Sports Nike

The beverage industry produces enough soda for every American to consume 52-gallons each year. Although its a mind-boggling amount, the fact of the matter is their industry is stagnating. With soda sales flat, theyre turning to newer products. One of their most popular markets is the educational system. Marketed under the guise of being healthier than plain water, and an implication they are more efficient at meeting hydration needs, sports drinks have become a prominent fixture in many schools. But do they meet those claims, or are they just contributing to the obesity epidemic among U.S. children?

Research by the American College of Sports Medicine has shown that for exercise lasting less than one hour, water is the preferred method of meeting hydration needs. Their research suggests that the loss of electrolytes and carbohydrates from exercise meeting this requirement does not require the burst supplied by sports drinks that one typically gets from a modern sports drink. Their research also has shown that for activities lasting more than one hour, or occurring under intense heat, there are benefits to using sports drinks for hydration. The rapid and continuous loss of minerals under these conditions presents a risk to participants, and replenishing them rapidly improves hydration and athletic performance.

Interestingly enough, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the consumption of water, or a salt-containing flavored beverage to maintain hydration. Not only do they suggest such drinks, but the recommend children consume them regularly, regardless of whether they are thirsty.

Nutritional experts are beginning to question the need for having sports drinks available to kids during regular school hours. The logic of such an argument is that the activities occurring during regular school hours can not justify the extra calories kids consume when drinking these drinks. It has also been suggested that the extra electrolytes, which are just salt compounds, may even contribute to rising blood pressure among kids, when consumed in the absence of physical exertion. While the suggestions are controversial, most regulators are recommending limiting access during school hours, but making these beverages available during after school events and practices.

It seems inevitable that eventually, these drinks will be deemed of little nutritional or functional value for regular school day activities. After all, it doesnt seem reasonable to assume that kids or teens are at risk of becoming deficient in electrolytes while walking between classes. While they certainly offer benefits when consumed during intense exercise, theres little evidence to support the idea that they offer any positive benefits for normal day-to-day activity.

Pre-teen sports teams give young people a great opportunity to participate in a team sport, make new friends, and learn about teamwork. Besides being great fun and keeping them out of trouble, participation in pre-teen sports also gives young people a solid foundation for the future.

While fundraising on the part of parents, coaches and teachers is good and effective, the young people enjoying team sports can also enjoy participating in the fundraising themselves.

Encouraging participation

Everybody loves pre-teen sports, and sometimes the parents get even more excited about it than the kids. At the very beginning of the season, send out a fundraising letter or hold a meeting with all the parents to discuss fundraising, if for no other reason, to get them prepared to spend some time and get into a fundraising mode. Leverage the parents that were involved the year before. Encourage them to help out again in sharing their ideas and wisdom with the rest of the group. Get the kids interested too. Discuss the need for fundraising with them, and tell them about a few fundraising ideas. Kids are natural salespeople, and will be able to help out a lot towards their own cause–don’t make the mistake of just leaving all the fundraising to the parents.

Set the stage for participation in the next fundraiser too, by making sure to recognize the hard work done by all the volunteers, including both students and parents, making sure everyone knows the results of the fundraising, and sending a “thank you” to donors.

Have specific goals

Pre-teen sports teams can always use money for something, whether it’s new uniforms, awards, field trips, or equipment. But each fundraising initiative should have a specific and realistic goal that everybody is working for. When a child says “will you buy a box of candy to help us buy uniforms,” they’re a lot more likely to get a positive response than if they simply say, “will you buy a box of candy.” Also, you’ll get your parent and student volunteers more excited about fundraising if they know what they are working towards. Raising money for the “general fund” isn’t nearly as glamorous as raising money for something tangible that everybody can see and is within reach.

Specific goals are easy to come by. Pre-teen sports teams aren’t known for having large amounts of wealth, and there’s almost always something they need. Even if the team is school-sponsored, schools all over the country are suffering from cutbacks and often don’t have the funds to support the teams like they should. Keep in mind too, there are a lot of corporate sponsors and local businesses that would love to help, and would love to have some positive publicity. If they know exactly what is needed, you may have a chance of getting just a handful of companies together to foot the bill for the equipment, trips, or uniforms you need.

Getting support from community businesses

A common method of getting support from local businesses is to publish a yearbook, or sell ads on your team sports programs. It’s not hard to get the support of local merchants, but you do need to follow a few simple guidelines:

In addition to describing the benefit a donation will give to the team, describe the benefit to the individual merchant. You will be much more likely to get a donation if you are offering something to the merchant of value. This may come in the form of ad space in a program, having their company name displayed in the clubhouse, or a mention over the loudspeaker at halftime.

Follow up after the fundraiser is over. Send a “thank you” letter or a small token of appreciation to every donor. This shows them that you appreciate their support–and it also sets the stage for their participation in future events.

Give them a range of options. Don’t ask for the same amount from every merchant, give them a range of options from small to large dollar amounts.