Internet resources for sports and fitness programming.In the June issue of Parks & Recreation we introduced a new department designed to share Internet sites of interest to professionals in the parks and recreation field. The explosion in Internet use, and the concomitant concomitant /con·com·i·tant/ (kon-kom´i-tant) accompanying; accessory; joined with another. concomitant adjective Accompanying, accessory, joined with another increase in sites, makes it difficult to locate information that is useful and timely. Our intent is to identify sites we perceive as useful to large numbers of Parks & Recreation readers. This month we explore the use of the Internet as a tool to assist in sports and fitness programs. Rossman (1995) defined a program as "a designed opportunity for a leisure experience to occur." The scope of program opportunities is limited only by the creativity and knowledge of the service provider. The focus of this article is the identification of Internet sources available to assist park and recreation professionals in expanding their repertoire of program ideas in the areas of sports and fitness. We selected these areas for two reasons: they are program components in most recreation agencies, and they are well-represented on the Internet. The sites identified were evaluated based on the criteria identified in the inaugural article in June. We selected sites for their depth of information, links to other useful sites, recency, ease of use and the expertise of the site owner. Sports And Fitness Sites There are many sites available for the sport enthusiast. These range from those dedicated to professional and collegiate col·le·giate adj. 1. Of, relating to, or held to resemble a college. 2. Of, for, or typical of college students. 3. Of or relating to a collegiate church. teams to sites targeted at the sport aficionado A Spanish word that means fan, devotee, enthusiast, etc. There are loyal aficionados of every subject in the computer field. , such as Planet Reebok Ree´bok` n. 1. (Zool.) The peele. (www.reebok.com) We did not include such sites in this article. Instead, the focus is on information with professional relevance. The National Alliance for Youth Sports (www.nays.org) The National Alliance, "America's leading advocate for healthy, positive and safe sports for children involved in out-of-school youth sports activities," provides a Home Page with links to its divisions, including the National Youth Sports Coaches Association (training and certification of volunteer youth sport coaches and officials), National Institute for Youth Sports Administration (training, education, and resources for those involved in youth sports administration), Lifetime Sports and Fitness for Youth (programs to build confidence and proficiency needed for successful sports involvement), and the National Clearinghouse for Youth Sports Information (providing a variety of information and materials about youth sport, including a free catalog catalog, descriptive list, on cards or in a book, of the contents of a library. Assurbanipal's library at Nineveh was cataloged on shelves of slate. The first known subject catalog was compiled by Callimachus at the Alexandrian Library in the 3d cent. B.C. of information). This site provides a plethora plethora /pleth·o·ra/ (pleth´ah-rah) 1. an excess of blood. 2. by extension, a red florid complexion.pletho´ric pleth·o·ra n. 1. of information for youth sport programmers. The American Sport Education Program (www.asep.com) The American Sport Education Program (ASEP) is dedicated to "working to make sport safer, more enjoyable, and valuable for children and youth." ASEP provides courses and publications for coaches and sport directors. This site includes schedules of workshops as well as information on ordering materials. In addition, information about ASEP-funded youth sport research grants can be found at this site. The site also has links to the national organizations of several sports, including softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' , volleyball volleyball, outdoor or indoor ball and net game played on a level court. An upright net, 3 ft (or 1 m) high, the top of which stands 8 ft (2.43 m) from the ground for men, 7 ft 4 1/8 in (2. , tennis, and cycling. The Amateur Sports  The of this article or section may be compromised by "weasel words".You can help Wikipedia by removing weasel words. Amateurism (from Fr. Net (www.asnsports.com) The Amateur Sports Net (ASN (1) (Autonomous System Number) A unique identifier of an autonomous system on the Internet. Of the 65 thousand ASNs available, more than 30 thousand have been assigned to ISPs and NSPs. ISPs usually have only one ASN, but NSPs may have more than one. ) identifies itself as "Your Internet Source for Amateur Sport Information." This is an interesting site that provides a free location to list information about teams and leagues that can then be accessed by participants and players. "The main purpose of ASN is to provide an effective method of distributing information to all people involved with your sport organization (team league)." The site allows agencies to list participating