Dennis Erickson still coaching — at South Albany High School in Oregon
Posted: October 17, 2012 at 7:18 am
The football game of impact this week is Oregon at Arizona State on Thursday night. That's for some people. The big game in Dennis Erickson's life will be South Albany at Woodburn.
That's in Oregon, where the former Seahawks coach hangs out a lot these days, helping his son Bryce coach high-school football at South Albany.
"It's been a lot of fun," Erickson said over the phone this week. "When you've been doing it 40-some years, it's kind of hard to turn it off."
So, 25 years after he coached Timm Rosenbach at Washington State; 20 years after he had Heisman Trophy winner Gino Torretta at Miami; 15 years after his quarterback was Warren Moon with the Seahawks ... and 11 months after he got fired at Arizona State, Erickson is back coaching offense again.
There's not a lot of media around, not a lot of boosters to appease.
"It's the purest part of coaching, to be honest with you," Erickson said. "I've enjoyed it."
While South Albany, a downtrodden program, is fighting through a 2-5 season, the talent Erickson and his staff helped assemble at Arizona State has helped the Sun Devils to a surprising 5-1 record.
After all these years, Erickson, 65, has a thick hide. He's realistic, even charitable, about his dismissal in Tempe. But still, it has to tug at him a little, seeing Todd Graham stress discipline and pull it all together, the year after Erickson seemed so close.
"He's taken that team and done a good job of doing what they do best," Erickson said. "He's done a heck of a job coaching."
Some of us were lulled by ASU's five-game fade at the end of last year and minimized what was on hand there. Erickson knew about defensive tackle Will Sutton, who leads the nation with 8 sacks. He knew about the quarterback, Taylor Kelly, and he knew defensive end Junior Onyeali suspended after a dustup with Erickson late last year could play.
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Dennis Erickson still coaching — at South Albany High School in Oregon
Positive Soccer Coaching: A Young Team's Life Lesson in Teamwork
Posted: at 7:18 am
Life lessons are an important objective of the Positive Coaching Alliance. One important life lesson to teach young soccer players is the value of teamwork. The following story is about my U10 girls travel soccer team and their aha moment about teamwork.
Several years ago, my U10 girls team arrived at the field for their first practice of the year. They were a great group of kids. They worked hard and played with effort. But they didn't seem to rely on each other nearly enough. They didn't understand the importance of teamwork.
So I posed a simple challenge to them. I told them to keep a soccer ball off the ground for five straight minutes. And they had to do it like a team.
At first, the players thought it was an impossible task. They tried juggling the ball, but they were not skilled enough to juggle for that long. The ball randomly bounced around and eventually hit the ground. But they kept trying.
A few practices later, the players changed their strategy. This time, they selected the best three jugglers and let them try to keep the ball in the air while the others watched. This was a slight improvement, but the ball still found the ground. The players were frustrated. They said that only professionals could complete this challenge. Then I reminded them about teamwork.
Soccer is a team sport. Every player on the field is important. That's why teams are at such a disadvantage when a player is sent off. It takes an entire team (including substitutes) to win a game. This was the lesson I was teaching my players.
Midway through our fall season, the players had a breakthrough. At the start of practice, the players said, "Coach, we got it!" Without hesitation, the players formed a circle facing inwards and locked arms. They placed the ball in the center. One player flicked the ball up. Then all the players got very close together and raised their knees. The ball landed on their knees and remained off the ground for five minutes. The players stood their leaning on each other, huddled together. It was an amazing sight.
The players took a seemingly impossible task and made it easy with teamwork. These girls went on to become one of the most tight-knit teams in the league. They supported each other in great victories and tough losses. Although they will soon be off to college now, the girls have talked about organizing future reunion soccer events. And they're doing this without me, their coach. They're doing it as a team.
