Top 10 Lessons Learned from nearly 14 years as a Soccer Mom

Posted on 22. Feb, 2010 by kchristieh in life lessons, parenting, sports

When I registered my preschoolers for soccer in the Fall of 1996, I never imagined that I’d be a soccer mom until 2010. My soccer-viewing days ended last Friday when my daughter’s high school team lost in the first round of CIF playoffs. Our soccer experience was sometimes rewarding, and sometimes frustrating, but always an adventure.

Along the way, I learned or confirmed the following lessons:

1. Don’t become the frog in boiling water. If someone had told us how much club soccer would impact our family, we may not have chosen to do it. Instead, the warm water just got hotter and hotter.
2. Find your niche. I had no interest in being a referee, but I loved making AYSO team banners.
3. Even though it’s hard to make a banner of a hyena, whatever you design will be ok since no one’s sure what a hyena looks like. Use lots of fur. Best mascot ever.
4. Don’t question the refs. They’re trying hard, and they’re no more perfect than anyone else. Complaining won’t change the call, and it’ll just make things stressful.
5. Expect little, so you won’t be disappointed.
6. Get a chair with a built-in umbrella.
7. Kids don’t need snacks at the end of the game. But they like them as long as they’re not healthy.
8. Always carry a blanket, extra water and a first-aid kit in the car.
9. Bad coaches don’t get better.
10. Sports aren’t as enjoyable when winning becomes more important than having a good time.

My daughter says that she learned:

1. You should always work really hard, but
2. Hard work won’t always pay off, but
3. It’s worth it when you love the sport.
4. How to get along with all sorts of people.
5. How to deal with all sorts of coaches, which has helped her to adapt to different teachers, and some day, bosses.
6. How to be a team player.

Those are good lessons.

Would I do it over again? Only if the kids wanted to. They probably would.

Best.Beat Cal.Prank. Ever.

Posted on 21. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in my life, sports

I blogged about this three years ago, but I thought I’d show it again: a “Beat Cal” banner hung by Stanford in Tours students from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in the Fall of 1983. Read more about it here.

I wasn’t one of the brave souls who hung the banner: I merely took the picture. Still, it was very exciting. And surprisingly, no one got arrested.

What I learned when my son broke his leg

Posted on 06. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in health, life lessons, my life, parenting, social networking, sports

It’s been tough to keep up with my goal of daily blog posting lately. Clients, volunteer positions, and a child applying to college have taken a higher priority. As if that wasn’t enough, this past Friday night my son fractured his tibia and dislocated his kneecap in a high school football game. He had surgery the next day, and we spent two nights in the hospital. Since then, I’ve been his personal nurse, helping him move his whole-leg cast when he gets up or down from a sitting or sleeping position, refilling his water bottle, and making him caprese sandwiches.

Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned this week:

• Every hospital patient needs an advocate. My son entered the emergency room in utter pain, and after 10 minutes of waiting we were told it would be another 20 minutes before a triage nurse would see him. It was only when I whipped out my purse supply of Tylenol and with tears in my eyes asked how much to give him that they finally talked to him. Likewise, after his surgery, the nurses who attended to him were very kind, but needed reminding that 40 minutes before they’d promised more pain medication or help with something important. I’m glad I was there for him.
• Keep your situation in perspective. I felt and feel awful for my son, but his situation could be far worse. I said lots of prayers for people in the hospital that were in worse shape than my son.
• You can’t wash your hands too much. I treated every surface in that hospital as if it was coated with the plague. Time will tell if I was successful in avoiding illness, but I’m glad I was careful.
• Hospital food can be good. The food at our hospital cafeteria was excellent and cheap. I should eat lunch there with friends. Except for my previous point about hospital germs.
• When you need to go rescue your child who’s broken a bone, if possible, take an extra two minutes and bring: magazines, water bottles, a phone charger, a jacket, and socks. You’ll be so glad you did when you’re at the hospital overnight or for hours on end. (This was my son’s 4th bone break, so I learned this awhile ago.)
• Guard your time at the hospital and afterwards. It was good that everyone didn’t visit the hospital, since each visit was both exhilarating and tiring, and at one point I told some people that instead of talking on the phone and bothering my son, that it would be better to text. I also made sure to turn both our phones off at night.
• You never know when your child will play his last game. I didn’t attend Friday night’s game; my daughter had come home sick that afternoon, so I chose to stay home with her. My husband and I actually looked at each other and said, “There’s no way he’ll get hurt, right? He’s the kicker.” Hahaha. In retrospect, it’s just as well I wasn’t there, as it would have been torture to watch him lie on the field for so long with no power to do anything. But after 12 years of organized sports, this may wind up being the last game he plays in until he plays intramurals in college.
• Aerobeds are amazing. I’m sleeping on one next to my son’s bed in case he needs to get up in the middle of the night or needs more pain medication. I’m sleeping like a log on that thing. Note: this is just true for the actual Aerobed brand. I haven’t been so happy with other air mattresses.
• I can mention this one since my son won’t read this: if your child is asleep next to you and it’s dark and you’re bored, copy cell phone numbers of their closest friends onto your cell phone. You never know when you’ll need them.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. When I posted on Facebook that I was looking for a bed tray my son could use to eat his meals and do homework, two showed up on my doorstep the next morning. Ditto for needing some concrete blocks to keep the dog in. One of my Facebook friends was going to the hardware store anyway, so she saved me a trip that would take me away from my son. And the food people have brought us has saved many nights of frozen pizza. And my son appreciates the cards and gifts people have brought.
• I live in a great community. People care, and back it up with action. I’m very, very, very fortunate to live here and have such wonderful friends.  :)

