Christmas is right around the corner which means that finding the perfect gift for your friends and family is upon us. If you are like me finding perfect gifts that fit into my budget can be a headache. The idea of loading the car up with all my children, fighting the traffic to a nearby Wal-Mart or Target, fighting the crowds inside the store, searching the store high and low, running down my children who are inevitably begging for every toy they see, finding nothing, loading the car back up and then going to another store to do it all again is not appealing! Instead of going through the hassle, I would like to offer a great alternative. Online shopping takes the headache out of gift giving and makes it convenient and simple. As a soccer mom I would like to offer some great gift ideas that can be bought online and are perfect for the soccer, baseball, basketball or volleyball player in your life!As your players are going to and from the field or court, they may enjoy a nice pullover or sport jacket to wear over their jerseys. Fleece pullovers, training warm up jackets and pants, wind shirts, hooded sweatshirts, batting jackets, ornamental jerseys, or polo shirts are great for wearing to and from games and for cheering on your player.

The Salt Lake Bees are a Pacific Coast League (PCL) baseball team. The current team dates from 1994 when the team moved to Salt Lake City.

The year was 1915 when a forlorn California team was sold to Salt Lake City businessman Bill “Hardpan” Lane. On March 31, 1915, the first PCL game was played in the state of Utah and the Salt Lake Bees were born into the Pacific Coast League.

The team drew loyal fans reasonably well but other teams in the PCL took exception to the cost of traveling to Salt Lake City. After the 1925 season it was suggested to Lane that he transfer his team to Southern California. In 1926, the team moved to Los Angeles and became known as the Hollywood Stars, The team transferred again and from 1936 to 1968 played as the San Diego Padres. Salt Lake City was without a baseball team until 1946 when it received a franchise in the Pioneer League. Salt Lake City went thirty-three years before the Pacific Coast League returned.

The second version of the Hollywood Stars was forced to relocate when the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. This second version of the Bees began play in the PCL in 1958. In 1963 the Bees gained their first full affiliation with a major league club, as they spent the next years under the wings of the Chicago Cubs. The team would withdraw from the PCL after the 1965 season and in 1966 moved to Tacoma. As before, the void created by the loss of the PCL was filled by the Pioneer League from 1966 to 1969.

The club would re-locate to Salt Lake City in 1970 for the third time in the form of the Salt Lake City Padres, the Triple-A team under an affiliation with the San Diego Padres. The affiliation only lasted one season, and in 1971, the team changed its name and affiliation when the California Angels moved their Triple-A affiliate from Hawaii to Salt Lake City and took their parent’s name of Angels. Although remaining the top affiliate for the Angels, in 1975 the Angels were renamed the Salt Lake Gulls which would provide excitement by reaching the league finals in 1975 and 1976.

The Salt Lake Gulls became the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners in 1982. The team struggled financially after the 1984 season before being purchased and moved to Calgary Alberta, Canada for the 1985 season. From 1985 to 1992, Salt Lake City fielded a team in the Pioneer League once again, the Salt Lake City Trappers. Salt Lake City was without Pacific Coast League baseball until 1994. In 1993, Salt Lake City and Portland Beavers owner Joe Buzas made a deal where the city would build a new ballpark on the site of historic Derks Field and Buzas would move his team to Salt Lake City in 1994 and name the team the Salt Lake Buzz as the AAA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.

The new ballpark, Franklin Quest Field, opened in 1994 with the newly renamed Salt Lake Buzz. Known as the Salt Lake Buzz from 1994 to 2001, the team would change its name and affiliation once again the team would be known as the Stingers and would reunite with the Angels team in 2002. The change was forced by a trademark dilution lawsuit filed by Georgia Tech, whose yellow jacket mascot is named Buzz. The team was owned by former major league player Joe Buzas until his death in 2003. The Stingers struggled through 2003 and 2004 and in 2005 Larry H. Miller purchased the Stingers.

On October 27, 2005, the team announced the Stingers would now be known as the Salt Lake Bees, the name of the original PCL franchise which played in Salt Lake City from 1915 to 1926. The change brought Salt Lake baseball back to its original franchise name and look when the state’s first Pacific Coast League team was named the Bees in 1915.

