Sports Parent's Role: The Cheering Section

Dragonwing girlgear's mission is to "empower girls to play - and be - their best" with the highest quality sports apparel for tween and teen girls. I believe we can advance that mission when we encourage parents to support their athletic daughters at every level of competition. Over the past seven years, I have seen all sorts of behavior from parents at summer swim meets. In our city, summer swim is a rec league sport, or to put it bluntly, no college coach is going to scout a swimmer at summer meet. Summer swim is meant to be fun, build teamwork, develop sportsmanship, and teach leadership. We all love to win, but at the end of the night, the score is really not that important. I'm proud to say that our summer swim team is known throughout the league for good sportsmanship. The coaches receive numerous emails from opponents about how well our kids behave and that is a BIG point of pride for us. However, it's past time for many parents to step up and learn to be good sports parents. Parents need to learn that our children are not miniature versions of ourselves. They are their own unique individuals, with their own sets of skills, abilities, likes and dislikes. I nearly drowned as a child and have a very healthy fear of water. I have to be coaxed into a pool. My daughter lives to swim. Go figure. Our job as parents is to get our young athletes to practice or competition on time, with the right gear, fed and hydrated appropriately. It involves planning, logistics, lots of laundry, and teaching organization and time management to older kids. The coach's job is to coach. He or she generally knows more about the sport than any parent does. It is his or her job to take a group of kids with different abilities and personalities and teach them to work as a team. Even if you were a high school or college athlete, it's time now to stay on the sidelines and support your growing athlete. Cheer for her and cheer for her teammates. Offer support and encouragement. And enjoy!

Essentials: A Folding Chair and Thermacell

We're adding two new "essentials" to our resources page, and these are geared towards the parents of our athletes. First, every sports mom and dad needs a quality lawn chair to watch their child compete.

 

Along with a sturdy chair, my most essential never-leave-home without it is my Thermacell Mosquito Repellent Outdoor and Camping Repeller Device. I know this says camping, but I use it on the fields because I am a bug magnet and on some fields, I can be eaten alive. It's so easy to use (I pop it in the cup holders) and covers up to 15 feet - so if the game is tense and I can't sit still, I'm still protected.

I carry my Thermacell everywhere where I think there will be mosquitoes- I even carry it while I'm walking my dogs at night, and keep it on my picnic table at home. It doesn't contain deet, which is very important to me.

 

  

Thanks to Thermacell - they are graciously giving away a Thermacell to our customers from -- sign up here and be entered to win.


June 26: Happy Belated Birthday, Babe Didrikson Zaharias!

babe didrikson

Happy belated birthday to Babe Didrikson Zaharias, named the 9th Greatest Athlete of the 20th Century by the Associated Press and the 10th Greatest North American Athlete of the 20th Century by ESPN. Didrikson Zaharias excelled at a variety of events, especially those within the areas of track and field, basketball, and golf. Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1951, the Texan native won 41 LPGA tours, including 10 major championships. She has also won three Olympic medals- two gold medals, in the javelin throw and 80m hurdles, and a silver in the high jump. In terms of basketball, Didrikson Zaharias gained All-American status and played for the Amateur Athletic Union. She is considered a Renaissance woman due to her versatility and success across a wide range of athletic events.