I came across some fall poems from the boys at Munroe Elementary and some of them made me laugh.
Red
Red is like Spider Man.
Red is like an apple.
Red makes me feel hot.
Red makes me mad.
Red, I'm going to bed!
~ Pedro S.
I Am
I am Christmas.
I am love.
I am shiny and with money.
I am attractive
But
I still stick with my mom.
~ Yulises E.
Untitled
Norberto rolls like a fish
He's the best and I wish
I could roll just like him
But I play another role
And still I can make a goal
We play together on our team
And when we play we're a laser beam
~Rafael E.
Untitled
I go fast when I have some gas
I go slow when I have no gas
But when I have no gas
I'm always last
~Yulises E.
July 30, 2009
July 28, 2009
The Importance of Playing Youth Sports
Can sports have a positive impact on children? Can it really teach them important life lessons? Does playing sports as a child help one succeed in school?
As society trys to deter from the "win at all cost" attitude and move towards using sports as an effective tool in youth development, these are some questions that are frequently asked. I recently read an article called Coaches Making Youth Sports a Positive Experience by Daniel Perkins that gives simple but yet profound reasons for youth sport development.
The full article can be read here. Below is an excerpt from the article that answers the questions above.
Sports can be a fun and engaging way for children and youth to learn some important lessons about life. Studies suggest that participation in sports can be very beneficial, fostering responsible social behaviors, greater academic success, and an appreciation of personal health and fitness. Participating on a team also can give children or youth an important sense of belonging.
The atmosphere set by organizations, parents, and coaches is a major factor in determining whether or not youth will have a positive experience in a sports program. A “win-at-all-costs” atmosphere can be harmful to a developing youth. This bulletin provides information to assist coaches in fostering a positive climate that enables children and youth involved in sports to enjoy themselves and reach their full potential. Two related bulletins provide similar information for parents.
Few children possess the talent to play competitive sports at the highest level—most will not grow up to be professional athletes. Therefore, in this series, we take the perspective that the primary goals of youth sports are to foster the development of general physical competence and to promote physical activity, fun, life skills, sportsmanship, and good health. Sports that foster personal competence help youth develop their abilities to do life planning, to be self-reliant, and to seek the resources of others when needed.
Sports are opportunities for children and youth to learn; they provide a “practice field” for life. For example, learning to work as a team teaches young children social skills that will help them in their growth as people, not just as athletes. For youth, participating in sports may develop teamwork, leadership, self-confidence, self-discipline, and coping skills. Sports also can teach youth about sportsmanlike behaviors and respect for authority. In fact, according to a survey of teachers and school administrators, youth that participated in sports had better grades and behaved better in the classroom because of the associated discipline and work ethic. The evidence from research is clear— children and youth who are involved in physical activities such as sports fare better in school, have higher social skills, are more teamoriented, and are healthier as determined by fitness standards.
As society trys to deter from the "win at all cost" attitude and move towards using sports as an effective tool in youth development, these are some questions that are frequently asked. I recently read an article called Coaches Making Youth Sports a Positive Experience by Daniel Perkins that gives simple but yet profound reasons for youth sport development.
The full article can be read here. Below is an excerpt from the article that answers the questions above.
Sports can be a fun and engaging way for children and youth to learn some important lessons about life. Studies suggest that participation in sports can be very beneficial, fostering responsible social behaviors, greater academic success, and an appreciation of personal health and fitness. Participating on a team also can give children or youth an important sense of belonging.
The atmosphere set by organizations, parents, and coaches is a major factor in determining whether or not youth will have a positive experience in a sports program. A “win-at-all-costs” atmosphere can be harmful to a developing youth. This bulletin provides information to assist coaches in fostering a positive climate that enables children and youth involved in sports to enjoy themselves and reach their full potential. Two related bulletins provide similar information for parents.
