Youth Sports #215

Rich Smith:

Girls are starting to think of themselves as both scholars and athletes that they are, you know, just as important as the boys.

Carrie McCusker:

What are it is interesting how those things when you're young, you don't you're not thinking about what influences are causing you to take a certain path.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

This is Dr. Lisa Belisle and you are listening to Love Maine radio show number 215 youth sports airing for the first time on Sunday, November 1, 2015. How do we help children develop a love of physical pursuits we without overwhelming their growing bodies with strict training regimens and early competition? This has become an important topic of conversation as information continues to surface about the long term impact of concussions and repetitive injuries. Today we speak with Rich Smith and Kerry McCusker, two seasoned coaches and educators about keeping young athletes safe, healthy and happy. Thank you for joining us.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

enjoy spending time with people that I know socially or for other reasons and having the opportunity to bring them into the radio show and have a longer conversation with them. The individual before me today is Rich Smith. He's someone that I know well. He's a fifth grade teacher at Yarmouth where he's been coaching sports, three sports a year for about 30 years. And for 27 of his 30 years, he's been the head coach of the Yarmouth girls soccer team. Rich, you're a bit of an institution.

Rich Smith:

Yeah, I have been doing that for a long time. I think it was maybe three years ago, my first parent night with the Yarmouth girls soccer team. And I was at one of the parents I had coached when she was in high school. And that was a little revelation for me to be coaching somebody I coached daughter because it's been 27 years. I'm the only Yarmouth girls soccer coach. There's never been a girls soccer coach before I started it, and then I've been there for 27 years now. So it's kind of cool. And I do still enjoy it thoroughly.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I was talking to my sister Adele about the girls soccer program. And we both remember when Yarmouth didn't have a girls soccer program at all. You either did field hockey or cross country. Those are the two sports when we were there. So my sister Amy and I did field hockey, and my sister Adele originally did cross country. When the girls soccer team came along in its first year, Adele decided that she was going to be on that original girls soccer team. It was a big deal to start a sport from nothing.

Rich Smith:

I remember I actually went to college and played football. My first year out of college, I coached football at Deering High School. And then I got a teaching job in Yamath. And they said they needed a JV boy soccer coach. So they hired. I said, well, I could try, but I don't really know that much about it, and I could use some help. And the head coach said, oh, don't worry. We heard you're pretty good with kids and we can take care of the rest. So I did JV boys soccer for three years. Had no idea what I was doing or how to do it, but learned a lot from the coaches and the kids. And then after three years, I think it was 1987, they decided to start a girls soccer program. And I said, I'll do that. That sounds great. And we started off 13 and 1, tied our last game of the year, and it was as if we won the state championship. We tied a game, and then we did get better and better every year. And you? We won our first State Championship in 1995. So it took some years to get there, but we just got better every year. And the town had more and more kids playing soccer, and the feeder system got better and better. And so traditionally, we're one of the better teams in Western Maine. Class B soccer. And over the 27 years, we've been pretty consistent.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I want to talk a little bit now about how you got to the place where you decided, I want to be a teacher and I want to be a coach. You grew up in Medford, Massachusetts, and you came to Maine because you were recruited to play football for the U Main Black Bears in Orono. What was it about your early years that got you so into football that you would go on and play it in college here in Maine?

Rich Smith:

Well, I am from a big family of nine kids. I have four brothers and four sisters, so we're almost up there with the Belials, but. And my dad was a football coach. He was a high school football coach at Boston Latin, and I used to go to his football practices and his football camps and we always watched college football and pro football. And I have of my four brothers, three of my other. Three of my brothers played college football as well. One played at Tufts and two of them played at Northeastern. So it was kind of just ingrained in us as kids. To My dad was an English teacher and a football coach and a baseball coach and a referee. And he was always, you know, either refing or coaching or something like that. And he did stress, you know, education is really important. Going to school. I always love the, you know, go to school. I actually still do this today. Go to school. I practice off, play or coach for a couple hours, go home and have dinner with the family, do some homework, get up and do it all over again. So I feel that balances me to have that in my life where I get a great opportunity to teach all day long, then I get to go outside and play and be with kids. And then I do have enough time to go home and be with my family and have dinner and do some homework. Of course, my family's all grown up now, but I just think that is kind of like a balanced life to be able to do that. It's a great schedule for a day. And so I coach soccer and then I coach basketball. I coach baseball for years. I coach track for years. I do summer camps all year long. Mike Haggerty and I do six weeks of summer camps. And we just love being with kids and being outside and playing and having fun. So it's fun for me.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I'm amazed by the fact that you've been doing this for such a long time and you've actually impacted so many people in my family. My sister Adele is in her early 40s now. She's just a little younger than I am. She was one of your Earliest girls soccer players. Then you had my sister Emily, my sister Sarah. You actually coached my brother Jeff in middle school basketball. And now you've had my daughter Abby, who used to play for you before she went on to college. And now we have my daughter Sophie, who's a rising freshman for the soccer team. I think you've had all three of my kids in fifth grade, too, as a teacher. It's been a lot of years of coaching and education, but you still maintain this enthusiasm. You still seem fresh and energized by the work that you're doing.

