Pay to Play Worsens Widening Economic Gap Evident in America's Schools, Putnam Says in Hartford

The growing number of public schools that require students to pay a fee to participate in after school activities, such as sports or music, is exacerbating the economic class disparities in America’s schools, and diminishing opportunities for students from families of limited financial means. “Play to play must end,” said social scientist Robert Putnam, a professor of public policy at Harvard University, and author of the best-selling book Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis, appearing in Hartford in a special event sponsored by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

Putnam, who rose to cultural prominence in 2000 with his book “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of the American Community,” mixed riveting stories of the vastly different life experiences of the nation’s children, depending upon the financial wherewithal of their parents, and the dangers to every aspect of society - rich and poor - of permitting the growing disparities to continue unchecked.

According to his data, 86 percent of students from the highest-income families participate in extracurricular activities — slightly higher than during the 1970s — but participation among the lowest-income families is down about 15 percentage points, to 65 percent.

“No one talked (50 years ago) about soft skills, but voters and school administrators understood that football, chorus, and the debate club taught valuable lessons that should be open to all kids, regardless of their family background,” Putnam writes in the book.

Pay to play policies have been evident in Connecticut, as elsewhere across the country, for some time, as reflected in data compiled by the state Office of Legislative Research (OLR) in 2012.  The OLR report included information from 116 school districts. Of these, “44 charged a participation fee for high school athletics. The fees range from $25 per sport to $1,450 for ice hockey. Twenty nine school districts include a maximum amount that a student, family, or both can be charged during a single school year. Schools without a cap are generally those that charge the lowest fees.”

Following that report, legislation that would have prohibited local and regional boards of education from charging any student activity fees to students who are unable to pay such fees was considered in 2013 but not approved by the state legislature.

Last month, education officials in Norwalk proposed requiring student athletes to pay $100 each to participate athletic programs. Published reports indicated that students who participate in high school musicals in the city pay about $200 as a participation fee.

Putnam noted that although many school districts that charge such fees provide for waivers for financial need, those tend not to be used because students would rather drop a sport than be stigmatized as  poor and needy.  And he emphasized that dropping out of participation in after school activities worsens development and lessens chances to break away from a life of diminished opportunities.  The absence of such extra-curricular participation adversely impacts both future circumstances and physiological developmental, Putnam said.

The OLR data indicated that in Trumbull, for example, a family could pay as much as $750 (or $900 including hockey) for students’ participation in sports; in South Windsor the payment was capped at $500 per family, or $800 including hockey.  In Region 10, which includes the towns of Burlington and Harwinton, there was a maximum of $450 per family for participation in sports.

The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Handbook for 2016-17 includes reference to the organization’s “strong opposition to the local board of education policies which establish a fee system for students who wish to participate in co-curricular or extra-curricular activities, athletic and/or non-athletic.”

Among the organizational policy positions included in the handbook, the Administrators of Health and Physical Education “feel a direct assessment on the individual families of athletes is contrary to the educational philosophy so deeply rooted in our nation, and is wrong because it places an undue tax on selected members of the community.”

“Athletics as an extra-curricular activity is unique in that it provides a possible predictor of student success in later life; and affords adolescent boys and girls an opportunity to establish a physical and social identity along with the intellectual identity they develop while in the classroom,” the Administrators of Health and Physical Education policy statement says.

The handbook section on “pay to play” continues, indicating that “In support of that notion is a pair of studies conducted by the American Testing Service and College Entrance Examining Board. The former completed a study comparing four factors thought to be possible predictors of student success: achievement in extracurricular activities, high grades in high school, and high grades in college as well as high scores on the SAT. It was found that the only factor which could be validly used to predict success in later life was achievement in extra-curricular activities.”

Adds the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents: “Free public education includes the student’s right to participate in activities offered by a school district. The student should not be denied participation because of lack of funds or the refusal to pay a fee.”

Putnam, speaking at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts to a nearly filled Belding Theater audience, recalled attending Yale University in Connecticut, and speaking in Hartford 16 years ago, when Bowling Alone was published.  He stressed that there are fewer mixed-income neighborhoods than there were 50 years ago, and as a result children are less likely to go to school with people of a different social class.  

The top third of US society – whether defined by education or income – are investing more in family life, community networks and civic activities than their parents, while the bottom third are in retreat, as families fracture and both adults and children disengage from mainstream society, he pointed out. That is evident in a range of statistics,  he said, proceeding to share a series of graphs and charts that underscored his thesis.

Putnam identified causes of the widening opportunity gap for the current generation of young people as the collapse of the working class family, a substantial increase in single-parent homes among the poor, economic insecurity among growing cadre of working class people, and a cultural change of people no longer looking out for other people’s kids in a way that happened in the past.  The definition of “our kids,” he said, has narrowed for a community’s children, to the biological children of individual families.