Few children possess the talent to play competitive sports at the highest level—most will not grow up to be professional athletes. Therefore, in this series, we take the perspective that the primary goals of youth sports are to foster the development of general physical competence and to promote physical activity, fun, life skills, sportsmanship, and good health. Sports that foster personal competence help youth develop their abilities to do life planning, to be self-reliant, and to seek the resources of others when needed.
Sports are opportunities for children and youth to learn; they provide a “practice field” for life. For example, learning to work as a team teaches young children social skills that will help them in their growth as people, not just as athletes. For youth, participating in sports may develop teamwork, leadership, self-confidence, self-discipline, and coping skills. Sports also can teach youth about sportsmanlike behaviors and respect for authority. In fact, according to a survey of teachers and school administrators, youth that participated in sports had better grades and behaved better in the classroom because of the associated discipline and work ethic. The evidence from research is clear— children and youth who are involved in physical activities such as sports fare better in school, have higher social skills, are more teamoriented, and are healthier as determined by fitness standards.
July 23, 2009
2009 SCORES Cup Recap
On Saturday July 11th America SCORES Denver along with the Colorado Rapids hosted the 6th annual SCORES Cup. We had eight teams battle it out to see who would advance to play on the Colorado Rapids' pitch before the Rapids/Dallas game that evening.
Games began at 1PM in round robin style with each team playing 3 30min games. As colleagues worked together to keep the ball moving, the America SCORES Denver staff kept track of points while we all watched dark clouds swarm around Denver and miraculously avoid Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
When the 3 games were over the following four teams advanced to the semi-finals: Hogan and Hartson, Juice, BE Media and MetroBoom. These four teams had the once in a lifetime chance to play soccer inside the Rapids' stadium!
After eating some tasteful ziti from the Smiling Moose Deli, the four teams excitedly gathered on the Rapids' field in anticipation of the next match. After 30mins of play Juice and BE Media came out victorious and advanced onto the finals. After another thrilling 30 minutes, we finally had our 2009 SCORES Cup Champions....BE MEDIA!!! Besides bragging rights and a trophy, BE Media participated in the trophy presentation at half-time of the Rapids game!
Thank you to the eight teams that participated: BE Media, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Hogan and Hartson, Juice, MetroBoom, Parsons Brinckerhoff, SCORES Corp and Starbucks. As well as a huge thanks to the Colorado Rapids for all the effort to put together a fun and successful event!
Check out pictures from the 2009 SCORES Cup!
July 21, 2009
Check out free things to do in Denver!
In this rough economic times, we all know money is tight but the kids are out of school and are bored with sitting around home. Fortunately for you, many of Denver's museums offer free or greatly reduced admission to Colorado residences on certain dates throughout the year. These include the Denver Art Museum, Denver Zoo and Denver Museum of Science.
Check out the SCFD website for listings of places and dates for free days.
Check out the SCFD website for listings of places and dates for free days.
July 17, 2009
The ELM Approach
After the USA Men's National Soccer Team lost to Brazil in the finals of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, Responsible Sports wrote an article on the similarities between goal setting in youth sports and the goals that Coach Bradley set for the Men's National Team.
The complete article can be read here.
The similarities are based on the ELM Approach:
1.Effort -- always give 100%
2.Learning -- improve constantly as you gain more knowledge
3.Mistakes are OK -- mistakes are how we learn.
Coach Bradley’s focus is supported by the leading sports psychology research available today. The research shows: teams and athletes who take the ELM Mastery approach (giving 100% effort, constantly learning, and bouncing back from mistakes) consistently win more contests. By moving a team's focus off their scoreboard results and on to their effort, players are happier and more self-confident. And, the wins will come.
Another good article in this issue focuses on how anxiety increases when players/coaches focus on the scoreboard. This article can be read here.
Research shows that when coaches focus solely on the scoreboard, players' anxiety increases. Athletes spend more of their precious emotional energy worrying about whether they will lose. Higher anxiety causes them to make more mistakes because they play tentatively and timidly.
