Wednesday, November 14, 2007
By EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER
Whenever he goes to speak at schools across the nation to promote his books, children's book author and New York Daily News columnist Mike Lupica likes to give his pint-sized fans a good shock."When I was a kid," he says, "there was no Internet."
General gasps of disbelief fill the auditorium.
"There was no ESPN." This, said Lupica, always draws protests of horror from the boys. "And there were no iPods."
For entertainment, he had to read, 55-year-old Lupica tells the digital-age audience. And so can they.
Lupica aims to reach a younger reading audience with his new middle-level chapter-book series, "Comeback Kids." Like his earlier young adult offerings, the books feature protagonists who play on sports teams -- or aspire to do so. The first two installments, "Two-Minute Drill" and "Hot Hand," are already in stores.
FAST FACTS
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WHAT: Book signing.
WHERE: Bookends, 232 E. Ridgewood Ave,
Ridgewood. 201-445-0726 or book-ends.com.
WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday.
HOW MUCH: Free.
The busy author will be at Bookends in Ridgewood Thursday for a book-signing event, but he made time in his schedule to speak about the importance of sports for kids.
Q. Why is sports an important part of growing up?
You're trying to do something collectively that maybe you didn't know that you could do. It involves unselfishness, working with people for a greater goal. It gives you sense of community, a chance to reach for excellence. It's fun. It's a way to measure yourself against your peers. And it's a lot more good for the soul than playing video games.
Q. But is it easy for kids to get too competitive during the game?
Not if you give them values that I'm talking about. You can't let them think that it's the end of the world if they lose a game. I secretly have told my children and my players before a big game: "There isn't an adult in the stands today who wouldn't want to be in your place. There isn't one adult here who wouldn't rather be you today. Enjoy being young and being out there. It's about as good as it gets."
Q. Any advice for parents on the sidelines?
If you're going to yell, yell to encourage them. Don't yell at the coach to play your kid more, and don't yell at the ref. Don't take the losing harder than your kids do. It's the ones that don't get it that give the rest of them a bad name.
Q. You've described yourself as a "serial Little League coach." What has been your experience as a kids' team coach?
I've been coaching since my first son was old enough. (Lupica has three sons and a daughter.) But I'm trying to cut down. Now, my total responsibilities as a coach is as a third-grade soccer coach. My daughter says that all my coaching amounts to: 'Go Hannah, score Hannah, run Hannah!' By now you've figured out my daughter's name is Hannah.
Q. Is it difficult to coach your own kids?
I think most Little League coaches are in it for the purest possible reason: to teach the kids about the value of sports. And they realize it's not about them. But there's too many guys who say it's about the kids -- but it's really about a frustrated jock in them. I always tell my kids: There's a reason why people keep score in sports. You see how you measure up against everyone else. But if you as coach make it all about winning, you're doing a disservice to these kids.
E-mail: shih@northjersey.com
Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.
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