The most surprising post I’ll ever write

Posted on 17. Sep, 2009 by kchristieh in inspirational people, sports

I am completely impressed by…the…(oh, this is SO HARD to admit!)…USC football team in the following video:

They embody what sports should be about: hard work, the right balance of humility and pride, teamwork, brotherhood. If I were a football player, I’d want to be part of this family.

You don’t know how hard that was to say.

I think this should become the official USC theme song. I’d even sing along.

People arrested for stealing $40K in athletic equipment from LCHS

Posted on 28. Mar, 2009 by kchristieh in local news, sports

From today’s Pasadena Star News:

Man, woman suspected in school burglaries

From staff reports

Posted: 03/27/2009 06:50:12 PM PDT

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE – A man and woman were arrested Friday on suspicion of stealing about $40,000 worth of athletic equipment from two local schools in recent weeks, authorities said.

Martha McRae, 44, and Mark Wallace, 40, both of La Canada Flintridge, are suspected of breaking into La Canada High School and Flintridge Preparatory School, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Gary Ogurek said.

The burglaries occurred over several days about three weeks ago, officials said.

Detectives investigating the burglaries served a search warrant about 8 a.m. at a home in the 2100 block of La Canada Crest Drive, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Gary Ogurek said.

Inside, property allegedly taken in the burglaries was found, as well as information which led officials to a second location in Montrose, where more allegedly stolen property was found, the sergeant said.

The majority of the property taken from the school’s was recovered, he added.

McRae and Wallace were booked on suspicion of burglary, receiving stolen property and possession of methamphetamine for sales, Ogurek said.

According to court records, both suspects are being held in lieu of $20,000 bail and are due for arraignment in Pasadena Superior Court Wednesday.

From Lacrosse to France to Gala

Posted on 08. Mar, 2009 by kchristieh in food, local news, my life, sports

Yesterday was one of the busier days I’ve ever had. It started when I dropped off my daughter to volunteer at a school pancake breakfast, only to soon receive a call that their griddles weren’t working and they needed to borrow ours. I scribbled our name on the back of ours with a Sharpie and raced on down there to save the day. I hung around there until it was time to drive my daughter to her lacrosse tournament. After dropping her off there, I bought some salad for the team to eat later in the day, picked up the dog and went back to the fields.

My dog made a new pal: Winn-Dixie! Winnie is very sweet, and her even temperament calmed my little guy down. I think he’s smiling in this picture.

Here’s a picture of one of the lacrosse games (not my daughter’s). It’s a cool sport to watch. It’s really fast, and there’s more scoring than in soccer. The added bonus for me is that I LOVE the parents of the girls on my daughter’s team, so I enjoy sitting on the sidelines with them.

After that, I met some fellow lady bloggers at Nicole’s Gourmet Foods in South Pasadena for lunch. It was so much fun to meet up with such fascinating and bright ladies! Nicole’s was wonderful also. It’s the most authentic French restaurant I’ve ever had lunch at (outside of France). I’ll definitely be returning there. Maybe I’ll even take the Gold Line next time. Too bad it doesn’t run anywhere near where I live.

After that I quickly bought some new shoes, had my hair styled, and finished writing my speech. My husband patiently heard me rehearse it over and over, so by the time I got to the La Canada Flintridge Educational Foundation Gala I had most of it memorized. He’s an attorney and a former debater, so this was par for the course for him. I was amazed at how much effort people had put into making this a special evening for me. They didn’t need to do that!! But I appreciate it.  :)

Now to catch up on my sleep. Today’s time change caught me by surprise!