This gap amounts, Putnam emphasizes, is a “crisis” for the American dream of equal opportunity. Advantages pile up for the kids born to the right parents, all but guaranteeing their own success in life – in stark contrast to the fates of those struggling at the bottom.

Among the statistics of concern raised by Putnam: affluent children with low high-school test scores are as likely to get a college degree (30%) as high-scoring kids from poor families (29%).  And he called for a focus less on the costs of community college and more on helping students unfamiliar with the bureaucracy and processes of college work their way through it.  “We need navigators to help these students navigate the process,” he said, making a comparison to health care, where newly diagnosed cancer patients, unfamiliar with the world they have just entered, increasingly have “health care navigators” assigned to them as guides to deal with the uncertainty they face.

Despite the preponderance of evidence showing stark disparities, Putnam says he is optimistic that the trends can be reversed.  “American did it once before, after the turn of the last century,” he explains, and can do so again.  He suggests that the remedy will more likely be driven from the grassroots, in individual communities, than from policies adopted by the federal government.

New Milford’s McCusker Earns Spot on Gymnastics Junior National Team

Every four years, America’s attention turns to gymnastics, as the Olympics push the U.S. team to the forefront of competitive sports.  The road to Rio, and the 2016 Summer Games, is underway, but for Connecticut residents following the sport, the run-up competitions are providing an opportunity to look not only at this summer’s climactic event, but down the road a few summers. Connecticut’s top junior gymnast, Riley McCusker of New Milford, put herself squarely on the radar screen for the future with a solid second place finish in the P&G Gymnastics Championships junior women’s event, held in St. Louis.  That earned McCusker, who turns 15 this month, a slot on the eight-member U.S. National Junior Women’s Team, with international competition on the horizon.

In addition to finishing in second place overall, McCusker finished in second place on the uneven bars, floor exercise and balance beam, reflecting solid performances on both days of the competition.

McCusker  is joined on the eight-member U.S. National Junior Women’s Team by Shania Adams of Plain City, OH; Jordan Chiles of Vancouver, WA; Morgan Hurd  of Middletown, DE; Emma Malabuyo of Flower Mound, TX; Maile O'Keefe of Las Vegas, NV; Gabby Perea of Geneva, IL and Trinity Thomas of York, PA.

“I had no expectations coming in,” McCusker said. “This was my first season as an elite and first P&G Championships. I just came in, did my gymnastics and then waited to see what would happen.”

What happened was about as good as it gets, and reinforced her trajectory in the sport.  She told CT by the Numbers: "Qualifying to the national team was the best day of my life because I realized then that all of my hard work and sacrifices have started paying off!”

Last month, competing at the Secret Classic at the XL Center in Hartford – with the vocal support of friends and family from New Milford, McCusker had stand-out moments and finished 9^th overall in a crowded field.  That experience under her belt, the arena in St. Louis was yet another step forward in a progress-filled year.

The USA Gymnastics Elite Program is designed to provide competitive experiences for athletes aspiring to the National Team. The National Teams (Senior and Junior) are selected from the USA Championships each year. These athletes represent the United States in international competitions.

McCusker is coached by Maggie Haney and Victoria Levine at MG Elite in Morganville, New Jersey.  Her teammate, Lauren Hernandez, earned a spot on the U.S. National Senior Women’s Team in recent weeks, followed this week by being named to the U.S. Olympic Team for this summer’s Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  The U.S. Olympic Trials were July 8 and 10 in San Jose. The 16-year-old Hernandez was the 2015 junior national champion, and is a competitor that McCusker trains with and is inspired by.

McCusker, who began gymnastics at age 6, was enthused to have childhood friends – many of whom hasn’t seen her compete at the elite level – in the stands in Hartford.  Their handmade signs of support were quite visible, as were the vocal cheers.

Proud of her Connecticut roots, McCusker’s Instagram page includes a memorial honoring the victims at Sandy Hook elementary School in December 2012. And she was thrilled to participate in the Hartford competition earlier this summer, recalling when she was in the stands with family watching the competitors just as her dedication to gymnastics was taking root.

If her accomplishments during the past month are any indication, there will be more opportunities for fans to gather in support of Connecticut’s home town girl in the future.

As one of the many commenters opining on social media after her P&G performance noted, “2020 here she comes.”

PHOTOS:  Riley McCusker in St. Louis (John Cheng photos); with Lauren Hernandez.

https://youtu.be/ZfXeDEdO6Dc

Former UConn QB Cochran Says Football Puts Players in Harm’s Way, Urges End to "Cycle of Silence"

Former UConn quarterback Casey Cochran, who retired from the sport at age 20 after suffering his 13^th concussion, said this week that “There are problems with the game that need to be addressed. As it is played right now, tackle football — with its pads and helmets — puts players in harm’s way, all of the time, regardless of age and ability.” Cochran, writing a first-person story about his experiences with football and concussions in The Players’ Tribune, an online site founded by Derek Jeter, issued an alert to others who’ve journeyed through the sport, or continue to compete:

“I want to say to all former, current and future athletes who have or will suffer a concussion: Do not hide it. Tell your coaches, medical staff, parents, friends and teammates. Get treatment. The cycle of silence hurts more and more people each year.”

