; I hadn’t expected children to be struggling with confidence at such a young age.  It reaffirmed for me what an important topic confidence was and how vital a healthy self-confidence is to a child’s happiness and well-being. 

This post is going to focus on lack of self-confidence and I’ll tackle the issue of being over-confident next week. 

Sports, or any activity that your child loves, are a great opportunity to increase confidence.  The most important thing, is to help your child find a sport, or activity, that he or she loves and can excel at.  Your child’s success will help them gain confidence in his or herself and abilities.

In addition, being in sports, especially team sports, makes it easier for kids to meet people and make friends.  Two of the biggest concerns for children and adults alike are being accepted and worrying what people think of them. In sports your child already shares something in common with his or her teammates and that makes developing a friendship that much easier.  Furthermore, sports offer the opportunity to develop social skills such as teamwork, tact, cooperation and compassion.  

We all worry about what we look like. For tweens and teens their changing bodies can be a confusing and sensitive subject.  An added bonus of sports is that they make kids more aware of, and in tune with, their bodies.  Athletes tend to be very comfortable with their bodies and have a more realistic expectation of what their bodies should look like.  They can compare themselves to other athletes instead of the models they see in magazines, and they’ll understand that bodies can be used for more than just looking good. 

Another added benefit is that self-confident kids are less likely to fold to peer pressure, more willing to try new things and probably more successful, because they believe they will succeed.

There are two steps to gaining confidence, building it up and maintaining it.  Sometimes an incident can get in your head and mess with your confidence forever.  It’s happened to all of us and years later we are still haunted by it.  That’s why it is so important for your child to get back up on the horse after a fall, so to speak.  While my husband Chris and I were discussing this week’s post, he pointed out that in the NFL, teams often give the ball back to a player immediately after they fumble or miss a catch, in order to rebuild their confidence right away.  The longer your child has to think about a mistake before he or she performs again, the more it can shake his or her confidence. It is better to address it as soon as possible.

Lastly, whether it is in sports, school, or in daily chores around the house, celebrate your child’s accomplishments big and small.  You don’t have to compliment him or her for the sake of it, but when they have earned it, go ahead and give it.  A compliment coming from you will mean so much to your child and will build his or her confidence immensely. Sometimes it’s easy to take accomplishments for granted, or to brag to your friends but forget to tell your child how proud of him or her you are.  Your child wants to please and impress you, and you can use that to help build his or her self-confidence by praising them.

I won my first senior national points race championship when I was 20 years old.  I had one of the greatest races of my life.  I raced hard and finished the race absolutely exhausted.  By the time I recovered, I was whisked away to awards, drug testing, etc., etc.  Afterward, my very proud boyfriend, the one I married, commented that I hadn’t even seemed to enjoy it, and I didn’t even take a moment to celebrate with him.  I realized he was right.  I was so busy doing what I was supposed to, what was expected of me and focusing on what was next, that I forgot to enjoy it.  If the person winning can forget to celebrate, then it has to be even easier for parents and others to forget to share how proud they are of their child.

Confidence is a fragile thing.  Help your child build it and nourish it, so that he or she can enjoy success of all kinds. 

In my children’s book, Gracie Goat’s Big Bike Race, Gracie struggles with confidence and fears.  the book is a great way to start a conversation with your kiddo about these important things.

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Posted in Confidence, Overcoming fears, Strengths and Weaknesses, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Raise your child’s game through competition and modeling.

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Try This At Home……………………………

Here is a great way to help you child improve in a sport or activity that he or she is already interested in and good at.  Find out who is the most celebrated person in that sport or activity and do some serious research on them. (Research them on the Internet, watch videos of them, etc.) Analyze the specific things that make that person successful and encourage your child to emulate and model them.  Have your child work on improving those characteristics or skills you identified.

Next, find someone locally who is just a little better than you child and, if possible, have your child practice with him or her on a weekly basis.  Encourage your child to learn from them.  Monitor the situation to make sure you child is having fun and isn’t getting frustrated.

