TE AT H L E OUNG THE Y
FO R E D I U G ENTS’ R A P A
d i kPORTS S
N E I Z G A A M
®
BULLYING IN YOUTH SPORTS What you need to know to prevent it
Back to School PA Cyber Student Athletes Healthy Breakfasts Presented by
Fall 2013 A Publication of
NEWS
Erie Office Set to Open The six-week long, one-day-per-week workshop teaches students organizational skills, goal-setting, proper pacing, good study habits and navigating PA Cyber’s various online systems. Conti said many students across the state flock to PA Cyber’s local offices for the ArtReach programs, too. ArtReach gives students online and on-site access to workshops, classes, seminars, performances and other special presentations in In its ongoing effort to music, theatre, dance, creative increase its local presence across writing and visual arts. the commonwealth, PA Cyber is “The number of PA Cyber stupleased to announce the opening dents in the Erie area is signifiof a satellite office in Erie this cant and continues to grow,” fall. Students, prospective stuConti said, “so we are very eager dents and their families in the to provide them with easier access to on-site area will have access to a myriad of on-site administrative and enrichment services. Our tarservices nearby. get opening this fall could not be better timed, “Even though PA Cyber is an online school, as that’s right about when students will have setwe are always striving to provide our students tled into the new school year, and can then with the convenience of an on-site location begin to think about supplemental services.” where they can get in-person services related to The Erie office will be located at 2212 W. enrollment, arts and social enrichment, orienta15th St., suite 104, where PA Cyber staff will tion, and a variety of supplemental academic and extra-curricular activities,” said Dr. Michael be available to handle enrollment opportunities throughout the year. Students in the Erie area J. Conti, CEO of PA Cyber. interested in taking advantage of the services Students in the Erie area who are new to PA Cyber will be particularly interested in the Cyber offered there should continue checking www.pacyber.org and PA Cyber’s Facebook page Success Workshop, which provides students in and Twitter feeds to find out the when the grand 5th through 12th grades with tools to help opening will take place. them thrive in the cyber school environment.
Welcome
Presenting KidSports We at PA Cyber are proud to partner with KidSports Magazine to underscore our commitment to a holistic approach to education. A healthy dose of physical activity, an appreciation for individual and team athletics, and a nutritionally balanced diet not only help our children stay fit and healthy. They also go a long way toward helping them perform better academically. Technology has given us the gift to provide an innovative approach to education and allowed PA Cyber students to thrive in ways not afforded in a traditional setting. But technology has also taken a toll on the number of hours children devote to physical activity. It’s no secret that too many kids bury their noses in their video games for far more hours than is healthful. That’s why it’s so important to support efforts like those of KidsSports Magazine that—like PA Cyber— provide an education about an impressive line-
up of both organized sports and independently approached activities. In that regard, we are kindred spirits. And talk about a deep bench! Everything you read on these pages is well-researched and brings a balanced perspective. Parents, doctors, nutritionists and coaches alike contribute their expertise to articles that will help our children find their own physical activity niche. It’s no secret that the nation is beginning to embrace the importance of an active lifestyle for children, given the crucial role it plays in their long-term development and well-being. PA Cyber is proud to be a part of this worthy endeavor. We hope you, too, will become active in the cause. Warm regards, Dr. Michael J. Conti, CEO The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School
thismonth’slineup 2 Erie Office
6 Bullying in Youth Sports
3 Dr. Conti’s Welcome
8 PA Cyber Student Athletes
4 Eating Right: Healthy Breakfasts
10 Bumps & Bruises: Concussions
5 Saving Money: Back to School
11 PA Cyber Beyond the Classroom
3
eatingright
Start with a Healthy Breakfast 4. Better school attendance. Children who By Kim Crawford, PhD, RD
M
eat breakfast miss fewer days of school. Proper nutrition benefits the immune system.
