Kellermann-Strauss Forum » n the clock down. Jevon Carter then banke

In the wake of Canadas loss to Russia in the bronze medal game of the World Junior Hockey Championship, there have been plenty of comments made about the state of hockey player development in Canada. Brent Sutter, head coach of the Canadian team, believes that there is a skill deficit in Canada. "Theres too much focus on winning and losing at such a young age and not enough about the skill part of it and the skating part of it, because thats truly where it starts ... Id, personally, like to see more skill, more creativity, because we had to play against it here and we got beat by it some nights." In March of last year, Sutter said that he believes that the shift to year-round hockey is stunting the development of young players in Canada. "You just dont have as many players today that are as good athletes as they used to be. Too much today, especially in young players, is focused on hockey 12 months a year. They dont play soccer, they dont play baseball or tennis or the other things that people used to do." Sutters comments, while being made about the development of young hockey players, are equally applicable to the development of young soccer players in Canada. Year-round participation is trending younger and younger in all sports, including soccer, with players as young as eight now routinely chasing a ball for 12 months of the year. Parents and coaches justify this decision by pointing to research such as the "10,000 hour rule" - put forward in Malcolm Gladwells 2008 bestseller, "Outliers" - which claims that it takes 10,000 hours of "deep practice" to become an expert in a sporting discipline. The rule has come under increasing criticism, as many have pointed out that factors like genetics also play a significant role in determining an athletes career trajectory. That criticism hasnt stopped some parents, though, as they feel the only way for their child to reach the elite level of their sport is to play as much of it as they can - and the earlier the better. While practice will most definitely lead to improvement, if you are a believer in the 10,000 hour rule, it is important to understand that practicing ones sport can take many forms. Growing up, I played multiple organized sports that all had an impact on my athletic development, which in turn helped my development as a soccer player. From the ages of 7-12, I played soccer in the spring/summer and hockey in the fall/winter. I didnt know it at the time, but I was building my aerobic endurance by playing soccer and my anaerobic endurance by playing hockey. Although I stopped playing hockey when I was 13 to focus my attention on soccer, when I started high school, I played as many varsity sports as I could cram into my schedule. Volleyball helped me develop my jumping ability - something that would prove to be a major asset for me as a central defender in soccer. The athletic movements involved in spiking a volleyball are very similar to those needed to win a header in soccer; two or three steps, a two-foot takeoff, swinging the arms to gain elevation, arching the back to generate power - all of these movements take place when spiking a volleyball or heading a soccer ball. While I was having fun playing high school volleyball, I was training to become a better soccer player - without even knowing it. Basketball helped me to develop my ability to read dangerous situations. Whether playing man-to-man defence or marking zonally, basketball trains your ability to use your peripheral vision to track not only the ball, but more importantly, the opponent. I played as a forward in basketball, and learning to box out players for rebounds taught me how to be ball-side, goal-side in soccer - always in a better position than the opponent to win the ball. Badminton and squash helped me to improve on and compensate for one of my major athletic flaws - quickness. Both sports are heavily dependent on quick reactions and the first two steps. I was never quick - despite my best efforts over the years to improve that facet of my game - but I learned to compensate for that by reading the game well and anticipating what was going to happen next. Again, these skills were not solely developed on a soccer field, but rather, on badminton and squash courts when I was a teenager. Squash became such a good training tool for me that I continued to play the game right up until the day I retired as a professional footballer. The Academy Director at Ipswich Town, Bryan Klug, is an excellent squash player, and our squash games would often be more demanding than the work we did on the football pitch! So, if you are a parent of an aspiring athlete, consider letting them play other sports. Encourage them to go outside and play games with their friends. This is often where creativity and improvisation are learned, far from the eyes of demanding coaches and parents. Discount Nike Shoes Australia .com) - The Grand Slam season will get underway Monday at the Australian Open in Melbourne, where a new champion will be crowned this year. Cheap Nike Shoes Australia Online . - Hitting was supposed to be the Pittsburgh Pirates weakness coming into the season yet they lead the major leagues in home runs through the first 16 games of the season. http://www.cheapshoesaustralianike.com/. 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"It is disappointing because we lost today so thats the worst part of the day," said Valanciunas, who left Tuesdays game with a lower-back sprain in the third quarter, missing the rest of Torontos 118-113 overtime defeat at the hands of the Hawks.New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Juwan Staten scored 24 points and Devin Williams added 16, leading 22nd-ranked West Virginia to an 83-69 win over North Carolina State in the Gotham Classic on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. Jaysean Paige contributed 11 points off the bench before fouling out late in the contest for the Mountaineers (10-1), who have won three straight since their lone loss of the season, a 74-73 setback to LSU on Dec. 4. Trevor Lacey tried to keep North Carolina State close with 24 points, while Anthony Barber added 16 in defeat. The Wolfpack (9-3) committed 23 turnovers and fell to 3-3 after opening with six straight wins. North Carolina State started the second half with an 11-3 run and drew within 44-43 on a Lacey three, but a jumper by Staten was followed by a Paige steal and layup to extend the West Virginia lead back to five. Laceys tip-in with 10 1/2 minutes remaining made it a 54-53 game, but again the Mountaineers had an answer with seven straight points fueled by a Tarik Phillip triple. The Wolfpack got only as close as six from there and trailed 71-64 with four minutes remaining when Phillip made a free throw. He missed the second, but Paige came up with the offensive rebound and Jonathan Holton drilled a three to extend the West Virginia lead to 10. Another Holton triple with just over a minute remaining made it 81-67. This was really a good team win, said West Virginia coach Bob Huggins, who notched his 750th career win. North Carolina State held an 11-6 lead early, but West Virginia answered with the next seven points to move in front. It rremained tight for the next couple of minutes, but Staten scored four in a 6-0 spurt that gave West Virginia a 24-18 lead and forced an NC State timeout.dddddddddddd The Wolfpack, though, managed only four free throws over the next few minutes as West Virginia continued to pull away. A tip-in by Paige provided the Mountaineers with a 32-22 advantage, then NC State clawed within 37-32 in the final minute. Williams halted the momentum with a free throw for West Virginia and the Mountaineers came up with a steal as NC State was trying to run the clock down. Jevon Carter then banked a 3-pointer home at the buzzer to give West Virginia a 41-32 margin at the break. In the first half, their pressure bothered us, said NC State coach Mark Gottfried. We played like a young team. We had 16 turnovers. We got in a hurry. I thought their defense sped us up. We did not play with a lot of poise and that was all to their credit. They did a nice job with their pressure. I thought in the second half we settled down and played. We handled the pressure much better. Game Notes Holton and Carter each finished with eight points for West Virginia, which shot 53.4 percent and connected on 7-of-13 from beyond the arc ... North Carolina State shot 55.6 percent and made 8-of-14 from 3-point range ... The Mountaineers improved to 10-7 all-time against North Carolina State ... West Virginia next plays Monday at home against Wofford, a team that beat NC State by a 55-54 margin last week ... North Carolina State will host Louisiana Tech on Tuesday. ' ' '