Attention, youth sports parents: The “06880” panel on that very topical topic is tomorrow night (Wednesday, 7 p.m., Staples High School cafeteria).
We’ve partnered with Tommy Greenwald — the famed youth adult sports fiction writer, former Staples athlete (and father of 3 athletes) — to present “Fair Play and Foul Behavior: Issues Facing Youth Sports in Today’s World.”
We’ll talk about the achievement/pressure balance, referee abuse, sport specialization, cost, the “academy” syndrome, myths and realities of college recruiting, and more.
I’ll moderate the event, and include time for audience questions. Panelists are:
- VJ Sarullo, Staples athletic director
- Dave Smith, father of 4 athletes who writes frequently on youth sports topics
- Caleb Smith, former Staples quarterback and lacrosse star, now playing football at the University of Connecticut
- Heather Talbott, PAL girls lacrosse co-president and basketball organizer; former lacrosse player at Lehigh University
- Mark Pressman, longtime football and softball official
- And of course Tommy Greenwald himself.

Smith is no longer part of the UCONN football program.
Don’t forget the transers in the showers😜