Rich Smith:

It is kind of interesting. I actually had a fifth grader last year. Ask me, Mrs. Smith, you've been doing this for like 30 years. Do you get bored? I was like, actually, I never thought about that before. And I think what happens is the kids change every year. So even though I'm coaching soccer every year or I'm teaching 5th grade math every year, the kids change every year. So they bring such a humor and a youthfulness and energy to my life that I never get tired of it. And I feel like even though it's my 30th year doing preseason soccer in a row, I can't wait for it to start. And I don't sleep the night before, and I get nervous, and I'm writing down plans for coaching now and watching videos in the morning on soccer drills. I do enjoy it, and I do enjoy the challenge of helping the kids be the best they can be.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Middle school seems like a really interesting time. Not only do we need our kids 5th through 8th grade to learn things like reading, writing, arithmetic, and all the basics, we also need them to learn how to be social. They're trying to understand how to interact with their peers and with their teachers. They're just getting to a place where they're starting to change classrooms and really do things like they're going to be doing them in high school. I've always thought that one of the things you as a teacher brought to the table is your ability to help kids with that socialization aspect of school.

Rich Smith:

Well, I think my background, my dad was a real strong disciplinarian, and he didn't seem to make to me to make learning fun. He was a great guy and I loved him. And then I went to Catholic school with all nuns, and you obeyed the nuns. You didn't learn because you loved learning and you didn't behave because you thought it was right to behave. You learned because the nuns scared you into learning. You did what you're supposed to do because they were watching all the time. And I always felt like, boy, even when I was a student, school could be much more fun than that, and learning could be much more enjoyable than that. And as I've, you know, learned to be a good teacher and a good coach, I've always kind of kept the, you know, if it isn't fun or it isn't enjoyable, they're not going to want to come back. They're not going to want to learn. And that's just how I learned. If it wasn't fun and enjoyable, I struggled with it. And when it was fun and enjoyable, I try to do better at it. So I think that in fifth grade, I definitely want their day to be memorable. I want them to want to come back tomorrow. I want them to love learning. And I've talked to them about responsibility versus being obedient. When you're responsible, you do the right thing because it's the right thing. When you're obedient, you do the right thing because somebody's watching. So I try to teach that, like being responsible, you know, learning while you're having fun, not instead of having fun. And I just try to keep that in the back of my mind when I plan everything. When I think about, you know, is this too much stress I'm putting on these kids or is this too fun and too, too relaxing? You know, and you gotta find that happy medium that makes them work and makes them learn and makes it enjoyable.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

We know much more about learning styles than we once did maybe 50 years ago. We know that there are some children who are more visual, some are more auditory. We know that some children have a higher level of emotional development, and some have a higher level of kinesthetic or physical development. Has that knowledge changed the way that you approach teaching?

Rich Smith:

Yeah, I think it has. I think knowing that kids and adults learn in different ways and have different strengths and different weaknesses does make you want to change and adapt lesson plans and activities. I think, again, you know, I think the balance word keeps coming up. But I think just because they have a strength visually learning doesn't mean, all right, let's not teach them the other way and not give them a little bit of something else. But we do do a lot more differentiation these days in class. And we know where they're at when they come in in the morning and say, all right, I can bring this kid to this level. And I know if I challenge this person a little more, he's going to get a little more, she's going to get a little more out of math class or science class today. So we defin. We work as a team too in Yarmouth in our school and school system. And we try to bring everybody's best thinking and best practice to the table. So it's not just one person saying, I think this is a good idea anymore. It used to be that now we kind of learn from each other. I have a great fifth grade team that I work with and there's three of us that do math and science and we work together on, okay, what's the best way to reach all these kids today and all the different learning styles. And you know, there's a lot of computer work that we do, but we definitely try to mix it up so they get a variety.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

One of my favorite topics is sports, specifically sports and children. And I know that this is one of your favorite topics too. I love that we have great opportunities for our kids because I want our kids to be healthy. I want them to learn how to socialize and feel successful in the field. I want them to build lifelong skills. And you have 30 years of doing this as a coach, but also as a player, as a football player at the University of Maine. Is there a way that we can find a balance and not go too far in one direction? I'm thinking about kids that play three seasons year round basketball, year round soccer, year round baseball. I've had children that have done this. What are the drawbacks to doing this? What are the pluses? What are the minuses?

