New Index

Our Mission is to educate and inform parents, teachers, administrators, coaches, interested community stakeholders, and children about the effects of sports, play, and exercise on our children and our families.

Each week, we bring you the latest about issues, events, and trends that effect the growth, development, and the health and wellness of our children. You can hear in-depth interviews with local and national experts, sport celebrities, teachers, administrators, coaches, and children. The show will educate, inform, and provide a voice for everyone concerned about the influence of sport on our culture.

We often open the show with some of the most glaring and reoccurring stories chronicling the ugliness surrounding youth sports organized by adults; issues pertaining to our children's health and education. These headlines clap like thunder across the country signaling a warning to parents, coaches, administrators, lawmakers, and community stakeholders that widespread change is imperative.

My good friend, and frequent guest on the show, Professor Doug Abrams of the College of Law at the University of Missouri, will add you to his daily mailing list of these stories. Simply email Doug and ask him to add your name to the list.

Over the past two decades, advances in science, technology, and communications have revolutionized the world. While our educational system has strived to keep pace with these changing needs, the reality is that far too many of our schools – and consequently our students – are falling behind. Countless new laws have been passed to address this growing problem, and billions of dollars have been spent to bring out schools into the 21^st century. But are these efforts working? Are our students graduating from high school prepared for success? What new skills and knowledge do our students need to be considered truly prepared for college, careers, and active and informed citizenship?

My guests will be David Ruff, Co-executive Director of the Great Schools Partnership; Jim Burnell, education services specialist for Maine and New Hampshire and manager of ASVAB Career Center, Portland Military Entrance Processing Station; Peter Geiger, executive vice president, Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education, former chair, Maine State Board of Education; Andy Paul, senior human resources generalist, Pratt & Whitney;

Mac in the Morning Portland Pirates goal tender, Mike McKenna, joins us for a discussion about officiating at all levels. Are these men and women as bad as “everyone” makes them out? How video reply is being used at the NHL level “to get it right,” and just what do goalies say to officials during a game?

Bruins Alumni vs. Maine Mariners Alumni Benefit Game Gary Prolman is organizing the February 27^th event to help fund athletics in the Portland School Department. With the huge deficit and shrinking government support for education, the threat of cutting athletic programs is very real. Prolman is leading a community-wide effort that hopes to raise $100,000 to help maintain the athletic programs of Portland and Deering High Schools at current levels. The game will be played at the Cumberland County Civic Center at 7:00 PM. Ticket prices: $15.00 Donation.

Ray Bourque heads the list of former Bruins along with Terry O’Reilly, Rick Middleton, Andy Brinkley, and Gary Doak. Paul Evans heads up the Maine Mariners roster with Brian Burke, Jay Mazur, Scott Matusovich, and Bob Corkum.

The Second Annual Pond Hockey Festival – Where grown men and women play for “love of the game” Haley Pond in downtown Rangeley, Maine on February 2^nd & 3^rd will be the site where 120 players on 20 teams will play on the frozen pond. This year’s tournament has doubled in size from the inaugural event last year.

I'm experimenting with Podcasting the weekly show. Since I'm self-taught, the learning curve is steep at this point. Nevertheless, there are three "sample clips" of the show that can be listened to and downloaded at:

I would appreciate any and all feedback, especially with regards to which player your browser used, i.e. Windows Media Player, Quick Time, etc. Were you able to download and save the file? How long did it take to download/play? What was the quality of the sound?

The Great Schools Partnership at the Mitchell Institute has an archive of most of the shows we have done with "The Professors" David Ruff and Mark Kostin. You can find these shows on their website at: http://www.greatschoolspartnership.org/res_radio.html or click on the logo above.

Remember: 1) These are just kids. Don't treat them like adults. 2) Make no mistake! It's about them having fun. Not you! It's not your game, so be sure you don't take it away from them. 3) First and foremost, you are a teacher and a role model. The most important lessons you teach will have nothing to do with the game you are coaching. 4) Never get angry or holler at your kids with an angry or impatient tone. Remember, there are two kinds of "holler:" a good holler to get their attention, and a bad holler that expresses anger, frustration, and disappointment. And 5) Be positive in all of your comments. Always focus on what the child did right even if it was just going up to the plate without crying!

This week's Tip: Visit the website, use the "Coaching Tips" link or just click on the link below to see my Tips for Coaches. These tips come from my 48 hour Coaching Development Workshop and have nothing to do with X's and O's or game winning strategies. These tips are all about your professional and personal development as a teacher of kids who happen to be organized for playing a sport.