1. Did you know that when you sign your child up to play recreation sports you usually sign and agree to a parent’s code of conduct? Most organizations who sponsor children’s soccer have their own form of these rules. With headlines in the papers and news stories about parents who have lost all form of control at their child’s little league game it is no surprise that these organizations have these codes written into their programs. As a parent I value these organizations who offer my child the chance to play. Because I value the program and what it has to offer, I feel it is my responsibility to know and abide by these rules. My son’s recreation soccer league’s parent’s code of conduct includes:

1. Support Your Child.

The AYSO wants parents of players to show an avid interest in their player and in their child’s team. This interest is seen by the players and mirrored, teaching players that their teammates and they themselves are valuable. This support includes helping your child work toward improving their skills and having good sportsmanship at every practice and game. This support also means teaching your player that honest effort and hard work are more important than victory. This reinforces the concept that your player is “a winner, even in defeat.”

2. Always Be Positive.

Parents are not active participants on their child’s team. However, they do have an important role for both player and team. Parents should be good examples of positive reinforcement. They should applaud and encourage good plays on both their child’s team and the opposing team. Parents should also work to remove all forms of verbal and physical abuse from sporting events.

3. Be Enthusiastic and Supportive.

In a survey, 72% of children would rather actively play for a losing team than sit on the bench for a winning team. As parents, we should be careful not to focus too much on winning. Allow children to set their own goals. Let them focus on kicking more accurately or gaining more control over the ball while dribbling instead of on winning a game. Encourage and applaud steps made to achieve these goals and not just scoring a goal or winning a game.

4. Reinforce Positive Behavior.

“The best way to help a child to achieve goals and reduce the natural fear of failure is through positive reinforcement.” No one likes to make mistakes. Remember, when your child does make mistakes, they are still learning. Always encourage their efforts over their accomplishments and point out which accomplishments they did well.

5. Let Coaches Coach and Refs Ref.

Teach your children to respect and honor those who are usually donating their time to coach or ref a game. Coaches need support from parents not criticisms. Don’t coach from the sidelines and don’t teach your child that a coaches instruction doesn’t need to be followed. Honor and respect the referee’s decisions and know that these volunteers may make mistakes or miss calls at times. Don’t belittle them or yell, especially not in front of your child’s team.

This list is the AYSO’s code of conduct for parents. Many other organizations and sports, including hockey, baseball and softball, and football, have similar rules. Some of these rules include no alcohol, drugs or tobacco at or near games or playing fields, no profanity of any kind, I will not force my child to play, I will understand that all children play regardless of ability, etc.

These rules are good for parents to know. If your child is a member of a sports team, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the organization’s parent’s code of conduct. Knowing and abiding by these rules will make the experience more fun for you and your child. After all, that is what recreation sports are about more than anything else, having fun!

(The AYSO’s parent’s code of conduct can be found and reviewed at their website: www.soccer.org.)

Note from the editor: In addition to all of her activities as a busy mom, Nicole Wardell writes for Gregg Sports in her ‘spare’ time. Thank you Nicole.

Major League Soccer (MLS) changed Utah’s professional sports landscape forever with the historic announcement that Salt Lake City gained a second major league sports franchise when Real Salt Lake began Major League Soccer competition in 2005.

Real Salt Lake was the league’s 12th team. The dramatic news established Utah as a progressive, growing climate for major league sports and similar events. The Utah Jazz of the NBA has called the state home since 1979. Competition for the team was keen and Salt Lake’s success on the international stage with the Olympics, which brought it positive attention from around the world, was part of what went into making this decision.

Dave Checketts is the principal owner of Sports Capital Partners (SCP) which owns Real Salt Lake. Checketts has a long history in major league sports management. In 2004 Checketts got the approval from Real Madrid’s board of directors to use the name for his new team.

There were more than a few snickers and negative comments when the team in Major League Soccer was named Real Salt Lake. In the case of the names of soccer clubs, real is used to mean royal. This name is bestowed on a number of clubs by the Spanish crown. The team’s name was initially mocked and met with distrust and many fans thought the name should more accurately reflect the Salt Lake area. Things have changed now and over time the name has come to be accepted.