My basketball wasn’t Magic after all

Posted on 03. Mar, 2009 by kchristieh in my life, non-profits, sports

Back in 1990, one of my co-workers in the Robinson’s finance department had a boyfriend who worked in the Lakers’ marketing department. I took her up on an offer to have a basketball signed by Magic Johnson, and for years I’ve kept this autographed basketball safely tucked away in my closet.

I’m the only person in our family who’s ever played on a basketball team, but my career ended after 8th grade when everyone else grew and I didn’t. I’ve never encouraged my kids to take up the sport, and when we installed a basketball hoop on our garage they both swore they’d never use it. So when I heard that the LCF Educational Foundation was still soliciting items for the Gala silent auction this weekend, I decided to donate the Magic Johnson basketball. I gave it with the caveat that I had no certificate of authenticity to guarantee that Magic had signed it, and hadn’t seen him do it.

Thank goodness for that! It turns out the signature on our ball looks nothing like every other autograph found on Google. Here’s a typical signature:

The Foundation returned the ball to us. Oh well! The first name looks the same, but the last name is way off. I still think it could be real, since I know my signature has deteriorated since I’ve signed so many more things. The “Johnson” on my ball is missing the “s”…but I think that if someone were trying to fake the name they wouldn’t mess that up.

So much for that! Maybe ours is super-valuable since it’s a vintage signature. Or maybe I should just pump it up and play with it.  :)

Do “Madea” movie ads contribute to racism?

Posted on 22. Feb, 2009 by kchristieh in movies, sports, things that bug me

Studies show that a majority of whites in this country harbor an often-subconscious racial bias against blacks. According to Charles M. Blow in today’s NY Times op-ed piece, “A Nation of Cowards,” no matter how hard we try, our brain often has a mind of its own, and will process the input it receives to form an opinion that goes against what a person doesn’t consciously want it to.

If anyone’s wondering what these inputs might be, one should just take a look at today’s print edition of the NY Times. After reading Mr. Blow’s piece, the first image of a black person I saw was this one of Tyler Perry in the new Madea movie. It was on the front page of the Arts section, and was 7.5″ high.

On page 2 of the Arts section, I saw this article / picture of Chris Brown at the top of the page:

Then, a few pages later, I saw this ad for Madea:

That was it for the Arts section. There were no blacks pictured in the Business section, but Mets players Duaner Sanchez and Francisco Rodriguez were pictured in the Sports section. (Are they black?) There was also a black man sitting on the bench behind Utah State basketball coach Stew Morrill.

I finally took a look at the front section (I’d read the racism story online) and the lead story featured this picture of the Stanford Superstars cricket team with the club’s owner, Robert Allen Stanford. (No relation to my alma mater!!)

The front section also included a picture of Illinois Senator Roland W. Burris, who is being urged to resign.

Final tally:

• 4 pictures of blacks in trouble with the law
• 3 pictures of blacks in sports

With images like these, it’s no surprise that many whites show a bias against blacks.

Of course, I try not to have these thoughts. I truly believe that God created all races in His image, and everyone should be accorded the same respect, opportunities and rights regardless of race. The article points out, however, that often whites who try not to appear biased are perceived as more biased.

Aaargh!! It’s like Angelina Jolie, when she’s stuck in the asylum in “Changeling.” A fellow patient advises her that if you try too hard to appear “normal” they’ll think you’re crazy. But I digress…

As Blow concludes, it’s good to face the facts and start a dialogue. I think a good place to start would be the entertainment industry, which produces movies such as Madea and bad-boy artists such as Chris Brown.

Grasping the concept of wrestling

Posted on 09. Jan, 2009 by kchristieh in parenting, sports, things that bug me

I’ve been a Baseball Mom, a Softball Mom, a Swimming Mom, a Cross-Country Mom, a Track Mom, a Lacrosse Mom, a Football Mom and of course, a Soccer Mom. But the sport that I find it toughest to be a Mom for is Wrestling.

My son wrestled his first varsity home meet today. He pinned the guy in the first round – yay! He was happy, he didn’t get too tired, and no one got hurt. And, since I understand pinning, I even vaguely figured out what was going on.

I don’t think I’ll ever understand the motivation behind wrestling. I’ve never been a physically aggressive person, and I’m very risk-averse. The thought of letting someone twist my body around to pin me to a mat is abhorrent to me. As a result, watching someone do it to someone I love is pretty difficult, too, especially when I’ve already nursed that person through three broken arms when he was younger.

But he likes the sport, so I’ll grit my teeth and support him. I’m trying to learn the rules so that I can concentrate on the mechanics of each match, not on the danger. Here’s the best summary of the rules I could find.

