Monday, February 28, 2011
Colorado, Former Coach Settle Compensation Dispute
The University of Colorado has agreed to pay former women’s basketball coach Kathy McConnell-Miller an additional $371,280.52. A final settlement agreement was signed Feb. 15, giving CU 10 business days to make the payment.
McConnell-Miller, who was fired a year ago after five seasons with the Buffaloes, had already been paid $203,142 by the school in the wake of her termination. As coach, she was paid roughly $385,000 in base salary, incentives and other compensation, while compiling a 65-88 record at Colorado. Her teams never played in an NCAA tournament.
Around the time of McConnell-Miller’s termination, CU settled a lawsuit
with a former player who claimed the coach had promised her a
scholarship. The player, RyAnne Ridge, left the program after playing
in only seven games as a walk-on.
According to the Boulder Daily Camera, McConnell-Miller’s claim to the additional settlement money stems from a Title IX allegation that the women’s basketball program wasn’t treated the same by the university as the men’s program.
A joint statement issued Friday by McConnell-Miller and the university read, “The University of Colorado, Department of Athletics has agreed to pay former head women’s basketball coach Kathy McConnell-Miller the amount of $371,280 in final compensation. The University and Coach McConnell-Miller had initially disagreed about the amounts of compensation owed under her contract for employment, but were able to amicably resolve their differences. The parties have agreed not to further discuss their agreement.”
It’s been an expensive academic year for the Colorado athletic department, which last fall agreed to buy out the contract of then head football coach Dan Hawkins for $2.1 million.
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Thursday, February 24, 2011
Blog: This Drill’s Name Won’t Help You in Court
During a preseason basketball workout at Guilford College, where I served as AD — this was in 1965 — one of our highly touted basketball players collapsed during a conditioning drill. Later that night, our coach, who had been very concerned about the situation, came to see me and let me know that the player had recovered after the "scare" he gave everyone. I asked him what drill was the one that resulted in the player collapsing. He replied, "The Suicide Drill."
"If the injury resulted in a lawsuit," I asked him, "how do you think a jury would have reacted to hearing that drill’s name?" We mutually agreed to change the name of the drill, and from that day on, it became “The Transition Drill.”
To this day, coaches from every level of sport still refer to the universal drill as the "Suicide Drill," or "Suicides." You can even find it described positively on various websites. The Suicide Drill is not the only drill with a terminology problem, legally speaking. A popular and successful Division I-A football coach was taken to court over an injury that was attributed to what he called “The Hamburger Drill." When I conducted conditioning drills in college, the players referred to it as the "Death Run." Later on, I realized the negative implications of the drill and changed the name.
Today, when I speak at coaching clinics to coaches and athletic directors, I caution them to avoid such negative implications. As coaches and athletic directors, do yourself a favor: Review the names of your drills, and change the names that can lead to problems. “Oklahoma” is a much better name than "Hamburger."
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U. of Kentucky to Form Athletics Oversight Committee
University of Kentucky officials revealed plans Tuesday to form a committee charged with overseeing the school’s athletic department. UK board of trustees chairman Britt Brockman will appoint the committee of six or seven members.
A new concept at Kentucky, the committee’s first order of business will be to report on athletics oversight functions at other Southeastern Conference institutions. SEC commissioner Mike Slive’s input also may be sought.
The committee's ongoing duties were not revealed in detail. Institutions outside the SEC have created similar posts to monitor NCAA rules compliance, admissions and academic progress.
News regarding the committee formation came two weeks after UK president Lee Todd, who will retire in June, announced he had extended the contract of athletic director Mitch Barnhart through 2018. According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, several trustees voiced concern that they weren’t consulted prior to Barnhart’s contract extension, which included a $125,000 pay raise to $600,000, and the paper quoted at least one athletics board member who claimed he was unaware until Tuesday that an athletics oversight committee was in the works.
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Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Blog: Sedentary Kids Need a Hero
Michelle Obama has been hitting the campaign trail, making stump speeches for keeping kids fit. Can't say I blame her. Childhood obesity has reached critical mass; according to the CDC, it has tripled in the past three years, not that anyone really needs statistics when a pair of eyes will suffice.
And of course, everyone is weighing in on why: Electronic games, the advent of 24-hour cartoons (and 24-hour TV in general), the Internet, more junk food readily available — just close your eyes and point; you're likely to find a culprit.
To fight that culprit, it takes a hero, someone kids can look to as an example of what can happen if they don't remain sedentary. With the 2012 Summer Olympic Games looming, the National Recreation and Parks Association is working to get kids excited enough to start emulating the athletes they'll see. From June 18-26, communities are being urged to celebrate Olympic Day through educational programming and other activities. The goal, according to NRPA, is to promote Olympic values and participation in sports.
It's a great opportunity. NRPA will provide resources including assistance in contacting a local Olympian, Paralympian or hopeful to speak at the event. And those who aren't rec and park departments should still sit up and take notice here, because the basic premise is transferable: Get kids interested in sports at your facility by giving them a concrete example of the great achievements that are possible when fun, hard work and dedication all come together in sports.
In some places, this technique is already at work. Little Leagues in areas served by MLB clubs will have pro players in to conduct pitching, hitting and running drills. It's a terrific morale booster and a great way to pump up enrollment. Why hasn't every kids' sport done this?
Think beyond the typical tryouts or sign-ups. Have a field day centered around the sport, whether it's swimming, volleyball, tennis, gymnastics — whatever. Get an athlete to conduct a clinic and be the hero the kids need.
NRPA is already promoting its June program, and it's still winter. You should be making your plans now, too. Successful events take time to plan, and heroes have busy schedules.
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NBA's New Warning Horns Work to Speed Up Games
How long did it take for the NBA’s new warning horns to shorten the duration of games? If their debut Tuesday night is any indication, not long.
The league instructed scoreboard operators to sound a warning before a time out or quarter break was about to end, and then a second horn blast by the time players are expected back on the court. In addition, referees were to promptly disperse player huddles. According to Associated Press reports, courtside memos pointed to “prolonged delays after breaks” as the main reason games have been dragging.
The new measures appear to have made an immediate impact. NBA games have typically lasted two and a half hours, but the nine games on last night’s schedule averaged 2 hours, 13 minutes. Miami took only 2:02 to top visiting Sacramento by 20 points. Boston blew out host Golden State, 115-93, in 2:10. In Charlotte, the Bobcats dispatched Toronto, 114-101, in 2:12. Indiana won at Washington, 113-96, in a game that ended in 2:21 despite featuring 55 fouls.
If you’re thinking closer games with more timeouts would have drawn out those contests, consider that Houston’s 108-100 win at Detroit last night ended in 2:04 — the Pistons’ quickest of 30 home games this season.
None of last night's games was televised nationally. NBA spokesperson
Mark Broussard tells AB that a different procedure will be used for
nationally televised games, which won't be expected to run as
expeditiously as locally televisied games.
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Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Did You Hear the One About the Naked Swimmer?
Michael Giles Jr., director of recreation services at Iowa State University, was working at another university at the time, but he still remembers the day a swimmer came out of the pool locker room sans swim trunks. "He completely forgot to put on his bathing suit," Giles wrote in his entry for the Athletic Business "Clueless Contest," in which readers were asked to share stories about those crazy things people do at athletic, fitness and recreation facilities. "Wish I could have recorded the radio communication between our lifeguard and building supervisor. The gentleman figured it out shortly after getting into the water and went back into the locker room to put on his suit. He then returned to finish his swim."
Giles is one of five "Clueless Contest" winners. We recently asked readers to take inspiration from Rob & Barry's blog post about so-called clueless customers, and entries arrived from college and municipal recreation professionals, high school athletic directors and fitness center supervisors. The winners, chosen by AB editors, each will receive free registration to the 2011 Athletic Business Conference.
Here are the other four winning entries:
McMinnville (Tenn.) Parks and Recreation recently started a new indoor cycling class. The excitement and participation in the program has been wonderful. I couldn't help but laugh when a lady showed up for classes and was so confused. She asked if we were going to ride the bikes in a circle around the gymnasium. She said she just could not figure out how we were going to have a 40-minute class of riding in a circle in the gym. Wouldn't we get dizzy?
Kristie Sanders
Wellness Program Administrator
McMinnville Parks and Recreation
McMinnville, Tenn.