The club has successfully instituted a formal relationship with Real Madrid that brings it numerous advantages. Checketts wanted to attach his team to a successful soccer club, Real Madrid, one the most valuable soccer teams in the world, as well as to develop a brand that was clearly associated with soccer. The team’s uniform and colors were inspired by the Spanish national team.

The league selected Utah for several reasons, including Checketts experience and Utah’s unique demographics which make it particularly appealing to the MLS. Boasting a rapidly growing Hispanic and Latino population, as well as a significant Eastern European population, the league found that Utah has a significant soccer fan base already in place and has the nation’s highest per-capita participation in organized soccer, estimated at more than 200,000 players.

Real Salt Lake has just announced that it has partnered with the Rio Tinto Group (Rio Tinto is the parent company of Kennecott Utah) for naming rights at its brand-new 20,000-seat stadium in Sandy. The fourth-year franchise opened its new state-of-the-art soccer venue with a pair of home games. This is just the latest welcome development in the club’s growth since its inaugural season in Utah. A new stadium opening in the midst of a breakout year in MLS play has left a definite feel that everything is coming together at the right time.

Dedicated fitness training for the goalkeeper should never be done solely for the sake of training. Careful thought and planning and sound scientific methods should be used to devise and carry out the training program. It is through a performance profile that the requirements of the goalkeeper can be identified.

Performance profiling and analysis are used to document the ability of the goalkeeper to meet the stresses of performance. This includes the technical skill and awareness and the physical and psychological capabilities goalkeepers exhibit during practice and the match.

It can be seen that mentally the goalkeeper must be constantly aware of any potential dangers, remaining focused and concentrating on play. This further highlights the need for a high level of concentration and endurance as the goalkeeper has very little control over when he may be called upon to act.

To design a safe and effective performance training program requires knowledge and understanding. The first aim is to utilize performance analysis to identify the exact physical and psychological demands on the goalkeeper. At what intensity do they work and for how long and is there any evidence the goalkeeper experiences fatigue.

The information generated through performance analysis increases our understanding of the goalkeeper’s abilities. There are specific demands on the body that need to be mitigated for injury prevention and loss of stamina. Tests can be performed to create an outline of the capabilities of each goalkeeper in relation to these demands.

One must identify strengths and weaknesses of the goalkeeper which must be addressed through appropriate training. Exercises can then be designed to develop the specific endurance required to sustain a high output without injury or any decline in performance.

Once the individual physical and psychological strengths and weaknesses have been identified the next step is to use this information to set goals. Setting goals gives purpose and direction to the training program and will strengthen adherence. The profile process should be repeated at regular intervals to monitor effectiveness. A knowledge and understanding of scientific methods of training will allow each goalkeeper to accomplish their goals.

The analysis of the critical physical and physiological demands must be built on a solid scientific foundation to allow the goalkeeper to read and react to the pressures of goalkeeping. The first objective for the goalkeeper is to keep the ball out of the net. The second objective is to sway his teams scoring potential. Fitness training for goalkeepers should be focused on developing a goalkeeper’s ability to achieve these two goals while also conditioning the body and mind to withstand the demands of competition.

The recent explosion of sports science has led to the development of support systems for professional players. Applying cutting edge scientific research is essential for developing and maintaining high levels of physical fitness. Up to this point, the goalkeeper has been overlooked within this science despite their importance to the success of the team. Not much information is available to describe the physical demands placed on them during a match. A successful physical training routine requires knowledge and understanding of the demands of the sport.

The goalkeeper occupies possibly the most demanding position on the team with little tolerance for error. The best goalkeepers can maintain their performance for the entire match. This high level of performance can only be achieved by a physically fit goalkeeper. To reach this level of fitness you will need to invest a great deal of time and effort into your training to maximize performance and reduce the risk of injury. There are many things that contribute to performance that need to be practiced. The impetuous must be on improving the quality of training.

The role of the goalkeeper has been lacking in scientific research and has left tradition and intuition to guide coaches as opposed to sound scientific principles. Science can help to develop drills and exercises that focus on the demands of goalkeeping and also help evaluate training programs. To do this there are various disciplines, performance analysis, physiology, biomechanics and psychology, each of which can be utilized to study a specialized aspect of goalkeeping.