I wasn’t surprised to find a wrestling forum for mothers on a Navy site. After all, an Army recruiter recently showed up at one of our school’s wrestling practices. Maybe the military has found that wrestlers are more likely to enlist.
Wrestling teaches great lessons in responsibility, practice, and teamwork. I’ll just keep rooting for no one to get hurt and for everyone to learn from the experience.

Vivian Stringer is my new heroine

Posted on 15. Dec, 2008 by kchristieh in books, feminism, inspirational people, sports

When Vivian Stringer recruits players for the Rutgers women’s basketball team, she doesn’t just promise them that they’ll play on a wonderful team. She looks the parents in the eye and promises them that if their daughter plays for her, she’ll treat her like a daughter, and do everything she can to make sure she graduates and is prepared for life. She means it, too: she’s still in touch with most of the young women she coached.

She’s the real deal. She comes from modest roots, as the daughter of an African-American coal miner, but was raised with self-confidence and an incredible work ethic. She also has a huge heart, and genuinely cares for everyone she knows. She’s overcome incredible adversity: the death of both her father and her husband at young ages, caring for a daughter who suffered severe brain damage from spinal meningitis, surviving breast cancer, and more, but she soldiers on and makes the most out of life.
I haven’t played on a basketball team since 8th grade, and I didn’t play any school sports in high school. Even so, I was completely entranced by her autobiography, . By the time I got to the end of the book, where she recounts how she chose to respond to Don Imus’s “nappy-headed hos” comment, I wasn’t at all surprised that she handled it with the utmost of grace and courage.

She inspires me, and I think she’d do the same for you. If my recommendation isn’t enough, 24 out of 25 reviewers on gave this book 5 stars, and the other gave it 4 stars. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such positive feedback for a book on Amazon! This would make a perfect gift for a coach, teacher, or athlete.

When doves cry

Posted on 29. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, environment, local news, sports

While driving west on Foothill Blvd. in La Canada today, the LA County Sheriff’s car in front of me stopped and put its lights on. We all stopped and witnessed the deputy don rubber gloves and scoop up a mourning dove that was sitting in the middle of the road. He took it to the side, and placed it safely in the landscaping outside Armstrong’s. I was very impressed.

It seems like lots of things are dying. My dog, of course, which makes us cry. And this week our precious California Live Oak turned brown, and our arborist says we’ll need to take it out. I need to get a permit from city hall before we do that. How can a “live” oak die?

I guess this all makes sense. It is Hell Week after all.

Trashy 90210 poster invades local mall

Posted on 14. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in advertising, parenting, shopping, sports, things that bug me, tv

Can you imagine taking a 6-year-old to the mall and having to explain this banner to her?

I took these pictures at the food court of the Santa Anita Mall in Arcadia, CA today.

It’s bad enough that older kids (and adults) have to see it, but little eyes shouldn’t see this stuff. The more we see and hear things, the more normal they become, and I don’t think young children should be exposed to this. Some of my most frustrating moments as a parent have come when I’ve had to explain nudie billboards on the freeway or Viagra commercials to young kids.

I’ve tried to shield my kids from issues and vices that are way beyond their years, but it’s tough. The only way would be if we totally retreated from the outside world: no trips, computer, tv, radio, newspaper, magazines, or friends. That’s not the life I want for my kids, nor will it prepare them for living in the U.S. in the 21st century. But should they have to see this junk at such young ages? Should I???

Click here to see a great article from OpenSalon.com about the discrepancy between what the men wear vs. what the women wear in this summer’s Olympics. The title says it all: Olympic Wedgies all Around!!! The Pornification of Sports.

Are there Scientologists in Iran?

Posted on 27. Apr, 2008 by kchristieh in international, movies, religion, sports

Just kidding. Bad idea.

But I couldn’t resist the analogy after watching the following two shows back-to-back on my Tivo last night:

• An with Jenna Miscavige, daughter of Scientology leader David Miscavige. Jenna spoke about what it was like to grow up in the Church of Scientology, and what drove her to leave.
• The movie Offside, about Iranian girls who dressed like boys to try to see a 2006 soccer match between Iran and Bahrain which will determine which team goes to the World Cup finals.

I felt like we had a Repression Film Night. The Nightline interview reiterated for us how wacky Scientology is, and how it has serious issues with anyone who disagrees with it. (I guess this blog post means I won’t be invited to Tom & Katie’s any time soon!) As for Offside, it offered a view of Iran that we seldom get in the West. The girls tried to use logic to convince the soldiers to let them see the game, but the soldiers weren’t driven by logic. They lived in fear of their Captain, and didn’t want to mess up their own chance to finally get out of the military. So the repression continues.

Ironically, as repressive as Iran is, Offside made it clear that Iranians are quite proud of their country. In fact, my husband pointed out that it’d be folly for us to ever think we’d have a chance of winning a war against such a patriotic country. I agree.