Ultimately, anxiety undercuts self-confidence, which affects performance and takes the joy out of sports.
Why does the focus on the scoreboard increase anxiety? Because players can't control the outcome on the scoreboard! And players become anxious about things that are important to them that they can't control. A win on the scoreboard depends a great deal on the quality of the opponent, which is outside of the control of the athlete or team.
The complete article can be read here.
The similarities are based on the ELM Approach:
1.Effort -- always give 100%
2.Learning -- improve constantly as you gain more knowledge
3.Mistakes are OK -- mistakes are how we learn.
Coach Bradley’s focus is supported by the leading sports psychology research available today. The research shows: teams and athletes who take the ELM Mastery approach (giving 100% effort, constantly learning, and bouncing back from mistakes) consistently win more contests. By moving a team's focus off their scoreboard results and on to their effort, players are happier and more self-confident. And, the wins will come.
Another good article in this issue focuses on how anxiety increases when players/coaches focus on the scoreboard. This article can be read here.
Research shows that when coaches focus solely on the scoreboard, players' anxiety increases. Athletes spend more of their precious emotional energy worrying about whether they will lose. Higher anxiety causes them to make more mistakes because they play tentatively and timidly.
Ultimately, anxiety undercuts self-confidence, which affects performance and takes the joy out of sports.
Why does the focus on the scoreboard increase anxiety? Because players can't control the outcome on the scoreboard! And players become anxious about things that are important to them that they can't control. A win on the scoreboard depends a great deal on the quality of the opponent, which is outside of the control of the athlete or team.
July 14, 2009
It's Time to Take a Break!
Let's be honest, we are all still kids at heart. So take some time out of your day and put together this jigsaw puzzle of one our of Denver SCORES team!
--Click on the photo below and it will take you to the web page. Then from the left column choose change cut and challenge yourself with different puzzle styles!--
--Click on the photo below and it will take you to the web page. Then from the left column choose change cut and challenge yourself with different puzzle styles!--
July 7, 2009
Check out the Spring Slideshow!
Click on the link below to check out what happened during the spring season! The music was written and performed by SCORES students from other cities through the ASCAP Foundation.
July 2, 2009
The last of the service-learning projects!
Cowell ElementaryThe boys team at Cowell Elementary used the Heifer International Read to Feed curriculum to learn about the organization and how and who they were going to be support through their fundraising efforts. They learned the difference between buying a man a fish and teaching a man to fish. Through the money they raised they bought an animal for a family in a developing country.
The Cowell girls team learnt about pet and animal awareness. They had a guest speaker from the Denver Dumb Friends League who spoke to them about pet-care, spaying & neutering and the adpotion process. The girls held a school-wide campaign to raise awareness about taking care of pets.
My community is a safe place. It is Denver SCORES. They are nice some can be mean. The team kids are cool. They help me with a problem and they are good sports. The teachers are helpful too. We work together as a team.
~ Cesar M.
My community is already special but it could be more special if all of us were helpful and helped the community out. We could help by cleaning parks, streets, and outside. My community has a lot of cool places to live and to go. Some places are nice. We have to work as a family, together to make it a better place.
~ Maricela C.
Munroe ElementaryThe team at Munroe Elementary worked on keeping their school beautiful. They implemented a grounds keeping campaign to keep their new playground, garden area and trees clean. Each day during SCORES the students went out and cleaned up the grounds area to contribute to their new community the "Butterfly Garden."
A community is something that unites. A community is full of people that help each other. Sometimes my community is trouble or happiness. When my community is trouble is when my neighbors are fighting or using other people’s stuff. But when my community is happy is when somebody helps one another when they share stuff. This is my community.
~ Pedro S.
A community is a place were you live. A community is a place that has a lot of different people. A community has parks, playgrounds, and families. I live in a community where people care about other people and people sometimes help poor people that live on the streets. I wish more people would try to keep the earth cleaner and better.
~ Yulises E.
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