Cochran, from Monroe, explained that in the 18 months since his decision, after suffering a concussion on the last play of the first game of UConn’s 2014 season, against Brigham Young University, “I still feel the lingering effects from my many concussions. Life is a balancing act now. Some days it’s hard to wake up before noon. Sometimes I don’t want to leave my bed at all. In high school, I had a 3.9 GPA. Now I have trouble focusing and performing well in my graduate-school classes.”

He warned that “Those who play football, particularly those who begin in their youth, are given a glamorized version of the sport – one where camaraderie, discipline, toughness and leadership are highlighted and the wretchedness is ignored and swept under the rug. As a result, we fall in love with and value the good and push aside the bad.”

Cochran recalled that “I probably should have stopped playing football in eighth grade after my third concussion, but I was afraid to speak up. Afraid of disappointing people who had invested in my career. Afraid of who was I was without football. I wish I hadn’t hid the three concussions I had in one week during my junior year of high school, but I was afraid that college recruiters would find out.”

Even with increasing awareness of the risks of concussions, Cochran said the near and long-term effects haven’t led to enough changes.  “The only word I know to describe the first few moments after a concussion is limbo — there are a few moments between the world that you were just a part of and your new brain-injured reality,” Cochran explained.  “My head was seized with tremendous pressure, and that same awful, familiar depression from previous head injuries came over me — like a dark, heavy blanket, swallowing me up.”

With it all, he retains optimism: “There is life outside of the white lines. A lot of life. Stepping away from football was one of the scariest things I’ve ever had to do. I felt lost for a long time. For a little over a year, I felt like I was somewhere, deep in the ocean, being pulled by the currents. But what pulled me back from the depths was hope. Hope that things would get better.”

He now finds purpose in being an advocate for player safety, speaking to audiences, doing interviews and writing a book about his experiences.  To those going through what he did, during his 14 years of playing football, he says “If you feel alone, you aren’t. Chances are, there are a lot of people out there who have some idea of what you’re going through. Just keep looking. Reach out.”

Added Cochran: “Sometimes it’s nice to admit that things aren’t O.K.: ‘Hello, my name is Casey, and I have anxiety and depression.’ It may be permanent. It may be just the beginning. I don’t know what the future has in store for me and it will be some time before the medical field can paint a clearer picture for me. I may have CTE right now. I might have dementia at 50. My entire future is uncertain.”

Connecticut is Finalist to Host 2021 Solheim Cup, Prestigious Women’s U.S. vs. Europe Golf Event

Connecticut is in the running to host the 2021 Solheim Cup, often described as the most exciting event in women's professional golf, in what would be a significant coup for the state’s sports fans. The female equivalent of the men’s Ryder Cup, the tournament is held every odd-numbered year and matches the best players from the United States against the best from Europe.

Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield is one of six finalists to host the 2021 Cup, along with Inverness in Toledo, Scioto Country Club outside Columbus, Oak Tree National in Edmond, Okla., Lancaster (Pa.) Country Club, and a to-be-determined course in San Antonio, Texas.

The 2017 edition is slated for play at the Des Moines Golf & Country Club on August 14 – 20, 2017.  Scotland recently won the right to host The Solheim Cup in 2019.   The 16th edition of the team event will be played at the world famous PGA Centenary Course at The Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire.

Officials at the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau recently confirmed that conversations are underway that may result in the event being played in Fairfield County in 2021 – if Connecticut is selected from the field of finalists. Presentations by competing cities are being made on July 19 in Chicago.  The state should learn of the selection decision by the end of the year. Connecticut’s elected officials, at the state and federal level, have provided support for the Brooklawn bid.  

Brooklawn Country Club was formed in 1895 and from its earliest days, was conceived as a family club. Rich in history, Brooklawn was one of the first dozen or so clubs to join the United States Golf Association in 1896. Brooklawn has been the site of numerous amateur and professional championships including the 1974 USGA Junior Championship, the 1979 U. S. Women’s Open, the 1987 U. S. Senior Open and the 2003 USGA Girls Championship.

Although more than a year away, Des Moines is already spreading enthusiasm and selling tickets to the week-long event.  The August event traditionally draws some 200,000 fans for the three days of competition and preceding practice rounds.

“The support that the Des Moines community has shown for golf events in the area has been tremendous. Based on the incredible welcome that we’ve already seen from the city, state, and local organizers, I have no doubt that the 2017 Solheim Cup is already on track to be one of the best event we’ve ever staged,” said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan. “From the very first time we met the Des Moines Golf and Country Club leaders, we realized that we were able to think big, rally the support of the community, and facilitate corporate and fan experiences that will take The Solheim Cup to a new level.”