Performance analysis, spurred by the rapid developments in video and computer technology, is used to collect valuable information on performance. This information can be used to monitor the development of technique and an objective analysis of exactly what the goalkeeper will do during a game

Physiology is concerned with how the different physical systems function during exercise. Based on data collected it is possible to determine how the body works and responds to various training exercises. This knowledge is vital in being able to determine how best to improve performance.

Biomechanics can be explained as the study of physics in relation to human movement. It is therefore used to develop exacting skills for the benefits of performance or injury prevention. For example, slow-motion video analysis can highlight movement which causes non-productive use of the muscles or causes injury.

Success is often dependent on psychology and a goalkeeper’s mental abilities. The mental aspects of stress management, motivation and self-confidence are therefore very important. There are many skills a goalkeeper needs to cultivate such as imagery, concentration and attention which should be a part of training and preparation.

Fitness training for the goalkeeper should never be undertaken only for the sake of training. Each training session should be approached with knowledge of exactly what you are trying to achieve. This requires careful thought and planning according to sound, scientific principles to optimize the goalkeeper’s performance capabilities.

Perry Utah - September 27, 2008 – Gregg Sports announces the availability of Sells Goalkeeper Products (SGP) goalkeeper gear on our website. This merchandise is priced at dealer cost and must be liquidated immediately  SGP is a respected leader in goalkeeper gear and apparel and discounts like these do not present themselves very often.

SGP merchandise being closed out includes goalkeeper gloves, shin guards, jerseys, pants, shorts and goalkeeper gear bags. This merchandise joins a full line of soccer related items from Admiral Soccer, Sondico Soccer and High 5 Sportswear. We offer individual uniform pieces and a uniform package purchase program from High 5 Sportswear along with sports accessories, sports training separates and many closeout sale items.

Whether it is for baseball, basketball, soccer or volleyball you will easily find all the gear you must have here. All product is categorized with easy links right up front on the home page so customers get to look at just what they ask for without wasting time. “If you are in the market for legendary sports products you must visit our website,” said Gregg Armstrong, principal of Gregg Sports. “This is just one of the many steps we are taking to offer buyers greater access to the world’s best sportswear.”

We pride ourselves in giving customers quality service and merchandise for a discount price. Mark South, president of Englewood Youth Soccer association writes, “If you are just starting to shop for uniforms for your team or you are an old pro, I recommend that you give Gregg a try.” You may access our website at www.greggsports.com to get the best prices on sports related items. We offer a unique shopping experience with a secure shopping cart where you may buy your merchandise with confidence

Founded in 2004, Gregg Sports Company sells quality products at discount prices for baseball, basketball, soccer and volleyball sports. Major customers of Gregg Sports Company include Englewood Youth Soccer Association, Ruidoso Municipal Schools and Clallam Bay High School.

For additional information contact: Gregg Armstrong
Phone Number: 801-558-9109
Email: gregg@greggsports.com
Website: www.greggsports.com
Blog: www.greggsports.com/wordpress

The Trademark ADMIRAL was created in 1914 by A.B.C. Hosiery Limited (later known as Cook and Hurst Limited) manufacturing good quality English made underwear and, subsequently, various items of sportswear.

During the 1970’s, ADMIRAL were pioneers of a new concept producing bespoke soccer stripes for major football clubs, coupling innovative design and fabrics with the use of the Club’s official crest or badge. Throughout the 1980’s this innovation was driven forward by ADMIRAL and other manufacturers leading to availability at retail of design-led soccerwear and replica kits as a new sector was created within the sportswear market.

As ADMIRAL expanded, agreements were reached with many well known British soccer teams to wear ADMIRAL kits, such as England’s National Team (1974 - 1984 including 1982 World Cup Finals), the Welsh National Team (1974 - 1979), Manchester United (1975 - 1980), Tottenham Hotspur (1977 - 1980), West Ham United (1976 - 1980) and (1987 - 1988), Norwich City (1976 - 1981), Southampton (1975 - 1979), Portsmouth (1987 - 1988), Leicester City (1975 - 1979 and 1983 - 1988), Bradford City ( 1985 - 1988). In addition, many International teams wore ADMIRAL including Eintracht Frankfurt, FC Servette, the Saudi Arabian National team and New York Cosmos. The ADMIRAL trademark achieved worldwide recognition and today the name still commands a respect and instant recall in international markets.