A few years ago we had a lady come to an adult softball game. As she was parking, she hit a parked car and caused some serious damage. The only problem (other than hitting the car) was she did it by the concessions stand and an extra-duty police officer. Thinking no one had seen the accident, she tried to flee by car. The officer ran to his patrol car and stopped her. She claimed she didn’t hit “any car” and told the police officer to “prove it.” The hit and run, leaving the scene of an accident, open container in the car and DUI added up to a hefty fine and loss of license. She did her sobriety test in front of all her co-workers coming to the game and was arrested. Needless to say, they played one short.
Barry Simpson
Director, Grace Center for Athletics
St. Mary's High School
Colorado Springs, Colo.
An elderly member, convinced of its healing properties, routinely showered with a bottle of vinegar in the women's locker room. Apparently, she had a marginal sense of smell, because the vinegar fumes caused other women to flee the locker room with their eyes watering — and the smell of vinegar remained present throughout the 115,000-square-foot facility for several hours. Although we requested she continue her vinegar showers at home, throughout her membership, staff periodically got a whiff of vinegar wafting through the building…
Cathy Lisowski
Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation & Clinical Services Supervisor
The Summit Medical Fitness Center
Kalispell, Mont.
We've had the hanging-upside-down-from-a-pull-up-bar trick, and the member was going to quit after we informed him that was an exercise we do not permit at our facility. And then there was the individual doing shoulder presses while walking on the treadmill. We caught him within seconds after he began exercising — but not before he dropped a weight and it shot off the back of the treadmill. Fortunately, in both instances, the only things hurt were the members’ egos.
Craig Davic
Fitness Supervisor
University of Pittsburgh
Medical Center Hamot Wellness Center
Erie, Pa.
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Blog: Four Tips for E-Marketing in 2011
It’s 2011, and you are all over your e-marketing strategy, right? Your website has been optimized for search engines, and you rule on Facebook and Twitter. You post YouTube videos every day.
The problem is that you don’t. You operate a fitness facility. You have a job. A life. You hear every day that you have to be part of this revolution, but you don’t know where to start.
We’re here to help with “Rob and Barry’s Top Four Internet Tips for 2011.” Well, not really. Rob hates social media. He thinks Twitter is stupid and doesn’t understand why anyone would spend time on Facebook. So, let’s call these “Barry’s Top Four Tips.”
1. Build a Facebook page. Your members and prospects are on Facebook. Like it or not, you need to be there, because they will look for you there. So, build a page for your business. It’s easy, but everything on Facebook is more convoluted than it seems. Know that it takes time, and it needs to be worked every day.
2. Inform, don’t promote. Remember that it’s called social media because it’s social. (Famous quote: “demented and sad, but social.”) Nobody likes a person who shows up at a cocktail party and starts shouting about his or her business. It’s the same thing on Facebook. Share interesting links and stories. Communicate with your community. And, while you should inform the world about things you might be selling, do it socially. (“Always wanted to bring a friend to the gym?” vs. “Friends are free this month only”).
3. Build synergy. Your website should be dynamic and alive with current content, but it should also be relatively formal, allowing Facebook to carry informal content. For example, your photos on the Web should be crisp and professional, whereas Facebook is perfect for your informal shots of a member event. Build synergy between your website and Facebook. Use Facebook to drive members and prospects back to your website, where they might find a detailed page on a given topic, or a page where you can capture their lead information. From your website, get visitors to “Like” your Facebook page. Your website should feed off your Facebook page, and vice versa.
4. Optimize your website for search engines. With all this talk about Facebook, let’s not forget about Google and Bing. If you have not researched or spoken with your web folks about SEO (search engine optimization), you need to do so. The Yellow Pages are dead, and hyper-local searches on Google and Bing are how people find you. They will search for gyms-in-their-neighborhood and personal-training-in-their-zip-code. Prospects will not know you exist if you do not do well in such searches.
That’s it. Four things for 2011: Establish a Facebook presence. Work it every day by sharing useful information. Build synergy between your website and your Facebook presence. Optimize your website for Google and Bing. Don’t worry about Twitter or Foursquare. If you feel like producing videos for YouTube, that’s great. If you want to blog, please do. If you monitor reviews of your business on Yelp, you are wise. But, you can walk into this new world — you don’t have to run.
Oh, and there’s a fifth thing: If you are a Rob and hate all of this, find a Barry to do it for you. He’ll e-mail you all of the interesting things that happen online.
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UND Asks for More Time to Rid Arena of Sioux Symbols
University of North Dakota president Robert Kelley has requested an amendment to the 2007 settlement agreement with the NCAA regarding the school’s Fighting Sioux nickname in an effort to give the university until 2015 to resolve physical issues with Ralph Engelstad Arena. In its current state, the arena is ineligible to host NCAA-sanctioned post-season events.
Kelley made his request Thursday, two days after a bill mandating that UND retain the nickname received favorable committee action in the North Dakota Legislature. The bill would instruct the state’s attorney general to sue the NCAA a second time if the association tried to penalize UND for retaining the Sioux name and symbols.
According to the Grand Forks Herald, the settlement agreement specifies some American Indian-themed features at the privately owned arena could remain because they have “historical significance” or would be prohibitively expensive to change. But without tribal authorization for UND to retain the imagery, other features would have to be removed for the venue to become a potential NCAA tournament host site.
Kelley indicated Friday that his request was receiving the NCAA's consideration. He said the additional time could help reduce costs associated with the alterations and also give the university time to deal with uncertainty caused by the Legislature’s recent actions — ones Kelley says threaten to damage the university.
Members of the president’s transition cabinet met Friday and discussed a yet-unassembled task group that will be charged with finding suitable replacements for “Sioux” and “Fighting Sioux.” Some members, including American Indian representatives, argued that UND needs to move faster on this front to end the distraction and divisiveness the debate has created.
An interlocking “N” and “D” logo is scheduled to replace the long-used — and, in alumni circles, revered — Indian-head imagery to identify university athletic teams after Aug. 15.
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Monday, February 21, 2011
Blog: The NFL Has Super Bowl Spectators Covered
Since the final whistle in Super Bowl XLV, more has been written about the 1,250 fans involved in the Super Bowl seating fiasco than about the 106 Packers and Steelers who took part in the game. While 850 of those fans were relocated to other seats inside the stadium, the remaining 400 — those who were sent to watch the game outside on a video screen, despite holding tickets — are mulling an increasing number of options in their search for redress from the NFL.
The NFL’s first offer was a free ticket to next year’s Super Bowl plus $2,400, which is three times the face value of the original tickets. The league quickly added a second option, a free ticket to a Super Bowl of their choice and round trip airfare with four nights in a hotel. Now, the league’s latest offer is either $5,000 or reimbursement for "actual documented" Super Bowl expenses, whichever figure is higher. So, the question is: What should the NFL actually have to pay those 400 fans who did not get in to see the game?
Under contract law, there are only three remedies available — expectation interest, reliance interest and restitution interest:
1. Expectation interest requires the breaching party, the NFL, to compensate the fans for any benefit they expected to receive from the contract. The problem with this is, how does a court put a dollar figure on watching the Super Bowl? If the ticket price was $800, is it valued at $800, or is the relevant figure the value of the ticket on the open market — what scalpers were getting at game time? And what value could the court place on the experience of attending the game?
2. Under the theory of reliance interest, the NFL would be liable for all damages the fans incurred in reliance on the contract (the ticket to the game). The NFL’s latest offer, $5,000 or reimbursement for "actual documented" Super Bowl expenses, is an attempt to address the fans’ reliance interests.
3. Under restitution interest, all the fans would be able to recover is the benefit that he or she gave to the league — $800, or the price of the ticket. Therefore, if they paid more than the face value, they would not be able to recover the additional cost, not to mention what they spent getting to or staying in Dallas.
Based on these three theories on monetary damages, it would appear that the NFL has all the fans impacted by the ticket fiasco covered.
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UCLA Seeks Fan Input on Alternate Hoops Venues
UCLA has e-mailed season and single-game ticket purchasers seeking their preferences of home venues for the men’s basketball team next season. The Bruins are considering half a dozen different arenas, or some combination thereof, to fill in for Pauley Pavilion, which will be under renovation and unavailable.
The Los Angeles Sports Arena is the only venue available for all 18 of UCLA’s home dates, and the Bruins played there from 1959-65, but its location adjacent to rival USC makes some players uncomfortable. The Forum in Inglewood could have accommodated the Bruins for the entire season, as well, but owners of Madison Square Garden have an option to purchase the Forum and plan on turning it into a concert-only venue, according to ESPN Los Angeles. If the players had their druthers, Staples Center would do nicely, but conflicts with the Lakers, Clippers and Kings leave only two of UCLA’s dates open for use.
