try this at home « Sports Lessons For Life

Posts Tagged ‘try this at home’

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

Tags: doing their best, Erin's bio, foundation, goals, learning, practice, Sports, try this at home
Posted in Building A Foundation, Goal Setting, self-discipline | 2 Comments »

Responsibility

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Try This At Home……………………

Have your child make a list of everything she needs for practice. Then make it her responsibility to pack her bag the night before and make sure it is by the door ready to go.

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The best way to learn responsibility is to have some. Playing sports, or being in another activity, allows your child many opportunities to practice being responsible. From packing her bag for practice to performing her job for the team, she is showing her ability to handle responsibilities.

Every child is different and some are ready for more responsibility than others. Your child may be able to pack her bag for practice, while her sister might be up for washing her laundry between practices. Like everything, learning to be responsible takes practice and your child may have to make some mistakes before she can be considered responsible. The beauty of teaching responsibility is the natural consequences that go along with it. If your child forgets her helmet, she may not be able to practice that day, if she isn’t ready on time, she might be late for a game, and if he doesn’t get her uniform into the hamper, she may have to wear stinky clothes to practice.

Moving away from home to the Olympic Training Center was a lot like going away to college, and I found myself suddenly with a lot more responsibilities and freedoms. Learning to juggle them was important if I wanted to succeed as a professional cyclist and make the Olympic Team. It was interesting to watch how different athletes handled the freedom and responsibility that went along with living away from home. Unlike most colleges, there were both sixteen year old and twenty four year old athletes living in the same dorm building. In most cases there was a stark difference between their maturity and life experiences, however age wasn’t the only factor that determined if an athlete was responsible or not. The foundation of trust, confidence and responsibility that an athlete had when they arrived at the center, made a huge difference in their ability to be successful there. You wont’ always be there to help your child with every little thing, but the lessons you teach her when she’s young will stay with her.

Here are a few places to start giving your child some responsibility

Have her get their things ready for practice the night before and put them by the door, or in the car.
Have her pack a healthy snack to eat between school and practice.
Have her put their uniform in the hamper or teach her to wash her own clothes.
Have her set an alarm that warns her it’s time to go to practice or a game.
Require her to get her homework done each night if she want to go to practice the next day.
Have her follow through with her commitments to the team. Don’t let her quit in the middle of a season.

Learning to be responsible is an important lesson long after your child leaves the field of play. It will prepare her for the real world. As much as it is sometimes easier to do something for your child, try to be patient and allow her the opportunity to do it herself. She has no reason to learn to be responsible if you are always doing everything for her. Slowly increase her responsibilities and before long her activities will be less stressful for you and she will gain confidence. Giving her responsibilities also tells her you trust her; this is a good relationship to foster as she gets older.

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

Tags: Children's books, Confidence, Erin's bio, Responsibility, try this at home
Posted in Confidence, Responsibility | 2 Comments »

The New Super Food

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

Try This At Home………………..

Sit down with your family and pick one thing you can add, substitute, or take away from your diet to make it healthier. Each month for the rest of the year add, substitute or take away one more thing.

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It seems like every year there is a new “hot” super food. Last year it was the Acai berry and maybe this year it’ll be Chia seeds. Yup, you remember the commercial, Ch Ch Ch Chia; the same seeds you smeared on your Chia pet may be the newest health craze. No, they aren’t purposed to grow new hair, but for a tiny seed Chia has a pretty impressive resume.

One ounce of Chia is 137 calories, and has12 grams of total carbohydrate, 11 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein and 9 grams of fat. The best part is the 4915 mg of Omega-3 (Alpha-linolenic acid) and 1620 mg of Omega-6 (Linoleic acid.) Chia is purposed to promote a healthy heart and cardiovascular health, good mental health, healthy hair, skin, joint and immune system and be high in antioxidants. It is also gluten-free, kosher and relatively inexpensive. It sounds pretty amazing to me.

My husband Chris first introduced me to the Chia seeds after he read Christopher McDougall’s book, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen. I haven’t had the chance to read it yet, but Chris says it’s a great book. McDougall focuses on the Tarahumara tribe in Mexico and searches for the answer to what makes them such phenomenal ultra-distance runners. The book delves into things like their running stride, choice of shoes and diet. Their diet consists of basically no animal protein, and is high in complex carbohydrates. A staple of their diet is corn, and it’s probably no surprise to find out their diet includes Chia. Chia absorbs nine times its weight in water, so when it’s mixed in liquid it turns into a gel like substance. The Tarahumara created a mixture with it called Chia Fresca, which they take on their runs. Similar I guess to our gels or sports drinks.