So once again, last night I was once again reminded how fortunate I am to live in a country that values freedom, and to practice a religion based on love, not repression.

Additional links:

• Great blog posting about Offside
• Legendary Spy Magazine article about Scientology
• Tom Cruise expounding on Scientology (video)

China 2008 Olympics rehearsal

Posted on 18. Apr, 2008 by kchristieh in international, sports

Too bad China’s so repressive, and that Beijing is so smoggy, for it sure looks like they’re going to put on this summer:

I’ve never seen so many people in one performance.

I wonder how many of them agree with their country’s policies? I doubt that all of them do, but I’m looking at them from my biased American “freedom” perspective.
Then again, maybe many do agree. After all, this poor Duke freshman can tell you all about what it’s like to be perceived as a traitor in China. I’m sure that there are many people who disagree with China’s policies that are afraid to speak out.

China committing cat genocide

Posted on 02. Apr, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, international, sports

My last post received a comment that directed me to the U.K. Daily Mail article, “Olympics clean-up Chinese style: Inside Beijings shocking death camp for cats.”

Thousands of pet cats in Beijing are being abandoned by their owners and sent to die in secretive government pounds as China mounts an aggressive drive to clean up the capital in preparation for the Olympic Games.

Hundreds of cats a day are being rounded and crammed into cages so small they cannot even turn around.

Then they are trucked to what animal welfare groups describe as death camps on the edges of the city.

The cull comes in the wake of a government campaign warning of the diseases cats carry and ordering residents to help clear the streets of them.

Can you imagine seeing this when you walk down the street?

Or what if this happened at your kids’ school?

Paranoia is so intense that six stray cats -including two pregnant females – were beaten to death with sticks by teachers at a Beijing kindergarten, who feared they might pass illnesses to the children.

Of course, this comes as no surprise. After all,

The cull of Beijing’s estimated 500,000 cat population is certain to provoke international outrage as it comes just over a year after the Chinese were criticised for rounding up and killing stray dogs across the country.

Looks like China is willing to implement extreme, cruel measures to create their own Olympic Potemkin village.

Wearing cat coats and Olympians in China: where do we draw the line?

Posted on 01. Apr, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, international, my life, politics, religion, shopping, sports

Did you know that it’s legal to make a blanket or coat out of cat fur in Switzerland? According to today’s NY Times article, “A Push to Stop Swiss Cats From Being Turned Into Coats and Hats,” Switzerland is the last Western European nation where this is permitted. I can’t fathom killing a cat for a coat, yet I wear leather shoes every day. Is it because cats are our friends? What if a chicken is your friend? My mother-in-law befriended a chicken when she was a little girl, and then one night it was on the dinner table. She hardly ate chicken for the rest of her life.

Where do we draw the line?

That’s what Olympic athletes are asking themselves. In “Issue for Athletes: Protest on Darfur at Olympics,” Olympics-bound athletes relate their struggle to balance disapproval with China’s human rights policies with the fulfillment of their lifelong dreams. More than 200 of them have joined “Team Darfur,” whose purpose is to increase awareness of the genocide in Darfur.

Should the athletes boycott the games? Can we Americans truly stand on such a high horse, considering our high incarceration rates, our government’s willingness to use torture and the very existence of the prison at Guantanamo Bay? And if we ask the athletes to boycott the games, shouldn’t we do our part and stop purchasing goods made in China? What about other countries with dubious human rights records?

It’s easy to see why people come to different conclusions on issues such as these. There are no easy answers. I try to do my best to do what’s right, to stay informed, and be willing to change my mind. It sounds very relative, I’m afraid. I try to do what Jesus would do, but sometimes that’s hard to figure out.

Feeding the masses at the Rose Bowl lacrosse tournament

Posted on 09. Mar, 2008 by kchristieh in my life, sports

Have you ever been so grateful to someone for what they do that you’ll do just about anything for them? That’s how I wound up organizing the food booth at yesterday’s Rose Bowl lacrosse tournament. My daughter’s lacrosse coach has put so much time and enthusiasm into the team that I couldn’t imagine letting her down.

At first I assumed I was ill-equipped for the job. But then I realized that running the elementary back-to-school picnic, operating a beach hot dog stand one summer, working at a restaurant in high school and overseeing various fund raising events had actually prepared me pretty well. The key was to delegate tasks, and I was fortunate to have a team of competent and energetic parents willing to take on the various positions I assigned.