ADMIRAL entered the 1990’s well placed to build upon its widespread awareness and long established reputation. Clubs supplied by ADMIRAL included English Champions Leeds United, Scottish Champions Glasgow Rangers, USSR Champions Dynamo Kiev, Sparta Rotterdam, Southampton, Middlesborough, Plymouth, Bradford, Grimsby, Italy Series B Champions Foggia, The Polish, San Marino and the North Korean National Teams, Wimbledon, Northern Ireland Champions Portadown, Charlton Athletic, Heart of Midlothian and Scottish Cup Winners Motherwell, Louletano of Portugal and Al Wadha of the U.A.E.

During the 1990’s after a period of relatively inactivity, the trademarks were acquired in 1997 by branded sports and leisurewear specialists, Hay & Robertson plc, who are dedicated to re-establishing ADMIRAL as one of the World’s leading soccer brands.

If you are just starting to shop for uniforms for your team or you are an old pro, I recommend that you give Gregg a try.

We were running a little behind on ordering uniforms for the fall 2008 Soccer season for Englewood Youth soccer. Most companies even our local store where we normally order from were not able to get uniforms to us in time for our season.  I found the uniforms we liked on Gregg’s website and gave him a quick call. Not only did he answer but he also said he could get the order to us in time.

We communicated by email and phone over the next few days while he waited for me to get him all the information (even calling me after hours on a Saturday or Sunday evening), I ran into a couple issues with some of the images I needed to get to him and though they want the logos/artwork ready before the order, he went the extra mile and had it taken care of for me.

He had our uniforms delivered to us 4 days before our deadline (our registrar was very happy about that) with no errors or mistakes.

We will be working with Gregg on future orders

Regards,
Mark South
President Englewood Youth Soccer association http://www.englewoodsoccer.us/
President Easy Fundraising Cards http://www.easyfundraisingcards.com

As a mother of a young, energetic five-year-old son, I found myself looking for something he could do to use up his energetic enthusiasm. Like most parents I turned to sports to see if that might be a good match for my son. I found that AYSO was holding registration for fall/spring soccer in my city. I found myself somewhat nervous over the prospect of signing him up. I’ve seen the stories in the news where some overly fanatical parent gets arrested at a recreation league sporting event for assaulting another parent, referee, coach or child. I worried that my son might end up with a coach who approached the sport with a military drill sergeant enthusiasm, taking the joy right out of it for his players. I was also concerned that if and when my son lost games, missed goals, or messed up in some way; it might hurt his self-esteem along with his feelings. Regardless of all the worries, he was excited at the prospect of playing and I was determined not to let my anxieties get in the way of his childhood. We are now in our second season of recreation league soccer and have found the experience much more than we hoped for. In fact I have found a handful of lessons that I was able to teach my son about not only soccer and team sports but about life in general.

1. Having fun is what sports are all about. Last fall we joined the ranks of thousands of soccer parents. We got up early and filled our son with a nutritious breakfast. We dressed him in his royal blue and black uniform, complete with soccer cleats, shin guards and socks, and headed off for the 9:00 AM game. We found the soccer fields which were teeming with soccer players, coaches, parents, and onlookers. We found our son’s field and set up our camping chairs on the sideline. Watching the 4 person team of four and five-year-olds was a fun experience. Some of the little players had been kicking soccer balls around since they could walk while others, like my son, had never seen a soccer ball before the first practice a few days earlier. Some were quick with the ball and had excellent reflexes. Others were aggressive towards the other team and some were shy and awkward. We were pleasantly surprised as parents that our son seemed to have good mechanics and scored a couple of goals in that first game. At the end of the twenty minute game, our son came up to us all smiles and at that moment I knew our reaction to that first game was important. I thought of all the things I could say to him…”Great game!!”, “Good job scoring!”, “You won, congratulations!” However, when he came up to us I decided the thing I most wanted to reinforce was, “You look like you had so much fun!!!” He smiled enthusiastically and nodded vigorously, agreeing that he had indeed had fun. He has now learned that scoring and winning is fun, more fun in fact than losing. He never complains about losing though and always seems to have fun at Saturday games. At half time, he can be seen kicking the soccer ball around while others are sitting on the sidelines After the field has cleared and the other players are packing up and leaving, he will stay as long as he can kick the ball with anyone who will kick it around with him. He loves the sport for the pure fun of it. He doesn’t play to win. He plays for fun. How happy I am as a mom that he has found a talent he loves and has fun with.