Des Moines Golf and Country Club was the site of the 1999 U.S. Senior Open Championship which drew a record 252,800 spectators.

After an extensive and very competitive bidding process for the 2019 event, the final decision saw Scotland edge out a strong bid from Sweden, according to published reports.  There were 10 countries - Denmark, England, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and Wales – that submitted expressions of interest in hosting the 2019 event, the next time it is to be held in Europe.

Ivan Khodabakhsh, chief executive of Ladies European Tour said: “The competitive nature of the bidding process for the 2019 event is testimony to the growth in interest in women’s professional golf and women’s sport in general. The Solheim Cup has grown to be the biggest event in the women’s game delivering outstanding value to its partners at a local, national and international level.”

There is no early word on what impact the recent “Brexit” vote that is expected to lead to the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union might have on the event.

Last month, the victorious 2015 U.S. Solheim Cup team visited Washington D.C. to be recognized for their accomplishments last September in defeating the European Team and winning back the Cup after back-to-back losses. The team sported matching red, white and blue sneakers for their Oval Office meeting with President Obama.

Scotland’s bid, which was led by the EventScotland team within VisitScotland’s Events Directorate and backed by The Scottish Government, was submitted in August and received huge support from stars across the golfing, sporting and media spectrum.  John A. Solheim, PING Chairman and CEO, commented: “I am excited that the Solheim Cup will be returning to Scotland, home of Europe’s first win.  Gleneagles is certainly one of the great venues in golf and I’m sure that the members of the 2019 Solheim Cup teams will be up to meeting the challenges of this exceptional golf course.”

In the 1930’s, A. W. Tillinghast, one of history’s premier golf architects who also designed, among others, the courses at Winged Foot Golf Club, Baltusrol Golf Club, Bethpage State Park and Quaker Ridge Golf Club, redesigned the Brooklawn course in Fairfield into its present form.  Des Moines Golf and Country Club is the second Pete Dye-designed venue to host The Solheim Cup following the 2005 tournament at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Indiana.

NHL Considers Las Vegas and Quebec, Not Hartford

Apparently, it’s all about the lease.  Rumors continue to fly about the possible relocation or sale of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League, but Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos, who moved the team formerly known as the Hartford Whalers there two decades ago, says they’re staying put. The Hockey News is reporting that no team in the league has had worse attendance this season than the Hurricanes, whose average attendance has been 12,203 this past season. That’s more than 1,000 fewer fans than Arizona’s attendance, and Carolina is the only team in the league consistently selling less than two-thirds of the maximum attendance at home. In fact, the Hurricanes’ average of 65.3 percent capacity is the lowest by more than 12 percent.

In Forbes’ annual franchise valuations, the Hurricanes were ranked 28th at a value of $225 million, the News reported. Only the Arizona Coyotes and Florida Panthers were given a lower valuation by Forbes. In addition, Forbes said the Hurricanes had an operating income of -11.7 million, which ranked behind only the Panthers and New York Islanders.

“We have commitments that we value (in Carolina). We have an excellent lease, I love (PNC Arena) and I am deeply committed to this market,” Karmanos was quoted as saying in quashing rumors that the team was headed to Quebec, where an NHL-ready arena is waiting. 

A Las Vegas-based website, sinbin.vegas, reports that “their lease runs through 2024. He receives 100% of all parking and concessions for all non-North Carolina State events and a discount on utilities.”  Las Vegas has also been rumored for a franchise relocation or expansion team, and was one of two cities (Quebec was the other) to formally apply for an expansion franchise late last year.

The website reiterates that the Hurricanes are filling only 65% percent of the PNC Arena in Raleigh, which lists a capacity of 18,680. “The obvious reason is because the Hurricanes will once again not take part in the postseason…which doesn’t inspire the folks of Raleigh to attend… which sparks talk of relocation. To give this proper perspective the Columbus Blue Jackets are second from the bottom while filling only 77.7 percent of the Nationwide Arena.

NESN reported in March that, according to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, “We have two applications, one from Quebec City and one from Las Vegas. That’s exactly what we expected when we began the process, that those would be the two applications we’d have.” Quebec City has a brand-new arena that opened last fall, but would be the smallest market in the league.  It would also add another Eastern city, in a league that currently has an imbalance in Eastern teams, but has promised not to move teams from the mid-west, including Detroit, into a Western conference under realignment.

Veteran hockey journalist Stan Fischler is reporting that the NHL “could very well put teams in tiny Quebec City and sprawling Las Vegas; and likely will make that decision in June.”

