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Friday, July 24, 2009

College Sports

College baseball is getting ready to crack down on composite-barrel bats.

The NCAA Baseball Rules Committee this week proposed an indefinite ban on the bats after anecdotal evidence and research conducted during this year's Division I national tournament, which culminated with the College World Series, indicated many of the bats didn't comply with NCAA standards.

The beef is with the barrel, which softens over time, creating a trampoline effect. This doesn't happen to factory-fresh bats -- it's what happens later, after repeated use or after the bat is put through a process known as "rolling." Composite-barrel bats that are broken in or "rolled" tend to have more pop and often violate NCAA limitations on the allowable speed at which the ball comes off the bat. The NCAA requires that this so-called "exit speed" be no greater than that of its wooden counterpart, lest it become a safety hazard for infielders and pitchers.

The committee said the ban should remain in place until manufacturers and the baseball community suggest ways that would allow composite-barrel bats to be used within NCAA guidelines.

Monday, July 20, 2009

High School Showcase at UCI

The University of California at Irvine is offering a very unique Showcase experience called The Big 3 of the West. It will be held August 11 - 13 for all high school age players. Each player will play a game at UCI, CS Fullerton, and Long Beach State. Players will also have the opportunity to play in front of the coaching staffs of all three schools. This will be one of the best showcases of the entire year!

UCI is a member of the Big West Conference, one of the most competitive baseball conferences in America. Their schedule generally includes the best teams in Southern California as well as around the country. The "Anteater Ballpark" located on the campus of UCI is an excellent facility and will provide an experience which will long be remembered.

If interested in participating, go to www.ucirvinesports.com for further information regarding their showcase camp.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Snooze to Improve

Athletes are constantly tinkering with their nutrition and training plans to gain an edge. But a study performed by Stanford University researchers suggests that good old fashioned sleep, and plenty of it, may help an athlete's performance as much as anything. Therefore, student-athletes at Stanford University are not reaching for a needle or pills, but rather hitting the pillow--getting as much as 11 hours of sleep a night.

According to research presented at the 2009 SLEEP Conference, there has been a great deal of study on sleep deprivation and its negative effects on reaction time, and physical and cognitive performance, but not much done on the flip side. If you really want to see the biggest change in your performance, sleep is something that should be prioritize in your training regimen just as much as nutrition, workouts, recovery, and strength training.

Most college students believe they are getting adequate sleep and operating at a decent level of performance. They don't realize there could be a difference until they actually experience something else. While it would seem easier to convince an athlete to grab some extra sleep than extra wind sprints, changing routines can be difficult. For some, extra sleep cuts out time in their social lives or other areas they have prioritized. To some extent we are all sleep deprived and what we may perceive as our best effort, may not truly be our peak performance and could be much improved with a few extra hours of sleep.

Standford will continue the study for at least another year and hopes athletic trainers can relay the importance of athletes getting adequate shut-eye.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Landmark Case

District's Inquiry says, Coach didn't break rules.

Superintendent Sheldon Berman said he was "outraged" that Pleasure Ridge Park football players were told at a practice last August that they would have to continue running until one of them quit the team.

But releasing the findings of what he called the most extensive investigation in the history of Jefferson County Public Schools, Berman said Wednesday that neither then-head coach Jason Stinson nor his assistants violated state rules or district policy at the Aug. 20 practice where sophomore lineman Max Gilpin collapsed from heat exhaustion and later died. Berman also said the district investigation, which included interviews with 125 witnesses, "clearly indicated that Max Gilpin did not die as a result of any restriction in water breaks or denial of water."

Berman said he hopes the district's findings, which took 10 months to complete, will provide a better understanding of what happened Aug. 20. "Nothing will bring Max back," he said. "It deeply saddens all of us that one of our students passed away after collapsing on the practice field. This tragic event has heightened our awareness — as parents, teachers, coaches, athletic directors and administrators — of the need to constantly seek ways to improve safety for our student athletes."

But the report outraged Max's parents, Jeff Gilpin and Michele Crockett, who said they felt it "only presented information that made (the district) look good."

Attorney David Stengel, whose office is scheduled to try Stinson Aug. 31 on a charge of reckless homicide, declined to comment on whether the district report would undercut the criminal case. "We'll do our talking in court," Stengel said. The district's findings — that Max and his fellow players got plenty of water —contradicts the conclusions of Stengel's office, which alleges that Stinson repeatedly denied players water and forced them to run extra wind sprints as punishment for not practicing hard enough.

More to come on this. See January post on conditioning.