sports

This post is sponsored by Vocalpoint and DICK’s Sporting Goods®.  All opinions are my own.

Back to School also means Back to Sports for our family. I’ll admit that I love our summer sports hiatus because summer flies by too fast as it is. My boys start school mid August and fall sports start practicing a few weeks before that. When practices begin before school starts, you have to be ready. I’ve got one in football and one playing fall baseball for the 1st time this year which will keep our family occupied for a while. I didn’t want to spend a ton of time shopping for sports equipment which made a trip to Dick’s Sporting Goods a convenient stop.

So what do you need to do before you shop to save time?

• Get a list of equipment that you are responsible for from the coach
• Check for online coupons
• Bring your rewards card
• See what still fits. You don’t want to discover that your child has outgrown their cleats, apparel, or equipment after you went shopping.
• Check what the team colors are so that your apparel selections and shoes don’t clash.
• Find out how many days a week you will be practicing and when the games are so that you can plug them into your calendar. Ideally, you will want to have your shopping done before the 1st practice so that your child is prepared.
• Get a sports physical- Most teams require them and after the physical, you will find out if you need to purchase any additional items to assist with playing the sport. For example, you might discover that your child needs glasses made for sports or a brace for more support. Also, get the physical marked for any sports that you think your child might play to save time and money.
• Condense your errands. The less stops the better because your time is valuable too.
• Get advice and check out reviews from others about brands and equipment to use for the sport they are playing.
• Set a budget and let your kids be a part of the selecting process. Give them a price range to choose from and watch them become savvy budget shoppers instantly because now they view it as their money. This also helps them prioritize and determine which items they want to spend more on.

When it comes to selecting items, I let my husband take the lead in guiding my kids because he all about sports, ALL the time. Dick’s Sporting Goods is one of the few stores that my kids don’t complain about going to. If anything, my kids want to stay longer because they start to sneak over to check out the shoes and athletic apparel for back to school clothes. In their world, comfort and athletic clothing is king.

Here are some items to check off if your kids are playing football or fall baseball. 

Football Player Checklist

• Cleats
• Mouthguard
• Water bottle
• Helmet- optional
• Bright Socks – These are a great way to identify you kid on the field
• Practice Football

Baseball Player Checklist

• Baseball Helmet (optional)
• Baseball glove- lefties need to make sure that they get a special glove
• Baseball Bat
• Water bottle
• Baseball

Carpool Checklist

• Water
• Snacks
• Air freshener – Because your nostrils will burn after you carpool a group of middle school boys after they’ve been practicing in 90 degree heat.
• Something to read- sometimes practices go over and you end up waiting in the parking lot for a while

Sports Parent Sideline Checklist

You can read all of my sideline essential here. 

We found EVERYTHING that we needed at Dick’s Sporting Goods which relived my stress and made my boys very happy.

The selection is very large for just about any sport in store and there are also items available online as well.

Would you love to win a gift card to Dick’s Sporting Goods?

Make sure that you enter the giveaway for (5) $50 gift cards.

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You can find out more Dick’s Sporting Goods locations and merchandise from their website.