Rich Smith:

Yeah, it's really difficult. I think it's really difficult for parents to know where to draw the line and where to say, no, we aren't going to be able to do this, but you can do this. And you know, kids are starting to specialize at a really young age. And at seventh grade they say, I want to be a soccer player. And that's all I want to do is play soccer. And I'm going to join the elite soccer team in seventh grade and they travel all over the country and they spend thousands and thousands of dollars and you know, all kinds of stuff can happen when that happens. And I don't, I don't, I personally don't think it's good. I think being able to play a whole bunch of different sports, being able to play some that are just for fun, some that are team sports, some that are individual sports. Usually if you're a great athlete by the time you're in junior senior in high school, if you think, maybe I want to play in college or beyond, I think that's an okay, time to say, you know what, I'm going to focus on my school and soccer or my school and hockey because I want to go to college and play it. But other than that, I think when kids start joining and playing year round sports, they over train certain muscles and they get prone to injury. They sometimes get inflated picture about themselves and how good they are. And I know kids that, you know, they lived in Yarmouth, they can't beat Falmouth, but they feel like they need to go to Orlando, Florida to a national tournament to prove how good they are and vice versa. And you know, parents driving them around and spending all kinds of money and going to New Jersey every weekend. It is when you lose that balance in your family and you lose that balance in your life. I know my daughter Abby played premier soccer and she was a really good soccer player at Falmouth High School. And she went away one weekend, I think it cost $350. She was supposed to play in a tournament in New Jersey and for whatever reason, they left on Friday night. She didn't play on Saturday, didn't play on Sunday, came home Sunday night, cost $350. She didn't play a second. And she was in New Jersey for a summer weekend and she said, dad, I think I'd just have you train me in the backyard. I'd get more out of what I got this weekend. So I do think that parents have to take those things into consideration, you know, what is gonna make them happy and balanced while still, you know, a lot of those kids who push themselves and push to succeed and really want to get better, you know, there is, there is, you know, there's a place for that too. And if you have a daughter who's in ninth grade and just loves a certain sport and loves a game, and it's kind of their passion and it's what they want to do with a lot of thinking, a lot of planning. I guess you gotta try to make room for that. My kids, who are my own children, who are athletes, never were just like, I want to do one thing and one thing only. They always wanted to do a whole bunch of stuff. And my youngest daughter, who we didn't think was the athlete in the family, ended up being a pole vaulter and a volleyball player. And you know, she kind of said, there's a couple sports you know nothing about, dad, I'm gonna do those. And she did great at them and loved him and enjoyed them. And it opened up a lot of different things in her life for her. So I do think we're, you know, our kids are getting kind of pushed in a direction that might not be good for balance and for family and for successful futures, and that everybody probably should take a look at it. I'm glad you asked me to talk about it, because I do worry about it. I worry about what kids think and what they believe is true and what they need to do when they're young in order to achieve something. And a lot of it isn't really true.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

As a coach, you want your team to succeed, but you also want your players to be balanced. You've got good players who play Premier soccer, and they happen to play for your team, so it's going to benefit you that you have these good players. But in some ways, if someone has overtrained and gets injured doing this Premier work, or they're burnt out or they're spending weekends traveling back and forth around the country so they can't spend time with your team, it can create problems.

Rich Smith:

Yeah, it definitely can. And it is an interesting one because I've gotten praise and criticism for. I think there's people in Yarmouth who think I don't like Premier soccer. I have heard somebody say to somebody else, how come, Richard, I hate Premier soccer players? I'm like, I love Premier soccer players. I think it's awesome that that's what they want to play, and they focus on the one sport that I coach them in. And most of them, because of all the training and all the expertise and all the practice, get really, really good. But I still fundamentally believe that if they can play for three sports more for as long as they can, that they. I think that is a great option. So I never push or I don't discourage, but I never push my girls into, yes, you should play premier. You should give up basketball and lacrosse. You should do nothing except for train to be an elite soccer player. Because I don't think that's what's best for them. And I think there might be, you know, two or three, that it is best for them. They love it. They're really into it. They have the athletic ability to kind of go for it and be outstanding. But I don't think it is for everybody. And I do think premier programs, anybody in the state of Maine, no matter what their ability is, they could pay to be on a Premier team or an AAU team, and people will take their money and take their child and take them to New Jersey and Vermont and Orlando, but it isn't. I don't think what's best for them and their family. Sometimes what would be best for them to be well rounded and play all kinds of different sports and have enough time to study and do their homework and maybe get a part time job and learn from different things. So it is a tricky balancing one. I know some parents said, I'm glad you don't push my kid to do that. And some people have said, I can't believe he doesn't like Premier Soccer players, which is not true at all. I love it when I do hear a kid at R2 and Yama doesn't have a lot of girls that play Premier Soccer. And sometimes I do know like the coach from Scarborough just last week said he had 26 Premier soccer players in his eighth grade. That'll be freshman next year. I was like, all right, we have about 15 girls coming up soccer next year in Yarmouth. I don't think they're all Premier Soccer players, but that's great. And in that community they've said this is the way to succeed and soccer is going this route and I'm just not there yet. Although several girls do it and I am definitely fine with it. I think it's okay. But playing a bunch of sports and being well rounded and fit and healthy and training all your muscle groups is the way I would like to see people go. You know, all kids, boys and girls, do.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Rich, both you and I have had daughters who have played Premier Soccer and as a coach you have a broader view of this. It's not just people coming in to play for your team that are Premier Soccer players. I have a son who played Premier soccer, but also elite baseball. And then I have a daughter who did multiple different swimming organizations. So I think you and I can agree that there are really benefits from doing this higher level of play. There are great opportunities. You get a chance to socialize with people outside of your town, you get a chance to experience different coaching styles, and you get a chance to compete with people from different states. But it also can be really expensive, really all consuming. And I guess my worry is always that when I'm on the sidelines and I'm listening to the parent of a soccer player or lacrosse or hockey or whatever team their kid is on, who spent a lot of money to send their kid to these places and to be part of this elite team, sometimes it sounds like they feel like they're not getting enough of a return on their investment and sometimes feels like maybe they hope that their kid will be able to play more for the local team, but there's no guarantee there. I feel like this must be a tough situation to be in as a coach.