5. No need to be fancy or traditional. Leftover pizza, a piece of fruit and a glass of milk. Whole wheat toast with low fat cheese. Peanut butter and an apple. A breakfast smoothie of fruit, milk and yogurt. Last night’s casserole. Tortilla with a scrambled egg and salsa.
ore Americans, especially adolescents, are skipping the most important meal of the day—breakfast. Here are some reasons 6. A slimmer waistline. Thirty percent of to include a balanced breakfast in your routine: children are either at risk for obesity or are overweight. People who eat breakfast daily are 1. Break the fast. The body burns energy durnearly 50% less likely to be overweight coming sleep, so energy sources are low when you pared to those who skip wake-up. Breakfast revs up the body for the breakfast. Individuals who rest of the day by boosting energy, keeping eateat breakfast are ing patterns even and stimulating metabolism. less likely to be hungry during 2. Optimal performance during the day. the rest of the day; Studies show that breakfast helps improve therefore, less likemental performance. Kids who eat breakfast ly to overeat. have better concentration and problem solving ability; are more active, attentive and creative; 7. Improves daily nutritional intake. and score higher on tests. They are also less Breakfast works wonders for improving the tired, irritable and restless. Bottom line: chilquality of your diet. It provides the opportunity dren who eat breakfast do better in school. to include essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals and fiber. One-third of children who don’t 3. Breakfast is the meal of champions. eat breakfast fail to meet their daily protein Without breakfast the energy tank runs low, requirement. Seventy-five percent of children making exercise and competition difficult. who skip breakfast don’t meet the recomKids who eat breakfast have more strength and mended daily allowance for calcium. endurance. A healthy sports breakfast might include: low fat yogurt, bananas, bran muffins, Take the breakfast challenge to get up a little oranges, or peanut butter and raisins. earlier, enjoy the quietness of the day, and fuel your body.
4
Savingmoney
Back to School Shopping
I
t's back to school time. Even students in the virtual classroom need supplies, so it’s also time for parents to go back to the stores – and back inside their pocketbooks and wallets. Here are some tips to save some cash during back-to-school shopping season.
LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE Make a list of what you need before you hit the shopping aisles. It sounds obvious, but be sure to look around the house to figure out what the kids still have, what they can still wear what actually needs replaced. Last year’s clothes may be too small, but perhaps their holiday or birthday gifts fit just fine. Look around for last year’s stuff – you may very well have enough pencils, papers and glue sticks. Take five minutes and look for that calculator you bought last year. Don't buy an item until you're sure you need it.
bells and whistles, or does it just need to look cute and be sturdy enough to hold books and other school items? If there is money leftover in the budget, then— and only then—should you consider the wants over the needs.
BUDGET
“PRE-LOVED” ITEMS
You've got a budget for bills and groceries; do the same thing for back-to-school purchases. Create a workable budget, include everything, and stick to it. A couple things to keep in mind: You don't need to buy everything on the list at once. You don't need to buy everything on the list at the same store. Not every item needs to be top quality. Go cheap when it makes sense to do so.
For multi-child households, this is something you should already be doing. No need to buy items over and over if you have perfectly good ones leftover from big sister's third-grade year. Go online for some alternative ideas. Check out ThredUP.com, Swap.com or Swapmamas.com.
DISCOUNTS Check out your local sales circulars, newspaper ads and TV commercials to see where the coupons and sales are happening, and go online to visit taxadmin.org/fta/rate/sales_holiday.html to see if your state is among those celebrating tax holidays this year.
REALLY? Does your kid really need an iPad? Or do they just want one? Does that backpack need all the 5
Bullying How to identify bullying and what parents can do to prevent it By Melissa Esing
C
armelina Vargo of Mars, PA, witnessed multiple bullying encounters as her children began to participate in youth sports. The poor sportsmanship extended beyond the youth athletes, however, and also included parents and volunteers, according to Vargo. Vargo is one of four local mothers that got together in March 2012 to discuss the painful bullying experiences their children have encountered. In response, the mothers united and formed an organization to combat the issue. Vargo is the founder and president of Parents for PRIDE, Neighborhoods Against Bullying. PRIDE stands for Protect, Respect, Influence, Develop and Encourage. “We protect our children, respect each other, offer positive influence to the children, help develop the proper fundamentals, and encourage teamwork,” reads the group’s mission statement.