2. Treating others with respect and kindness is more important than the game. Inevitably about half way through that first season, my son’s team encountered a team that was highly aggressive and was filled with very good little players. My son’s team was outscored badly. One of the players on the other team seemed to revel in his superiority over other players. He would “talk trash”, so to speak, calling names and pointing and laughing when his team scored. He would push and even grab jerseys’s and pull other players down. After enduring this treatment for the better part of the game, my son decided he would return the same to his opponent. He began calling the boy names and getting in his face. As the quarter ended I asked the coach if he could pull my son out. I then sat him by me and asked how it felt to be bullied and teased. He responded that it didn’t feel good. I then explained that if at anytime in the future I saw him teasing or bullying back I would ask his coach to pull him out and he wouldn’t be allowed to play the rest of the game. We talked about how name calling and teasing takes the fun out of it for everyone. He quickly realized that the fun he finds in soccer is not worth sacrificing. We have since talked about different techniques for bullying on the field, including walking away or just saying good job to the bully. Once in a while I still may catch him pushing but overall, his lesson to treat others with respect was well learned early on.

3. Family support and unity are important. The next lesson is one for not only my son but our whole family. Our son has an older sister and younger brother. They are his biggest cheerleaders and will sit on the sidelines yelling encouragement to my son and his teammates. Soccer games on Saturday morning are a family affair. We all load up and we all go. At times, I admit, I would love to send off my little soccer player with his dad while I stayed home with his siblings. But I want my children to know they are supported by a caring family. My other two children, who don’t play soccer, get a chance to encourage and show their support while my soccer player feels that his sister and brother care for him and his interests. In return, when it is time for his sister to perform a piano recital, my soccer player knows that the support he receives from his sister needs to be reciprocated. Does recreation soccer solve all the problems between siblings? No, of course not. However, it does offer an opportunity to teach them to support each other.

4. A team working together will accomplish more than one great player. This lesson seems to be the hardest for all the soccer players to grasp. When this little team first started out, the only thing on the mind of the players was to kick the ball into the net. They would push and kick wildly, regardless of whom else was in the huddle kicking with them. We often saw a huddle of only our team players, fighting over the ball. I find myself still having to gently remind my son that it is okay to kick or pass the ball to one of his teammates if he is surrounded and they are open. He still tries to throw the ball in to himself and forgets that he has teammates who can help out. However, anytime I see an assist at the goal, I reinforce to him how much easier it was for him to score with an assist. Anytime I see him struggling with too many opponents and the ball, I encourage him to pass it to a teammate.

5. It is okay to recognize the strengths in himself and others. Lastly I have found that soccer gives my son the opportunity to find his own strengths. He finds a little bit of self esteem that he is good at scoring from far away. We ask him what he feels he is best at and what he thinks he could work on. He is learning through the process that he is good at some things and that he can improve in areas if he works at them. We also encourage him to cheer on players on his team for their strengths. We point out when other players are good at ball handling and tell him to let them know. We have him notice when the other team is good at teamwork or defense and once again, ask him to let the other players know. He is able to focus on good in others and not be as critical of himself as he realizes that everyone is good at different tasks and skills.

Our recreation soccer experience has been nothing but a fun and learning experience for us. As a parent, my influence is still stronger than a coach’s, other parents or other players. I can help to infuse my son with more than just soccer skills and a desire to win. I can help him to learn lessons about life and getting along with others. As he grows and as long as he continues to play, I hope these first lessons on soccer are the ones he retains. I hope the game is always fun and he treats others with respect. I hope he appreciates the support from others and finds in himself strengths he can be proud of and weaknesses he can work on.

Note from the editor: In addition to all of her activities as a busy mom, Nicole Wardell writes for Gregg Sports in her ‘spare’ time. Thank you Nicole.