Aiming to take the guesswork out of raising young athletes is #HeySportsParents: An Essential Guide for any Parent with a Child in Sports. Written by professional athlete and coach Sharkie Zartman and sports doctor Robert A. Weil, #HeySportsParents provides practical, actionable tips to help families navigate the highs and lows of youth athletics.
The book is divided into four main sections: Sports Parenting 101 addresses the basics of parenting young athletes, such as finding the best programs, parental responsibilities, nutrition, and navigating the college recruiting process. The Sports Doctor Is In offers important advice from a doctor's perspective, such as keeping children safe, youth sports and drugs, and choosing the best shoes. Some of the best minds in sports parenting share their insights in the third section, The Experts Speak Out. Topics include parent behavior on the sidelines, sports safety and youth concussions. In Parent Perspectives, seasoned sports parents share their journeys through youth athletics.
I had a chance to review the book, and I found it a very comprehensive guide for parents. If your kid is just getting into sports, it's a great way to collect all sorts of information in one place. I had a chance to do an interview to learn more.
Why did you decide to write this book?
Dr. Bob and I decided to write a book to help sports parents through the rigors of sports parenting, which is both a unique and challenging experience. Our goal is to make the youth sports experience the best it can be for the parents, kids, and the coaches. We have seen a huge increase in sports participation and also injuries for kids over the years, and have also noticed that far too many parents are stressed out and not enjoying the experience and ultimately end up ruining it for their kids. There is also a lot of conflict instead of teamwork between the coaches and the parents and as a result, the kids suffer. As parents, we all need to remember that youth sports are for the kids, not the adults.
What sets it apart from other books about children and sports?
Dr. Bob and I have over seventy years of combined youth sports experience. I am a former All American volleyball athlete, sports parent and youth and college coach. Dr. Bob, a sports podiatrist has treated and worked with elite top level young athletes for decades including the 2010 figure skating olympic gold medalist, Evan Lysacek. The first section of the book focuses on what I call the necessary survival skills of parenting a young athlete or Sports Parenting 101. Areas that might not be included in other books include how to protect your child against sexual abuse in sports and how to help you child through the college recruiting process. Also, there is a chapter on stress management that every sports parent will hopefully benefit from. Trust me, being a sports parent is awesome, but also very stressful! The second section is written by Dr. Bob, who gives us a medical perspective on how to keep our young athletes safe and hopefully free from injury. In the third section, The Experts Speak Out, we assembled some of the best minds in sports parenting to share their insights. The last section, Parent Perspectives, we highlight several sports parents as they share their journeys with their children. Not only are their stories inspirations, but there is also a lot of excellent advice for parents. Also, the book is spiced up with over 20 cartoons by Damian Fulton, that are sure to amuse and also have an impact. Our book is different because it has several voices sharing, not just one.
You have a section that focuses specifically on footwear - why is that so important?
That is Dr. Bob’s segment. He is a sports podiatrist and knows from experience, that proper footwear helps to increase performance and prevent injuries. He lists eight important points on how to choose the right shoes for your child and the sport. He also emphasizes the use of orthotics for the prevention of foot related ankle, lower leg, knee, hip and back overuse problems.
How can parents make sure their kids are in a sports program that is appropriate for their level?
This is important since a lot of kids get into competitive levels before they are ready. Most younger programs start off with fundamentals and fun, (recreational programs) and don’t emphasize winning, which is great for most young kids. However, we are seeing more and more clubs and travel teams recruiting young kids, sometimes as young as six. And for a club or travel team, winning is usually a big priority.
A few suggestions to consider before you decide to sign your kid up for a club or travel team are:
1. What are the time commitments? (Usually a lot more than a recreational program)
2. Can my child handle not playing at times? (In recreational sports, everyone plays. In competitive sports, the best ones play the most and some kids don’t get to play at all)
3. Also, in the competitive programs, there is a big risk of overtraining, and therefore the risk of injuries increases.
4. Make sure you check out the coaches and the program for their guidelines. Some of the club programs are very demanding of their young athletes. That’s not a good fit if your child just wants to play and have fun.
5. Also,Dr. Bob and I don’t recommend specialization in just one sport when a child is very young, unless he or she is absolutely passionate about the sport and doesn’t want to do any other sport or activity. We always recommend that they try a lot of activities and sports, and then if they decide to specialize later, that’s great.
To learn more about the authors, please visit www.sharkiezartman.com or http://sportsdoctorradio.com.Author Sharkie Zartman is a former five-time USVBA All-American volleyball athlete and champion competitor at UCLA. Zartman also competed for the USA Women's Volleyball National Team in the World University Games and played in the women's professional volleyball association for five years. She became an outstanding beach player and is a member of the California Beach Volleyball Hall of Fame. Zartman is a professor of health and fitness at El Camino College where she also coached volleyball for ten years. She hosts "Sharkie's Pep Talk” on HealthyLife.net radio and has written more than 10 books.
Dr. Robert Weil is a sports podiatrist and has treated many of the world's top athletes. He is the host of "The Sports Doctor” radio show and has written many articles for newspapers and magazines on sports parenting.
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