We ordered our first bag of Chia seeds online a few weeks ago and have been really impressed. Chris mixes his in with his grits in the morning; I put it in my yogurt, salad, smoothies and have even tried it in my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The seeds have a mild taste and a slight crunch; you don’t really notice them. You don’t have to grind them up like flax seeds and they don’t give you gross fish burps, like fish oil.

Throughout my cycling career I ate pretty well balanced meals, but I didn’t dwell on nutrition too much. In general, I stuck to the theory everything in moderation. I still follow that motto, but I am starting to give more thought to all the processed foods, pesticides and other chemicals in the American diet. I am meeting more and more people who are eating organic and raw, and it makes me wonder if eating a much purer diet would have helped in my cycling career with things like recovery. Recently Chris and I have started making small changes in our diet, one thing at a time. Our hope is, overtime, to be eating healthier

There are some foods which are really beneficial and for what it’s worth, my new favorite super hero food is Chia. The typical American diet is low in Omega-3 and Omega- 6 fatty acids. Adding Chia to your child’s diet is a great way to increase his intake of these important lipids.

Erin Mirabella is a two-time Olympic cyclist and children’s book author. For more information please visit www.erinmirabella.com

Tags: Chia, Chia seeds, Erin's bio, nutrition, suppliments, try this at home, vitamins
Posted in Healthy Lifestyles, nutrition | 1 Comment »

Focus

Monday, April 26th, 2010

Try This At Home…………………………………….

Have your child, and at least three other people, stand in one of the two configurations below. The one you chose depends on the number of people you are playing with. Each letter represents a person. The people represented by the letters bolded and in italics, should start with the ball. Each letter, throws the ball to the letter that follows them alphabetically. (For example, A throws to B, B to C, C to D and D to A.) Each time a person throws the ball, they need to yell out their own name. As soon as a person throws the ball, they need to prepare to catch the ball from the letter that precedes them alphabetically. (A will be catching the ball from person D.) I suggest tossing the ball underhand.

Here is an example of how the game will go. Assuming you are playing with four people, give person A and C the ball. When you say go, person A should throw the ball to person B, and yell their own name out loudly as they throw. At the same time, person C should throw the ball to person D and yell their own name. Person B should catch the ball and throw it to person C, and person C should catch the ball from B and throw it to person D. With two balls in play, everyone will either be throwing and yelling their name or catching. Play the game until someone messes up. You may want to play it a few times until everyone gets the hang of it. This game shows how important focus is. It will teach your child to focus on what they need to do and ignore all of the distractions. The exercise also shows the importance of teamwork. Everyone has to work together to keep the game going and if one person messes up; they mess up the game for everyone.

configuration 1- for four people.

A C

D B

configuration 2- for five people.

A B

C E

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Being able to focus is one of the key tools of success. Focus will help your child in sports and school. Good focus will allow her to tune out distractions and accomplish her objective, whether that be scoring a goal or finishing a paper. Focus comes with practice and the more your child does it, the better she will get.

There are two kids of focus, a big picture focus and a small picture focus. Having a big picture focus will allow your child to stay focused, day in and day out, in order to achieve a long term goal. Small picture focus will allow her to tune out distractions and zone in on the immediate task at hand.

In order to practice both big picture and small picture focus, your child needs to have something to focus on. It’s important for her to have a goal. Make sure to read my three part blog on goals and help your child develop some goals.

For big picture focus, it helps to have a plan that defines a daily or weekly task to be completed until the ultimate goal is achieved. Had I not had a day by day training program to help prepare me for the Olympics, it would have been very hard to stay focused and keep my eye on the prize. Four years is a long time to stay focused!

For small picture focus, it helps to have a routine. Make sure to check out my post on pre-competition routines and help your child develop one. The key to small picture focus is for your child to worry about herself and no one else. She needs to lose herself in her task. Obviously, if her task is to beat her competition, she’ll need to pay attention to her competition during the event, but she doesn’t need to worry about what warm up they are doing, who is in the crowd, what she is doing later that day or if her hair is messed up.

Small picture focus is also the ability to set aside and forget about the little hiccups that come up. Things don’t always go perfectly, and when things go wrong, it’s important for your child to hunker down and do what needs to be done. Worrying about, and dwelling on, things that have gone wrong, won’t help her achieve her goal.

Here are some things that can help, not all of my suggestions will be appropriate in all situations.

Music- putting head phone on will help keep people from bothering your child, and listening to music she likes, will pump her up and help her focus. With enough practice she can condition herself to focus every time she hears that music.