The organization’s goal is to reduce adult and peer bullying within youth sports, while increasing awareness of the effects of bullying in communities, neighborhoods and schools nationally. Parents for PRIDE treasurer Susan Martinez has a 10-year-old daughter who plays softball in her neighborhood recreation league. Martinez didn’t personally experience any issues with bullying, but she is aware of its growing problem. “I know it’s out there, and it’s getting worse,” said Martinez. According to Parents for PRIDE, many parents’ expectations of organized youth sports are to allow children to have fun with friends, while also developing skills. Bullying, however, can have a longterm negative impact on the children involved. Experts warn of a fine line between competition and bullying, both on and off the field. “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but 6
words will never hurt me,” said University of Pittsburgh Medical Center psychologist Dr. Paul Friday. “That’s a lie.” “Bullying has little or nothing to do with anger, which a lot of people think,” said Friday, also an author and professional speaker on sports psychology. “It’s more to do with contempt. (Bullies) use four attributes of bullying to overcome or to basically display the contempt they have toward anyone that’s not like them or challenges them.” According to Friday, those four markers of bullying are imbalance of power, intent to harm, threat of further aggression, and terror. Friday said they usually present themselves in that order. While competition in sports is often viewed as healthy, if processed the wrong way it can at times lead to bullying. It’s important that parents are not only aware that bullying occurs, but that they know how to deal with it and prevent it, according to Friday. This can include keeping computers in a family area to prevent online bullying, and making sure parents are involved and engaged with their children. “It’s required to get involved,” Friday said. “Adult bystanders have an ethical obligation: to help a bully understand how destructive they are. That’s one of the hallmarks of the repair, to have bullies recognize that their behaviors are not a sign of their
strength, it’s a sign of destructiveness.” According to national anti-bullying expert Dr. Joel Haber, up to 90 percent of children have observed bullying or have been victims. Yet only one out of five children report the bullying. Haber, a criminal psychologist and author who has been featured in anti-bullying pieces in the New York Times, on ABC, CBS National News and on ESPN and NPR radio, identifies three types of bullying: physical, verbal and relational. Physical bullying consists of any type of physical harm against another person’s will. Verbal bullying is any type of verbal taunting. Relational bullying can consist of embarrassing another player or gossiping. “These types of bullying all hurt and can leave long-lasting scars for the victims,” wrote Haber. Aside from leaving lifelong negative effects on a child’s selfesteem, bullying in its most extreme cases have led to serious injury and even death. Twelve-year-old Pennsylvania boy Bailey O’Neill died after being in a medically induced coma after a playground fight. After hearing that Bailey had no brain activity, Baltimore Ravens player Ray Rice joined the fight against bullying. Rice took matters into his own hands and posted a note on Facebook. “I don’t think I will ever be able to understand why kids 7
bully each other and how we are all sitting here after yet another ‘bully death,’” Rice wrote. “I don’t know when parents, teachers, elected officials and administrators will sit up and take notice and act. “I do know this: I will not give up my fight,” Rice continued. “Every day I will continue to fight against bullying and fight for kindness.” Rice put together written testimony to support legislation designed to make cyber bullying a crime in Maryland. “Anything we can do to prevent one more child from taking their life or suffering through the pain and anguish of bullying, is the right thing to do,” he wrote. Other athletes have spoken out against bullying. Former NFL linebacker Anthony Griggs, whose son played basketball with the son of PRIDE founder Vargo, recognized abnormal behaviors while watching games and practices. “We have some coaches coaching their own sons, and sometimes their overly fatherly intentions can be a little more over the top,” said Griggs. “We can do better, and maybe we can help people do better by making them aware.” To learn more about Parents for PRIDE, contact Carmelina Vargo at: carmelina.vargo@zoominternet.net.