Preserving home court advantage is a major player concern. Sports Arena officials have offered to make cosmetic changes to lend a more Bruins-friendly feel to that venue, and UCLA administrators say mass transit to distant locations will be arranged so that students can easily follow the team wherever it winds up.
Other candidates and the number of dates they could accommodate (or that UCLA would consider at each venue) include the Honda Center in Anaheim (nine), Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario (two), Valley View Casino in San Diego (two) and RaboBank Arena in Bakersfield (one).
A likely scenario would see home games played at a variety of venues. “I think, without question, we’re looking at the Bruin road show next year,” Mark Harlan, UCLA’s senior associate athletic director for external relations told ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Peter Yoon. “We’ll look at the survey and get a general feeling of where the flow is going.”
A decision is expected within the next three weeks.
Meanwhile, UCLA's displaced women’s basketball team, men’s and women’s volleyball teams and gymnastics team will likely host events in 2011-12 within the on-campus gym at the 2,500-seat John Wooden Athletic Center.
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Friday, February 18, 2011
Alabama-Auburn Rivalry Takes Potentially Fatal Turn
The rivalry between the University of Alabama and Auburn has spread off the field to beneath two trees, with the confirmation this week that an Alabama fan poured lethal doses of herbicide on the revered oaks at Toomer’s Corner near the Auburn campus. For generations, the 130-year-old trees have served as a post-game gathering place for fans after Auburn victories. Revelers cover the trees in toilet paper — a tradition known as “rolling.”
On Thursday, police arrested 62-year-old Harvey Almorn Updyke and charged him with first-degree criminal mischief. On Jan. 27, a radio show caller identifying himself as “Al from Dadeville” admitted to poisoning the trees a week after the 2010 Iron Bowl. The vandalism was apparently carried out in retaliation of a 1983 incident in which Auburn fans rolled Toomer’s Corner the day Alabama coaching legend Paul “Bear” Bryant died. Updyke said he had recently seen a newspaper clipping of the incident. He ended his call by saying “Roll Damn Tide.”
According to Fox affiliate WBRC in Birmingham, Auburn Police received investigative help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, the State of Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (Pesticide Management Section), the Tallapoosa County Sheriff's Office, the Dadeville Police Department and Auburn University.
Auburn officials tested the trees Jan. 28, and the university announced Wednesday that herbicide had in fact been applied and that the trees would not likely survive. The herbicide identified, Spike 80DF, can remain in soil up to five years. “I always want to hold out hope,” said an emotional Stephen Enloe, an assistant professor of agronomy and soils at Auburn. “We’re going to get the experts together and look at the ideas that have been proposed.”
On the day of Updyke’s arrest, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley urged Auburn and Alabama fans to remain calm and resist any urge to further retaliate. “Toomer’s Corner means a lot to people at Auburn,” said Bentley, an Alabama alum. “This is like someone coming down and destroying Coach Bryant's statute at the stadium.
"I want people to be very controlled in their response to this. We all need to realize people do things they shouldn't do."
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Protests in Wisconsin Jeopardize Athletic, Recreation Events
At least a dozen boys' and girls' basketball games in and around Madison, Wis., were canceled Thursday night in the wake of widespread school closures and ongoing protests at the state Capitol. Gov. Scott Walker's controversial budget-repair bill calls for stripping state union workers (including public school teachers) of nearly all collective bargaining rights. But while several Wisconsin school districts called off classes for the third straight day Friday in anticipation of staff absences — union leaders urged teachers statewide to pilgrimage to Madison — most were following the recommendation of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association and going ahead with regularly scheduled games tonight.
Dave Kapp, athletic director at Madison East High School, told Madison.com that only WIAA playoff sports (hockey, swimming and wrestling) would be allowed to practice and compete Thursday, while ADs from other schools said that if more basketball games were canceled as a result of school closings, the games likely would not be made up.
A total of 25 boys' regional hockey finals were scheduled Thursday night, as well as 12 girls' finals. Seven more boys' finals are slated for today, along with four girls' games. And the boys' swimming and diving state championships were scheduled to begin today on the University of Wisconsin campus, not far from where protests are likely to continue throughout the weekend.
"We're not sensing any of our schools or teachers want to see kids put in the middle of this matter," WIAA assistant director Tom Shafranski told Madison.com, adding that administrators in some districts indicated they would wave rules about canceling after-school activities on days when classes are canceled. "Most school districts have instituted no-practice/no-play for weather-related situations. This is not weather-related, so there are no travel-safety concerns. Our preference is for all games to continue to be played."
Meanwhile, it appears as if events scheduled as part of the seventh annual Madison Winter Festival will not enjoy the same fate. The Wisconsin State Journal is reporting that plans to transport nearly 100 truckloads of snow to the Capitol Square — ground zero for this week's protests — have been canceled. In years past, the snow has been used to convert pavement near the Capitol building into a cross-country ski track. A top international field of skiers had been expected to compete, along with high school and adult amateur racers. Other family-friendly and competitive events planned also included sledding and snowshoeing, and crowd estimates were as high as 60,000.
But organizers of the event, held in conjunction with the Madison Parks Department, were told Thursday that no activities would be allowed on the Capitol Square this weekend. A meeting was scheduled with city officials for Friday morning to discuss the possibility of moving some of the planned activities to alternate sites. "There's not much we can do about it," festival president Yuriy Gusev told the State Journal.
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Blog: Total Gym Has My Total Respect
In my line of work, I spend a considerable amount of time with CEOs, executives and entrepreneurs who are working to unlock the potential in their people and business. On occasion, I get to spend time with leaders who have an infectious passion and commitment for their work, primarily because it aligns with their life’s purpose. When I come across this type of a person and company, I find myself wanting to spread the word and support their work.
The company Total Gym is the consumer market’s longest running fitness product infomercial, with $1.5 billion in sales in just over a decade. Their commercial business has an incredible following in the physical therapy, personal trainer and studio segments. It’s a global business. What impresses me most is the man behind Total Gym, Tom Campanaro, and the story behind his amazing journey. To meet Tom is to observe a man who truly walks his talk of taking personal responsibility for health. Every person who takes one of Tom’s personal development seminars, which are geared toward creating an amazing life, leaves the session touched and inspired.
Of course, no one person does this kind of thing alone, and Tom is the first to point to his incredible wife, Joy, as deserving the real credit for the success of their business. And with an eye to the future, the addition of a seasoned executive in Randy Bergstedt will continue to help propel Tom further forward in completing his life’s mission.
Tom embodies the type of leader who is in this business for a higher purpose — he’s a man of strong faith who understands that he was put here to serve a purpose and promote the platform of getting people personally involved in leading healthy and productive lives. Take a look at what he is doing, glean some lessons from his entrepreneurial journey, and consider his expanding product line when looking at doing something special for your customers or even for yourself.
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Practice Goal Helps Utah State Finish Basketball Game
Most basketball facilities have a reserve goal on hand in case an emergency substitution is needed, but the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum at Utah State had to go even deeper into its backboard bench Wednesday.
As part of his intermission ritual, USU forward Tai Wesley was throwing down the second of two dunks before officials emerged from the locker room for the second half of a game against Montana Western, only to have the glass backboard shatter. “I didn’t know what to do,” Wesley said afterward, as reported by The Herald Journal of Logan, Utah. “I felt bad. I felt like I was in trouble. Then I kind of celebrated.”
Fans weren’t celebrating the ensuing 45-minute delay, exacerbated by the accidental shattering of the first replacement backboard as Spectrum crew members were affixing the shot clock. A third goal — otherwise used for practice — was wheeled into place, with the shot clock positioned on the floor. Though a bit wobbly, the goal endured, as did the 25th-ranked Aggies, who routed their NAIA visitors, 100-66.
Because Wesley wasn’t hanging on the rim when the first backboard shattered, USU coach Stew Morrill theorized that the equipment was destined to break at some point. “I’ve never had a backboard broken in 25 years as a head coach,” Morrill said, “let alone two.”
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Thursday, February 17, 2011
USC Circulates New Sports Agent Policy
The University of Southern California athletics compliance office has e-mailed to USC students and staff details of a new policy regarding contact with sports agents.