Self talk- Have your child mentally talk herself through what needs to be done. It might help to have a phrase she uses to snap herself into focus. Something like, “It’s Time.”

Environment- Teach your child to make the best of her environment and eliminate as many distractions as possible. For example, she can choose to sit far away from a goofball classmate.

Despite how hard the travel was, and the fact that international races were always important ones, I always found it easier to focus when I was racing over seas. Since I couldn’t understand most of what the announcers were saying, or any of the conversations in foreign languages, it was easy to tune everyone out and disappear into my own little world. In the beginning of my career I didn’t know my foreign competition well, so it was easier to worry about what I needed to do, instead of what my competition was doing; I didn’t know anything about them, so I couldn’t worry about them. That environment, along with my routine and music, allowed me to get in the zone and get the job done. As I became more experienced, I tried to achieve that mindset at every race I did, regardless of where it was.

So, the next time your child is zoned out watching television and doesn’t hear you call her name, don’t be too hard on her, she was just practicing her focus.

Come back next Monday for another blog. For more information about myself, or my children’s books, please visit www.erinmirabella.com

Tags: Erin's bio, Focus, goals, pre-competition, try this at home
Posted in Focus, Goal Setting, Pre-competition routine | 2 Comments »

Self-discipline

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Try This At Home…………………..

Take your child to a hill that is safe for him to run up, preferably at a time when no one is around. It doesn’t matter how long, short, steep or gradual the hill is, just something he can run up. Park the car where you can’t really see the hill. Tell him you are going to wait in the car and that he should go run up the hill as fast as he can and then come right back. Tell him you’re going to wait in the car. When he gets back, go back to the hill with him. Have him run up the hill as fast as he can again, but this time watch him run up the hill, or better yet, run up it with him. When you have both caught your breath, ask him if he ran up the hill harder when he was by himself, when you were with him, or if he put in the same effort both times. Explain that pushing himself to run up the hill just as hard when he was alone, required discipline. Explain that discipline is the ability to push and motivate himself to do something when no one is watching. Then, since you are there, you and your child can run up the hill a few more times if you want, it’s a great work out, and you can test your own discipline.

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A lot of the time during my cycling career I trained by myself out on the road, with no one to push me but myself. I remember standing at the bottom of a hill on a blistering hot day in California, thinking how funny it was that a person would torture herself by going repeatedly up a hill as hard as she could with no one watching. I did it because it was what my coach had scheduled me to do that day and more importantly, because it was what it was going to take to accomplish my goal. That is discipline; it is not something that necessarily comes naturally, but instead a learned thing, a practiced thing. It is what sports can help instill in your child, especially if he has the right coach and role models.

Self-discipline is doing something not because you want to, but because you know you should. Discipline is pushing yourself hard, even when no one is watching. It is putting everything into your workout, even though every muscle in your body is screaming in pain, and it is not eating a cookie, even though they are sitting there on the counter taunting you. Discipline is what it takes to succeed and true discipline is self contrived and motivated.

If your child is school aged, ask him to think about the last time his teacher had to step out of the room for a minute. Ask him what happened. Did all of the kids keep working? Did some of the kids get up and goof around? What did they do? Explain that those students who stayed in the seats and kept working demonstrated self-discipline.

If your child is younger, you can use this analogy. Ask your child to think of a time when you asked him to pick up his toys while you were doing something else. Ask him what happened? Did he pick up his toys, or did he play with them instead? Did he wait to pick them up until you were in the room? Explain that picking up the toys, even though you weren’t in the room, showed discipline.

We all are capable of self-discipline; we just have to make up our minds to do it. Some days are easier than others, and each of us is more disciplined at certain activities than others. The more something means to your child, the more disciplined he will be. The beautiful thing about discipline is this, even if your child failed a hundred times before to be disciplined in a certain area, each day is a new day to try again. Practice makes perfect!

Discipline comes in handy with sports, but it will be even more important when your child is studying for a test, heading off to college, or starting his first job. Help your child start practicing self-discipline and try to set a good example; your child will reap the benefits of being disciplined.

Please, share this blog with a friend! For more information about me and my children’s books, please visit www.erinmirabella.com

Tags: doing their best, Erin's bio, goals, motivation, practice, self-discipline, try this at home
Posted in self-discipline | 1 Comment »

Coaching Issues

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Try This At Home…………………….