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Positive Soccer Coaching: A Young Team's Life Lesson in Teamwork
Best Health Fitness Reviews — Your One-Stop Source Of Health and Fitness Information – Video
Posted: at 7:17 am
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Best Health Fitness Reviews -- Your One-Stop Source Of Health and Fitness Information - Video
Maryland Entrepreneur Launches Crowdfunding Campaign to Support his Revolutionary Fitness Product: the Ab Bed™
Posted: at 7:17 am
An inventor from Landover, Maryland is leveraging crowdfunding to launch his new fitness machine, the Ab Bed. The Ab Bed allows a user to strengthen and rehabilitate their core muscles while reducing the risk of injury or reinjury to their back and neck. MedStartr.com, a new crowdfunding portal focused on the health and wellness space, provides the infrastructure and resources necessary to help this first-time entrepreneur to bring his product to market.
Vienna, VA (PRWEB) October 17, 2012
The Ab Bed is a patented abdominal muscle toning machine designed to avoid placing any stress on the neck or back. Unlike other fitness devices, the Ab Bed allows patients rehabilitating from neck, back or spinal injury to rebuild strength without further injury. Mr. Durham, a physical trainer and bodybuilder, invented the device after suffering a back injury that prohibited normal exercise.
With the help of Right Start Consulting in Vienna, VA, Mr. Durham launched a crowdfunding campaign on MedStartr, a new healthcare crowdfunding website. When I envisioned how to best bring to market the Ab Bed, I struggled selecting the right channel. After working with the Right Start and MedStartr teams, I decided that the crowdfunding approach would yield the best results, stated Lorne Durham. Crowdfunding is an emerging method for inventors and entrepreneurs to launch their products ahead of a full production run. This method of market validation has become increasing important to the viral adoption of new and innovative products and services at a time when startup capital can be difficult to raise.
We are very pleased to work with the makers of the Ab Bed to get their first production run funded, stated CEO Alex Fair. Having set up and run a dozen Physical Therapy centers, I was very pleasantly surprised to see a new, well designed product that was priced reasonably and that has been shown to be effective for both fitness and rehabilitation purposes. We look forward to great things from this new company.
It took only five days to reach half of our fundraising objective! Mr. Durham stated emphatically when asked about the progress of his campaign. "I am obviously delighted with the progress so far."
The Ab Bed crowdfunding campaign runs through the month of October. For more information on the Ab Bed or to access the campaign website, please visit http://www.TheAbBed.com.
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DURHAM FITNESS INNOVATIONS, LLC is a leading fitness products company located in Landover, Maryland. The companys flagship product is the patented versatile abdominal bed, The Ab Bed. For more information about Durham Fitness Innovations or the Ab Bed, please call (301) 500-0531.
RIGHT START CONSULTING, INC. is a leading management and technology consulting firm focused on serving clients throughout their lifecycle, from new venture through mature operations and successful exit. Right Starts new business launch team provides early-stage companies the mentorship, resources and infrastructure required to successfully meet their individual milestones and reach sustained growth. For more information about Right Start Consulting, please visit us at http://www.RightStartConsulting.com or call 703-972-9147.
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Maryland Entrepreneur Launches Crowdfunding Campaign to Support his Revolutionary Fitness Product: the Ab Bed™
10th annual Senior Health & Fitness Fair
Posted: at 7:17 am
Special rates for membership at Loma Linda University Drayson Center; workshops, lectures, and screenings for health and fitness; and free goody bags are all on tap for participants in the upcoming Senior Health & Fitness Fair, hosted by Loma Linda University Drayson Center Senior Wellness Program.
The Senior Health & Fitness Fair, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, is set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 24, at Loma Linda University Drayson Center, 25040 Stewart St., Loma Linda.
Participants in the free event may take advantage of: health and wellness lectures; aerobics and other fitness demonstrations; health service booths; health screenings, including blood pressure and cholesterol tests; massages by certified massage therapists; tours of the Loma Linda University Drayson Center; goody bags; and healthy refreshments.
In addition, during the hours of the fair only, attendees may take advantage of special, once-a-year Drayson Center membership rates.