The four-page memo, sent to some 40,000 addresses Tuesday, requires advance notification from all students, staff and third parties about any involvement with a sports agent prior to any interaction with student-athletes on USC’s campus, according to Pedro Moura, a USC student who covers Trojan athletics for ESPN Los Angeles. Disclosure must come from a student at the time of enrollment or from a staff member upon being hired. The policy goes further to require notice within 24 hours of an individual founding a sports agency or becoming involved with one, as well as knowledge that an immediate relative who is a sports agent is going to visit the USC campus.
The memo, drafted by university provost Elizabeth Garrett and senior vice president for administration Todd Dickey, explicitly references student agents. In November, Teague Egan, an undergraduate student registered with the NFL Players’ Association as a sports agent, gave freshman tailback Dillon Baxter a ride in a golf cart. Baxter was fined $5 and suspended for one game.
“The university is committed to preventing any actions that a student or other party may take that threatens the NCAA eligibility of our student-athletes or the ability of our institution to remain in compliance with NCAA rules,” Garrett and Dickey wrote. “In particular, we are committed to protecting our student-athletes from any contact, communication or conduct with individuals who seek to inappropriately contact or represent student-athletes before their eligibility is exhausted or voluntarily terminated.”
A week earlier, USC had hosted an invitation-only agent-awareness summit.
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Blog: Can Sports Kill You?
I have practiced sports law for almost 20 years. I thought I had seen it all, but that was until I was asked by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help chair a task force designed to reduce workplace injuries NAICS Sector 71, which includes Arts, Entertainment and Recreation. Nestled within this large sector are people who work in all professional sports and sports facilities. In total, there are 1,928,740 employees in the sector, including (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics) 12,450 athletes, 36,710 coaches and scouts, 29,900 life guards and ski patrollers, 42,290 usher/ticket takers, 158,560 fitness and aerobic instructors, 25,640 recreation workers, and so on.
I thought I worked in a relatively safe industry. Boy, was I wrong. In 2008, there were a total of 229 workplace-related deaths in Sector 71. Forty of those deaths were in the category of performing arts/spectator sports. While you might assume that younger, inexperienced workers would make more mistakes and would be more likely to die as a result of them, the 45-54 and 55-64 age ranges had the most and second-most deaths.
People die in various ways, but the most common cause of death is transportation-related accidents. Examples include: a boss sending a worker on an errand and they get into an accident; a broadcast truck gets in an accident on the way to broadcast a game; a truck driver transporting sporting goods gets into an accident. A total of 81 deaths in our sector were attributable to transportation in 2008.
While being struck by or against an object would seem to be a frequent cause of death, it is not the second most common cause of death in our sector. That title would go to workplace violence and assaults. In the performing arts/spectator sports area, there were 14 assaults leading to deaths in 2008. Drowning was the cause of six deaths in the amusement/gambling area.
Some managers might think that these deaths only happen to the grunt workers. In the Arts, Entertainment and Recreation category, there were eight managers who passed away in 2008. The most common occupation? Those working in media (25 deaths in 2008). These individuals might have included reporters traveling to cover a story. There also were 20 grounds maintenance staffers who died.
The real danger is in injuries suffered on the job; injuries in the sports industry occurred at a much more frequent rate in 2008 than private industry as a whole (113.3 injuries per 1,000 workers). Spectator sports employes’ incident rate was 163.4, more than 44 percent higher than the norm, the golf facilities rate was high (138.2), and the rate for skiing facilities was an astronomical 320.7, 183 percent higher than the norm.
The most common injuries are often strains or sprains. However, some locations have much higher injury rates based on the type of job. Golf courses, for example, had 95 percent more cuts, 195.5 percent more machine-related injuries and 58.3 percent more injuries associated with chemical and hazardous material exposure. Skiing facility workers suffered many sprains and strains (257.3 percent higher than private industry in general) and fractures (341.5 percent higher).
But one of the shocking figures was the number of injuries associated with violence. The sports industry had a rate 216.6 percent higher in 2008 than in private industry. That number was not a fluke, and the numbers for the past several years have shown a steady growth in violence-related injuries.
These figures show the industry needs to do more to protect its employees. What can a sports industry professional do?
1) Be vigilant and look for hazards in the workplace
2) Take workplace violence seriously, take steps to minimize the potential, and train employees how to respond in violent or potentially violent situations
3) Provide employees with appropriate training so they know how to use their equipment
4) Track workplace injuries and return-to-work programs
5) Bring in a workplace hygienist to help evaluate the workplace for safety issues
To this list, I’d add that a good place to start is the National Occupational Research Agenda, sponsored by the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The group tracks industry injuries and provides information through symposia and publications. The group’s goal is to reduce arts, sports and recreation employees’ injury rates by 30 percent.
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Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Blog: Why Have Health and Fitness Standards If Courts Won’t Recognize Them?
In 1992, the American College of Sports Medicine published the first edition of ACSM’s Health/Fitness Facilities Standards and Guidelines. In many ways, it was an ambitious undertaking and one that some industry observers felt was too much, too soon. One major criticism arose over the possibility that the book would serve as a ready source of written requirements to be applied as a standard of care to evaluate conduct in particular legal cases where negligence was alleged. Therefore, the second edition (published in 1997) noted that the book “represent[ed] a nationally derived consensus statement concerning the standards” set forth in the book’s first chapter, and guidelines that “should not be deemed to be all-inclusive in their treatment of various areas of concern, nor should they be considered to be exclusive of other methods or modalities of service rendition.”
The second edition’s notice, that “the ultimate responsibility for development and application of services and procedures lies with the facility providing services,” was further redrafted in a third edition (published in 2007) by a “Notice and Disclaimer” that indicated the publication should not be used to set a legal standard of care. The disclaimer read in part:
“These standards are not intended to give rise to duty of care or to establish a standard of care; rather, they are performance criteria derived from a consensus of ACSM leaders. … Such guidelines are not standards, nor are they applicable in every situation or circumstance; rather, they are illustrative tools that ACSM believes should be considered by health and fitness operators.”
Despite the notice’s inclusion (and a certain amount of controversy surrounding its inclusion), a number of expert witnesses and lawyers began to refer to the book as evidence of the standard of care in cases where it has been alleged that negligence took place. However, in one such case from 2009 (Bloom v. ProMaxima Mfg. Co.), a federal court in New York ruled that the preface to the publication prevented its use for evidentiary purposes, since by its own terms it was not a standard of care. That case is sure to create further controversy and uncertainty in the industry, unless the matter can be resolved.
As ACSM works to complete the book’s fourth edition, to be published this year, it is worth asking the question: If the ACSM standards are not standards of care, what’s the point of having such a publication at all?
Undoubtedly, ACSM’s publication was developed to help protect the public and improve certain practices of the fitness profession. One could hypothesize that the standards could still be used to serve one or more of the following non-judicial purposes: 1) To serve as non-binding recommendations for the delivery of health and fitness services by professionals and the facilities in which such services are provided; and 2) To serve as an outline for the accreditation of health and fitness facilities. However, if the Bloom court’s decision is adopted in other jurisdictions, which could be likely, the use of these otherwise respected standards to encourage the betterment of the industry may be in jeopardy.
If ACSM is to truly have a definitive and positive impact on the fitness industry, the notice provision of the third edition needs to change in the fourth edition. The statement needs to evolve by the creation of a standard that is truly reflective of what services need to be delivered that can be used for 1) guidance of professionals in the provision of safe and appropriate service; 2) potential accreditation of fitness facilities; and 3) application in judicial proceedings through expert witnesses to guide the court system in determining what particular standards of care may be legal requirements for fitness professionals and the facilities in which they provide service. Anything less seems to negate the standing, reputation and esteem of the ACSM and its member professionals who seem truly intent on moving the industry forward in an effort to protect the public.
Moreover, the practices of some within the industry will not improve without having a clear and well-defined prefatory notice that recognizes the need to provide proper care in such facilities or face the consequences of not doing so.
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Worship for College Hockey's 'Cathedrals'
Sports Illustrated once called the Dane County Coliseum — the off-campus cookie-cutter arena where the University of Wisconsin once skated — “the Montreal Forum of college hockey.” That was 30 years ago. Today, college hockey's stature has ascended to the point where The Wall Street Journal recently described certain home arenas as “the cathedrals of sports,” while categorizing their individual claims to fame.
The Kohl Center, the on-campus venue where Wisconsin currently plays, gets the WSJ nod as “most intimidating” on the strength of the Badgers' perennial perch atop the national attendance rankings. Doubling as a basketball arena (something the Coliseum was rarely called on to do), the Kohl Center is also characterized by WSJ writers Darren Everson and Hannah Karp as “a bit soulless."