We were told to expect to feed 1,000 people, so we purchased tons (literally?) of food and drinks. I’m not sure how many we fed, but we worked non-stop from 7:30 am – 5 pm. It was good that we ordered so many smoothies from Juice-It-Up and bought so many Diet Cokes to sell, but if we do it again we’ll order less pizzas. And we’ll definitely remember to bring the scissors and the Sharpie again!

The best parts were finally getting to see a lacrosse game in person and getting to know the other team parents better. I was exhausted at the end of the day, but it was worth it. Now to gather our receipts and see how much money we made. This is our team’s first year, so we need equipment and supplies to get us going.

Lacrosse is currently a fun, less intense alternative to many of the other high school sports. It’ll be sad when it goes the way of soccer, volleyball and baseball and gets too competitive. It’s nice to have a team that accepts beginners and is willing to teach them the sport.

How am I so sure this will happen? When I opened my Target toy circular yesterday, here’s what I saw on page 5. It’s just a matter of time…

Teenage boys shower before Mom drives them to their girlfriend’s house?

Posted on 26. Feb, 2008 by kchristieh in health, parenting, sports

As usual, rumors of the moral delinquency of our youth are greatly exaggerated.

Surveys show that 80% of teenage boys pursue a girl because they like her. Only 14% put sex at the top of the list. In “Peeking Inside the Mind of the Boy Dating Your Daughter” in this Sunday’s NY Times, we discover that,

Physical attraction and wanting to get to know someone better were tied as the second-most-popular answers. Boys who were sexually active were as likely to say they pursued sex out of love as they were to say they simply wanted to know what sex feels like or to satisfy a physical desire. Wanting to lose their virginity barely registered, with just 14 percent of boys checking that answer.

Researchers said the findings show that teenage boys really are motivated by love and a desire for meaningful relationships.

One can only hope!

Did you realize that only 29.8% of 16-year-olds have their driver’s license? That’s down from 43.8% in 1998. The NY Times story “Fewer Youths Jump Behind the Wheel at 16” says that,

Reasons vary, including tighter state laws governing when teenagers can drive, higher insurance costs and a shift from school-run driver education to expensive private driving academies.

To that mix, experts also add parents who are willing to chauffeur their children to activities, and pastimes like surfing the Web that keep them indoors and glued to computers.

I generally love chauffeuring my kids around. That’s when I find out what’s going on in their lives. I got my license at 17, and think that 16 is too young anyway. I LOVE the photo the Times put with the story (see right). If the girl had dark hair, that picture could be me driving and my daughter in the passenger seat, texting.

And finally, boys should be showering more these days. Wrestling parents in particular should read the Fresno Bee story “Wrestlers grappling with infections: Skin diseases plague school competitors.” Wrestlers are at higher risk of contracting skin infections, including a drug-resistant form of staph called CA-MRSA.

The California Interscholastic Federation, which regulates high school sports, is planning a conference Monday in Sacramento with state health officials to address the issue. But the anecdotal evidence is everywhere: 10 Firebaugh High wrestlers came down with various skin infections last year.

Three wrestlers at Gustine High were treated for staph infections and a form of herpes in January. McLane High forfeited a league match against Sunnyside in January because five wrestlers had contagious skin infections. Last year, two Clovis High wrestlers missed more than a week after contracting herpes, possibly at a tournament in Utah.

In the San Diego County community of Encinitas, 13-year-old Brian Carbaugh died in January from a drug-resistant staph infection after possibly contracting it in a wrestling class. High school wrestling in Minnesota was suspended last year after 24 cases of herpes were reported on 10 teams.

A big part of the problem, health officials say, is that many athletes don’t shower, clean their gear or practice good hygiene.

My son’s good about showering when he gets home from practice or meets, but that’s no guarantee. Scary stuff, especially if you’re allergic to penicillin like I am. The picture to the right accompanied the article. If that’s not enough to scare your son to shower, I don’t know what is.

Video of Stage 7 of Tour of California via La Canada

Posted on 24. Feb, 2008 by kchristieh in local news, sports

I felt like I was at a block party today at the corner of Commonwealth and Princess Anne in La Canada as I waited for the bicyclists on the Amgen Tour of California to pass by on their way to the finish at the Rose Bowl. I don’t even live in that neighborhood, yet I probably knew at least 25 people there. What a testimony to the closeness of our small city!

Here’s the I took of the bikes racing by:

Click here to find out more about today’s Stage 7 race.

Tour of California to pass through La Canada en route to Rose Bowl

Posted on 21. Feb, 2008 by kchristieh in local news, sports

There’s no way I’d want to bicycle through the steep and winding roads of Angeles National Forest, let alone make a sharp left turn near the end of my descent. Yet, that’s exactly what the bicyclists participating in the Amgen Tour of California will be doing next Sunday afternoon as they complete the last 93.4 miles of their week long race. After departing Santa Clarita, the cyclists will wind their way through Angeles Forest, whip through La Canada, and race around the Rose Bowl to an exciting finish.