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10th annual Senior Health & Fitness Fair
Health Startup's App Tracks What Ails You
Posted: at 7:17 am
Thanks to Nike FuelBand, Fitbits, and BodyMedia devices, fitness enthusiasts can now obsessively track their exercise levels, calorie counts, and vital signs. That data is typically fed into an online dashboard that spits out health, diet, and fitness recommendations to help people reach specific goals, like weight loss.
Boston-based Healthrageous is trying to do the same thing, but for people with serious medical conditions that require daily monitoring, like diabetes or hypertension. For its disease-fighting efforts, the company has raised $6.5 million in a second round of funding from North Bridge Venture Partners, Long River Ventures and Egan-Managed Capital. That brings the companys total funding to $15 million.
Healthrageous is a self-management platform for managing behaviors that could lead to chronic disease, says CEO Rick Lee. Those behaviors include poor diet, lack of exercise, bad sleep habits, smoking, and drinking alcohol. The platform pulls in data from health records, mobile apps, and health devices, such as a blood sugar monitors or scales, to track important medical benchmarks. The information is fed into a dashboard viewable on smartphones and the web where both the patient and doctor can see crucial medical data. Doctors can then send medication reminders or suggest appointments, and patients get cues on what they can do to reach their health goals.
Healthrageous sells its service to health insurers and employers, who can use the platform to sign up their subscribers or employees. When someone joins Healthrageous, they answer a few questions about their lifestyle (how active they are, if they smoke or drink), and asked to set a goal, such as fit into certain dress size, or be able to play with their grandkids.
They then get a custom plan and a condition-specific medical device to reach that goal. Diabetic patients might receive a blood glucose monitor, those with hypertension get a blood pressure reader, and healthy adults are sent an accelerometer to count their steps. To keep people motivated to stick with their Heathrageous plan, the system coaches them with incentives and consistently reminds them about why they are trying to get healthy in the first place.
Currently, Healthrageous sends its own wireless biometric devices blood pressure meters, blood glucose monitors, scales, and accelerometers to patients, but the company is working toward a device-agnostic platform that can pull in data from any and all medical devices and health apps. The end goal is to combine every piece of data on your health and put it together in a meaningful way to let both you and your doctor know exactly whats going on and you make real changes for your health.
Getting healthy isnt just about your past medical history, says Lee. We can know more about you if tell us that you watch TV for five hours every night than if we just looked at your medical record.
Household service-booking startup Handybook has raised $2 million in seed funding from General Catalyst Partners, Highland Capital Partners and private investors. Deemed Uber for professionals, the site helps you find plumbers, electricians, house cleaners, painters, furniture assemblers, and other qualified professionals that you can book on-demand. Handybook pre-screens and background-checks each person and you can pay for your service online through the site.
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Health Startup's App Tracks What Ails You
Do I Need Life Insurance in Retirement Financial Planner Jeff Vogan Tucson Mesa Arizona – Video
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Do I Need Life Insurance in Retirement Financial Planner Jeff Vogan Tucson Mesa Arizona - Video
Should Ray Lewis Retire? – Video
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Should Ray Lewis Retire? - Video
Use Football-Style Retirement Planning
Posted: at 7:17 am
As I was watching my favorite team play last week, which didn't involve much actual playing on their part, I kept seeing football-meets-retirement-planning analogies everywhere.
Pay attention to your o-line. Protecting the quarterback with a strong offensive line will repay you with superior returns. A quarterback with his head on straight can concentrate on making good passes rather than worrying about some crazy linebacker breaking through for a sack.
If you're quarterbacking your own retirement savings, your retirement strategy is your offensive line. Sure, your line will periodically fail and let someone through. (And you will occasionally drop the ball or make a bad pass.) But your retirement strategy, like a good offensive line, will allow you to keep your head in the game and feel confident in the next down. It will keep you from looking over your shoulder every time the market shows a little volatility.