A return to Hartford is not on the NHL radar.  As Hartford Courant columnist Jeff Jacobs pointed out last summer, when the NHL expansion process began, “without anyone willing to pay a whopping $500 million expansion fee the league owners want, bid or not there is no way — zero, zero, zero way — the NHL would select Hartford in 2015.”  Or 2016, apparently.  And 2017 is not looking good either.

Hartford’s Reputation As Excellent Host for National Gymnastics Brings Returns

If the three twenty-somethings enjoying  lunch and some brief down time outside at Trumbull Kitchen seemed familiar to passersby in downtown Hartford, it’s probably because they’ve been on national television a time or two.  And will be again. The casual lunch and conversation among three friends – competitors in the P&G Gymnastics Championships being held at the XL Center this weekend – are just one example of how hosting a major sporting event, in this case gymnastics, can boost the local economy and have reverberations that will continue to add value.

Californian Sam Mikulak, 23, who has won the men’s national title each of the past three years, remembers Hartford well.  His string of three consecutive all-around championships started here in 2013.  Fellow athletes Donathan Bailey, 25, of California and C.J. Maestas, 24, of New Mexico, have also competed in national championships held in Hartford.

This weekend, the Capitol city is hosting not only the men’s championship for the third time in a decade (2010 and 2013 previously) but is also hosting the Secret U.S. Classic, a key tune-up for the nation’s top women gymnasts, with the Olympics just two months away and the U.S. teams to be chosen in the coming weeks.  It is the first time that Hartford has hosted major gymnastics events in an Olympic year, when public interest peaks.

The roster of past Olympic and international medalists competing in Hartford is lengthy – unprecedented in the view of some observers – and in many cases, Connecticut is part of their individual Olympic journeys.

2012 Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman of Needham, Massachusetts recalls competing in Hartford in 2010, and says of her return, “I feel like I’m competing at home.”

The Connecticut Convention and Sports Bureau (CTCSB) projects 1,425 hotel room nights, an estimated attendance approaching 30,000, a business sales impact of $1.5 million and $50,000 in local taxes generated.  But the impact goes beyond those numbers.

“It raises awareness of what we have in the state,” when people visit to enjoy the competition, or root for family or friends, points out Bob Murdock, Director of Sports Marketing at CTCSB.

Add to that the national network television coverage (NBC telecasts coverage on Sunday and NBC Sports Network also provides coverage), and the Hartford locale mentioned in news stories published worldwide and plentiful on social media, the exposure for the city and state is incalculable.  “It has lasting effects,” says Murdock, and “helps grow the brand of Connecticut.”

Why does USA Gymnastics keep coming back?  “Everything runs smoothly,” suggests Mikulak, expressing a competitor’s viewpoint. “They trust us,” adds Murdock, noting that when Connecticut bids to attract future national caliber sporting events, the first question asked is “what else have you hosted.”

“The sports talk to each other,” Murdock explained.  They ask about community support, and the overall experience.  That USA Gymnastics has returned multiple times with its top national events speaks volumes.

Some up-and-coming hopefuls wouldn’t mind seeing the Hartford tradition continue awhile longer.

Among those competing at the Junior elite level is 14-year-old Riley McCusker of New Milford, the lone Connecticut resident at either the Senior or Junior level.

“I am so excited to be in Connecticut,” she says, seeking to advance her fledgling career at a major competition in her home state. Many of her friends and family will be on hand, including some that may be surprised when they see her on the XL Center floor and realize the full dimension of her steadily progressing gymnastics career.

McCusker recalls being at the XL Center as a spectator for a previous national championship, and being wowed by an extraordinary floor exercise she witnessed. This weekend, she may turn some heads herself as she continues to emphasize quality and consistency  as her track-record grows, although not quite looking ahead yet to Olympic possibilities in 2020.

Four years beyond her Olympic experience in London leading the U.S. team and earning individual and team gold medals, the just-turned-22 year-old Raisman says it “feels like forever ago.”  With a field of potential U.S. Olympians as deep as it ever has been all vying for one of only a handful of slots on the 2016 U.S. team, having the journey come through a familiar place – with nearly two dozen close friends and family coming to Hartford to join the many fans here to cheer her on - may offer a lift.

The competition itself certainly does so for the XL Center, Hartford and Connecticut.  Mikulak, as only a visitor could, sums it up succinctly:  “Hartford is a popular place.”

Aly Raisman of Needham, Mass. won the senior all-around title at the 2016 Secret U.S. Classic at the XL Center on Saturday, June 4.  Rachel Gowey of Urbandale, Iowa was second, and Alyssa Baumann of Plano, Texas finished third. Earlier in the day, Irina Alexeeva of Plano, Texas, captured the junior all-around title.  Connecticut’s Riley McCusker of New Milford finished 9^th.  The 11,771 who attended the Secret U.S. Classic on Saturday evening were the largest one-day crowd USA Gymnastics has had for events held in Hartford. In 2010, the largest daily crowd was 11,325, and in 2013 the largest daily attendance was 10,233.