Evaluate your child’s coach. Have your child write down three things he likes about his coach and three things he doesn’t like. If necessary, have him elaborate on his answers. Next, you rate his coaches on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the highest, in the following categories. Values and morals, communication skills, positive attitude, language choices, fairness, ability to teach and promote teamwork, sportsmanship, ability to physically prepare the kids, ability to motivate, compatibility with your child. If your child is old enough to understand, he can rate his coach as well. Don’t share your answers until you are both finished. If your child’s answers, or any of your ratings, are alarming, it may be time to make a change.

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We all put great thought into which daycare or babysitter we leave our young child with. We want to make sure our child is safe and happy and that the morals and values of the caregiver are similar to ours. We need to put just as much thought into who is coaching our child. Coaches do more than assign kid’s positions on the field, run drills, and help get your child physically ready for the demand of his sport. A coach is in the position to instill values and morals in your child, and set examples in areas like teamwork, sportsmanship and work ethic. The odds are your child will look up to his coach and will emulate him or her.

At all the national events throughout my entire cycling career, one of the ever present coaches was a hot headed, offensive coach who displayed all sorts of poor sportsmanship. My first encounter with him was at Junior Nationals and unfortunately I continued to “run” into him until I retired from cycling. For the life of me I can’t understand why anyone would choose him as their coach. While some of his riders did get some good results, there were several other coaches who could get the job done just as well. I found it interesting that adults submitted themselves to his antics and behavior, but just plain appalling that parents subjected their children to it. Even if they thought he was the best coach out there, I can’t believe they would leave their children in his care. By doing so they were telling their child that they condoned the coach’s behavior.

Part of the importance of sport, and the whole point of my blog, is to utilize sports to teach the fundamentals and building blocks needed to succeed in all areas of life. I think that one of the most important thing sports can instill in your child, is the deep founded belief that more important than winning, is how you play the game. This lesson, while it may not always put him on top, will ensure that he can always be proud of who he is and what he accomplished. The coaches you allow to work with your child over the course of his life will play a big part in laying the foundation for his values and morals. A good coach will reinforce positive sportsmanship and values and a bad coach will do just the opposite.

In an individual sport you have a lot of discretion as to who you choose as your child’s coach. For team sports that may not always be the case. If you have an issue with your child’s coach, you may have an opportunity to switch leagues or teams, but if that isn’t an option, you still have a few choices. Being interactive is the most important part. Know what is going on at practice and games so you can discuss any situations that arise with your child. Talk with other parents to see if they have had similar experiences with the coach. At a time when everyone is calm and rational, you can have a discussion with the coach. You don’t need to attack him or her, just voice your concern. You can also raise your concerns with the league. If you don’t have any other options, and you feel very strongly about the affect a coach is having on your child, you can always try a different sport.

The odds are, while a coach may not be your favorite for one reason or another, he or she isn’t all that bad, but it is important for parents to be aware and involved.

My children’s book, Shawn Sheep The Soccer Star, focuses on teamwork and sportsmanship. In the book, the soccer coach is an excellent example of an exemplary coach. The book is a good way to start a discussion with your child about these topics.

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

I’m taking next week off for spring break. Please check back for my next post on April 12th.

Tags: Barnsville Sports Squad, Children's books, coaches, Coaching, Erin's bio, morals, Shawn Sheep The Soccer Star, Sportsmanship, try this at home, values
Posted in Coaching, values and morals | 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.

Tags: Barnsville Sports Squad, challenges, Children's books, failing, fear, goals, Gracie Goat's Bike Race, learning, Overcoming fears, Risk Taking, Sports, try this at home
Posted in Goal Setting, Overcoming fears, Risk Taking | 1 Comment »

Seizing Opportunities

Monday, March 15th, 2010

Try This At Home…………….

Chose a task that requires leaving the house and ask your child to join you. It should be a task that isn’t overly thrilling, something like grocery shopping, taking the recycling to the recycling center, etc. Make his coming a choice. Say something like, “I’m taking the recycling to the recycling place, do you want to come give me a hand?” If he decides to go with you, take the opportunity to stop and get some ice cream together afterward. If he chooses not to join you, stop and get the ice cream without him and bring it home so he realizes that he missed out on the opportunity. Regardless of what he decides, use the situation as an example to explain the importance of opportunities. Explain that opportunities can arise anywhere, at anytime and in many forms. Some may come from a bit of luck, but most opportunities arise from putting yourself in a good situation and being prepared for what ever happens. Share the information below with your child. Also, ask him to think of a time where he seized an opportunity, or missed one? He may have to think a bit, but my guess is he’ll come up with a few. If he is very young, you may have to help him think of one.

