Shameless Self-Promotion

I usually rail against shameless self-promotion and self-indulgent behavior on this blog, but today I can't help myself.  My wife, Madelyn is the communications director for the local affiliate of the American Heart Association.  Her organization has partnered with the NFL on the Play 60 Challenge, which encourages kids to get 60 minutes of physical activity everyday.  Yesterday was a strange day in the Alexander family.  We received a call from my daughter's school at 6 a.m.  School was canceled due to a power outage.  Both Madelyn and I have projects at work that prohibited us from taking the day off.  So, we decided on a split schedule.  Junior would go with me in the morning and go with Mommy in the afternoon. 

My half of the day was pretty uneventful.  Junior sat at my desk and wrote invitations to a dress-up party at my house.  She swears I told her she could have it, but I was working and wasn't really listening.  Parents, be sure to always pay attention when kids ask you things.  But, I digress.  We went to lunch at 11:30 and met Mommy at the pre-determined exchange spot.  Madelyn had a Play 60 event going on at the Russell Training Center; otherwise known as Rams Park.  Rams players took Junior and a class from Valley Park Middle School through their paces.  The pictures below tell the story.

It was a great day at Rams Park and as you might imagine, I am flashing a big kool-aid smile while writing this. Whether or not your kid gets to exercise at an NFL training facility, let's make sure they get 60 minutes of physical activity everyday.  Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol

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Safety or Sportsmanship?

I read a story this morning about a high school football team who chose to forfeit a game because the headmaster thought the other team was simply too big and too good.  My first instinct was to dump this story into the "America's going soft" pile but I chose to dig a little deeper.  St. George's Academy (Middletown, RI) and Lawrence Academy (Groton, MA) are private schools in the New England area and play in the Independent School League.  Both teams sported a 2-0 record and were set to compete October 8th.  Seemingly out of nowhere, the headmaster of St. George's decided to forfeit the game out of concern for the safety of his players.  WJAR-TV provides an account of the story as well as parent reaction in the video below (Email subscribers click here). 



Even after watching the video, my overloaded male pride screamed, "Let the kids play!"  So what if the other team has Division I recruits.  Line 'em up and let's see what happens.  Well, I did a little more digging and it appears the headmaster at St. George's may have a point.  Boston.com has an extensive prep sports page and lists the heights and weights of several football teams.  These kids at Lawrence are big, really big.  I won't list all the kids here, but I will give the five biggest players on each team.

St. George's
6'1"  225
6'2"  220
6'1"  210
5'8"  210
6'2"  200

Lawrence
6'5"  350
6'4"  335
6'2"  300
6'5"  278
6'2"  255

I'm not saying anyone should give up.  I'm not saying they should've played either.  What do you think?  Would you have allowed your child to play against Lawrence?  Remember safety and sportsmanship are not mutually exclusive.  Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol

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NFL Player Safety Video

The NFL released its player safety video yesterday to all 32 teams.  Ray Anderson, Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the league narrates and explains the difference between clean and illegal hits.  No matter your position with regard to tackling, it's clear the league intends to correct technique that may result in serious injury.  Use the NFL example and make sure your athletes, parents, coaches, officials, and team administrators know the safety expectations in your league.  The NFL video can be viewed in its entirety by clicking here.  Have fun at the games this weekend.  Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol

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