Hartford Is Next Stop on the Road to Rio for Olympic Gymnastics Hopefuls

Gymnastics will once again take center stage in Hartford this weekend, as for the third time in a decade Connecticut’s Capitol City is the center of the gymnastics world – this time in an Olympic year, when public interest ramps up to peak levels. The three-day event  begins on Friday at the downtown XL Center and features the two-day P&G Championships, the national championships for senior men’s gymnastics, and the Secret U.S. Classic, the final women’s qualifier for the P&G Women’s Gymnastics Championships.  The field for both events is nothing short of phenomenal.

The men’s 2016 P&G Championships will determine the men’s senior national champions and national team, as well as the men who will advance to the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Men’s Gymnastics in St. Louis, June 23 and 25.

The Secret U.S. Classic, which has women competing on the junior and senior levels, serves as the last opportunity for female gymnasts to qualify for the P&G Women’s Championships in St. Louis (June 24 and 26), as well as a tune-up for many of the country’s top women leading into the national championships.

Led by three-time World all-around champion Simone Biles of Spring, Texas, eight gymnasts who have won World Championships or Olympic gold medals, including athletes who helped Team USA win the World team titles in 2011, 2014 and 2015 and the team gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games, are expected to compete.

The 2016 Men’s P&G Gymnastics Championships begin on Friday, and will feature a field of 11 men who have combined for 39 U.S. titles and 12 world championships medals. 2012 Olympian and three-time U.S. champion Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast, Calif., is pursuing his fourth consecutive U.S. all-around title.  Including Mikulak, four members of the 2012 U.S. Men’s Olympic Team are slated to compete in Hartford this weekend.

The competition will determine both the men’s senior national champions and national team, as well as the athletes who will advance to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials on June 23-25 in St. Louis. From there, five men will be chosen to represent Team USA at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games.

For those interested in looking well beyond this year’s Olympics, The Hopes Championships, which features young, aspiring female gymnasts (ages 10-13) , is held in conjunction with the Secret U.S. Classic and is scheduled for June 3 at 2:30 p.m.  Throughout the weekend, fans in attendance will have opportunities to visit the Kellogg’s Nutrition Zone and learn about International Gymnastics Camp.

The XL Center has hosted the USA Gymnastics national championships twice: in 2010 and 2013.  Both were important events building toward Olympic years, and Olympians competed both times, but neither was in an actual Olympic year. The Summer Olympics are scheduled for Aug. 5-21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“When we left [Hartford] last time, I said, 'We'll look for a way to come back,' USA Gymnastics President and CEO Steve Penny said on a conference call when the events were awarded to Hartford in late 2014. "The density of our community is so great in that northeast part of the country. We knew we would have a good following for men's and women's gymnastics.”

The gymnastics events will garner national sports media coverage, including a live telecast on NBC on Sunday afternoon, and taped coverage on NBC Sports Network on Sunday night.  Some events will also be streamed live online.

Connecticut will be back in the sports spotlight later this summer, with the Travelers Championship PGA Tour event, traditionally held in June, pushed back to August, due to the Summer Olympics.  The run-up to that event, perennially a big draw for fans in Connecticut and New England, begins when defending champion Bubba Watson is interviewed during the MetroHartford Alliance’s Rising Star Breakfast on June 20.  The tournament will be August 1-7 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, with the final round telecast by CBS Sports.

Just weeks later, New Haven will be hosting the Connecticut Open, formerly the Pilot Pen, tennis tournament August 19-27. Connecticut Open presented by United Technologies features world-class women’s tennis players, highlighted by three-time champion and World No. 6 Petra Kvitova and Americans Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens. The event at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale will also be telecast nationally.  ESPN2 will broadcast the women’s semifinals (Friday, August 26) and finals (Sunday, August 27). Early round matches can also be seen on ESPN3.

Photos above: Three-time U.S. champion Sam Mikulak; Juniors competitor Riley McCusker of New Milford.

Baseball Cards, eBay and Racial Discrimination Drive Research Study

Racial discrimination is often difficult to prove, with a variety of influencing factors making a clear cut determination often impossible.  But it is also widely recognized that racial discrimination is also difficult to eliminate. Now, academic researchers have found yet another way of demonstrating that racial prejudice continues to impact daily lives – often in ways we are unaware of or hadn’t considered. In the 27-page study, published this past winter in the RAND Journal of Economics, Ian Ayres and Christine Jolls of Yale University, and Mahzarin Banaji of Harvard University investigated the impact of a seller’s race in a field experiment involving baseball card auctions on eBay. The results, according to the researchers, left little doubt.

In the experiment, photographs posted on eBart showed the cards being held by either a dark-skinned/African-American hand or a light-skinned/Caucasian hand. The study found that cards held by African-American sellers sold for approximately 20 percent ($0.90) less than cards held by Caucasian sellers.