Rich Smith:

It is. It's tough for the coaches because a lot of times, you know, those kids and those parents have been told how good they are and how much better they are than somebody else, and then they get to their high school team and they. Even though they starve for their U14 team, which is all freshmen and it's a team in the state, and then they can't play for the varsity Yarmouth High School team, you know, they think it, well, must be because the coach doesn't understand it isn't that usually they don't see that their daughter maybe isn't good enough. So it makes for, you know, it makes it challenging. And that's been a challenge, you know, off and on over the years. I. I did put down one of the questions you asked is where places in Maine that you love the most, and Yamath is one of them. I do feel like, you know, Yamath school system and Yamath, you know, coaching staff and Yamath kids kind of. They get it in general. And I do, you know, I'm very proud to be a teacher and a coach in Yamath. And I do feel like, you know, in general, the majority of the kids and parents do get it, and they do understand. And that's, you know, probably why I've remained there for so long. I love the community and I do love what they stand for. And I think there's some wonderful, great parents and role models and unbelievably great kids in Yarmouth, including your children. You know, they're just so much fun to coach and work with and very creative and, you know, it comes with some challenges always, but just it's a wonderful place to coach and work. But everywhere there's challenges and there's some things that need some explaining, that's for sure.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Sometimes I wonder if people understand that every year you have to create a team out of a group of individuals. You're coming up with a new combination of kids who need to work together. Sometimes you can be really great as a standout soccer player somewhere else, but when you come back to the town team, you need to be able to interact with other individuals. And that's its own skill set, I think.

Rich Smith:

I think so, too. I do feel like I have stressed over the years the team concept of, you know, everybody on the team is important and everybody matters. And I don't feel like we have kids in Yama that think I am the standout, I am the star. We wouldn't be here without me. I don't think there is much of that on the teams that I've coached. And I try really hard to, you know, create an environment which is warm and friendly and family like, so that, you know, you know, the most important thing is that we have a great experience together learning how to play soccer and how to win and how to lose and how to, you know, get through a season, you know, in harmony. And a lot goes into that. And then it's like, so when things are bumpy and when things go bad, how are we going to handle it? And teaching kids and adults and learning yourself, what do you do when things go wrong? Because, you know, there's going to be some stuff that comes up in the course of a year when you're working with 40 high school girls and 80 or more high school parents and, you know, athletic directors and administrators and teachers. So stuff's going to happen that isn't so great. And it's like, so how do you handle that? You know, what are you going to do? What's next? And you worry about the next play or the next event or the next thing, not what just happened. I think it's really important. And creating a team atmosphere and believing that everybody's important and everybody buying into it is very important to me. And I think it works most years, and I try to get it to work most years if I can.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Rich, you started coaching a number of years after Title IX brought women and girls into the sports arena. You've had the opportunity to coach girls and coach boys. You have a son and two daughters yourself. What have you noticed about coaching girls sports that makes it different from coaching boys sports?