Here’s a map of the last portion. According to Carol Cormaci in the Valley Sun, the riders are expected to enter our city limits around 2:30 pm on Sunday. At that point, they’ll descend Angeles Crest Highway, turn left (east) on Green, right on Princess Anne, right on Commonwealth and left on Berkshire on their way to the Rose Bowl.

As you can see from the graph, they’ll go from about 1,500 feet elevation to nearly 5,000 feet elevation and then back down to 1,000 feet all within about four hours.

I’ll be there to watch them. My sister saw them ride through Mill Valley, and she said they were going too fast to get good pictures. I’ll take a video instead.

What’s bugging me today: Clemens & Clinton

Posted on 14. Feb, 2008 by kchristieh in politics, sports

Why is our Federal government spending so much time on steroids in baseball? I’m all for stopping professional athletes from taking performance-enhancing drugs, but isn’t that the business of the professional leagues and the courts? I think we have far greater issues our elected officials can be spending time on.

And Clinton wants to change the rules now that she’s behind, and get the delegates for Florida and Michigan? I’m glad I don’t have to play Monopoly against her.

Enough. I’m on the run today…

Bibles are born in China, but can’t return home

Posted on 09. Jan, 2008 by kchristieh in books, international, religion, sports

From Salon.com’s How the World Works column:

Nanjing will soon be home to the world’s biggest Bible factory, reports The China Post.

“The aircraft hangar-sized plant on an industrial park outside the eastern city of Nanjing will be capable of producing more than one Bible every second and is expected to supply one quarter of all the world’s Bibles by 2009.”

Let’s hope our Olympic athletes aren’t looking for spiritual comfort. Here’s what the Chinese government has posted on the Official Beijing Olympics website:

Bringing in the following articles is prohibited:

…

4. Manuscripts, printed matter, films, photographs, gramophone records, cinematographic films, loaded recording tapes and videotapes, etc. which are detrimental to China’s politics, economy, culture, and ethics.

Apparently I’m not the only one who sees the hypocrisy here. According to The China Post,

There is a massive irony in China becoming the leading exporter of Bibles at a time when religious freedoms in the nation of 1.3 billion remain tightly restricted and smuggling of unauthorized Bibles can still lead to a jail sentence.

Earlier this year, one of the leaders of China’s underground Protestant church was released after serving three years hard labor for possessing thousands of unauthorized Bibles. He reportedly spent his sentence making soccer balls for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Wow. Between bad air and regressive human rights, what was the Olympic committee thinking?

(And, does writing posts like this and others severely restrict my chances of getting travel visas in the future??? That trip to the Pacific Northwest is looking better and better…)

Parents gone wild at sporting events

Posted on 28. Dec, 2007 by kchristieh in parenting, sports

I’ve heard some pretty inappropriate things said at kids’ sporting events, but thankfully I’ve never seen anything quite like what’s on the Positive Coaching Alliance’s “Bottom 10 Moments in Sports List” for 2007. Or maybe I have, but I’ve blocked them from my memory. Here’s the list:

PCA’s Bottom 10 List

• 10. Michael Vick, a marquee NFL star whose jersey is worn by thousands of children, pleads guilty to his role in a dogfighting operation that resulted in cruelty and death to many dogs.
• 9. Six hockey players and two coaches are suspended following a brawl between two teams of eight-year-olds in Guelph, Ont.
• 8. A Chicago-area man is caught on tape hurling his son’s wrestling opponent off the mat.
• 7. An Allentown, PA-area middle school lacrosse coach is dismissed after pleading guilty to hitting a 13-year-old opponent in the face in the post-game handshake line.
• 6. NBA referee Tim Donaghy pleads guilty to felony gambling charges and admits he gambled on games in which he officiated.
• 5. Two Long Island brothers, apparently enraged over the benching of their son and nephew for cursing, receive a cell-phone call from the disgruntled boy, arrive at his game and eventually are arrested for allegedly beating the team’s coach in front of the coach’s son and the other 11-year-olds on the team.
• 4. Lincoln, NE police issue a ticket to a woman for leaving her daughter alongside Interstate 80 because of her unsatisfactory performance in a soccer game.
• 3. Northern Colorado University punter Mitch Cozad is convicted of attempted murder for knifing the punter ahead of him on the depth chart in a bid for playing time.
• 2. An Orlando-area man pleads guilty to charges from 2004 that he supplied his then-14-year-old son with steroids and human growth hormones to improve his speedskating results.
• 1. Release of the Mitchell Report on use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball, implicating such heroes of youth athletes as Roger Clemens, Miguel Tejada and Andy Pettitte.