teams, rosters, news, scheduling news, and other information. Participants can access the site to keep updated on schedules, practice locations, and other team-related information. The site can function as a cyberspace Coined by William Gibson in his 1984 novel "Neuromancer," it is a futuristic computer network that people use by plugging their minds into it! The term now refers to the Internet or to the online or digital world in general. See Internet and virtual reality. Contrast with meatspace. substitute for the phone tree. A designated editor enters the information for each team or league and then all have access to it. This site is a wonderful location for agencies without web sites to communicate information to participants in sports programs. The World Wide Web of Sports (tns-www.lcs.mit.edu/cgi-bin/sports) This basic sports site is brought to us by the folks at the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science. It is composed entirely of links to other sport-related sites. Nevertheless, it is a comprehensive gateway to the world of sport. In addition to the expected links to specific sports, over 70, there are links to sports software information, publications related to sports, and sports information sources. There is also a program that assists the user in creating a personalized per·son·al·ize tr.v. per·son·al·ized, per·son·al·iz·ing, per·son·al·iz·es 1. To take (a general remark or characterization) in a personal manner. 2. To attribute human or personal qualities to; personify. World Wide Web of Sports page Noun 1. sports page - any page in the sports section of a newspaper page - one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains . The Virtual Resource Center for Sport Information (www.SPORTquest.com) The Virtual Resource Center for Sport Information features links to more than 14,000 sites. They claim to "be your best bet for information on Sports, Coaching, Statistics and Results, Sports Training Sports training refers to specialized strategies and methods of exercise used in various sports to develop athletes and prepare them for performing in sporting events. Sports training methods , Sport Medicine, Sport Science, and Physical Education!" The page features a search procedure, allowing the user access to links to more than 80 sites related to specific sports. In addition to the expected links to sports such as baseball, football (American, Australian and Gaelic) and soccer, the user can find links to petanque, ringette Ringette is a team sport played on an ice surface. Players wear ice skates, and use straight sticks to control a rubber ring; with the objective of the game being to score goals by shooting the ring into the opponent's net. and underwater hockey Underwater hockey (also called Octopush) is a non-contact sport in which two teams compete to maneuver a puck across the bottom of a swimming pool into goals. The British Navy invented underwater hockey in the 1950's to keep their divers fit and to improve their ability to . However, the Virtual Resource Center provides a great deal more than links to specific sports. The user will find information on what appears to be every aspect of sport. Online Sports (www.onlinesports.com) This site provides a directory of sports services and products available online. The site includes four primary sections: a free online newsletter, Online Sports, providing information about companies involved in the sport industry; a sports career center that includes a resume bank as well as job listings; a sports business center; and a site devoted to sports resources and newsgroups This is a list of newsgroups that are significant for their popularity or their position in Usenet history. As of October 2002, there are about 100,000 Usenet newsgroups, of which approximately a fifth are active. . The primary focus of this site is sport merchandise, although it also provides many links to other sport sites of interest. The Canadian Sport and Fitness Administration Centre (www.cdnsport.ca) This is the Home Page of the Canadian Sport and Fitness Administration Centre, a not-for-profit agency. The Centre's purpose is to "facilitate the work of the Canadian government and national sport and active organizations as they provide Canadians with a strong national sport and active living system." The site provides links to many Canadian sport sites, ranging from badminton badminton (băd`mĭntən), game played by volleying a shuttlecock (called a "bird")—a small, cork hemisphere to which feathers are attached—over a net. Light, gut-strung rackets are used. to wrestling. These links transport the user to the pages focusing on individual sports and provide information useful to all individuals involved in the provision of sport. There are other links related to sport worldwide. For example, the one to the Sport Information Resource Centre (www.sirc.ca) will allow the user to access a wide range of sports information. SearchSport (www.oldsport.com/search/main.htm) This is the search page of the SearchSport site. As with several of the sites reviewed this month, this site contains links to a wide variety of sports. Sporting Goods