By Gretchen Beilfuss Witt
Rowan Public Library
Keeping active is important; finding ways to do so can present a few complications.
If you’re looking for a new hobby or an outlet for all that energy your kids seem to have, look no further for ideas than the library shelves. Some of our newer books include guides teaching the basics of sports, coaching kids and encouraging activity.
American Sport Education program publishes a series of books on coaching youth sports. These books can be helpful both for a coach and for parents of kids who want to play.
Each book in the series gives tips on interacting with the young members of a team, sample practices for specific age groups and suggestions for skill building. They also include safety tips, emergency action plans and encouragement coaches to be clear in their communications and to remember playing a sport should be enjoyable.
New to RPL are books covering tennis, volleyball, soccer and track and field. Rossiter & Carson’s updated “Hockey The NHL Way” provides advice from training for agility and strength to equipment needs. It encourages cross-training and the enjoyment of other sports to become a well-rounded athlete as well as good sportsmanship and respect for others.
Most of us remember that all-important moment when you could at last balance the bicycle and move forward on your own. If commuting to work on a bike is not possible, maybe exploring the roads of North Carolina or taking in the gorgeous scenery of the Blue Ridge Parkway is. Check out Skinner’s “Bicycling the Blue Ridge: A Guide to the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway,” complete with suggestions for equipment, accommodations and routes to investigate.
If you are more inclined towards water sports, “Learning to Sail: the Annapolis Sailing School Guide for all Ages” might be just for you. Brief but thorough, it includes precise diagrams as well as photographs illustrating positions, techniques and procedures.”Paddle your own Canoe,” by Gary and Joanie McGuffin, is a beautifully photographed work that shows the technical features of canoes, both solo and tandem, flat water and white water. Learning to portage, including proper lifting techniques, distinguishing paddles and learning types of strokes are all plainly demonstrated.
The volume contains visuals of river features, tips on dressing appropriately for white water, navigating dangerous waters, rescue and safety and, finally, tying a canoe on your vehicle correctly.
Once the knack for paddling is learned, check out “A Paddlers’ Guide to Eastern North Carolina,” which lists canoeing clubs, rivers and streams to navigate, how to get to them, how much time each forage will take, the quality of scenery and water and a variety of other useful tidbits to explore our beautiful state. Bon voyage and happy reading.Children’s holiday programs: South, Dec. 8, 6 p.m., Holiday Pajama Express. Get comfy and wear your pajamas to hear seasonal stories, make fun crafts and enjoy cocoa at the Holiday Pajama Express.
East, Dec. 12, 10:30 a.m., Stories by the Fireplace. Enjoy great stories, crafts and a visit from a very special guest. Ho, ho, ho.
Teen program: Game night at the library. Play videogames on the big screen or favorite board games, 5:30-7 p.m. For information, call 704-216-8234. Headquarters, Monday.
Displays: Headquarters ó Kwanzaa by Eleanor Qadirah; South ó Christmas village by Tammie Foster. East ó Friends Basket display.
December hours: Dec. 18, all branches open at 1 p.m. (staff development); Dec. 21-23, all branches close at 6 p.m.; Dec. 24-27, all branches closed for holidays; Dec. 31, all branches close at 5 p.m.; Jan. 1, 2010, all branches closed.Literacy: Call the Rowan County Literacy Council at 704-216-8266 for more information on teaching or receiving literacy tutoring for English speakers or for those for whom English is a second language.