Synopses & Reviews
Since he retired from baseball in 2001, Cal Ripken, Jr., has devoted his time to coaching kids, including his own son and daughter, who play baseball and basketball, among other sports. With a baseball league of nearly 700,000 kids, ages 5-12, named for him, he has also had a chance to meet and work with countless young athletes. Cal Ripkens simple yet effective philosophy for helping kids get the most out of playing sports is to keep it simple, explain the why, celebrate the individual, and make it fun! But Ripken is troubled by what he sees in youth sports: a competitive intensity that removes the element of fun from playing. Now, drawing on his experiences as a father, a player, and a coach to his charges at his youth baseball based organization, Ripken Baseball, the legend offers his insights and advice on how to approach organized sports with your kids to ensure they have the best experience possible, stay fit, and enjoy themselves.
Whether you were a star player or a kid who never learned to throw, this book will tell you everything you need to know about sports parenting from the pre-school years to middle school. It covers all the bases, including:
* Teaching the basics of sportsmanship
* How an overemphasis on technique or winning can harm your childs game
* How to develop a good relationship with your childs coach
* The pros and cons of travel teams and club teams
* The importance of returning the games to the kids and how best to behave as a parent
* The latest on performance and nutrition
* Fun games and exercises to do with your kids to encourage them
* Why most kids burn out on team sports by middle school and how to avoid it
Few athletes embody sportsmanship and fair play as perfectly as Cal Ripken. His advice will inspire confidence in kids and parents alike.
Review
As parents of kids who love sports, Janet and I know that there are many factors that contribute to children having a positive sports experience. Cal Ripken offers a unique perspective on the issues surrounding youth sports today and this book provides great tips and advice for all parents with kids who have a passion for any sport. (Wayne Gretzky, hockey legend and sports parent)
Review
At no other time in the history of youth sports is a book about parenting more valuable. Its uncanny how Cal is able to bring his experience at the highest level of sports down to the grassroots in this book. This is because he is a parent who knows the importance of all of us keeping things in perspective
in reality he really cares. (Fred Engh , founder and President ,The National Alliance for Youth Sports)
Review
I couldnt think of anyone more qualified to teach kids, parents and coaches than Cal. (Alex Rodriguez, 2003 American League Most Valuable Player)
Review
In a world where genuinely admirable men and women are in short supply, Cal Ripken, Jr. is clearly and indisputably one of them
(Washington Post Book World)
Review
"The beauty of Growing Up Gronk is that you never really have to grow up at all. A fascinating look inside a larger-than-life football family. Enjoy the romp of Growing Up Gronk." -- Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe columnist and bestselling author (with Terry Francona) of Francona: the Red Sox Years "If football is the ultimate American sport, it follows that the Gronkowskis are the ultimate American family. That equation isnand#8217;t based merely on their talentsand#8212;which are extraordinary enough. No, itand#8217;s their unbridled exuberance and irreverence that sets them apart. From Gordie Senior on down, they are the Peter Pans of football, men-children who refuse to take themselves or the game too seriously. Anyone whoand#8217;s spent time around the Brothers Gronkowski will surely agree that Growing Up Gronk captures them in full." -- Jeremy Schaap, ESPN commentator and bestselling author ofand#160;Cinderella Manand#160;and Triumph
Synopsis
The incredible story of how one family raisedand#160;three NFL players (including superstar Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski), a professionaland#160;baseball player, and an up-and-coming Division 1 football player, by harnessing the raw talent and strength of this band of determined giants and committing them early on to a carefully calibrated fitness and health regimen .
Synopsis
The Gronkowski family is a legitimate miracle. 5 towering brothers:and#160;Three who play in the NFL -and#160;a Denver Bronco, a Cleveland Brown and a record-breaking tight end with the New England Patriots, Rob Gronkowski, who is realizing aand#160;meteoric rise to a spot in NFL history. Another who played major league baseball. And the youngest, an up-and-coming Division 1 football player.and#160;
Growing Up Gronkand#160;takes readers behind the scenes to tell the Gronkowski's incredible story, revealing how they were raised, how they were motivated, how they trained, how they played, even how their mother kept them fed.and#160;It all started with their father, Gordy, under whose tutelage this collection of giants has broken every rule about how 21st century athletic success functions. Beyond their monstrousand#160;size, physicality, and raw talent, Papa Gronk recognized early on that a clear commitment to fitness, health, and determination would give his boys a leg up in a way other families simply couldnand#8217;t match.and#160;
This unique story of the NFL's new first family reveals the secrets to the Gronkowski's collective success and opens the door a one-of-a-kindand#160;household, a veritable incubator ofand#160;athletic greatness.
About the Author
Cal Ripken, Jr., played 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and has broken numerous baseball records, including Lou Gehrigs record for consecutive games played (Ripken played 2,632). He is one of only eight players in history to achieve 400 home runs and 3,000 hits. His previous books include
The Only Way I Know (which was a
New York Times bestseller and a #1
Washington Post bestseller) and
Play Baseball the Ripken Way: The Complete Guide to Fundamentals (co-authored with his brother Bill Ripken), also a national bestseller. He lives in Maryland with his wife and their two children.
Co-Author Rick Wolff is Vice President, Executive Editor at Warner Books and the Chairman of the Center for Sports Parenting (www.sportsparenting.org). He is the author of several books about parenting young athletes, including Good Sports: The Concerned Parents Guide to Competitive Sports (Dell, 1992) and The Sports Parenting Edge (Running Press, 2003).
Table of Contents
and#160;and#160; Gronk Lineupand#8195;ix
and#160;and#160; Introduction: The Day the Dream Turned Realand#8195;xiii
1.and#160;A Star Is Bornand#8195;1
2.and#160;Gordy: Papa Gronkand#8195;11
3.and#160;The Evolution of Trainingand#8195;31
4.and#160;Gordie Jr.: Doesnand#8217;t He Know the Rest
of the Family Plays Football?and#8195;45
5.and#160;Mental Toughnessand#8195;67
6.and#160;Dan: The Talented Workhorseand#8195;81
7.and#160;Competition and Physical Playand#8195;99
8.and#160;Chris: Brains and a Pedigreeand#8195;115
9.and#160;A New Generation of Tight Endsand#8195;133
10.and#160;Rob: The Superstarand#8195;143
11.and#160;Rob Explodesand#8195;161
12.and#160;Goose: Greatness Expectedand#8195;179
13.and#160;Get Gronked!and#8195;191
and#160;and#160; Acknowledgmentsand#8195;201