Rich Smith:

I do feel like girls sports have come a long way. I do feel like girls are starting to think of themselves as both scholars and athletes, that they are just as important as the boys sports are, that they train just as hard and care just as much about sports as boys do. And it wasn't always that way. When I first started coaching girls soccer, they would, you know, they'd come to the game, play the game, and be like, yeah, but the boys game's next. And then, you know, fix the hair. And like, they were more worried about the boys game than their own game at first, and that doesn't happen at all anymore. They really know that what they're doing is equally as important as what the boys are doing, and that when they train and when they work and when they, you know, strive to get better, that's okay. And it's not frowned upon in any way that they're, you know, a female athlete. I think, you know, they're really looked up to and admired, just like boy athletes are. And we try, you know, in Yamaha to have, you know, be a scholar athlete and a good sport all the time. And in fact, I had coached for 27 years and for about 25 of them, 24 of them, I was like, how come we've never won a sportsmanship banner? You know, I was like, we're pretty good. I've never heard who has won them or who. I just know that we've never won a sportsmanship banner. And then three years ago, we won our first sportsmanship banner. And as it turns out, they didn't give one in soccer until three years ago that they gave them in basketball. And I think they gave him in one other sport, but they didn't give sportsmanship awards in other schools, in other sports in the state of Maine. And now they give him in all the sports. And that's something we're really proud of, that, you know, we play the game, we play it really hard, we're really good at it, but we play it the right way and we smile, win or lose, and we shake hands, win or lose, and we're not disrespectful. And the sportsmanship award is varsity, jv, girls, parents, you know, the whole deal. So it is a community award. And we've won it three years in a row. The only three years has been sportsmanship awards. So I am very proud of that. I think that's important stuff.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

It's been really fun to have you in to speak with me today. Rich, I thank you for coaching my children and my other family members and for also teaching my children. We've been speaking with Rich Smith. He's a fifth grade teacher at Yarmouth. He's been doing this for the past 30 years, also coaching three sports a year for about all of those 30 years. Rich, I wish you all success in your upcoming soccer seasons and I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me today.

Rich Smith:

Thank you for having me.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Today, across the microphone from me, I have an individual that I've heard much about in many different areas and I'm really pleased that I have the chance to spend time with her. This is Kerry McCusker who is an

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

endurance coach based in Cape Elizabeth.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

She's been an athlete her entire life, starting with youth soccer. Kerry spent time on just about every playing field surface. She competed at national events as a

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Nordic skier during high school in Alaska

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

and then at Middlebury in Vermont after earning a master's degree in education. She combined her love of teaching with her passion for athletics and became a full time professional coach. She lives in Cape Elizabeth with her

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

two children and her husband Tom.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So nice to have you here.

Carrie McCusker:

Thank you. I'm very happy to be here.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I must tell you that your name has come up in multiple times. We had Linda Banks on the show and she was mentioning that you coach her and I know kids that you've coached in Ultimate Frisbee. So I was like, who is this Kerry McCusker person? We have to bring her in. She's so amazing that everybody loves her and so here you are.

Carrie McCusker:

Thank you.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And I'm very glad that you're doing what you do because you must be doing a good enough job that people are really inspired.

Carrie McCusker:

That's good to hear.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And now that we've given you that, you know we're gonna humble you a little bit and just go back to your beginning. So you've been playing since you were a kid?

Carrie McCusker:

I have, yes. I Know, one of my earliest memories was playing soccer. And I played soccer my whole youth. And I remember being on the playing field. This is true, that I remember this with the ball rolling down the field at the end of the game. I hadn't touched it the whole game and I kicked it. And I just remember this feeling literally of being part of that team. And. And of course, that was the only thing I had done. I was just this tiny little girl. And at that time, too, there were probably one or two girls and a lot of boys. So anyway, I've been hooked on sports ever since.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And where did the ball go after that?

Carrie McCusker:

I think the game was literally over. But just the fact that you rolling and I got like one touch and then the game ended. But to me, I remember that moment of kicking it. So.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Yeah, well, that's pretty great that that is your memory, that. That, like, oh, I touched it.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

There's the ball.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

As opposed to. Well, I remember when we won this game or we won that game.

Carrie McCusker:

Right, right. I think I was. I mean, I was pretty small and I knew you run around the field and you kick the ball. But, yeah, it was a. I mean, it stuck with me, so that's something.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So where did you grow up?

Carrie McCusker:

I grew up in New Hampshire until eighth grade and then I was in Alaska.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So tell me about that, because when I was growing up, I'm around your age, and when I was growing up in Maine, there wasn't a lot of girls soccer.

Carrie McCusker:

Yeah. So that is interesting. And I only reflected on that later in life, like, what was it that I was exposed all the way through? And I do have to give some credit, I think, to my parents and my dad, who often was the coach. So he. I mean, I got involved, obviously, really young. And I mean, I remember playing basketball briefly, probably third grade. And again, it was like, two girls and all boys, but I don't remember ever, like, thinking about that aspect of it. It just was what it was. So there were soccer camps and teams and everything. So.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Yeah, well, see, that's like the opposite of my experience when I was young. I think I was in third grade and I have this vivid memory of being one of, like, two girls in the entire gymnasium at the Yarmouth Elementary School playing basketball. And I was so overwhelmed by all these balls flying at me and the fact that I was the only one of two girls. I just left and I never came back. But maybe if my dad had been there, you know, saying, like, hey, this is normal, it's fine, just pick up a basketball. It's no big deal, right? Maybe it would have been a completely different experience.