Athlete Profile
Student Athletes
Zoe Schweitzer: Future Olympic Gymnast? A PA Cyber student from Mars – the town, not the planet – is on track to make a very serious bid for Team USA Gymnastics in the next Olympics. Zoe Schweitzer, 12, was Pennsylvania’s allaround champion in Level 9 Junior Olympic competition this past March, then repeated as all-around champion in Region 7, earning a ticket to Junior Eastern Nationals at Battle Creek, Mich., in May. At Eastern Nationals, Zoe placed third on uneven bars and fourth on floor exercise. A fall on the balance beam denied her a place in the all-around, but her abilities impressed Kim Riley, directing manager of women's gymnastics, and Valeri Liukin, father and coach of 2008 Olympic champion Nastia Liukin. They offered her a chance to train for the Olympic developmental team, and she began in June at the USA Olympic Training Center in Colorado. Zoe’s father Bill said she is one of a half-dozen young girls in their local gymnastics club, X-Cel Gymnastics, who attend PA Cyber.
Zakki Blatt: Inspiring Golfers of All Abilities Zakki Blatt has overcome multiple physical disabilities to not only play the game of golf himself, but teach golf to other youngsters hospitalized with serious illnesses or disabilities. A PA Cyber student since 2008, Zakki fell in love with the game by watching the Golf Channel while recuperating from multiple heart surgeries for a congenital heart defect. He began golfing frequently through The First Tee of Philadelphia, a local chapter of pro golfing’s youth outreach organization. Though a stroke left Zakki with an impairment of one arm and leg, he golfs in the 90s. In 2012 Zakki was the 2012 winner of The First Tee's Achiever of the Year Award and a $15,000 scholarship that went with it. The First Tee flew him and his mother to San Francisco to receive the award. His inspirational story was featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer. This summer the Golf Channel broadcast Zakki's story in the lead-up to the 2013 U.S. Open. At age 19, Zakki is a senior this year in PA Cyber.
8
Danielle Castilio: British figure skating champion. Jack, a 2013 PA Cyber graduate, placed third in last year’s Rodeo Girl Danielle Casilio wears a cowboy hat, has a quarter horse named Jake and can rope a calf before you can count “five Danielle on Jake in Mississippi.” breakaway calf roping The Allentown area senior has been riding since age 9. She began barrel racing three years ago, then found she had a knack for breakaway calf roping, a timed event for female riders. Last year she enrolled in PA Cyber to have more time to practice and compete. Her top-four scores in a long season of rodeos across Pennsylvania this year earned Danielle a spot on the 2013 state high school rodeo team at the 65th annual National High School Rodeo Finals, held in Rock Springs, Wyo., during July. Danielle had a wonderful experience even though she didn’t place at nationals. Her dad, Cory, said Danielle is looking at colleges in the Midwest that have rodeo teams so she can compete at the intercollegiate level.
British Junior Men’s Championships. Graham, a PA Cyber sophomore, is ranked fourth in the U.S. in his age group. Their twice-daily skating practice sessions made it impossible for them to attend traditional school. Skating for Team Great Britain at the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival last February, Graham said, “My brother and I are both skaters, we have always wanted to follow in our father’s footsteps… It makes me very proud to be representing the same country as my Dad.”
Cortney Cesarini: Tennis on Scholarship
On June 22 at commencement ceremonies in Harrisburg, Cortney Cesarini walked proudly across the stage to accept Cortney Cesarini her PA Cyber diploma. Cortney had to fly home from Florida for the ceremony, because she was already in training at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, where she accepted a full athletic scholarship in tennis. With business connections in Florida, Jack & Graham her family splits time between the Newberry: Sunshine State and their home in Figure Skaters Ambler, Pa., a Philly suburb. American-born but Cortney started playing tennis at 6 with dual British citiyears old, and attended PA Cyber Brothers Jack and Graham Newberry zenship through their Charter School since seventh grade. with parents at Jack’s graduation. father, figure skaters Privately trained for six years by Nick Jack Newberry and Graham Newberry of Bollettieri, she claimed numerous tournament Hummelstown, Pa., can skate for either country titles in Florida, reached the finals in several in international amateur competition. regional events and is ranked No. 70 in the Christian Newberry, their father, is a former nation. 9
bumps
&BRUISES
By Richard Figler, MD
A Closer Look at Concussions
T
he Centers for Disease Control estimates that 1 to 3 million sports-related concussions occur each year in the United States. And growing evidence shows that many athletes and coaches have been slow to realize how serious these injuries can be.