But big, intimidating crowds aren’t to be confused with the “best crowd,” found inside the University of Michigan’s Yost Ice Arena, which at 6,600 seats is less than half the size of Wisconsin’s building and even boasts a skate-rental window that makes Yost "feel like a community rink," according to the authors. For “most opulent,” look no further than the University of North Dakota. With its marble floors underfoot and chandeliers overhead, the Ralph Engelstad Arena lobby has hosted a dozen wedding receptions annually since the building opened in 2001.
Minnesota-Duluth’s new Amsoil Arena took “best local flavor” honors for its use of indigenous taconite rock on bar tops located within the fireplace-warmed Bulldog Lounge, which also features walls inlaid with Minnesota stone and decorative wood panels salvaged from old grain elevators. If you want really old, check out Northeastern’s Matthews Arena, the original home of one of the NHL’s original six — the Boston Bruins. Opened in 1910, the arena is older by two years than Fenway Park. This earned Matthews “best history” on the WJS list.
AB readers will be particularly interested to know that “best design” honors went to Yale’s Ingalls Rink, also known as the “Yale Whale” for its distinctive humpback roof. The most coveted viewing area within the 3,500-seat arena is a standing-room ramp that encircles the playing surface.
Other mentions included the University of Maine’s Alfond Arena (“best atmosphere”), New Hampshire’s Whittemore Center (“best ice”), Princeton’s Hobey Baker Rink (“least lively”) and Minnesota’s Mariucci Arena (“most sober”), based on the removal of alcohol (for the time being, anyway) from the building’s VIP areas.
If these venues represent sport's cathedrals, Michigan Stadium — which welcomed nearly a season’s worth Yost Arena attendance to one Wolverine hockey game last December — must be college hockey's St. Peter’s Square. We await the authors’ anointing of the best college football stadiums (three and counting) that have doubled as outdoor hockey rinks.
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Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Blog: Frank Repercussions in Hot Dog Toss Lawsuit
Last week, MLB’s Kansas City Royals lost a motion for summary judgment in John Coomer v. Kansas City Royals Baseball Corporation, a well-publicized lawsuit arising out of the antics of the team’s mascot, Sluggerrr. Coomer claimed that he was seriously injured when Sluggerrr, perhaps discharging his mascot duties with too much zeal and “hot-dogging” for the fans, hit him in the eye with a hot dog thrown during the popular “Hot Dog Toss” promotion.
Coomer’s lawsuit asserted one count of negligence and one count of battery against the Royals. The Royals argued, in part, that implied assumption of risk was a complete bar to the lawsuit.
There seemed to be little dispute that the risk of being struck by an errant object (even a tossed hot dog) was a well-known or incidental risk associated with a professional baseball game, of which Coomer was aware and to which he consented. However, Coomer argued that the Royals, by and through its employee Sluggerrr, failed to exercise reasonable care in throwing hot dogs into the stadium seating area due to the manner in which the Hot Dog Toss was performed. Sluggerrr allegedly did not throw the hot dog in an arc high into the stands. Rather, he projected the hot dog directly into Coomer, who was seated only a few feet away. Coomer successfully argued that the Royals’ purported failure to supervise and train Sluggerrr regarding the proper method to toss a hot dog into the stands caused his injuries, and was not the sort of risk he assumed when he attended the baseball game. (The Circuit Court of Jackson County, Mo., dismissed the battery claim, because although the toss may have been negligent, there was no evidence that Sluggerrr, or anyone on behalf of the Royals, intended to harm Coomer.)
Interestingly, the court’s decision indicated that the Hot Dog Toss is one of the inherent, common risks of injury associated with a baseball game that a spectator may assume. This may be the first time a court has held that such a promotional activity presents a similar risk of injury at a baseball game as an errant baseball or bat does. So, although the Royals lost this motion, the court’s decision in Coomer may open the door for other teams and venues to argue that spectators injured by flying hot dogs and T-shirts (if the tosses are performed with due care) assume the risk of injury and cannot sue. This is certainly a result that teams and venues can relish.
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Monday, February 14, 2011
Steroid Testing in Texas Could End; New Education Program Debuts
With steroid-testing in Texas on the brink of elimination for tens of
thousands of Texas high school student-athletes, news came late last
week that the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation has partnered with the
Texas-based Taylor Hooton Foundation
for a comprehensive education program in the Arlington
Independent School District. The program will educate middle and high
school students on the dangers of anabolic steroids and other
performance-enhancing drugs. According to Rangers managing partner and
CEO Chuck Greenberg, the program will include presentations at every
Arlington ISD middle and high school. (No word yet on whether the
program will reach out to other districts in the state.)
"School assemblies are an effective way to make sure that everyone gets the message of how dangerous steroids are," reports Without The Juice,
a parent-run website promoting the dangers of using
performance-enhancing drugs. "Surprisingly, the fastest-growing groups
of steroid users are young girls and non-athletes.
Thus, steroids aren’t always used to enhance performance, but appearance. This added motivation to take steroids makes it all the more
important that kids learn to resist peer pressure."
"Anabolic steroid use continues to be a growing problem among our
nation's youth," says Don Hooton, president of the Hooton Foundation — a
non-profit corporation formed in memory of Taylor E. Hooton, a high
school student-athlete from Plano, Texas, who took his own life at age
17 in 2003 as a result of anabolic steroid use. "The most powerful
weapon that we have to fight this battle is education."
Before long, it might be the only way to fight that battle. Back in 2008, Texas
became the third state in the country to randomly test 700,000 high
school student-athletes, setting up a massive $6 million program. After
the first 50,000 tests yielded fewer than two dozen confirmed cases, the
program's budget was slashed to $2 million in 2009. The budget for
2010-11 is reportedly $750,000, and a total of 4,560 athletes were
scheduled to be tested this academic year, compared with 35,077 in
2008-09.
But now, with Texas facing a projected $15 million buget shortfall, an
early House budget draft has eliminated all funding for the
steroid-testing program, in which the cost can exceed $100 per test; a
Senate draft still includes money for testing. New Jersey and Illinois have similar programs in place, but Florida discontinued its efforts in 2009.
Supporters of the testing, including Hooton, say the program acts as a
deterrent and that eliminating it would only encourage steroid use.
“It’s like a school district that has a serious gun violence problem and
puts up metal detectors,” Hooton — who favors a smaller-scale program
that would target sports most likely to breed PED users — told the Associated Press.
“When gun violence goes down, they say ‘Well, that’s a waste of money,
let’s take the metal detectors away because we don’t have a problem
anymore.’ ”
Jeff Horn, principal at Green Valley High in Henderson, Nev., calls the
Texas Legislature's funding excuse a "cop out." Green Valley started
Nevada’s first public school drug-testing program in 2008 and hasn’t had
a positive test yet for steroids. But that won't stop him from
continuing the program after federal grant money runs out this year, he told the AP. “It’s not about athletics anymore,” Horn said. “It’s about saving lives.”
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Sunday, February 13, 2011
Blog: One Member’s Angry Outburst Isn’t the Last Word
At a staff meeting a few months ago, we spent several minutes reading the positive feedback we had received in many of our new member surveys. We enjoyed sharing the comments about our “wonderful” staff, “friendly” environment and the impact we were having on people’s lives. We wanted to remind our staff that while we spend a lot of time and energy dealing with problems – both real and perceived – the reality is that we have a pretty nice business with pretty nice members who appreciate what we do. Sometimes, we’re even lucky enough to have someone remind us.
Last week started with a member cursing in our lobby. He was irrationally angry about an aquatics fitness class that interfered with his morning swim. With kids nearby, he used inappropriate words to describe our older members who were taking the class. One of our most experienced staff members, Paul, handled the situation well. Paul aggressively calmed the member down, took him aside and emphasized that such behavior and language were inappropriate. Paul showed the member our monthly pool calendar, which we created based on member feedback. When none of that helped and the member kept carrying on, Paul resisted the urge to both a) revoke his membership (which we would have supported) and b) pummel him.
Rob then had the pleasure of calling this fellow. The member acknowledged his behavior was inappropriate and that he likely owed Paul an apology. Rob explained that the pool was occasionally — though rarely — unavailable for lap swimming and that’s why we publish a schedule. He suggested that one one-hour class, held two days per week, was an inconvenience to our lap swimmers that seemed less than egregious when the pool is available 16 other hours per day. The member grudgingly accepted this reality, and we practiced our deep breathing.
