ARTICLES ON SPORTS

WHEN SHOULD KIDS START SPORTS?

It's not easy to determine how early to start children in organized sports. Children of the same age vary considerably in their physical and psychological maturation, and there is no practical method of measuring maturity. Assuming the child has shown interest, five or six is the generally accepted earliest starting age for organized team sports. At the early ages participation should be limited to sports that involve a lot of physical activity and encourage the development of major motor muscles.

Children in grades 1 - 4 can benefit most from games that are modified to meet their needs and abilities. Play and fun are more important to this age group than highly structured sports that emphasize the outcome rather than the process. Parents and coaches are usually the ones concerned about winning and losing. When helping your child select a sport, keep balance in mind. Encourage your children to try many sports and activities when young and not to think of specializing or playing competitively until they reach middle school. Make sure a balance also occurs between adult organized activities and free playtime. Children need time to just be kids and to play with other kids without a set of rules or adult involvement.

FINDING YOUTH SPORTS INFORMATION

Parents of young children just starting out in sports often find it difficult to locate sports programs. Rarely can you find listings that contain all of the options that are available in the community. Helping you find youth sports programs is one of the functions of the Kids Sports Network (KSN). You can call (210) 654-4707 and KSN personnel will direct you to available youth sports programs. But where else can you find this kind of information?

For information on youth sports outside the San Antonio area check the answer on our Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) page.

The San Antonio Area Youth Sports Organization page of this website provides information about children’s sports programs in and around San Antonio and Bexar County focusing on non-school sports leagues and events with a special emphasis on team sports. In many cases listed phone numbers contain recorded messages with more information about the program and with directions on how to register or who else to contact. If a number you call is incorrect, or if you simply cannot determine whom to call, contact the Kids Sports Network at (210) 654-4707.

Remember that the registration for many youth sports programs occurs months before actual play begins. For example youth football games start at the beginning of September but registrations may start as early as May or June. If you wait until you see teams practicing, it is often too late to find a place on a team.

SPORTS PROGRAMS FOR YOUTH

There are well over 200 organizations, associations, agencies and clubs in and around San Antonio that offer organized sports programs for youth. Programs range in size from a four team softball league operated by a church to the Spurs Youth Basketball League with over 20,000 participants. We list on our web site many of the contact numbers for youth sports in the San Antonio area. Space and time does not NOW permit the identification of the individual clubs operating under the structure of a larger program such as Pop Warner Football, Little League Baseball or Parks & Recreation Centers.

If you are the President or Point of Contact for a San Antonio area youth sports organization, you can help us by providing us with information on your organization. Please visit our Time Out page for more details. The Kids Sports Network constantly updates its information and every attempt is made to ensure its accuracy. Keep in mind that changes may occur, and some programs may not always be offered.

Many of the phone numbers given are those of volunteers. Please be patient if your call is not answered immediately, or if you are advised that the person you called is no longer involved with the program. If, for any reason, you are unable to reach a particular organization, or if you have information about a program not listed, call the Kids Sports Network at (210) 654-4707. They should be able to provide the information you desire.

NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 5

by Diwosh shrestha

1. Jeff Gordon — While handling problems on long, green flag runs rendered winning in Bristol nearly impossible, Gordon still had a capable car, and hammered out a fourth-place finish, his series-leading fourth top-10 of the year. Gordon maintained the top spot in the point standings, and leads Kurt Busch by 76 points.

"Even when I'm bad, I'm good," says Gordon. "No, that's not some provocative Mae West quote from the 1920s that only Darrel Waltrip would remember. It describes my season thus far. Although I haven't won a race, the car's been competitive in each race. It's great to lead the points. I like it on top. Now, I'm sure Mae West uttered that line quite often."

"I'm intrigued by Formula 1's proposed championship format, in which the driver with the most wins is declared the champion. Theoretically, that means I could be in last place under the F1 format, which makes sense, because isn't that where most Americans in F1 end up?"

David Reutimann — Reutimann finished 12th in the Food City 500, just missing out on his second top-10 finish of the year. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver has only one finish worse than 14th this year, and is 11th in the Sprint Cup point standings, 187 out of first.

"In conjunction with the NAPA Cap Exchange," says Reutimann, "in which you can bring your old cap to a NAPA Auto Parts dealer and receive a new NAPA Racing cap, we here at Aaron's have decided to implement a similar promotion. You can bring that brand new NAPA cap and exchange it for a new Aaron's cap. I call it the 'Don't Be Like Mike' Cap Exchange."