What are concussions? Concussions are brain injuries following a traumatic event. Symptoms can vary over time and activity level making them difficult to recognize. Headache is the most common symptom. Others include dizziness, fogginess, nausea, vomiting, balance disturbance, light and sound sensitivity, and double or blurry vision. While athletes from any sport can suffer a concussion, those involved in contact and collision sports are at highest risk. Additional risk factors can add to the frequency or severity of concussions, such as: • poor fitting equipment • technique • neglect of sports rules • genetic factors • younger age • a history of previous concus-
High School Sports recommended that all high school athletes suspected of suffering a concussion be removed from competition and evaluated by a medical professional prior to returning to play. Washington State has even taken this one step further, making it a legal requirement to seek medical clearance prior to returning to action. While many athletes experience only temporarily symptoms lasting one to two weeks, some have effects lasting weeks to months. That is why it is New rules important for athletes to have a To decrease the risk of injury thorough evaluation by a physiand re-injury, many professional cian before returning to activity. and scholastic sports leagues Effective management strategies have developed recommendacan allow athletes to return to tions for concussions. competition more safely. In 2010, the National We hope these recommendaCollegiate Athletics Association tions will lead to a better undermandated that all institutions standing of the nature of these submit a concussion manageinjuries and prevent athletes ment policy. That same year, the from returning to practice or National Federation of State competition too soon. sion or cognitive impairment Athletes who suffer a concussion are more likely to suffer a second one that same season.
10
Beyond the Classroom Extending the virtual education Erika Schneider, a senior at Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, has a major interest in sports broadcasting and has taken several classes geared toward journalism, sports writing and media. Recently, Erika has also been putting her experience in the virtual classroom to work in the real world. For the past two summers, Erika has written and recorded a weekly podcast about the
Pittsburgh Pirates called “The Warning Track” for www.pittsburghsportsreport.com. The popular podcast can be downloaded every Monday during baseball season at http://www.pittsburghsportsreport.com/PSR/podcast/PSRRad ioPirates. Erika recently put her skills to use as a sports writer. Erika covered a July Pirates game against the New York
Mets at PNC Park in order to write an article for the Pittsburgh Sports Report. She viewed the game from the press box, participated in a question and answer session with Pirates general manager Neal Huntington, and attended manager Clint Hurdle’s postgame press conference. Here is an excerpt from Erika’s August article on the Pirates.
The Warning Track Pirates turn their attention to the stretch run Previously Published in the August issue of the Pittsburgh Sports Report As the team moves into the last two months of what could be their most important season in over 20 years, general manager Neal Huntington seems committed to his strategy from prior years. “We’ve got to be open-minded to anything, whether it’s a bat, whether it’s a starting pitcher, a reliever, bench help,” Huntington said as the trade deadline neared. “We’ve got to look to see how we can best help this club, and sometimes the best moves are no moves.” To finish well, the Pirates have to beat their own division. They have three series in August and September with their toughest rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, and two each with the Reds and Brewers. Both series with Cincinnati are part of a final 10-day in-division run to finish the regular season. The remaining games against St. Louis
could prove the most important, as the Pirates struggle for a playoff berth. Despite the good start, both Huntington and manager Clint Hurdle see room for improvement. “I’d say we played a really good first half of baseball. We’re pleased. We’re not satisfied,” said Hurdle. “There’s not a man among us satisfied.” Huntington looked ahead with more specific goals. “They don’t celebrate half seasons,” he said. “We want to make sure we position ourselves to celebrate a full season and hopefully some postseason.”