“Our evidence of race differentials is important,” the researchers said, “because the online environment is well controlled (with the absence of confounding tester effects) and because the results show that race effects can persist in a thick real-world market such as eBay.”

They added that the experiment is “well suited to studying and isolating race effects because online bidders have no access to the types of seller information—such as demeanor and socioeconomic background—that are usually observable in field experiments examining the effects of race on economic behavior.”

The study, “Race Effects on eBay,” was featured in the Winter 2015 edition of the Journal, and has been referenced in national publications thereafter.  The Washington Post reported that “the cards that were held by the African-American hand actually ended up being worth more, suggesting they should have sold for more than the other batch. That is, when the researchers added up how much they had originally paid for all of the cards sold by the black hand versus the white hand, the first total was larger.”

The Post also reported that researchers found that cards sold by the African-American seller to bidders living in Zip codes with a higher proportion of white residents sold for less than those sold to in Zip codes with a larger Black population. In addition, the Post pointed out, “one interesting feature of the study is that, on eBay, the value of the auctioned good is decided in a kind of collective process. Buyers are not just trying to determine how much the good is worth to them; they are also trying to figure out how much everyone else is likely to bid for it. In an eBay auction, buyers can see others’ bids and continue to submit their price until the last minute. In other words, buyers might submit lower bids for the African-American seller not because they personally are biased, but because they expect everyone else to be.”

Christine Jolls (left) is the Gordon Bradford Tweedy Professor at Yale Law School and the Director of the Law and Economics Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) with headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ian Ayres (center) is a lawyer and an economist. He is the William K. Townsend Professor at Yale Law School, the Anne Urowsky Professorial Fellow in Law, and a Professor at Yale's School of Management. Mahzarin Banaji (right), a psychology professor at Harvard University, studies unconscious thinking and feeling as they unfold in social context, relying on multiple methods including cognitive/affective behavioral measures and neuroimaging (fMRI).  Previously, she was Director of Undergraduate Studies at Yale.

Former Hometown Stamford, Public Television Launch Ken Burns' Documentary on Jackie Robinson

As the 2016 major league baseball season begins, the eyes of the nation – and his former hometown of Stamford – will once again turn to the remarkable legacy of Jackie Robinson. A new documentary by acclaimed film director Ken Burns, titled Jackie Robinson, premieres Monday, April 11 at 9 p.m. and continues Tuesday, April 12 at 9 p.m. on PBS and CPTV. To kick-off the program’s debut, the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network (CPBN) will host a special tribute to Jackie Robinson at The Palace Theatre, Stamford on Friday, April 8 at 7 p.m. The event will include live jazz music by award-winning saxophonist Albert Rivera, and commentary and a Q&A session with ESPN commentator and former Major League Baseball player Doug Glanville.

Although not a Connecticut native, Robinson lived in Stamford for nearly 20 years, having moved to the community while a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954.  Robinson, known world-wide for breaking the color barrier in major league baseball in 1947, died of a heart attack in 1972, at age 53.

The evening will include an advance preview screening of the new two-part documentary by Ken Burns. The story of the first African American to play baseball in the major leagues features interviews with President Barack Obama, Harry Belafonte, Tom Brokaw, and others who share how Robinson’s determination and heroism influenced generations.

Upon arriving in Stamford, Robinson and his family lived with Richard Simon, co-founder of Simon and Schuster, and his wife, Andrea and their family at their North Stamford home before building a home on Cascade Road in North Stamford. The Simons’ daughter, singer/songwriter Carly Simon, recalled going with Robinson to Ebbets Field to see the Brooklyn Dodgers when she was young, the Greenwich Time recently reported.

Stamford has a public park named in his honor, recalling that Robinson represented tolerance, educational opportunity, and the confidence that inspires personal achievement and success. A life-size bronze statue of Jackie Robinson with an engraved base bearing the words “COURAGE,” “CONFIDENCE,” AND “PERSEVERANCE” stands in the park located on West Main Street, the gateway to downtown Stamford.

Just weeks ago, Jackie Robinson’s daughter Sharon and her mother Rachel accompanied President Obama to Cuba, and joined him and the United States delegation at an exhibition baseball game.  She told mlb.com:

“It brought back very personal memories of my father talking about his trip to Cuba in 1947, when the Brooklyn Dodgers trained in Havana. At the time, dad was a member of the Dodgers' farm team, the Montreal Royals. Branch Rickey arranged for him to fly to Cuba for an exhibition game, just a couple of months before he broke down baseball's color barrier in the United States. To me, this connection to my father almost brought me to tears. I was watching a baseball game in the same stadium nearly 70 years later.”

