Home >> TOC >> Businesses & Organizations >> Education >> Schools >> Private Schools
|
Chapin School 4101 Princeton Pike
609-924-2449
|
News02/16/2012: Linsanity Continues! “Finally! “ That’s what my wife said to me after Jeremy Lin, the first Taiwanese-American NBA player was discovered by the NY Knicks last week. Asians are not typically known for basketball in America. Yao Ming was an exception. If you were 7 foot, 6 inches, you’d probably be playing in the NBA too. Don’t get me wrong, we love basketball, and the sport garners increasing numbers of fans and participants across Asia. We are known for some niche sports: most stereotypically, martial arts and table tennis come to mind. By the way, if there’s any doubt that table tennis is a legitimate sport, you should talk with my 3 time US Olympian friend David Zhuang or watch some highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLS-eSK_8kk Other Asian countries (namely South Korea) typically do well in short track speed skating and archery. Baseball, golf and volleyball are also remain hugely popular in Asian countries. Is Lin’s popularity because of race? Some people think we should always avoid the topic of ethnicity, but my Taiwanese background is the same as Lin’s, so I’ll bring it up. I do believe that one of the reasons why he is so interesting is because of his ethnicity. Hypothetically, if there were already fifty other Asian Americans in the NBA, we probably wouldn’t be writing articles about this phenomenon. Think about the great tennis player Arthur Ashe, who was the first African American to make the Davis Cup Team, and had multiple accolades including induction into the Tennis Hall of Fame. Jackie Robinson is another great athlete who was a “first”. For these men, the backdrop of being the first among their demographic does not take away from their incredible accomplishments. Rather, in my opinion, it only strengthens their legacies because they had to excel under scrutiny and pressure. It is unfortunate that racism, sexism, ageism, still exists in societies across the globe, but every individual who breaks through such an invisible barrier should be applauded. I watched an hour-long interview of Jeremy Lin filmed in October of 2011, by a Taiwanese station in which he describes his journey to the NBA. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fYrTv_eekI He spoke of discrimination during college basketball at Harvard and how he dealt with it. He admitted many people close to him questioned his decision to pursue a career in the NBA. He talked about the intense pressure and feelings of hopelessness when he didn’t perform to his own expectations. When asked what got him through, he credits family, his agent and ultimately his faith in God as the breakthrough which gave him “peace and joy” regardless of his performance. Astonishingly, shortly after this October 2011 interview things seemed to get worse for Lin. On the first day of training camp, December 9, 2011, Lin was cut by the Golden State Warriors. A few days later he was claimed by the Houston Rockets only to be waived again in less than two weeks. The NY Knicks claimed him next and then sent him to the D-league in January 2012. He was recalled by the Knicks and became essentially the last man on the bench of a struggling team with almost no probability of staying much longer on their roster. On February 4, 2012, only as a last resort for a desperate team, he was placed into a game against the New Jersey Nets in which he seized the opportunity and began scoring enough points in that game and the following 4 games to break new NBA records. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/feb/13/jeremy-lin-harvard-taiwan-knicks-nba?newsfeed=true From a health perspective, what concerns me most about Lin’s future is his body’s ability to hold up to the physical nature of his sport. Knicks coach D’Antoni says, “sometimes you have to ride him”, referring to his strategy of keeping Lin on the court. This translates into long periods of uninterrupted playing time and fatigue for the player who gets few breaks to rest. When a person is tired they tend to be more susceptible to things like turnovers, something Lin struggled with in the past two games. What also can happen with fatigue is loss of muscle control when landing, pivoting, jumping, which can lead to ankle sprains and other such injuries. Having a shortened NBA season also packs the games closer together, which gives players less time to recover. Thankfully, many NBA players are in their early twenties, but those who are getting older will have to contend with the fact that their tendons, muscles and joints won’t recover as fast as they used to. The primary way to combat fatigue is strengthening and conditioning. This is the principle behind physical therapy as well as athletic training. Finding the asymmetries in your body, whether it’s in a static position, such as sitting posture, or a more dynamic activity such as cutting or landing from a jump is important in order to prevent future injury. During workouts some people might focus on the few key muscles groups that give their physique the most impressive outward appearance. But the real issue is that muscles need to be balanced. For example, muscles around the shoulder blade require more attention than most people give them. The phrase I often use when describing this is “relative weakness”. In fact, our Optojump and Performance 3D