Helping kids by teaching coaches!

The SCORES program has always been centered on providing the best possible services to the students in our community.One way we try to do this is by having good coaches for our teams who promote a healthy and positive mentality. When it comes to coaching, the smallest practices can have the biggest impacts and KidsHealth.com has a great article on simple ways to be a good coach. Below are some brief summarizations of points in the article. You can also read the complete article using the link near the bottom of the page.

Winning isn't everything: "When you are a good coach, winning or losing is secondary to you. You care more about the morale of your team," said Daniel, 13. It is important to have a coach who can motivate a team to win without being overcome by it, and make their players feel confident about themselves whatever the outcome.

You want to improve your skills/Life and sport skills: "Sports just aren't about winning. They teach an athlete about life, friendship and hard work." Chad, 16. Coaches are teachers and need to be able to help their players see how to apply lessons learned on the field to situations off the field too.

Motivate their players: "They need to know the sport and the athletes well enough to make good choices for the athlete," said Shannon, 14. Coaches need to be aware of players' abilities and personalities and find unique ways to motivate each individual. If you can motivate a child to want to play, they will put forth the effort and success, by any definition, will follow.

Touch but fair: Stephanie, 13, told us a good coach has "the ability to tell you the straight truth or facts without making you feel bad." While it is difficult, coaches need to be able to help their players improve without breaking them down or bruising their confidence. It is important that the coach is able to give negative and positive advice that motivates the player to learn and improve instead of feel bad and not want to play.

Make it a team effort: "A good coach understands that respect is to be earned and understands that they do not control the team, they are part of the team," said Rebecca, 13. Coaches need to be open to the teams ideas and goals and treat them as an equal unit and not according to skill level.


What Makes a Good Coach? Article from KidsHealth.org


To learn more you can also contact Positive Coaching Alliance to provide workshops on what it means to be a positive coach and how to foster that type of environment. LA SCORES is proud to be a partner of Positive Coaching Alliance.





-Quotes and bullets provided by http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/sports/good_coach.html

PICK YOUR WINNER!

March Madness is the college basketball playoff phenomenon that takes over the country for four weeks. Now, in true SCORES spirit I introduce to you the SOCCER 16!! This is a 16 team bracket in which YOUR VOTES decide who is the most popular or most talented soccer team of them all!!! Post your votes in the comments section below and each day we will advance a round: starting at the SOCCER 16, then moving to the ENERGETIC 8, and the FAMOUS 4 and then crowning a CHAMP.

Here's a break down of the bracket: North American Teams are on the left bracket--MLS on the top half and Mexican Primera Division teams on the bottom half.

European teams are in the right bracket--Serie A and La Liga teams on the top and EPL on the bottom.

Here's how its gonna work: Today will begin voting on the first round of the North American bracket . Post a comment below with the names of the teams you think should advance. The teams with the most votes by the next blog post (posts will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays) will advance. You can also vote for your favorite team that got left out to advance against the home town LA Galaxy!

Next Tuesday we will begin voting for the first round of the European bracket. And we will continue so on and so forth.

SO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE TEAMS! TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO VOTE FOR THEIRS OR TO HELP YOUR TEAMS ADVANCE, AND LETS SEE WHO TAKES HOME THE CROWN!!!!

(you can click the bracket above to see a larger version)

Spring is here!

The Spring season at America SCORES LA has officially begun. Last week was our first full week of programming at all four of our schools--Palms Elementary, Braddock Drive Elementary, Charnock Rd. Elementary and Palms Middle-- and it was great to see the students return excited and energetic about the program. Students at Braddock and Palms Elementary were especially anxious after not having programming during the winter months. Days that our staff would visit the campus were filled with youthful inquiries as to if the program had started yet and if not, when it was going to and when the first game day was scheduled for?

Since we have started it seems as if the kids have been able to run faster and longer than ever before. Practices at all the schools have gone well as coaches get re-acquainted with their teams and begin implementing the spring curriculum of service learning. The students at Charnock Rd. have already held a trash day where they scrubbed the water fountains and cleaned up the play yard (Photo above of Charnock girls) . Our other schools have also started planning their days of service and began learning about how they can make their community a better and cleaner place.

Last Friday, in addition to being the first official day of Spring, was also our first game day. After having a short week of programming the week prior, all the teams were geared up to play and let out almost two weeks of practice and excitement. Playing through wind gusts and uncharacteristically cold weather (a brisk 53 F), the kids gave it their all in some high intensity games that went down to the wire. In the end, everyone had a great time and left looking forward to the week to come.

Finally, Palms Middle is in the midst of week long team tournament. Yesterday kicked off the event featuring the first two games of a three game round robin. The teams will finish their league games and play the semi-final round tomorrow. The Championship and Third Place games will be held on Friday.