Carrie McCusker:

That's possible. Yeah. I know. It is interesting how those things. When you're young, you're not thinking about what influences are causing you to take a certain path.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So how did your family end up in Alaska?

Carrie McCusker:

So my dad was an environmental engineer consultant and had an opportunity to open a branch of the office he was working for in Anchorage, Alaska. And he took care of. And I could say that I was not very happy.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Yeah, that's tough.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

As an eighth grader.

[Unidentified voice]:

Awful.

Carrie McCusker:

Yes. I was going into eighth grade. It was horrible. Now I can look back and say that it was an experience that changed who I am for the better at the time. Yeah, eighth grade. It was horrible.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

No. I have a child who's going into high school, and if we had talked about moving her during middle school or even now, she would not have felt very positive about that. So how did that become an experience that changed you?

Carrie McCusker:

So first it was literal culture shock. I mean, I moved from a tiny town in New Hampshire to Anchorage, Alaska, which is actually a city. And even though it is Alaska, there are seven high schools in this city, you know, so it's. It's big. There's. It's a. It's a school with city issues. So that was a bit of a shock. And then, I mean, it really took me like one year to sort of find friends and find my way around, and then. Then it was completely fine. So. But I think, you know, I was. When you're different in some way, you adapt. I don't know, you're sort of an outsider for a little while. So I think that probably changed me a little bit. And how. You know what I mean? Like, I didn't have the same friends. I started all over. So I wouldn't say that I reinvented myself, but it was a. It caused me to change as a person. And then geographically, I mean, I was in Alaska then, so that's where I started skiing. And the other thing about high school in Alaska, they're very well funded because of the oil money. So I took Japanese and German and I mean, there's. They have tons of courses. The sports are well funded, the facilities are beautiful. So it's a really great place to be in that regard.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

That's actually fascinating. I had never thought about that at all.

Carrie McCusker:

Right.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Because I know that over here and you've been a Nordic coach. Nordic skiing is very well loved here in Maine. And we now have the Maine Winter Sports Center. So it's Gotten a lot more attention than it ever did.

Carrie McCusker:

Right.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

But it's not. I wouldn't consider it overly well funded.

Carrie McCusker:

No. I mean, it just lost funding. Right. Didn't they have to find new funding?

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

They did, actually.

Carrie McCusker:

Yeah. So I. No, no, it. Definitely not. And I mean, look what's happening in schools. What's getting cut or attempted to be cut are sports and extras. Right. Art, you know, so. No, that never happened there. I mean, we used to go for ski practice. We would literally go out of the building and ski. And then there were lighted trails because it was dark. The sun set at, you know, two. So we would go ski right out the door. So it was amazing.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So Nordic skiing is a very, is an interesting sport because we all think of it as a highly individual sport, which it is.

Carrie McCusker:

Right.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

But there's also a very strong sense of team. Definitely. It's dark, it's cold, you finish, it's late.

Carrie McCusker:

Definitely.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

If it's like an afternoon practice, because I've done this, I know, I've been there.

Carrie McCusker:

You've been there? Yes.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You know, you get on the ski, but it sounds like you didn't have to get on a ski bus, but,

Carrie McCusker:

you know, but we did to go to races and things, so I appreciate the bus. Yeah.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So. And, and you actually have to find some camaraderie with these other people who have just basically stripped down to their, you know, their skivvies to go out and ski on the course.

Carrie McCusker:

Completely. Right. I mean, I think early on when I started skiing there, I. I liked riding the. I mean, I liked the team. I don't think I did it because, I mean, I like to ski, but. But it was really about being with my peers and being on the team because it was a great, it was a great team. And then I think eventually as you get into the sport, you start to be more passionate about the sport itself. But yeah, high school sports, it's a lot about being on the team and being with your friends.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, did that help you as you were coming in as an eighth grader, did that help you to have this love of sports, to have been a soccer player?

Carrie McCusker:

Without a doubt. I got on the soccer team. I actually was a gymnast when I moved there. I got on the gymnastics team, I got on that team, I ran. And yes. So yes, I was a three season athlete. And definitely you find your friends. Right. I mean, I think that's a big. I really do think that's a big part of sports for youth, being part of a team. And you've had that experience too, like, it's a good thing.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I do love that part of things. I think that when all of my kids, my two that are now in college and the one that's starting high school, it really, it is very important who their teammates are.