technology has provided our clients with objective data to show areas needing improvement and feedback throughout their training. Another key to conditioning is sport specific exercises. In other words, preventing injury in sports requires improving stamina while performing the same movements as a person may encounter during a game. Does strengthening and conditioning apply to the person who feels overweight and suffers from arthritis and back pain as well? Absolutely! If you’re a person who feels deconditioned due to pain, don’t let another day go by without making a choice to get well again. There is always something you can do. I am a firm believer that many medical conditions are better managed through proper diet and exercise than using medications alone. I have treated many patients who have arthritis of their knees, hips, or herniated discs, and they are surprised to find out that therapy and other non-surgical treatments are effective for their conditions. If you’re a person who is following Jeremy Lin’s story, I hope you are as inspired as I am. There are so many aspects to feel good about. A few thoughts to finish off for today: It’s good to dream big. Keep working hard. Understand that setbacks and discrimination happens to many people in different ways sometimes due to race, gender, disability, age, or religion. But don’t make it an excuse to give up. It’s okay to have self-doubt under intense pressure, but have faith and keep pressing onward because it’s never too late to begin a new chapter. 02/14/2012: Car Seat Safety Tips At some point in time, every parent must deal with the often daunting tasks of purchasing and installing a car seat. In the last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics altered its recommendations regarding car seat safety, with the most notable change of having all children sit rear facing until the age of two. Car seat safety is an important part of the anticipatory guidance offered by your pediatrician, and this article will hopefully provide some helpful tips.
Infants All infants should ride in a REAR facing car seat until the age of 2 or until they exceed the height and weight requirements delineated by the manufacturer. There are three types of rear facing car seats.
Toddlers and Pre-school aged children Children in this age group can be placed forward facing after the age of 2, or when they outgrow the rear facing specifications of your car seat. Ideally children should be in a car seat with a 5-point harness for as long as they can, at least until 4 years old. There are different types of forward facing seats, including the above mentioned convertible and 3-in-1 seats. Some newer cars even have built-in forward facing seats.
School aged children School aged children who have outgrown the parameters of a 5-point harness forward facing seat may sit in a booster seat. These seats are designed to elevate the child on the seat so that the lap belt and shoulder harness fit properly. This is typically when a child is at least 4 feet 9 inches (57 inches) tall and between 8 to 12 years old. There are belt-positioning boosters as well as high-backed and backless boosters. In any of these booster seats, the lap portion of the seat belt should lie low and snug across the child’s thighs while the harness crosses the middle of the chest and shoulder.
In New Jersey, the law requires that a child be placed in a booster seat in the rear seat until they are 8 years old or 80 pounds. The federal governmental guidelines stress that weight does not affect the safety of the car seat, and that children should be in a booster seat until they reach 57 inches. Following this recommendation of height will keep a child in a booster seat until they are 11 or 12 years old rather than 8.
Older children Older children may sit directly on the vehicle’s seat when they no longer require a booster seat for the seat belt to fit properly. This is generally at a height greater than 4 feet 9 inches (57 inches). The seat belt fits properly when:
New Jersey State law requires that all passengers from 8 to 18 years old wear a seatbelt when traveling in a moving vehicle. Although there is no written state law regarding sitting in the front seat, New Jersey recommends that children under the age of 12 NOT sit in the front seat. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children younger than 13 years be restrained in the rear seats of vehicles for optimal protection. These recommendations are made to ensure the safety of young children if an air bag were to deploy in an accident.
You should decide on a car seat that will best meet your needs and will fit well in your vehicle. You should never use a seat that has been in any type of accident. Make sure that if you are using an older car seat, it has not been recalled and that you are not using it for longer than the manufacturer recommends. Always remember to check your manufacturer’s manual to ensure that your car seat is installed safely and properly in your vehicle. If you have any concern or question on how to install your seat you can also search for a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) in your area who can help.
Here are some helpful websites:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration http://www.nhtsa.gov/ SeatCheck.org http://www.seatcheck.org/ To find a CPST http://cert.safekids.org/ The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety http://www.iihs.org/
|