Which brings us to the end of last week. An older gentleman checked in with a big smile on his face. It was his first visit with us; he had joined the day before, and “the young man who I spoke with was so nice!” (That was Paul, too.) We chatted for a few minutes. Had he set up his initial appointments? Did he need any help?
He was on the schedule for a full fitness evaluation and initial workout next week, but could we get him started on the treadmill? That’s all he wanted to do. He had forgotten his headphones for the TV, but that was OK. He’d bring them next time. He had an elegant accent that made everything he said sound even nicer. He didn’t stop smiling.
When he was done with his brief session on the treadmill, he stayed to chat. He’d been unemployed for 17 months and hoped to get a job soon. He had seen our ad in his community newspaper (nice to know that someone joined because of that ad), and he came in because he wanted to do more than his daily walks. He couldn’t believe how nice everyone was at our gym, and he was looking forward to coming back again soon.
What an enjoyable way to end the week! It was the same little reminder that we had given to our staff. Our staff is nice. We do help people. The “squeaky wheels” do cause us to lose focus on the people who appreciate what we do and how we do it. We do make a difference.
We’ll enjoy that feeling…until the cursing starts again.
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Thursday, February 10, 2011
Blog: Reaching Out to Potential Wheelchair Athletes
Several years ago, I had the pleasure of covering a wheelchair bocce event in the Little Italy section of Baltimore. The afternoon was nothing short of phenomenal. Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks has an excellent advocate for wheelchair sports named Mike Naugle, who is the city's program coordinator for therapeutic recreation. A Paralympian, Mike has worked hard to establish athletic programs for individuals with physical challenges. He's forever thinking outside the box, seeking new and interesting opportunities.
Watching athletes in wheelchairs roll bocce balls alongside their able-bodied counterparts, and hearing the running banter between the two groups, I realized that plenty of opportunities exist for us to create events where people with various challenges can try new sports. I'm not talking about high-level competitions, but about good old recreation. It increases the use of your facilities, but far more important, it increases quality of life.
Tennis, racing and basketball are well-known examples of sports that have been adapted for wheelchair users, but there are potentially plenty of others. In Little Italy, it was wheelchair bocce, something that came about because someone was willing to make it happen. What can you think of? Whiffleball? Disc golf? Broomball? The opportunities are out there.
Want to reach out to potential wheelchair athletes? Contact V.A., rehab and Shriners hospitals, physical or occupational therapists, neurologists, wheelchair dealers, medical supply dealers, disabled sports groups, schools (all levels, from elementary schools to colleges), home-school parent groups, amputee centers and more. Since patient privacy is a concern for many organizations, see if they'll pass along a flyer, or if you can post a message to any e-list they might have. If you can get a local reporter interested in the story (as I was), your chances of finding players are even better.
Oh, and one other thing: When you hold your event, make sure you have plenty of handicap-accessible seating. These events tend to draw spectators who require it. Fully welcome and accommodate the needs of spectators, and they might come back as athletes next time.
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Tuesday, February 08, 2011
USC to Host 'Agent Awareness' Summit
The University of Southern California today will host an invitation-only “Agent Awareness, Education and Eligibility Summit” to address the challenges faced by schools, student-athletes and coaches when dealing with agents.
Representatives of the NCAA, the NFL, the NFL Players Association, and the Pac-10 and Southeastern conferences, as well as athletic directors from every Pac-10 school and several prominent agents, are expected to attend.
According to The Orange County Register, the event is being presented by the USC Professional Sports Counseling Panel, a USC athletic department program that provides information, learning opportunities and services to Trojan student-athletes interested in pursuing professional athletic careers.
Last month, USC presented its appeal to the NCAA Committee on Infractions Appeals regarding a case involving former Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush, who received roughly $300,000 in extra benefits through sports marketing agents. The Trojans banned themselves from the 2010 basketball postseason over extra-benefits violations involving player O.J. Mayo, and running back Dillon Baxter was suspended for one game during the 2010 football season after accepting an agent’s offer for a ride in a golf cart.
Last week, USC athletic director Pat Haden and vice president of athletic compliance David Baxter warned Trojan athletes via e-mail not to attend a Super Bowl party organized by former USC football players, one of whom has ties to an entertainment company owned by Teague Egan, the agent involved in the Baxter case, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Obviously, the issue of college student-athletes dealing with agents is a hot-button topic,” Haden said in a statement released Monday. “We at USC know that first hand. We decided to organize this summit so that all of us at USC can pick the brains of our peers throughout the Pac-10 and also hear from those on the firing lines at the NCAA and Pac-10, at the NFL and within the agent community. Our goal is to gain valuable input in this area as we move forward here at USC, and also to provide a constructive dialogue and exchange of ideas between all of the participants.”
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Settlements in Copyright, Consumer Law Cases
The National Swimming Pool Foundation® last week received settlement payments totaling $168,000 to resolve a copyright infringement lawsuit against the State of Nebraska and health departments of the Central District of Nebraska, Lincoln/Lancaster County and Douglas County. The departments were alleged to have lifted NSPF educational materials published between 1983 and 2007.
NSPF has announced an amnesty program to other health departments that may be improperly using NSPF materials. Departments that contact susan.wichmann@nspf.org prior to May 31 will not face legal action from the 501(c)(3) nonprofit. “The departments must agree to cease and desist from using NSPF materials and to work in good faith with NSPF to offer training consistent with the standard of care in our field,” says Tom Lachocki, CEO of the NSPF.
In California, meanwhile, a $10,000 settlement has been reached between a San Diego boxing club and a group of U.S. Navy personnel who claimed they had been improperly charged membership dues. The plaintiffs had signed contracts with City Boxing with the understanding that they could either freeze their memberships or cancel them if they were deployed, but the club ultimately refused to stop billing them each month or refund the unused portion of their dues.
Under the terms of the judgment, former clients of City Boxing can request refunds for memberships canceled within the past four years by contacting the San Diego City Attorney's office at (619) 533-5600.
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Carbon Monoxide Scares Shut Down Two Ice Rinks
An ice rink in Gunnison, Colo., remains closed after carbon monoxide poisoning sent dozens of people to the hospital over the weekend, while another rink, in Exeter, N.H., recently reopened after a carbon monoxide scare.
More than 80 people at a youth hockey tournament at Jorgenson Park Ice Rink in Gunnison were treated for varying degrees of carbon monoxide poisoning Sunday. Gunnison Fire Marshal Dennis Spritzer told local television station KMGH that officials were looking at a possible mechanical failure in the air exchange system as the potential cause. "There may have been a problem with a damper," Spritzer said Monday. "We're still trying to isolate the cause."
The news station's website provides a harrowing account of one team's reaction to the gas:
"As soon as you walked in, you got a headache," said Susie Streeter, team manager of the Colorado Junior Eagles. Her team arrived at the rink Saturday night. The girls played a game Sunday at 9:30 a.m. They had a second game at 12:30 p.m.
"We could kind of smell gas around the rink, especially in the locker room, the whole time we were there," Streeter said. "We asked a couple people, and they said that was normal."
Streeter said, during a break between the second and third periods of the afternoon game, some of the players laid down on the ice. "I could see that something was wrong, so I went over to the bench and several of them said they were going to throw up," Streeter said. "I thought they were dehydrated. I gave them Gatorade."
"The coach kept asking the referee what was going on," Streeter said. "The referee actually told the girls, the gas is good for your brain."
"None of us felt very good," said Lauren Johnson, one of the players. "After the game, I went into the locker room and, like, blacked out."
A total of 61 victims were treated at a local hospital, fire officials said, and two of them — including Johnson of the Junior Eagles — were airlifted to a Denver hospital and treated in a hyperbaric chamber to restore oxygen levels and reduce carbon monoxide as quickly as possible. Both patients were expected to recover. Other victims also sought their own treatment.
A week earlier, The Rinks at Exeter canceled events when three people reportedly suffered symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning after attending a high school game on Jan. 29. Exeter Fire Chief Brian Comeau told The Union Leader that a carbon monoxide buildup was caused by a mechanical failure inside the building's heating and ventilation system, The air-handling unit that removes fumes malfunctioned, creating high levels of carbon monoxide throughout the facility, which houses twin ice rinks. Comeau didn't know when the failure occurred, but said he didn't think it had been broken "for very long."
The rink, which reopened last week, has a carbon monoxide monitoring mechanism attached to the heating and ventilation system, but it wasn't working because of the malfunction, Comeau said, and a standalone carbon monoxide alarm separate from the heating and ventilation system is not required, he added.
