“I Won’t Cheat!” --A Little League Life Skill Campaign that Scores.

Bears Youth Camp running back

Our youth football camp coaches constantly state, “Don’t cheat yourself!”  We say it before camp, during camp and at the final whistle.

What do they mean?

*Come mentally and physically prepared to get the most out of the camp day.

*Get enough sleep before the day.

*Eat a proper breakfast.

*Think about what you want to accomplish.
*Leave your problems behind and enjoy the moment.

*Run out every play and give a 100% effort.

*Do things the right way.

Talk about a simple sports lesson that translates to true life skills!  Consider NCAA football team violations, baseball players using steroids, golfer Tiger Woods, skater Tonya Harding and sprinter Ben Johnson.    Then consider any coworkers, friends and family members that cheat their way through life.   They take shortcuts, sandbag and use smoke and mirrors.  But everyone knows the difference.

It makes me think everyone should be required to play team sports while growing up.  It’s the best platform for learning how to compete with integrity.  Note:  I said “team sports” as I believe the environment is much more conducive to competitive integrity than most individual sports (golf excluded).  

While many more cheat without getting caught, I suspect that every perpetrator big and small has significant regrets and would do things much differently if given the chance.   We all make mistakes and fall to temptations of easy success and quick adoration.   Nobody is completely innocent. 

Pro Sports Experience tips its cap to Little League Baseball and their “I Won’t Cheat” jersey patch campaign.  It’s a sharp message that is a more valuable takeaway than football skills or baseball skills. 

More on the Subject

Little League’s Simple Pledge to a Better Future

15 Greatest Sports Cheats of All Time

Tom Finks

Pro Sports Experience, LLC

Pro Sports Experience is the official management company of Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles Youth Football Camps.  

Have Youth Sports Parents Lost All Perspective?

You might laugh or you might cry.  Either way, ESPN Writer Tim Keown throws at tight spiral at youth sports and its escalation over the years. 

My favorite lines from his article "Where the 'elite' kids shouldn't meet," include...

"Waving the prospect of "travel ball" under the nose of the ambitious father of a talented 9-year-old is like wafting a steak under the nose of a sleeping dog."

"We're left with the following walk-off quote from our coach: 'Some parents claim they're the best team in [the county]. I must agree with them.' "

"We're nearing the point in youth sports where we need to stop the "elite" and "select" madness because we're raising a generation with too much self-esteem. They can't handle failure because they've been conditioned to believe they're too good to fail."

Personally, it's good to be in the youth football camp business (as opposed to leagues) because we have far fewer external issues to face.

Tom Finks
Pro Sports Experience, LLC
Official Management Company of Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles Youth Football Camps.

Football Tackling Skill: Put Aside Pride for Safety

Our non-contact NFL youth football camps teach form or fit blocking and tackling techniques to prepare kids for the tackle game. 

Equally important is the need for coaches to be prepared for their season so they may provide proper and safe instruction.  

The internet is loaded with a variety of tackling instruction videos.  A good series comes from USA Football.

Youth football coaches and parents--be sure to check out their Introduction to Tacklng Video and help assure your players are doing it right.

Tom Finks
Pro Sports Experience for Kids
Management Company for Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles Youth Football Camps. 

Win $10,000 for Your School, Friday September 9

If your school loves the NFL and needs a financial boost for health and wellness programs, enter the Back to Football Friday program from NFL Play 60.

Schools are encouraged to show off their love for NFL Football on Friday, September 9.

34 winning schools will receive an NFL team celebration and a $10,000 NFL Play 60 health and wellness grant. 

http://www.nflrush.com/BackToFootball

The Most Iconic Figures in NFL Football

Close your eyes and think of the NFL's most iconic figure.   What do you see?   Vince Lombardi?  George Halas?  Dick Butkus?  Bronko Nagurski?  Jim Brown?  Joe Montana?  Walter Payton?

Suprising, many 40-somethings will mention John Facenda.   John Facenda was the voice of NFL Films.  Combined with the great writing, his narrative provided the perfect sound to the world's greatest game.

What NFL figure(s) do youth football players admire most today? 


 

Youth Football Camps Score on Mother Nature

New York Giants Youth Football Camps

You can’t beat Mother Nature. But Pro Sports Experience Youth Football Camps were able to score lots of points against her and her repressive heat this summer.

 “We plan for situations like this.” says Tom Finks, Executive Director for four NFL teams and their Youth Football Camp initiatives. “We acquire full service facilities so we can operate indoors and keep the kids safe. We hire highly qualified staff, including a Certified Athletic Trainer for each camp. And most important, we change the program so we operate safely but the kids still have a productive football experience.”

Finks concedes that it is tougher to have a wildly successful camp under such conditions. “No question that everyone gets fatigued a little faster. But the kids and parents have been great. They understand that our program must be altered and they appreciate the measures we take.”

Instruction and football competition were front-loaded in the “cooler” morning hours. Interactive class room games such as Eat Like a Pro, The Franchise, Chief Scout and Playmaker were huge hits and kept the kids engaged and cool.

“If we did play football in the afternoon, it was brief and hydration breaks were taken every 5 to 10 minutes,” say Finks. “We had hoses and sprinklers going and the kids loved it. We still had to cut things short and take water breaks because sometimes the kids don’t know when to stop.”

The hot weather also gives coaches a great teaching platform. While they would prefer cooler weather, it becomes much easier to teach the kids about hydration when it’s so easy to break a sweat.
“Hydration becomes part of the conversation. They go home talking about the importance,” says Finks. “It’s something they will always remember and a good life lesson.”

Recently, the American Society of Pediatrics developed new guidelines to protect children from the oppressive heat wave that has overtaken much of the United States.

Chicago Bears Youth Football Camps, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles Youth Football Camps are managed by Pro Sports Experience of Chicago, IL. Learn more about these camps at http://www.prosportsexperience.com/

Caution: Teaching Moments with Golf Cart Crashes

In sort of a lightweight but effective way, this video compiliation of golf cart accidents may demonstrate to your kids that you better be careful when operating the carts.

Reckless behavior can lead to serious accidents.