We are happy to say that our Spring season has gotten off to a great start! We are excited to have so many great kids participating and we all look forward to the wonderful events to come in the future. We hope you will check back to this blog to hear more as our year progresses.

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Literacy, self-expression, community: these are three major tenants of the America SCORES model that are at the forefront of the newspaper LA Youth. A publication of journalism written by and for Los Angeles teens, LA Youth publishes a wide array of articles addressing pertinent social/ community issues, personal testimonials, music and book reviews and teen forums. With a staff of students from high schools across LA County the site features a breadth of topics and a number of perspectives that make this a great resource for young and old alike. Providing links to job postings, California colleges and universities in addition to other online sites and services LA Youth also encourages our youth to be pro-active about their future and learn to use the internet as more than a social tool.

The publication provides an honesty that is lacking in many media realms and an earnest that far exceeds the years of its student writers. Their insight and ability is clearly visible in every article and their leadership is imbued throughout the entire page. These ideals are ones we seek to impart upon our students and LA Youth is a great example of how they can be implemented into the lives of teenagers and specifically urban youth.

LA Youth is an online website as well as an in-print newspaper. They print 120,000 copies of their publication six times a year, to which more than 1,200 teachers receive free subscriptions. In addition to this the newspaper is also available in every Los Angeles County public library and most city libraries. The website also publishes a new feature article every week along with a new poll question. Check it out by clicking the link below or the banner at the top of the article.

Click here to be re-directed to LA Youth.

Tips for Improving Literacy

The America SCORES mission seeks to combat illiteracy with a unique and comprehensive creative writing curricula that focuses on poetry in the fall and service learning in the spring. But beyond what our program does there are many simple things one can do to help improve our childrens' literacy. Here are some ideas and tactics you can use:

• Plant books in high traffic areas and make book-shelves accessible to short legs.*
• Don't force a child to finish a book. It's okay to discard, in the time it takes to plod through something they've lost interest in they could have read two others that they like.*
• Don't force a taking turns policy where readers alternate reading different paragraphs. This can cause anxiety and break up the text's meaning for new readers. Let them decide how much they want to read and then follow along when you are reading.*
• Don't be concerned if your child is hung up on one book or one series. Subsequent readings are usually beneficial for deeper understanding.*
  
• Don't quit reading out loud once your child can read alone. They joy of a shared experience can be found at any age. *
• Let your children see YOU enjoying reading. Children imitate what they see.**
• Allow your children to see that reading is something that everybody does everyday (shopping lists, road signs, maps, emails, internet, recipes, newspapers, instructions, newsletters...).**
• Take books on day trips and holidays. They keep children entertained for hours and are easier to carry than most toys.**

These great ideas are simple to implement in our daily life and can produce long-lasting positive results. To view more complete lists of tips and tools follow the two links below.

*http://scribbit.blogspot.com/2007/03/more-tips-for-improving-your-childs.html
**http://schoolreadiness.suite101.com/article.cfm/books_reading_and_literacy

LIVING THE LESSON

Da Poetry Lounge has become a staple in the culture of Los Angeles spoken word. This modern day Globe Theatre provides a stage for LA's newest and brightest poets to exhibit thier talents and spread the power of poetry. A Tuesday night mecca for socialites and urbanites alike, Da' Lounge draws as diverse a crowd you can see in terms of both cultures and ages. It prides itself on "on [providing] an important forum for personal expression without criticism or judgment" and fosters young talent while showcasing classic artistry.

Additionaly, if you believe a building is only as stable as the foundation it is built upon, I can confidently say that Da Lounge should continue to thrive for a long time. It was founded by Tony Award winning Poetri, National Slam Champion Shihan, prolific LA DJ/Poet Brutha Gimel and reknowned actor Dante Basco. Poetri, Shihan and Dante have all performed on HBO's "Def Poetry Jam" a spoken word TV program hosted by Hip Hop artist Mos Def and founded by Hip Hop mogul Russel Simmons. You can watch Poetri peform his piece "Money" from his first appearance on "Def Poetry Jam" below or you can watch him live on Tuesdays at Da Lounge located at The Greenway Court Theater, 544 N. Fairfax Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90036 from 9:00PM-Midnight, but you better get there early to grab a seat or a space on stage.

Finally, whether you are reading this in LA or not, it is important for all of us in the SCORES community to realize the importance of the local arts. It is in venues like Da Lounge that the lessons we teach about using creative writing to impact your community come to life.Where high school students can stand next to HBO performers and be seen as poets under the same light. Where messages are sent, lessons are learned, experiences are shared and characters are shaped. These artists exhibit the potential we know our students have and that we strive to help them realize. So SUPPORT THE LOCAL ARTS and support the people living our lesson.