Noun 1. sporting goods - sports equipment sold as a commodity commodity, trade good, good - articles of commerce sports equipment - equipment needed to participate in a particular sport Manufacturing Association (www.sportlink.com) This site features information provided by the Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association. A highlight of the site is access to Active and Ageless, a 200-page directory of more than 1,000 listings of groups and organizations with fitness programs for adults over age 50. Sportlinks also includes a product search procedure providing a mechanism for identifying manufacturers of sports-related products. In addition, there are job listings and links to a few nonprofit organizations Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. involved in sport. Fitness Link (www.fitnesslink.com) This site bills itself as "The Health and Fitness Source," and its goal is to be the health and fitness source. It succeeds in reaching that goal. Fitness Link is designed to provide information for the fitness professional as well as the fitness participant. The site is comprehensive with hundreds of links, as well as many fitness-related articles. The FitnessLink Index includes eight sections, each with a multitude of links: FitnessLink Features; Links, Links, Links; Mind/Body Connection; Nutritional Information; Your Fitness Program; Exercise; Lifestyle Changes; and, Fitness Pro's Center. There are links to more than 30 professional organizations, including the American College of Sports Medicine '''Founded in 1954, the AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SPORTS MEDICINE is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 20,000 international, national and regional members are dedicated to advancing and integrating scientific research to provide educational , the National Federation of Professional Trainers, and the National Strength and Conditioning Association. The site also provides links to fitness associations and organizations, ranging from the Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union, widely known as the AAU, was formed in 1888 to sponsor US teams and players in a wide variety of sports, and has sponsored many tournaments throughout the United States. to the Wilderness Medical Society. There are links to providers of fitness-related services and products, links to a vast array of information sources, links to continuing education continuing education: see adult education. continuing education or adult education Any form of learning provided for adults. In the U.S. the University of Wisconsin was the first academic institution to offer such programs (1904). opportunities for professionals, and links related to children and seniors. This site is one of the most comprehensive we have found and provides an outstanding array of information. Alliance of Youth Sports Organizations (www.aoyso.com) The Alliance of Youth Sports Organizations encompasses local youth sports associations and clubs. Membership in the organization is free and includes a newsletter and discounts on Alliance manuals and coaching aids. The site also provides a forum for interaction among members, providing a location for sharing ideas and information. At the time this article was prepared, for example, there was a request for assistance in developing a youth football program, an information request related to maintenance and operation of a youth basketball and volleyball complex, and a posting from an assistant sports director at a YMCA YMCA in full Young Men's Christian Association Nonsectarian, nonpolitical Christian lay movement that aims to develop high standards of Christian character among its members. seeking ideas related to youth and adult sports. The Institute for the Study of Youth Sport (zwww.educ.msu.edu./units/ DEPT/PEES/ysi/working/ysihome.html) The Institute is located at Michigan State University Michigan State University, at East Lansing; land-grant and state supported; coeducational; chartered 1855. It opened in 1857 as Michigan Agricultural College, the first state agricultural college. and has three purposes: to research the benefits and detriments of participation in youth sports; to provide educational programs for parents, coaches, officials and administrators; and to provide educational materials for parents, administrators, coaches, and officials. The site provides access to the Institute's newsletter, Spotlight on Youth Sports, as well as to a series of sport-related publications. There is an abundance of useful websites for those professionals involved with sport programming, as well as for those seeking sports information for planning and promotional efforts. In fact, there are thousands of sport-related sites. The ones identified above represent those that are the most useful to recreation professionals. Please contact us with other sport and fitness sites of interest. Drs. McGuire and Alien are professors at Clemson University's Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. They can be reached at lefty@clemson. edu and lalln@clemson.edu respectively. |
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