Carrie McCusker:

Right.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

They've made fast friends with people that they've been with over the years. They actually, I know that there are people who have switched from one sport to another because their friend went to a different sport. And that's completely outside of the control of parents.

[Unidentified voice]:

Right.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Which is interesting because youth sports has very much become about parenting in some ways, unfortunately.

Carrie McCusker:

Yeah. Yes.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So you have a couple of kids. How old are your kids?

Carrie McCusker:

20 and 16.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So what's your experience with youth sports, Ben?

Carrie McCusker:

Both of my kids ended up playing ultimate, so they're both playing high level ultimate now and which is a sport that has grown a lot. But my daughter played soccer all the way through and lacrosse and my son, he swam so competitively. They both swam, but I think they dappled a little more in different sports and didn't. I feel like there was a lot of pressure. I mean, when you're cutting kids from a soccer team at age 11, I think it's ridiculous personally. So I, you know, and I also remember, like I let my kids, I mean, I let them choose somewhat what they wanted to do and I think that they need to have some free time. So I guess I'm not a big advocate of the year round, you know, soccer going through the winter, unless they're really, really passionate about it and that's all they want to do. I mean, but I feel like there is a parental push to get your kids into these things. And I don't know, time goes by really fast and then you look back at it and think, okay, you know, where are we now? Like, was that a really good thing through your entire childhood or wasn't it, you know, did we have time to do other things or so I don't know. I feel like, I mean, I also see in the sports science that it's not a good thing to specialize when you, you're really young. And how many of those kids are going to go on and be Olympic soccer players or, you know, not very many. So you have to be doing it for the love and the passion of it. And again, it goes back to like we both say, you know, we enjoyed being on a team and what did that really give us? Like, what did you take away from that? And that's what I want my kids to walk Away with like. And you want them to be healthy and fit and, you know, to care about living well. But, you know, you don't care. Do you really care if they won or, you know, in the end? So I guess I look back at it and I think parents should, I don't know, back off a little and then let the kids, you know, let that get them all involved, I guess is what I'm seeing in ultimate Frisbee is happening is like there are no, there's, there are no cuts. You can play, you can come out and play if you've never thrown and you will be welcomed onto the field. I was coaching the Cape Elizabeth girls this year and the first game this season, one of the girls came out and said, wait, what are the rules? I said, okay, here's the basics. You score down there, you, you know, the disc will turn over. You know, I gave her like the 32nd because she wanted to go in and she said, all right, I go, they'll help you. You'll figure it out. And she did, you know, and she went on now and played in the youth club championships in Minnesota. That just happened this weekend. And that doesn't mean she's a super high level player now. But like, she, she got drawn in and again, and you watch that sport and it's vigorous and demanding and you know, and yet they love it. And this, it's, it's a self reft game too. So it is an interesting game when you compare it to the way we've sort of manipulated soccer and hockey.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So tell me what you mean about the manipulation of sports.

Carrie McCusker:

So I guess if you juxtapose ultimate and say soccer, take soccer for example, you know, ultimate, we're accepting everyone, soccer, we're cutting people, we're making A and B teams. You know, it's. That's parent driven. Those choices are parent driven. There's refs on the field. I feel like the kids want to play. They just want to get out there and play and they love it and all of the good things that come out of playing a sport. But I guess I feel like we're sort of stomping on that by controlling the game so much.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, I do.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

It is interesting, this whole idea of self reffing because there is something that goes on when it's kind of like backlot baseball, you know, and the kids have to decide, you know, was that an out, was it foul? You know, what was that? As opposed to some other bigger authority coming in and saying that was this and this is this, right? So it is a very interesting contrast, right?

Carrie McCusker:

And I mean, Ultimate Frisbee is based on spirit of the game, which actually is a defined concept. And it doesn't just mean being like, yay, we're happy. It means honoring the other players on the field. So if I call a foul and you disagree with me, you can state that, you can test the foul and it will go back. You know, it does. Occasionally it becomes a little more sparring, but in general, the game itself relies on that. And it changes so much about the way players treat each other. And I've seen a little bit in mainstream stuff, like in soccer where you play like a kind of nasty team, say, and like I'm like, where does that come from? Like when you know that that team is mean, like in 12 year olds, 11 year old sports, like, where how does that happen? Like, is that trickling down? Is that an attitude? So you don't see that in ultimate because it's the whole concept of the game.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So, so what you're describing sounds like musicians jamming, where you bring together a group of musicians and they jam on the field. Your Ultimate Frisbee players are playing as a musical team, right?