Look at your quarterback rating. Like quarterbacks, good mutual fund managers should have a steady track record. Don't choose a quarterback or fund manager who's streaky--you know the guy with the great arm who turns into a head case when he faces a strong blitz. Good managers perform consistently and predictably year after year.
Play all four quarters, and don't be afraid to run up the score. Unlike football, it's good sportsmanship to run up the retirement savings score, so play your first string the whole game. In other words, keep your head in the game the whole time. Don't become overly confident when you notice you've got a decent lead--or tidy sum in your nest egg. Keep pushing. Keep strategizing. Keep researching. Keep seeking advice and increasing your contributions. Keep playing defense. Keep looking for ways to earn more, spend less, save more, invest better and take less risk. Keep your head in the game for all 60 minutes.
Every team has a kicker, but some kickers add a lot more value. When two well-matched teams meet, a good kicker can make all the difference. In retirement planning, the highest-risk asset class in your allocation is akin to a kicker. It's not taking up a huge percentage of playing time (or your allocation), but a high-quality investment from the aggressive end of the asset class spectrum could put the ball through the goal posts when poorer-quality funds from that asset class are choking.
Run the ball a lot. It's not fancy, but it's reliable. Trick plays and big passes won't serve you well in retirement planning. Pound forward with consistency. Sure, you'll throw too. Sometimes you'll notice changing market conditions, and you'll run the option, reallocating to take advantage of whatever the economy (or the defense) is throwing your way. But, even when you call an audible, play with the same overarching strategy that focuses on consistent, long-term results. Remember that your choices during the first three downs of a series will determine where you are for the fourth. Make good, consistent choices for three downs so that you're left with several good choices on fourth down.
Don't go for the Hail Mary if you're nearing retirement and the score isn't where you'd hoped. Unlike football, where points cannot be lost, aggressive and foolish retirement plays could set you back years. It's fun to think about retirement planning in terms of football, but your retirement strategy is serious business. Football is a game. A poor season or a big loss will hurt when your favorite team is on the losing end, but it's still just a game. Retirement planning is your life, and you only get one lifetime to save and invest for retirement, so make it count.
And remember this: even when you face setbacks, the game isn't lost. Lucky for you, you can influence the retirement strategy game because you can control the length of time you play, the quality of the players, the number of players, the amount of money you spend on them, and so much more. My favorite football coach wishes he could do that--especially last week.
Scott Holsopple is the president and CEO of Smart401k, offering easy-to-use, cost-effective 401(k) advice and solutions for the everyday investor. His advice has been featured on various news outlets, including FOX Business, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.
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Use Football-Style Retirement Planning
Avoid a depressing retirement
Posted: at 7:17 am
10/16/2012 7:00 PM ET
By Ashlea Ebeling, Forbes.com
Successful retirees know how to adjust to life after work, a new book maintains. The process starts with the right attitude and good planning.
In retirement, you must be reborn or face withering away. That's the premise of the new book "The Retirement Maze," which explores tactics to help retirees on the path to a new and improved retirement. It looks at who would benefit from taking a "bridge" job and why it's important to build non-work-related friendships before retirement. It also recommends that retirees have more sex. Seriously.
"When you retire, you're going through a major life change; you have to reorient yourself to figure out who you are," says co-author Dr. Louis Primavera, 68, a psychologist and former marriage counselor and now dean of the School of Health Sciences at Touro College. Co-author Rob Pascale, who retired at age 51 after 31 years in corporate market research, floundered at various ventures, including importing produce, before returning to social science and working on the book.
It's not a typical "rah-rah book that tells you how great retirement is" (Primavera's words) or a personal finance book, but instead a book about how folks adjust to retirement overall, for better or worse.
The authors reviewed existing retirement literature, surveyed 1,500 retirees and 400 pre-retirees online, did in-depth in-person interviews and reflected on their own experiences. Their conclusion? You have a better chance of success if you're mentally ready to leave the workforce and have a well-thought-out retirement plan.
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Avoid a depressing retirement