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Competition makes you better.  If your child is always the best player on the team or in his or her league, then they aren’t being challenged and pushed to improve. If at all possible, find someone for you child to train with who can push and challenge them.  This will prevent their progress from becoming stagnant. Without competition your child ends up a big fish in a small pond. Later, it’s hard to move from the pond, where he or she is the star and accustomed to winning, to the lake or ocean, where he or she is just a little fish and won’t necessarily find success immediately.  (It’s not a bad idea to get a realistic idea of what you child can expect when they bump up to the next level, but I’ll save the details of that for another post.)

My first year training at the Olympic Training Center was a gradual immersion into the world of elite international racing.   My second year however, felt more like getting thrown into the deep end of a pool to see if I’d sink or swim.  Thankfully I didn’t sink, but that was in large part because I was training with stronger, more experienced women.  They pushed me every day, physically and mentally, and their presence both encouraged and forced me to raise my game if I wanted to succeed.

I vividly remember a training day at a World Cup selection track camp in Plano, Texas. Nicole Reinhart*, Karen Dunn and I were all vying for a spot in the points race at the upcoming World Cup, and each work out was considered by the coaches in selection. This particular work out was on the velodrome (a cycling track.) Our coach was driving the motorcycle and we were taking turns coming around the motor and leading out sprints to the finish line.  The goal was to win the sprint.  Karen and Nicole were much more experienced than me.  For the first few sprints my timing was all off; I would either go hard too soon, or I would kick too late.  I’ve very competitive, but instead of getting frustrated I tried to figure out what the other girls were doing that I wasn’t.  We were rotating through and taking turns leading out the sprints, so every third sprint I had an opportunity to watch them from behind.  I noted how they made their moves, when they made their moves, and how successful they were at it. I started copying their successes and by the end of the workout I was winning sprints. 

That year I trained with, lived with, and vied for spots against those same women, over and over again.  As difficult and stressful as it was at the time, it was probably one of the best things that could have happened to me, because I never became complacent and improved immensely.

Later on in my career I didn’t have that same benefit.  I found that training with guys was another way to raise my game.  This is one advantage women have over men, women always have the opportunity to train or practice against someone stronger and faster than them, because they can train with the men. 

I am grateful that I learned this lesson early on in my career. If you child has aspirations to make it to the next level, then he or she needs to constantly be looking for ways to improve.  Training with and modeling after people who are better are great ways to do that. Just like in a free market, we all benefit from healthy competition.

* Nicole Reinhart was a fantastic road sprinter, fierce competitor, a good, kind person, and someone I looked up to and admired. Her life was tragically cut short in a cycling accident during a race on September 17, 2000.  I’d like to dedicate today’s blog to her memory and encourage you to visit www.nicolefund.org for more information about her.

For more information about me or my children’s books, please visit www.erinmirabella.com.

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Posted in Goal Setting, Modeling, Role Models, Strengths and Weaknesses, competition | 2 Comments »

Losing is a good lesson for kids.

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Try This At Home…………………

The next time your child loses, use the opportunity to help him or her learn from the situation. Have your child draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper. On the top of one side write Good and on the top of the other side write Improve.  First, on the Good side, write down all of the things he or she did well.  Then, on the Improve side, write down all the things he or she could have done better.  Look at the list of things to work on and come up with ways to practice or fix them for the next time.  Remind your child that everyone wants to win, but we don’t learn nearly as much when we do;  losing is an opportunity to raise his or her game to the next level.

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We all want our children to be winners and to protect them from life’s cruel realities, but unfortunately, losing is a fact of life and we do them an injustice by insulating them from it.  No matter how hard we try to shield them, eventually they are going to lose.  If they learn at a young age how to cope with and learn from losing, they will be better equipped for the real world. No one is successful at everything they do and not many are successful their first time. There is only one winner and there are many losers.

Teach your children to look at losing as a learning opportunity.  They don’t have to like losing and its okay to be disappointed, but they might as well make the best of it.  Also, teach them to be a gracious winner and loser.  Nobody likes the kid who throws the bat or helmet and stomps off. No matter how difficult it is, they should always congratulate their opponent and show respect to the officials and coaches. 

