Kids Get Quality Advice From Cybercoach

8-5-97
University Park, Pa. -- An aspiring young basketball player asks, "What am I doing wrong? I keep missing three point shots during games." The worldly-wise cyber-coach advises, "Forget about shooting threes. Concentrate on dribbling, passing and playing defense. Take open shots when you are closer to the basket. Leave the threes to Michael Jordan until you are older."

Giving young people no-nonsense answers about sports is the forte of Dr. Jim M. Brown, executive editor of the Penn State Sports Medicine Newsletter. Brown is "Coach Jim" to thousands of young people who bring their questions to Coach Jim's Corner on ABC Kidzine, ABC Online's area for kids (AOL keyword: Kidzine).

These 7-14 year olds are primarily concerned with how to improve in various sports: how to resolve sports-related problems with parents, friends and coaches; and, in the case of girls, how to participate in sports activities with boys.

ABC Kidzine also offers entertainment, science, sports, books, news and jokes. One of the most popular features is Coach Jim's Sports Quiz in which thousands of kids take part weekly.

"Our affiliation with ABC Online helps us to provide important sports and fitness information to millions of young people," says Phyllis Stagg, of Stagg Direct Marketing and publisher of the Penn State Sports Medicine Newsletter. "While ABC Online has many available options, we are especially pleased that it opted for the resources of the Sports Medicine Newsletter."

The Penn State Sports Medicine Newsletter, a monthly publication of the Department of Kinesiology in Penn State's College of Health and Human Development, began publishing in 1992 and today has 10,000 loyal subscribers who want a reliable source of information about sports fitness and athletic performance. Sports nutrition, training, equipment, fads, injury prevention and treatment are among the topics covered monthly for this audience.

"The newsletter is marketed for adults serious about sports health, nutrition and exercise," says Dr. Howard G. Knuttgen, newsletter editor-in-chief and professor emeritus of applied physiology at Penn State. "The newsletter also exposes false advertising about exercise and exercise machines. In order to provide our readers with news and research affecting sports medicine, we are in constant communication with physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, dietitians and exercise scientists."

A past president of the American College of Sports Medicine, Knuttgen is currently the Secretary General of the International Federation of Sports Medicine. An athlete in both high school and college, he coached varsity lacrosse and soccer at Ohio State University while studying for his doctoral degree.

Brown is no armchair coach, either. He taught physical education and coached various sports in the U.S. Peace Corps in Colombia. A former junior high school basketball coach and high school tennis coach, he was head tennis coach at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana and a professor of health and physical education at McNeese from 1971 to 1995. He is also a prolific author with eight books and hundreds of articles to his credit. Last, but not least, he is "Coach Jim" on Kidzine.

A typical ABC Kidzine questioner writes: "How do you know all this stuff about sports? How can I get to know as much as you?" Brown replies, "As you get older, keep participating in sports, read, watch sports on TV and stay interested. I would rather you know lots of school stuff than just lots of sports stuff."

Young people need to know a few key facts about sports, Brown notes. Sports are important, but they are for fun. They are not life and death events. There are more important things in life than sports, like family, friends and school. Furthermore, they need to know that participating is as important as winning.

The newsletter editor notes, "I try not to talk down to kids. Their problems may seem trivial to adults, but they are dead serious to the children writing about them. I also use a very short, direct, no-nonsense approach."

In the meantime, he keeps on fielding questions like this one from a fledgling majorette. "When I practice my toss in twirling, the baton keeps hitting me on the head. Could you please help me soon because my head is getting pretty bumpy."

Brown answers, "This sounds like a very serious problem. Try holding your arm farther away from your body and letting go of the baton at a point higher than your head. Get back to me on this one."

**pab**

EDITORS: Dr. Jim Brown can be reached at (770) 682-1670 (office) and Phyllis Stagg at (914) 725-3990 (office).

To reach "Coach Jim," log onto America Online. Go to keyword: Kidzine, click on Gamez, then Sportzine, then Coach Jim's Corner.

Contacts:
Paul Blaum (814) 865-9481 (office) (814) 867-1126 (home) pab15@psu.edu
Vicki Fong (814) 865-9481 (office) (814) 238-1221 (home) vyf1@psu.edu

For other Penn State news, please visit our Home Page on the Web at: http://www.psu.edu/ur/ Also browse this release at EurekAlert!, a comprehensive news server for up-to-date research in science, medicine,and engineering at http://www.eurekalert.org/

The Penn State Sports Medicine Newsletter Home Page is at http://cac.psu.edu/~hgk2/