Carrie McCusker:

And I like that analogy because those musicians coming in have amazing strengths that you get to highlight in their performance. And it's the same with Ultimate. So, I mean, you see amazing athletes out there on the field and you highlight each other's strength.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Definitely a member of our household. This year, he was a senior and he had played lacrosse all the way up through and goes to Cape, went to Cape Elizabeth, graduated and he loved ultimate and he ended up just like, just walk on last year of my high school career, I'm gonna play Ultimate Frisbee. And he felt like such a part of it. And for him it was always about the team. It was always about his friends. His dad would tell me, you know,

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

if he would get tired, he'd just

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

say to the, I want to come out. You know, when it wasn't fun, he didn't want to do it anymore.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Right.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And so when he started Ultimate Frisbee, it was so fun for him. He didn't want to miss games. He was willing to play game after game after game.

Carrie McCusker:

That's so great, right?

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And isn't that what we really want?

Carrie McCusker:

Yes, Kids to exactly what we want. And look how many kids are playing. I mean, the team and Cape Elizabeth anyway. I mean, what did we have? We were able to have like four teams. I mean, it's a tiny. So there are a lot of kids going out for it. And you do have to say why? Like what is it? And it's still very athletic. So anyone who hasn't seen the game should watch. I mean, it's an extremely athletic, amazing sport to watch. But yes, just that little difference in the way that it's approached.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

It's fascinating too to me because you have been an athlete at every level. You are a coach. Now I know that you coach Linda Banks, you coach triathletes, you work with people all over the world. And you're describing this very conscious decision to play almost the anti sport I want to call it, because it's a sport, it's a high level sport, but it's so opposite of what most high level athletes go into.

Carrie McCusker:

Interesting. Yeah, I mean, I think that. But when you are. A lot of high level athletes are passionate about their sport and I guess that's all I'm saying with youth sport that you want that passion, that fun. I mean, I may be very hardcore when I go train or race in a triathlon, but I love it. I mean I love it. And I think people I work with, I mean a lot of them are busy people with families or. And maybe they were high level athletes and now they have full time careers or they never were, but they, they incorporate that into their lives and they love it. And it's on their own terms really. And that's what I feel like about Ultimate. Like we so much with youth, we're trying to tell them this is what you should do, this is how you do it, you know, but, but why are they not, I mean they're capable of making decisions. And so I guess it's sort of the same thing. It's, it's just being passionate and enjoying what you're doing.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And I know your husband Tom, he's a surgeon, so he actually did a very mainstream educational thing. He's doing a very mainstream high energy job. And yet you met on the ultimate Frisbee field.

Carrie McCusker:

We did.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So here's another one that you know, he could have gone in a direction, but he went in the same direction you in and you kind of met up on the field completely.

Carrie McCusker:

Yes. Right. I mean ultimate is very popular in colleges and universities and, and I mean, you know, in Portland now there were I think 34 summer league teams this year. So it definitely is attracting a lot of people. But I mean, I'm sure Tom could talk for a long time about his love of ultimate. He just played out in the grand Masters nationals. But it's a sport yeah. There's just so many things in the sport that are great.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, here's another interview where I feel like I could just keep talking forever because there's so many things we could discuss. But how can people find out about the work that you're doing, Kerry, and the coaching that you do?

Carrie McCusker:

Yeah, so I coach through a company here in this area called PBM Coaching, and we have a website.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And the website is.

Carrie McCusker:

It's pbmcoaching.com well, I like your approach.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I think with anything, it's about finding things that we feel passionate about that we want to get up every day and do. Whether it's a child that or an adult, it doesn't really matter. We have to want to do something and then fitting it into one's life that's so important. So I encourage people to reach out to you, Kerry McCusker, to find out about the coaching that you're doing. We've been Speaking with Kerry McCusker, who

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

is an endurance coach based in Cape Elizabeth.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I really appreciate your coming in and talking with us today.

Carrie McCusker:

Thank you. It was a lot of fun.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

have been listening to Love Maine radio show number 215, youth sports. Our guests have included Rich Smith Smith and Kerry McCusker. We'd love to hear from you. So please let us know what you think of Love Maine Radio. We welcome your suggestions for future shows. Also let our sponsors know that you have heard about them here. We are privileged that they enable us to bring Love Maine Radio to you each week. This is Dr. Lisa Belisle. I hope that you have enjoyed our youth sports show. If you like what you've heard, please subscribe to our podcast and take a moment to give us feedback on itunes. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day. May you have a bountiful life.

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Carrie McCusker:

Well you got

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north

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and I said let me be your hunger pains coursing through those pre veins Let your heart not be estranged let me be your hunger pain. I lost my heart in the heat of San Anton I found my love in the cold of the great white north I watch my lover roll me over like a river stone well you pain in your bones you got pain in your bones well you got pain in your bones you know you're not alone.

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so long

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it's been so long and now it so long. You looked at me and said you don't have to worry but baby you can trust me and like a fool I bought it Like a fool you underestimated me so long spend so long now it so long. I caught you in a corner and like the.