Sporty Kids and the Moms Who Love Them (And a Giveaway!)

Recently I had the opportunity to participate in a conference call with Stephanie Hamm, the mother of Mia Hamm - Olympic soccer player extraordinaire. It was sponsored by Gatorade (Visit the Official site)

Our subject was raising sporty kids, and the fun and frustration it entails. Each blogger was given an opportunity to pose a question to Stephanie, but due to technical difficulties and time constraints, I didn't get a chance. My question was going to be "how did you prepare your daughter for all the media attention?" (At 15, Mia was the youngest player to join the US women's national soccer team, and at 19, she was the youngest to win a World Cup championship). I thought it was a good question and something I could definitely apply to Maddy. Maybe Stephanie will read this and let me know!

Another blogger asked for advice on how to deal with your child's disappointment and keeping them motivated. That's something that we all deal with everyday.  This year Maddy's team is playing against teams comprised of older girls - and the first two games weren't pretty. Drawing on what we discussed, I encouraged her to stay focused on the positive, and also asked her what she would have done differently, and how she learned from her mistakes and also those of her teammates. I also told her to remember the positives - she's had a couple of pretty good base hits and is working hard in right field.  They finally played a team their own age and won! It really boosted their confidence. 

She also sustained her first injury in that game - she got hit by the ball while at bat. Luckily it just scratched her elbow and didn't bruise.

During the Gatorade portion of the call, I learned a few tips about keeping Maddy fueled and hydrated before, during and after games. With her games starting at 6pm and not ending until almost 8pm, it's a challenge to find something to give her energy but won't be too heavy, especially when the weather starts getting hot. Grilled cheese or peanut butter sandwiches have been a staple. I also learned that I should start getting fluids into her prior to the games, which is something that sadly I didn't really concentrate on. But now I know better!  Gatorade's website has some terrific information for parents - you can check it out here.

I'm really glad to see Maddy active and enjoying sports, and thankful that I'm able to take her to a couple of basketball camps this summer. I'm trying to get her to look into volleyball too but so far she's resisting. I told her that if she was really good she could play on a beach, maybe even go to the Olympics. She wasn't swayed. 

Of course, with every new sport season, there's always a need for new gear - this year it was a new batting helmet with face guard and sliding pants. If you've run into this problem too, I have a solution - I'm giving away a $100 gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods. How do you win? Well, you've got options:

• Leave a comment on this post (sweepstakes runs from June 1- June 30, 2011)
• Tweet about this post and leave the URL of this post in the comments
• Blog about this post and leave the URL of this post in the comments
• For those of you without a blog or Twitter, official rules and alternate entry methods are here.
• Here are more BlogHer offers and more chances to win cool stuff! 
Prizes & Promotions section

This contest is open to US residents, 18 years of age or older. Winners will be selected by random drawing and notified by email. You have 72 hours to respond to me or another winner will be selected. Good luck!!

**Here's the link for the Stephanie Hamm video