Likewise, the Jorgenson Park Ice Rink in Colorado is not required by law to have a carbon monoxide detector. But Spritzer said that detectors will now be installed at the rink and "tied in to the fire alarm system." The facility remains closed until the cause of the leak has been determined and the problem is fixed.
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Sunday, February 06, 2011
Blog: Do You Have a Snow-Day Plan?
Everyone likes to think that they are, or their business is, great at something. Maybe you feel like you are great at marketing. Maybe you have a world-class sales team, or your trainers are the best in the business.
We’re great — great — at managing snow days.
It’s a skill that has never been as important as it has this season. We have lost track of the number of times we have canceled classes, closed early, opened late…and it’s still early February.
We know that some health clubs stay open no matter what, but we choose not to do so. The safety of our staff is most important; we don’t want them on the roads unless we think it’s safe. We also have to manage a very tricky situation in our main club’s parking lot, which consists of three small parking areas, several connecting roads and several changes in elevation. If we don’t keep the lot empty and clear it fast, it can negatively impact members and their safety for days or weeks. Additionally, there is the real economic impact of staying open. Is it worth it for just a handful of diehards?
Here’s our routine:
T Minus Two Days: We study accuweather.com and weather.com, comparing and contrasting each forecast with those of several local TV stations. By doing so, we likely could offer better weather bulletins than the pros. We make sure our managers know what’s coming.
T Minus One Day: The forecasts get pretty accurate 24 hours out. We talk with and text each other frequently to see what the latest predictions are, focusing primarily on when the snow is supposed to start, when it should be at its worst, and when it will stop.
The Morning Ritual: By 4 or 5 a.m., we are on the phone and texting or talking to our managers. Can we get our clubs open on time? Should we? If we need to delay, for how long? Is the storm going to end soon enough that we can get cleaned up and open by 10 a.m.? If not, the next key target is 2 p.m., since that's when our second shift begins. If we can't make 2 p.m., the day is likely shot.
We also have our group fitness director in close communication regarding morning classes. Our earliest classes cancel automatically with any school delays, but we use discretion with later classes. If we cancel morning classes, that automatically cancels childcare. Our thinking, again, goes to our staff. It’s one thing to bring in a staff person at 6 am and ask him or her to work until 2 p.m., but to bring in a group fitness instructor for 60 or 90 minutes when few members, if any, will show up is not particularly good for morale or our finances.
In fact, we played this very well recently when a storm was over by 4 a.m. School was canceled, but we had plenty of time to prepare the parking lot for our 9 a.m. and later classes, so we kept our classes on. Most members didn’t come, but they certainly could have, which was important to us since we had been forced to cancel many morning classes.
Once we’ve made our decisions, the communication starts — we use a text messaging system to reach our members, as well as Facebook and Twitter. If the club opens late (or closes early) we change the outgoing voicemail messages. Our goal is to reach as many members as possible to prevent the unhappy circumstance of someone fighting a storm only to find we’re closed. Not surprisingly, that tends to happen only once to a member, after which they subscribe to our text alert system or call in advance.
Our members know that we manage these situations closely, and we communicate early and often. We’re really good at it. We just wish we didn’t have to be.
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11:36 AM
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Friday, February 04, 2011
For Alabama Cheerleaders, Victory Without the Spoils
When David McDowell was at the University of Kentucky, cheerleading national championships were a virtual given, as were the championship rings that came with them. He has five Universal Cheerleaders Association rings from his days in Lexington — two earned as a UK cheerleader (in 2001 and 2002), and three more as an assistant coach.
Now, in his fourth year as the head of the University of Alabama cheerleading program, McDowell avenged back-to-back second-place finishes to Kentucky when Alabama defeated his alma mater at the UCA championships last month. “It was awesome,” McDowell says. “Alabama has always been so close. Personally, I was just excited as all get out.”
But alas, the Tuscaloosa News this week reported the University of Alabama’s policy against the awarding of rings to teams that win championships in competitions not sanctioned by the NCAA. Ironically, the event was held at the Jostens Center at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla. Jostens is a leading manufacturer of class and custom rings.
The Alabama policy is the latest anecdotal evidence among naysayers that cheerleading isn’t a sport, despite the efforts of some schools to raise the activity (or something similar) to varsity status. Last year, a U.S. judge ruled that Quinnipiac University could not apply competitive cheer numbers toward Title IX athletics compliance.
For Alabama’s team — a true cheerleading squad that provides sideline support for the Crimson Tide football, men’s and women’s basketball, gymnastics and volleyball programs — the ring was the thing. “In all honesty, it was one of the ways that they were motivated this year,” McDowell says. “Seeing the Kentucky rings over the years, they used that throughout the whole year of practice as motivation. ‘Hey, we want one of those.’ ”
Team members can still purchase their own rings (which may cost between $250 and $500 apiece, according to McDowell), but they must first clear any intended use of Alabama’s script “A” logo with the school’s trademark and licensing department — just as any club sports team would.
While McDowell admits that seeing his squad members become victors without the spoils was upsetting, he adds, “They’re kind of moving past that now. I’m like, ‘Guys, we still won. We don’t have the ring, but we still have a national championship. We still took down Kentucky.’ Holding onto that kind of rejuvenates them.”
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10:25 AM
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Packers Brace for Cold Showers at Cowboys Stadium
Champagne showers come with a Super Bowl championship. Cold showers come with the home locker room at Cowboys Stadium, host site of Super Bowl XLV.
Green Bay Packers players, who will occupy that locker room Sunday when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers, were made aware of potential hot water shortages this week. Jason Witten, the Cowboys’ All-Pro tight end, gave warning Thursday that the showers can get “a little chilly.”
The news blindsided several Packers, including linebacker A.J. Hawk, who had asked former Ohio State teammate (and former Cowboy) Bobby Carpenter about the facilities, but heard nothing about cold showers. “Wow, that puts a damper on the day,” Green Bay right tackle Bryan Bulaga told Todd Archer, of ESPN Dallas. “Cold water? I'm just saying, how much did that stadium cost: $1.2 billion? Get a hot water tank. It should be the size of a room.”
When asked if somebody should say something to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Witten said, “Heck no. You don’t say anything to Jerry. Win some more games, then maybe.”
The Cowboys went a disappointing 6-10 this season.
Said Dallas defensive lineman Jay Ratliff, “With the season we had, I’d have turned off the hot water, too.”
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Posted At
9:02 AM
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Blog: Winning with Fitness Bingo
Like a lot of people who get a charge out of a good deal, I shop on Freecycle, which is an online community through which people can give away what they don't need, and find what they do want, free.
But now it's February, and I've been noticing a distressing trend of listings like:
OFFER: Yoga mat, blocks and strap.
OFFER: Free weights.
OFFER: Exercise DVDs.
No doubt these are New Year's resolutions that didn't stick because they didn't turn out to be much fun, or because people got bored. That's what's usually missing: Fitness has to be interesting, it has to be challenging, and it has to be rewarding. It has to be fun.
My gym combats the resolution dropout phenomenon with a program called Fitness Bingo. Each member who signs up gets a bingo card. In each square is printed something like "Try racquetball or squash" or "Use the rower for 20 minutes" or "Try a water workout class."
Every time people try a new activity, they get that block of their card stamped. Get a certain number of blocks stamped and you win a T-shirt. Get all the blocks stamped and you're entered to win prizes. People love it. I love it. In fact, it was this program that turned me on to the rower and the stair climber.
I’m wondering why colleges don’t do this to try to increase the number of users of their wellness centers and help students keep off the weight. It would get new users in the door, and introduce them to the activities and facilities available and the fun they can have. The "Freshman Ten" might not stand a chance.
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Posted At
8:47 AM
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Thursday, February 03, 2011
Louisiana Referees Head Back to Work
Louisiana high school sports officials will be back to calling games tonight. Basketball referees protesting the lack of a pay increase walked off the court Monday, forcing the cancellation of some 80 contests statewide. But a promise Wednesday from the Louisiana High School Athletic Association to revisit a rejected raise was enough to sway most of them to return. (As of Wednesday night, members of one officials association were still holding out, according to media reports.)
The decision came after an emergency meeting of the heads of the state’s 14 officials associations, principals representing those associations and members of the LHSAA staff and executive committee. The walkout occurred after principals voted down a pay hike requested by officials at the Louisiana High Athletic Association’s annual meeting last week. The raises would have affected football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer and wrestling officials.