I love the PCA’s motto: “Transforming Youth Sports so Sports Can Transform Youth.” Their goal is to make sports participation a positive, learning experience for kids, not the negative, stressful experience it often is. I heard a PCA speaker many years ago, and to this day I’ve just yelled “Go Team!” from the sidelines.

I’m looking forward to reading “” for our next PTA book club. I just wish I could make sure certain parents I know would show up.

Psst! Got a kid in club soccer? Then check out this marvelous list of “Myths About Competitive Soccer.” It really hits the mark!

Two amazing feats my body will never perform

Posted on 12. Dec, 2007 by kchristieh in sports

Feat #1: Flying like a squirrel.

According to the NYTimes story, Flying Humans, Hoping to Land With No Chute, there are people who are attempting to fly wearing only wingsuits. The biggest problem is landing. Here’s a of a guy flying who uses a parachute to land in the last few seconds. It’s pretty amazing.

I’d love to do this, but I’m too risk-averse. I’ll stick to flying in my dreams. It doesn’t hurt.

Feat #2: Tricking, a sport which combines Martial Arts, Gymnastics & Breakdancing

Again, very cool, but this thirty-fourteen year old body wouldn’t be able to handle even one of the three, let alone all three at once. However, I totally appreciate the atheticism and artistry of those who have mastered this newest sport. Martial arts, gymnastics, or breakdancing alone must seem like child’s play to these people. Wikipedia has a detailed entry about tricking.

There are many YouTube videos that show tricking. Here’s the . There’s even a camp called Loopkicks in San Jose next summer where you can hone your skills. I’m so not there. As for my kids, if my son can break his arm at soccer camp, I can only imagine what’d happen at Loopkicks camp. Still, it’s pretty amazing stuff.

I added the red circle to the YouTube screenshot below to make sure you didn’t miss the guy jumping from one roof to the other. Maybe he should have a flying squirrel suit. and decide for yourself.

People who need people are the luckiest people

Posted on 06. Dec, 2007 by kchristieh in my life, parenting, sports

Here’s what I love about new sports seasons starting for my kids: I get to hang out on the sidelines with old friends again, get to know casual acquaintances better, and make new friends. Anyone else think I’m an extrovert?

The only downside is when I miss an important play, especially when my kid asks me about it after the game. oops! Then again, it means I’m not obsessing about something my kid should be enjoying, and that’s why my job is just to yell, “Go, team!”

Of course, all this socializing means that despite my entirely adequate counting abilities, I’m a lousy scorekeeper. That’s why I am a serial team mom instead. I’m good at emailing people. Again, no surprise there.

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How I know my son’s not a packrat

Posted on 17. Oct, 2007 by kchristieh in my life, parenting, sports

He insisted on throwing these trophies out. I figured it was ok – they were old team trophies, and none had his name on them.

I made him throw them in the trash himself to make sure he really wanted to do it. He decided to save the AYSO medallion and one of the baseball guys. I think they’d be great for an art project.

Movie recommendation: “We Are Marshall”

Posted on 13. Oct, 2007 by kchristieh in movies, sports, tv

Great movie – we just watched it on pay-per-view. Here’s the description from Wikipedia:

We Are Marshall is a 2006 motion picture directed by McG dramatizing the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that killed most of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team, the rebuilding of the program, and the healing that the community undergoes. It stars Matthew McConaughey as head coach Jack Lengyel, Matthew Fox as assistant coach William “Red” Dawson, David Strathairn as University President Donald Dedmon and Robert Patrick as ill-fated Marshall head coach Rick Tolley. Georgia governor George “Sonny” Perdue has a cameo role as an East Carolina University football coach. ^[1] The movie is rated PG. The movie was scored by Christophe Beck.

Our whole family enjoyed it. Have a tissue box ready, if you’re so inclined.

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A green pumpkin and a Cardinal gnome

Posted on 07. Oct, 2007 by kchristieh in environment, sports

We really should get out (back) more. Look what we found when we finally poked around in our backyard in the daytime today:

A pumpkin growing from a vine that sneaked over our back fence. It’s over a foot wide, with huge leaves.

Our gnome rides to victory. As today’s LA Times said,

Except for a few happy Stanford fans and the wacky Stanford band, nobody believed anything like this could happen.

We thought it could. We’re accustomed to wacky Stanford stuff.

Favorite headline of the day

Posted on 07. Oct, 2007 by kchristieh in sports

From the LA Times:

““

My three favorite words

Posted on 06. Oct, 2007 by kchristieh in sports

All Right Now