Sports

Coach and Doctor Team to Write Guide for Parents of Athletes

Athlete and coach Sharkie Zartman and sports doctor Robert A. Weil are the co-authors of a new book to help sports parents through the rough patches.

Hermosa Beach CA, September 14, 2018 — Friday night lights are popping on in high school football stadiums across the country, ushering in another season of fall sports that includes football, soccer, cross country, and volleyball. Hearts will race; emotions will run high; nerves will shatter — and that’s just in the parent section.

#HeySportsParents: An Essential Guide for any Parent with a Child in Sports attacks the highs and lows of competition from every angle, with practical, actionable advice for parents of young athletes. Written by professional athlete and coach Sharkie Zartman and sports doctor Robert A. Weil, #HeySportsParents also includes valuable contributions from an impressive assemblage of other experts, as well as firsthand stories from sports parents.

The book is divided into four main sections:

• Sports Parenting 101 addresses the basics of parenting young athletes, such as finding the best programs, parental responsibilities, nutrition, and navigating the college recruiting process.
• The Sports Doctor Is In offers important advice from a doctor’s perspective, such as keeping children safe, youth sports and drugs, and choosing the best shoes.
• Some of the best minds in sports parenting share their insights in the third section, The Experts Speak Out. Topics include parent behavior on the sidelines, sports safety and youth concussions.
• In Parent Perspectives, seasoned sports parents share their journeys through youth athletics.


Sports parenting is easier said than done. That’s why Zartman and Weil teamed up to bring parents everywhere the essential tools and guidance needed to make their experiences as sports parents the best they can be.

Author Sharkie Zartman is a former five-time USVBA All-American volleyball athlete and champion competitor at UCLA. Zartman also competed for the USA Women’s Volleyball National Team in the World University Games and played in the women’s professional volleyball association for five years. She became an outstanding beach player and is a member of the California Beach Volleyball Hall of Fame. Zartman is a professor of health and fitness at El Camino College where she also coached volleyball for ten years. She hosts “Sharkie’s Pep Talk” on HealthyLife.net radio and has written more than 10 books.

Dr. Robert Weil is a sports podiatrist and has treated many of the world’s top athletes. He is the host of “The Sports Doctor” radio show and has written many articles for newspapers and magazines on sports parenting.

To learn more about the authors, please visit www.sharkiezartman.com or http://sportsdoctorradio.com.

#HeySportsParents: An Essential Guide for any Parent with a Child in Sports


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