According to Bryan
Greenwood, president of the Louisiana High School Officials Association, officials in Louisiana are paid in the lower 35 percent of all officials in the United States. “Out intent was never to hurt the integrity of the game,” Greenwood told the Bastrop Daily Enterprise. “We made our stand. We were never going to sacrifice anyone’s season.”
Principals say tight budgets are one reason why officials were denied raises, but at least one thinks the officials effectively made their point. “The statement that was made by the officials walking out, ... that might have changed quite a few minds,” Kenneth Delcambre, principal of South Terrebonne High School in Bourg and president of the LHSAA executive committee, told the Associated Press. “We need to do something. I feel very positive that this can be passed.”
The LHSAA's executive committee plans to consider proposals that call for salary increases, cost-of-living increases and officiating requirements in March, according to WAFB.com. A vote on the pay increase will take place at a special meeting on June 3.
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Posted At
9:33 AM
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Blog: Jack LaLanne Told Me: 'Superman Is a Mirage'
Over the course of my career, I had the good fortune of spending time with the late Jack LaLanne. One particular encounter that stayed with me was a fortuitous bus ride to the home of Eunice and Sargent Shriver. As the journey unfolded, I found myself sitting beside him on a 45-minute commute, surrounded by a cast of celebrities and professional athletes.
With an open bar on this luxury cruiser, I noticed Jack indulging in some fine red wine. Naturally, I felt inclined to join him in enjoying the grape. As our conversation began, he seemed to sense my surprise at his choice of beverage. After I introduced myself, he proceeded to give me a message he felt I needed to hear. Somehow in this monologue, my name became "Jimmy" to him, and the method of emphasizing his points came with a backhanded fist to my chest — and he was not gentle in making these points:
1. Don't try to be Superman — be yourself. More important, be your "Superself."
2. Approval from others is not as important as approval from yourself and from your Creator.
3. Focus on making incredible attempts, not on getting incredible results.
4. Success comes from your beliefs, supporting cast and attitude.
5. There are plenty of excuses, but there is no real reason you can't exercise every day.
I thought about these words later that evening as I wandered the Shriver home, rubbing the emerging bruise on my chest. Adorned on mantles and walls were family photos as you would see in anyone’s home. These photos, however, were taken with John, Bobby and Teddy Kennedy, Peter Lawford and extended members of the Kennedy clan, including infamous father Joe Kennedy and his wife Rose. I wondered how Jack’s words related to the amazing life journey of the people in the photographs, and I sensed these lessons were embodied in each of them.
Who are you when you are at your absolute best — when you are your Superself? Do you have the courage to do what is in your heart, in spite of what others may think? Do you acknowledge yourself, and the people in your life, for making great attempts to do things that hold great meaning? What is the strength of your beliefs about yourself and your life purpose? With whom do you surround yourself, and do they inspire you? Does your attitude allow you to laugh at yourself, at circumstances, and to find a way to see the opportunities in the detour signs on the road of your life? And in the health-related businesses we all work in, I know Jack would ask, "Do you walk your talk and exercise regularly?"
Jack told me that some of his greatest lessons came when he least expected them. Years later I look back and think, Isn't it amazing what one can learn on a bus ride?
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Posted At
6:36 AM
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Tuesday, February 01, 2011
High School Refs Stage Work Stoppage in Louisiana
A pay
dispute with game officials has forced the cancellation of several high school
sporting events throughout Louisiana. Members of at least eight officials
associations pledged not to work scheduled games on Tuesday, while six others agreed
to finish the remainder of the current basketball season – although not every
official in those associations was expected to go to work.
According to media reports, the walkout occurred after principals voted down a pay
hike requested by officials at the Louisiana High Athletic Association’s annual
meeting last week. The raises would have affected football, basketball,
baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer and wrestling. An emergency meeting
between principals and officials’ representatives was slated for Wednesday.
“LHSAA rules and regulations regarding who [can] and who cannot
officiate a ballgame will remain in place and only those schools that can
secure a properly certified official can play the games,” LHSAA executive director Kenny Henderson said
in a statement. “If a tentative agreement can be worked out, then we will allow
those games to be made up at a later date by LHSAA sanctioned officials.”
A letter from LHSOA president Bryan Greenwood sent to
every high school principal in the state on Jan. 21 and posted on the association’s website states that varsity basketball officials in Louisiana
are the lowest paid in the United States, pay for football officials in the
state ranks among the lower 50 percent in the country, and Louisiana officials have
had one pay increase during the past 21 years. “As a whole, officials in Louisiana
are paid in the lower 35 percent of all officials in the United States,”
Greenwood wrote.
"Officials want more money and we want to see more improvement
before we give it to them,” one principal told a Baton Rouge newspaper. But
coaches appear to be more sympathetic. Jeremiah Williams, boys’ basketball
coach at Bossier High School in Bossier City, whose team was among those not
playing Tuesday night, supports pay raises for referees but thinks they chose a
bad time to prove a point. "They had a contract that they were supposed to
be honoring, at least for this year," Williams told KTBS.com. "If
they want a raise, I have no problem with that – I just have a problem with
the timing of this.”
Bossier girls’ basketball coach Miles Holiday also understands
the referees' position. "Uniforms cost money; gas costs money,” he
said. “We have meetings they attend; they don't get paid to go to meetings. You're
not going to break even on the sport. I mean, a pay raise every 21 years?"
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7:15 PM
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Study: Weights Help Seniors Stay Independent Longer
Adults who begin lifting weights early in life may benefit from decreased age-related muscle loss and live independently longer, according to a report published this month by the American College of Sports Medicine. The findings suggest that aging individuals should consider beginning a strength training regimen as early as possible to maximize results and delay sarcopenia, an age-related muscle deterioration that can lead to mobility disability and loss of independence for older adults.
A University of Michigan research team compiled data from 49 studies to determine that older adults gain an average of 2.42 pounds of lean body mass, primarily muscle, after strength training for approximately 20 weeks. This 2.42-pound increase counteracts the 0.4 pounds of muscle lost each year by sedentary adults over age 50. The report, titled “Influence of Resistance Exercise on Lean Body Mass in Aging Adults: A Meta-Analysis,” was published in the February issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the official scientific journal of ASCM.
“The findings of this analysis are significant, given the millions of U.S. adults affected by sarcopenia,” says Mark Peterson, lead author of the study. “Because we have identified a robust link between resistance exercise and lean body mass, future generations of seniors who incorporate this modality may be less affected by age-related muscle loss and better able to preserve independence and quality of life.”
In addition to beginning a strength training program early in life, researchers also recommend adults consider the volume, or number of sets, of their program. The analysis suggests that progression models, with gradual changes in volume and load, are appropriate to accommodate long-term growth in muscle mass.
Researchers screened more than 5,000 references for this analysis. The selected studies had an average participant age of at least 50 years, incorporated supervised, whole-body resistance training programs, and lasted at least eight weeks.
ACSM and the Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderately intense physical activity each week.
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2:16 PM
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Blog: Every Surface Offers a Level Playing Field
The Super Bowl brings people together for the great patriotic tradition of watching football, hooting at beer commercials and eating anything that gets in the way of their heads.
At some point during the game, when the commentators are trying to fill a few moments of air time and have run through their repertoire of useless trivia (the attendance numbers, the fact that it’s warmer in Texas than it is in Pittsburgh or Green Bay, and so on), they’re bound to bring up the playing surface. Specifically, this game will be played on synthetic turf, while Heinz Field is natural grass and Lambeau Field’s surface is a hybrid of both natural grass and synthetic fibers, and for a few moments, the question will be bounced back and forth as to whether this constitutes an advantage for the Packers. At least the Cowboys Stadium turf isn’t crimson or blue, otherwise we’d be hearing even more pithy observations as to what is more jarring for a visiting team.
NFL officials have long held that the surface shouldn’t have any influence on the outcome of the game. And really, it doesn’t, considering the variety of natural, synthetic and hybrid fields in use by NFL teams, both in indoor and outdoor competition and practice facilities. In fact, both the Packers and Steelers practice on synthetic turf. So, here’s my pithy observation: The team that plays better will have the advantage.
I’m reminded of the time that Dan Jansen slipped in the 500-meter speed skating event at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer. Afterward, a reporter approached Peter Mueller, Jansen’s coach, and asked whether the ice on the track oval had been too slippery. Mueller, looking irritated, snapped, “Ice is always slippery.”
With any luck, when the last of the confetti settles on Sunday, nobody will stick their heads into the silent tomb that is the locker room of the losing team and ask whether the grass on the playing field was too green, or not green enough.
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Posted At
9:44 AM
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