Archive for May 2010

Part I: Baseball, Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer, Etc. - Riding The Wave of Inconsistency

Often I hear team sport athletes talk about how difficult it is to perform their skill set in competition on a consistent basis. I have frequently witnessed many of them (team sport athletes and even entire teams) ride a wave of inconsistency, playing well one night and completely opposite the next. Think about this yourself,... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
May 30, 2010 at 8:51 pm • 

Part II, No-Cut Polices: Absolute or Independent Practice? / Realistic or Idealistic?

In Part I, No-Cut Polices: Absolute or Independent Practice? / Realistic or Idealistic, I detailed three obstacles that I see as having direct impact on keeping all athletes who try out for a team. In this final installment I will elaborate more on some of the major stumbling blocks facing such a proposal; issues that... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
May 27, 2010 at 5:48 pm • 

Part I, No-Cut Polices: Absolute or Independent Practice? / Realistic or Idealistic?

For those of you not familiar with what a “no-cut” policy means, it dictates that anyone and everyone who tries out for an athletic team makes the team. No one is “cut” and all get a chance to participate. This concept of giving opportunity to ALL interested athletes wanting to participate in competitive sports, up... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
May 25, 2010 at 10:34 pm • 
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More on Sports Specialization: Still A Hot Topic in Today's Sports Culture

It is common practice for me to routinely surf the internet for articles regarding sports and youth sports issues. The title of this blog certainly supports that activity, and diligence in this provides much food for thought as I contemplate what important issues to address or expand on. In May of 2008, I came across... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
May 24, 2010 at 5:36 am • 

Olympic Sprinter Justin Gatlin Facing Opposition to Return After Steroid Ban

Olympic Sprinter Justin Gatlin Facing Opposition to Return After Steroid Ban
For those of you not familiar with Justin Gatlin, he was the 100-meter gold medalist in the 2004 Olympics, and former World Champion, who received a four-year ban from track after testing positive for steroid use in 2006. Considered to be one of the fastest men on earth, at one time, his ban is set... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
May 21, 2010 at 4:49 pm • 

Los Angeles Times Reports on Young Athlete "Breaking" Rules

Los Angeles Times Reports on Young Athlete "Breaking" Rules
Photo by Taylor Block Rules in any athletic endeavor are typically part of a commonsense approach at keeping a sport fair and competitive for all, giving guidelines and procedures from which a game or activity can be played, and for protecting an athlete’s safety when competing. They can be broadly based in order to regulate... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
May 19, 2010 at 5:27 am • 
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Part 3: Specialization in Youth Sports, Good or Bad?

Finishing up our focus on specialization, another factor that athletes (and their parents) need to keep in mind is that different sports can and do bring different circumstances into the mix. There are sports that tend to have a genuine overlap between them (more so in some than in others) and because of this overlap... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
May 17, 2010 at 5:34 am • 

Part 2: Specialization in Youth Sports, Good or Bad?

I suppose the best answer to this question of specialization in sports (and I know I might get some grief for this) is that there really is no best or right answer, at least no right answer for everyone and every situation. There are just too many variables in order for one answer to truly... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
May 14, 2010 at 5:29 am • 

Part 1: Specialization in Youth Sports, Good or Bad?

Just over two years ago I wrote an article on the growing trend of athletes specializing in only one sport. It is something that had its beginnings somewhere in the late 70’s, gaining increasing popularity and athletes’ interest as each decade passed. The question at hand is: Is the centralized focus of athletes like swimming... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
May 12, 2010 at 4:22 am • 
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Skeptics Proven Wrong by Australian Study: HGH Does Enhance Sports Performance

Well it’s official. CBC Sports of Canada reports on research that HGH does help: Australian study that proves HGH (Human Growth Hormone) does enhance an athlete’s performance in sports. Yep, that was a big surprise, right? Bet you had no clue that was coming! What I find most interesting is that there were actually individuals,... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
May 9, 2010 at 10:46 am •