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My son Micah is two and a half. At the end of his gymnastic class, they always play with a parachute. A few weeks ago the teacher asked him if he wanted to help pull out the parachute, but he was distracted and by the time he got over there some other kids had jumped in and helped her. He was upset and started crying. In the meantime, the teacher had all of the kids sit in the middle of the parachute so they could go for a ride. Micah wouldn’t get in the middle. I even tried to lift him up and put him in there, but he wouldn’t have it, he was still too upset about not getting to help pull out the parachute. I ended up having to pull him aside. He calmed down some and I brought him back out for the next activity, but he got even more upset when he realized he’d missed the parachute ride. He was so busy crying about wanting to do the ride, that he missed the next activity too. Needless to say, the class didn’t end well. My point in sharing my son’s temper tantrum with you is that sometimes, like him, we are so focused on the past, we miss out on the present and don’t jump at a new opportunity.

Success is usually the product of hard work, determination, persistence and discipline but there are a few other components that can come into play. Sometimes success comes from seizing an opportunity that presents itself, even though it wasn’t part of the original plan. Teaching your child to be flexible, spontaneous and optimistic will help him take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves.

Three Keys To Seizing Opportunities

1. Putting Yourself In the Right Place

The biggest part of being able to take advantage of an opportunity is putting yourself in the right position. Your child can’t get the ice cream, if he isn’t in the car when you stop for a scoop. If your child has put in the work and is prepared, he’ll be ready and able to jump at a good opportunity.

I felt absolutely awful at the 2003 National Championships in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania. I didn’t have good legs all week. In the point’s race, despite being in a breakaway with two other riders, I felt absolutely awful. (The points race is a mass start event where a group, or pack, of cyclists race to see who can acquire the most points. You get points from both sprinting and gaining a lap on the field. A breakaway is where several riders get out in front of the main group, thereby collecting most of the points.) Normally sprinting was my strong suit, but for some reason during this particular race I just didn’t have the legs. I knew I was going to take third unless I did something; the problem was I just couldn’t get my legs to go. Then, an opportunity presented itself, and I took it. Our breakaway of three riders was about to lap the main group of cyclists. There were only a few laps left in the race and the group was only about a turn in front of us, maybe about 100 to 150 meters. The other two girls in the group had more points than me and were so busy focusing on each other, that they kind of forgot about me. Any rider who lapped the field earned twenty points, so if I lapped the field and the two other girls in my breakaway did not, then I would win the race. While they watched each other, I surprised them and took off really fast, breaking away from them. I put my head down and rode as hard as I could to catch the group. Once I caught the group I couldn’t let the other two catch as well, so I went to the front and pulled everyone along. I managed to prevent the other two girls from catching the group and won the race. I won the race, not because I was riding great that day, but because I put myself in a position that allowed me to take the opportunity when I saw it.

2. Shaking It Off

Often times an opportunity presents itself after something else has not gone as planned. Being able to set aside disappointment and not dwell on the past will help your child stay focused, keep an optimistic mindset and see new opportunities. As hard as it is to believe sometimes, the past does not equal the future. Mistakes are good chances to learn and improve. Just because something didn’t work out, doesn’t mean that it’s a lost cause. Sometimes your child will have time to regroup after a misstep, other times an unexpected opportunity my follow immediately; he just needs to stay focused and roll with the punches.

If I’d given up during the 2003 National points race, because my legs felt lousy and the race wasn’t going well, I never would have taken the chance I did and I never would have won the race.

3. Being A Risk Taker

Most opportunities aren’t a sure thing. In many cases, in order to seize an opportunity, you have to take a risk. A lot of the time, like in my case during the points race, you have nothing to lose by trying. Next week’s blog will be about risk taking, so stay tuned.

Encourage your child to work hard and keep a good attitude so that he can be ready to pounce on an opportunity when it presents itself. Remind him that an opportunity can pop up at any time.

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

Tags: Children's books, Erin Mirabella, Erin's bio, goals, learning, Opportunities, try this at home
Posted in Opportunities, competition, winning and losing | 2 Comments »

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.

Tags: Barnsville Sports Squad, bronze medal, Children's books, fame, integrity, learning, Olympics, photos, Scotty Lago, Shawn Sheep The Soccer Star, Snowboarding, Sports, try this at home
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.

Tags: Children's books, Cycling, Erin's bio, Selecting a sport, Sports, strengths, try this at home, weaknesses
Posted in Peak Performance, Selecting a sport, Strengths and Weaknesses | 1 Comment »

Sports Lessons For Life