I remember sitting in the bleachers watching Junior National Track Cycling Championships in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania.  One of the local sprinters lost his race.  He came off the track in a huff and threw his expensive bike and ripped off his helmet and smashed it to the ground.  Neither his parents nor coach reprimanded him, but my mom used his poor display of sportsmanship to briefly talk with my sister and I about the inappropriateness of his behavior and what the proper thing to do would have been.

There is nothing wrong with your kids wanting to win, that’s why they play the game, but the real goal every time they compete should be to do their best. In the end, that’s all they can do.  Losing is just another tool they can use to help them do their best.

My children’s books, Gracie Goat’s Big Bike Race and Shawn Sheep the Soccer Star, are great ways to start a discussion with your kids about sportsmanship and they make great Christmas gifts.  Check out www.erinmirabella.com for more information.

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Posted in Sportsmanship, losing | 2 Comments »

Are you pushing your kids to play?

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Try this at home………

Look through your local newspaper or Parks and Recreation Guide.  Pick out a sporting event that you know little or nothing about.   Go and watch a game/match/race with your kids.  Before you go, Google (or Bing if that’s what you do) the sport and find out some basic information about it.  Knowing a little bit about the sport makes it a lot more fun to watch.  It is also more interesting if you root for a specific person or team.   Who knows, maybe you’ll become a big fan.  Can’t find anything new in your town?  Try renting a movie about a sport you know nothing about.

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Think back to when you were young.  What sports did you play?  How were you introduced to them?  Did your parents participate in the same sport?  Was it your idea to play the sport or were you guided into that sport?  What sport do you wish you had played?

Here is my observation.  Many of us choose the same sport that our parents played. I know it’s not rocket science, but it’s true.  Kids naturally want to be like their parents (until they’re teenagers) and parents want to share their interests with their children.  Kids sometimes feel pressured to do the same sport their parents did, even though they really aren’t interested in it. Parents need to be very careful not to live out their unfulfilled dreams through their children. Let kids have their own dreams.  By forcing kids into something, they may end up hating the very thing you want them to love.  My husband Chris and I joke that we hope our kids won’t end up wrestlers or cyclists like us.   If we are going to push them into anything it’s going to be golf, tennis, or any other sport that they can get a good scholarship in and make money at.

My parents toured on bikes. That is how my sister, Becca, and I started riding and then racing while we were fairly young.  I really liked it, my little sister liked it too, but she didn’t love it and she got sick of being in my shadow.  Since I was three years older everyone was always comparing her to me (not my parents, but people in general.)  She has told me that she thought for a long time that she just didn’t have discipline and dedication because she wasn’t all that interested in practicing.  Ultimately, she just didn’t like cycling enough to want to work that hard.  She won a track national championship title at the age of twelve and quit the sport.  I know she felt guilty about quitting because it was what our family “did”.  Of course, there was nothing wrong with her wanting to do something else, but she still felt badly.  She went on and found two sports she really loved, soccer and running.  She realized she did have a good work ethic once she was doing something she truly wanted to do.  She went on to get a full scholarship for running.  So, if you feel like you’re always dragging your kids to their practice or games, ask yourself if it is something they want or you want.  Maybe they are ready to try something new.

The sport we chose was probably also limited by the region we lived in.  People who live in Florida are much more likely to be surfers than skiers.  I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people say that they wish they had found a certain sport, their passion, earlier in life.  One of the reasons I decided to write the Barnsville Sports Squad Series was to introduce kids to sports they may have never heard of before.  I think it’s important for each person, kids and grownups, to find something they love to do, preferably as soon as possible.

Remember, just because your child wants to play a different sport doesn’t mean you can’t play the sport you love with them (or whatever other activity it may be.) They will probably be much more willing to play with you if they are able to choose a sport or activity they want to do.

For more information on the first two books in the Barnsville Sports Squad Series, which introduce cycling and soccer, please visit www.erinmirabella.com.

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