In the two-part documentary, Ken Burns “reveals fascinating stories about the legend’s life on and off the field.”  In part one, Robinson “rises from humble origins to integrate Major League Baseball, performing brilliantly despite the threats and abuse he faces on and off the field and, in the process, challenges the prejudiced notions of what a black man can achieve,” according to PBS.  In part two, Robinson” uses his fame to speak out against injustice, alienating many who had once lauded him for ‘turning the other cheek.’” After baseball, during his years in Stamford, “he seeks ways to fight inequality, but as he faces a crippling illness, he struggles to remain relevant.”

The documentary “paints the picture of a man who challenged institutional racism in the face of harsh criticism. It also delves into his close-knit relationship with his wife, Rachel, and their children through candid interviews and personal family photos.”

In 1997, Major League Baseball “universally” retired his uniform number, 42, across all major league teams; he was the first pro athlete in any sport to be so honored. Initiated for the first time on April 15, 2004, Major League Baseball has adopted a new annual tradition, “Jackie Robinson Day,” in which all players on all teams wear #42.

Of his interest in sharing Robinson’s story, director Ken Burns said, “There was so much more to say not only about Robinson’s barrier-breaking moment in 1947, but about how his upbringing shaped his intolerance for any form of discrimination and how after his baseball career, he spoke out tirelessly against racial injustice, even after his star had begun to dim.”

My dad once said, "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives," Sharon Robinson recently recalled.

Head Impacts in Lacrosse Subject of Closely Watched Study at Sacred Heart University

With heightened focus in recent years on the ramifications of concussions on the careers and lives of athletes – especially professional football players – research is gaining interest and attention in a range of contact sports. The recent release of the popular movie Concussion has pushed awareness and interest even further – along with the appetite for scientific research. In Connecticut, Sacred Heart University (SHU) is underway with poised to start the third year of a four-year study of the school’s men’s lacrosse team, which will be among the first comprehensive studies looking at head impact and concussions in the sport at the college level. U.S. Lacrosse, the sport’s governing body, provided the SHU athletic-training education program a $15,000 grant to study the effects of on-the-field head impacts. The 2016 season began on February 13 and runs through April 30.

The SHU study got underway in January 2014 and was initially focused on freshmen players.  It has continued to monitor the same athletes as they progress through their four-year lacrosse career.  The goal is to gain a better understanding of concussions in the sport and ultimately generate insights for safer play.

Theresa Miyashita, director and assistant professor for the athletic training education program, launched the accelerometer concussion study at the University. The research involves the use of accelerometers in the team’s helmets. These sensors detect the amount of impact (in Gs or standard gravity acceleration) a player receives when he gets hit by a ball, a stick, another player or hits the ground.

“We are one of the first in the country to embark on an accelerometer concussion study of this size in men’s lacrosse,” said Miyashita. “We are collaborating with Professor Michael Higgins at Towson University, who is conducting a similar study to compare impacts on different helmets (Cascade vs. Warrior). This research targets the fastest-growing team sport in America.”

The players have been wearing these sensors in their helmets for the entire season – both in practices and games. The information received from the sensors is then uploaded to see the number of impacts sustained, where the impacts were sustained and the amount of Gs each impact had. This data is then compared to a number of different variables such as neurocognitive function, modified IQ scores, depression/anxiety, alcohol/drug dependency screens and concussion injuries. The players were baseline tested and are given a post-test when each season is complete.

The study is being done in partnership with a Canadian company, GForceTracker, which has developed “an advanced athlete monitoring system used to collect, measure, and analyze head impacts & biometric performance data, all in real time.” The company produces a “Hit Count® Certified, advanced linear g-force and rotational impact sensor monitoring system that accumulates a lifetime of head impacts.”

The detection device monitors, measures and provides vital statistics such as number of impacts, severity of impacts, local alarming when the impact exceeds an acceptable threshold and accumulates this data to provide key metrics that determine whether its user has suffered a possible head injury.  The GFT is currently the only Hit Count® Certified head impact sensor on the market, the company’s website indicates, “and can be used by individual players or entire teams in both helmeted and non-helmeted sports.”

“The men’s lacrosse team and their coach, John Basti, have been huge supporters and have been instrumental in getting this project running,” Miyashita said. “This project would not be possible without them and the rest of my research team.”

Miyashita’s team consists of Professor Eleni Diakogeorgiou; Kaitlyn Marrie, staff member for the athletic training program; Mary Jo Mason from the Health and Wellness Center, Professor Kelly Copperthite and a number of her athletic training students.  The Fairfield County Business Journal recently reported that Miyashita’s husband is a former professional player who is now assistant coach of the SHU men’s team.

Sacred Heart University, with a student population of 6,400, is the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, offering more than 50 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs on its main campus in Fairfield.  The SHU Pioneers' men's lacrosse team competes in the Northeast Conference of the NCAA Division 1.

https://youtu.be/TewBxtexNjE