So many of us have done the Saturday relay race: karate to soccer game to basketball practice. From softball to swim team. Baseball practice to a hockey tournament.When my kids were young, the world of sports and activities was their oyster. They played multiple sports, tried on things to see what fit while we drove from one side of town to the other, coordinating calendars, resolving scheduling conflicts and keeping all the local drive-thru fast-food joints in business with to-and-fro dining in the mini-van.A few seasons of soccer, overlapping with the start of CYO basketball, which overlapped with the start of Little League season. Mix in the odd volleyball camp, rec department tennis class and some middle school track and youve got a drawer full of old team pictures, a lot of participation trophies and a whole lot of days on the snack schedule.Then maybe that club coach asked for a larger commitment, or the select team came calling. Maybe the schedule just wasnt working anymore and it was too tough to squeeze in multiple practices and games each week around homework and band or group projects.As many kids got closer to high school, they begin to narrow the field of their sports participation, some by choice and the natural culling process. Others because someone else thinks its best.They begin to specialize. And certainly, there are things to gain from the focus on one sport -- a true offseason, better opportunities against higher levels of competition, perhaps even a shot at being a collegiate athlete. But kids lose by specializing, as well, because there are some very good reasons to stay a multi-sport athlete.1. Fewer overuse injuries. Growing bodies can become overstressed by repetition and that stress can lead to injuries. A lack of rest and recovery time in year-round sports exacerbates the problem. There are plenty of examples of serious, grown-up sports injuries happening to kids at younger and younger ages, from Tommy John surgery for 12-year-olds to high school girls with multiple ACL injuries before they graduate. Studies show that playing multiple sports leads to better muscle, motor and skill development. It promotes general athleticism, balance, speed and agility.2. Less opportunity for emotional burn-out. Kids who spend so much time focusing on one sport -- and whose families are similarly solely focused -- risk tiring of the sport all together. Specializing raises expectations, the costs for parents for travel and club teams and the pressure on young athletes. Having a variety of experiences keeps things interesting, the monotony of a single sport goes away, and so does that pressure.3. Exposure to different kids. Soccer friends will be different from swimming friends, who will be different from the kids in your Tai-Kwon-Do class. Exposing kids to different sports allows them to share teammate experiences and make memories with a diverse group of peers. It helps them expand their social circle and their opportunities for interaction.4. Exposure to different roles. Being a bench player on the basketball team is a different experience than being a starting pitcher on the baseball team. Its an opportunity to broaden their experiences, socially and developmentally. Its an opportunity to become a better competitor and all-around athlete, the kind that coaches value because they are flexible, multi-dimensional, exposed to many situations and coachable.5. Not putting all your eggs in one basket. Playing only one sport limits your options. An injury, a bad experience with a coach or a reduced role on a more competitive team can bring an abrupt end to an athletic career. Such a small number of high school athletes move on to play a sport in college; even fewer earn an athletic scholarship. If the goal is to play as long as possible, perhaps it makes the most sense to play as many sports as possible? Just ask Derek Jeter, who played basketball in high school, or Elena Delle Donne, who played volleyball at Delaware before returning to the basketball team on the way to the WNBA, or Robert Griffin III, who played baseball and ran track.My confession here is that my son ended up being a single-sport athlete by the time he got to high school. Baseball was his passion, and the other sports fell off the schedule and the radar. The skateboard that used to be his constant companion in middle school started to gather dust in the garage, and the old basketballs and soccer cleats got donated to charity. He is now a college baseball player, competing at a Division III school.And while focusing on one sport may have played a role in getting him there, I cant imagine, in retrospect, that it was the only path. Ive heard him say that he wished that boys volleyball season wasnt the same as baseball, because he would have played. Ive heard him boast that the 3-point stroke he had on the middle school basketball team magically returned while playing pick-up basketball with some of his buddies. One of his high school friends was the football teams starting quarterback and hes?playing club hockey in college now and loving every minute of it.You just never know how things are going to turn out.I retired the mini-van a few years ago, traded it in for a new car and watched with misty eyes as it was driven off into the depths of the used-car lot. But not before I cleared out some old soccer cones and a least one ball bouncing around in the way back.The old days of the Saturday relay are long gone. I didnt realize at the time how good those days were. They were fun. And isnt that the whole point? Cheap Jordans Shoes From China . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. Cheap Jordan Retro 12 For Sale . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. http://www.jordanscheapchinawholesale.com/ . The 15th-ranked Canadian men lost the opening two games of their European tour: 19-15 to No. 17 Georgia and 21-20 to No. Cheap Nike Air Jordan Retro 13 . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste. Cheap Air Jordan Wholesale China . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. Even trying to knock New Zealand off their game with a bit of niggle didnt work for Australia, and the way the All Blacks refused to be drawn into that sort of contest again spoke volumes for their Blacks attitude.The Aussies brought more grit to the game but, again, they didnt have the arsenal. New Zealands hard men -- Dane Coles, Brodie Retallick, Jerome Kaino and Kieran Read -- all fronted and stood up and went straight back at them. You would have to say that approach didnt really help Australias cause.I think they played better than in the first Test but at the same time it was good for the All Blacks to be exposed to that. There was a bit more intent and more of the physicality that you would expect, but there is a clear gap between the two teams.Theres an old cliché that you win the fight if youre not going to win the game, and I think the Wallabies employing that niggle was a defeatist sort of approach. When you go into a game looking to put niggle in youve already put the white flag up. Youre basically saying: Theres no way we can beat this team so well try and kneecap them where we can and try and nullify parts of it.If they concentrated on their own game and the brand and style they wanted to play its a different story; but when you get a 10 and a 12 who havent played together before then defensively they are fragile. Australia were throwing all they but they didnt have the firepower to beat the All Blacks, and with the injuries they have sustained it was desperate measures.Theyd been through a really, really tough week and it would have been great to see them come out being a little humble and gallant at the end. The best thing you can do is applaud the All Blacks on their performance. But to carry on the way Michael Cheika has done, blaming the referee and getting really upset in the coaches box, not many people are going to sympathise with him.They were under pressure with injuries, and thats something the All Blacks dont face. With Matt Giteau gone, youve got Bernard Foley and Quade Cooper, and you have to ask: Who is the next best first five-eighth?Compare that to New Zealand, who have Beauden Barrett, Lima Sopoaga, Aaron Cruden, Damian McKenzie, Jordie Barrett, Otere Black and Richard Mounga all coming through; and we are going to see in the Mitre 10 Cup a whole lot more who are going to stick their hand up.You can look at second five-eighth Anton Lienert-Brown and the way he stepped up when given his chance. He is a classic example of the system at work, and he did not look at all out of place in that side. He showed the right temperament in the right environment and you want to nurture that.The foundation to the New Zealand game is reflected by the cream at the top. People ask about New Zealands dominance, and it comes right back to the grassroots at club or schoolboy level and taking that all the way through to the All Blacks.The stepping stones are there to really develop professional rugby players. Australia dont have that model, and rugby sits probably fourth or fifth, and falling, in the landscape as a winter code, and you have to ask if the seriously best athletes choose to play rugby. The answer is probably nnot.dddddddddddd Thats why they tap into the Pacific Islands and tap into New Zealand.Steve Hansen is right when he says rugby needs Australia strong; its in the games best interests. When you think they were involved in the Rugby World Cup final with no given that the All Blacks were going to walk away with that game, you have to ask what has happened in the space of 10 months? It is of concern and while the model has everyone chasing the dollar, it is still the foundations of the game that are crucial. The amateur develops the semi-professional who develops the professional and then the internationals. And those stepping stones arent there inside Australia.Its not an easy fix and its not an overnight fix. The rest of the world is always looking at New Zealand and what we are doing and, again, I go back to the importance of the Mitre 10 Cup and what it means for New Zealand to develop that next level of player. Its the foundation of everything we do that is good in rugby.So far as the alleged eye-gouging is concerned, I dont think there was anything in it and the Australia reaction is born out of frustration. Owen Franks didnt put his finger in his eye, he ran his hand down Kane Douglas face. The referee made the right decision and moved on.Theres many a time at the bottom of a ruck Ive had a finger in the eye. It does go on but the Franks incident was nothing and because it has been highlighted the right people who make the decisions have said there was nothing in it and that is the end of the matter.Argentina have produced an interesting win over South Africa, and it bears out the point that you dont invite teams into the Rugby Championship and expect them to get worse; you want them to improve and Argentina have done as a result of their introduction to the Championship and also Super Rugby.There are some great games still to be played in the competition with Argentina and South Africa both coming to New Zealand to play the All Blacks, but you would have to say that with their maximum 10 points from their two games the All Blacks are off to a flyer. Theyre going to be hard to catch.At the same time, teams like Argentina and South Africa will come to New Zealand looking to play their biggest game of the season and there is always the chance they will pull a top performance out of the bag. However, with the Bledisloe Cup in the bag after two games the All Blacks only really have to worry about the All Blacks.The position the All Blacks are in now allows assessments to be made of players on the fringe of the side well before the next Rugby World Cup. I think it is great that players are being given these chances like James Parsons and Seta Tamanivalu.In the past the All Blacks have been guilty of not giving guys opportunities, but under Steve Hansen such a wide base has been created to select from that it is only going to make the All Blacks stronger.And the fact is that in another nine or 10 weeks at the end of the Mitre 10 Cup we are going to have a whole bunch of other youngsters putting their hands up. 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