Eye on LA: Meet Amy Fleischauer

Hello all CA-10 commuters! Today we have a special treat for everyone as we post the first installment of our "Eye on LA: Meet the Staff". We begin today with a glimpse into the life of our wonderful Program Director, Amy Fleischauer.

Amy found SCORES in 2005 when she responded to a craigslist.com listing for a soccer coaching position. She was hired and coached middle school girls soccer before moving into the position of Program Director a couple years later. Throughout her time as Program Director she has helped expand middle school programming as well as lay the foundation to what is now the first SCORES Alumni program. Her goal for this upcoming Spring season is to strengthen and further develop the Alumni program as well as find a way for our middle school team to compete with other schools.

In her free time Amy enjoys taking walks on the beach and eating mangoes, her favorite fruit. If its cold outside she'll stay in and curl up with a good book, preferably Where the Red Fern Grows--check it out here, its a tear-jerker. If she's exercising you'll most likely find her on the soccer field frustrating forwards on defense and giving goalies nightmares on offense. Her favorite athlete is Laker great Earvin "Magic" Johnson.

Amy's ideal vacation spot would somewhere that is not as industrialized as the US--El Salvador maybe? Really it could be anywhere, as long as there aren't too many sharks to frighten her away--she's brave but we all have our fears.

Amy has to have at least one hug a day and for her first concert saw The Rolling Stones!

Along with all these interesting facts, Amy is a fun and energetic coach while remaining a focused and dedicated Program Director. She is a strong and positive role model all our students can and should look up to.

Some stars are within reach

CLICK THE IMAGE TO VIEW A SLIDESHOW!
(Our girls are the four on the left in the black Adidas jerseys! Way to go girls!)

Heather Mitts is an accomplished soccer player to say the least. She has two Olympic Gold Medals, a College Cup National Championship and achieved All American status as a student-athlete at the University of Florida. In addition to her extensive list of achievements as a player, she also has made her presence felt as a coach through a free soccer camp she holds for young girls.

A few weeks ago, 4 girls from our program at Palms Middle school were chosen to attend this camp and had a chance to meet and play with the star herself. At her camp, Heather met all the girls and spoke to them for about 15 minutes. This included passing around her Beijing Gold Medal. Our girls were amazed at how heavy it was!

From there, they headed onto the pitch, and heather took them through some terrific drills and activities. They worked on dribbling, heading, passing, and shooting. During each activity, and throughout the entire day, Heather gave each child one-on-one instruction. This not only helped the kids technically but made the day all the more special as Heather interacted more as a peer than a celebrity.

At the close of the clinic, all of the girls had the opportunity to receive player cards and get autographs from Heather which was a perfect end to a terrific day. One of our girls then asked Heather if she could interview her for her eighth grade honors project on soccer. Heather could not have been nicer and said they would set up a time to do it over the phone.

We would like to thank Heather for running this camp and being such a positive influence on the lives of these young girls. We would also like to thank Deloitte & Touche, Starwood, Ryo, Jennifer and Brian making all this possible. Please continue to follow Heather as she begins her next challenge as a defender for the Boston Breakers (<- Click this link) in the Women’s Professional Soccer League (<- This one too). And while you are at it support your own local Women's Pro Soccer Team,(Last link, I promise!-->) LETS GO LA SOL!!!

5,670 grains of rice and counting!

Thanks to everyone who participated with us in donating time, effort and rice through FREERICE.COM! Through the posts we can see that we donated at least 5,670 grains of rice in just over 5 days! This does not include everyone who donated but did not post, so I am sure we raised even more!

This just shows what a great impact a small coordinated effort of passionate people is possible of achieving. Thanks so much again to everyone who participated and please keep giving, keep posting and keep spreading the word.

HERE ARE SOME THINGS ABOUT RICE TO KEEP IN MIND...

Consumption of rice (million metric tons) as of 2003/2004

• China:135
• India: 85
• Egypt: 39
• Us:3.9

In 2004:

• Developing countries have received 1,041 metric tons of donated rice
• Africa received 307.8 metric tons
• Asia received 692.9 metric tons
• and Latin America received 40.7 metric tons

In that same year the US donated 218 metric tons of rice to various regions.

Rice is a good source of folate and manganese.

• Folates are necessary for the production of new cells. They are especially important during stages of life such as infancy or pregnancy. They are needed to make normal red blood cells and prevent anemia.

• Manganese helps keep bones strong and healthy while also helping the body synthesize fatty acids and cholesterol. Manganese also helps maintain normal blood sugar levels.

More importantly, in the past few years rice shortages have caused the price of rice to increase exponentially. In May of 2008 rice reached 24 cents per lb., double what it was just seven months earlier. With rice being such an important part of the worlds diet now is an even greater time to give. Please continue to participate in the quest to end world hunger.