Kurt Dusterberg's Blog (8)

If your young child is playing on a sports team, chances are it's in an "instructional" league. Up until age 10 or so, most leagues emphasize the fundamentals — literally learning how to play the game. Winning is often a matter of good fortune.

Many kids in these leagues have never played the sport until the first practice. Even the skilled players are still learning the finer points. So you might think these leag

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Another sports season is right around the corner for Triangle kids. For you, it's back to carting your children to practices and games. As a parent, you hope your child learns to be a good team player and enjoys some success.

But there is something else all parents should pay attention to: your child's physical well-being.

Head injuries and concussions are a serious concern for athlete

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When kids are looking for a new sport to try, sometimes we forget — or avoid — the one sport that many folks play long into their senior years: golf. There are plenty of reasons for parents to choose other options. Golf is expensive, time consuming and difficult to learn. If you don't belong to a country club or you don't have the time and expertise to help your kids learn, it may seem like too much of a hassle. But there is a program in the Triangle that overcomes most of these obstacles. Fir… Continue

Most of the time, our local rooting interests revolve around teams — UNC, NC State, Duke, the Carolina Hurricanes. And of course, sometimes those loyalties are deeply divided. But I've got an individual that everyone in the Triangle can rally around for a few days in early July. It's a major national event. And the athlete is a 17-year-old girl. Katherine Perry is a budding golf star and a rising senior at Athens Drive High School, and what she has done is nothing short of astounding. She ha… Continue

When children start playing an organized sport, it's only natural for the parents to have some hopes and expectations. In my case, I hoped my kids would fall in love with the game and want to play it as they grow up. Sometimes the hardest part is managing those expectations. I want to share just a bit about my two kids this spring because I have learned a bit from each of their experiences. My 9-year-old daughter, Karen, played her sixth season of soccer this spring. She loves the game, even t… Continue

Above: Kids get a close-up look at Hurricanes practice. That's Hurricanes hall of famer Ron Francis (left) and Tom Rowe on the ice, both assistant coaches for Carolina. Here's an idea for both parents and kids — and it's one you may not have thought about: Have you ever been t… Continue

If your household is like mine, you might have a "gamer" or two. I'm new to video game systems, but thanks to the Wii that arrived under the Christmas tree a couple months ago, I'm catching on. Still, I have known for years that the Xbox and PlayStation have long since changed the way today's kids experience all types of activities. I can't speak for all the systems or the games, but I must admit, I reallly enjoy the Wii. And after bowling a few frames and playing a few innings of baseball, it… Continue

I was a baseball player growing up and I've been a sportswriter and broadcaster as an adult, so I was happy when my daughter wanted to play soccer a couple years ago. Any sport is a good one, as far as I'm concerned. But I'm especially fond of team sports for young kids. They mirror the experience of going to school, where getting along with others is important, and kids learn that they are not always the center of attention. After my daughter's second soccer season, one of her coaches asked me… Continue