Kurt H. Leggard, Author at Hamptons Mouthpiece

Hamptons Super Dad….

Hamptons SUPER DAD….Last week I had an experience that I have to share with you, when I became Super Dad. I was on a line with 1000 teenagers. Literally. Let me explain how I arrived at that nightmare. On Friday, my youngest daughter, Allura and her two friends, Ana and Gabby were going to a concert in NYC. Something called HYPERGLOW. Say what???? I didn’t know what a Hyperglow was but Allura was excited beyond belief. Somehow, she had hoodwinked me into actually buying her ticket sometime ago. My more than frequent senior moment did not allow me to remember when I had actually bought the ticket but I knew I could use this generosity to my advantage sometime in the near future.

I am usually in the city during the week and Allura knows this. She was getting driven in by her friend Gabby’s mom, Lorraine and somehow she assumed that they were running late. I got a call from Allura around 5pm and in her best TEENAGER FRANTIC ‘The World Is Ending’ voice pleads with me. “Dad, can you go to the concert and wait on the line for me, we’re running late.” Say whatttt????

So I replied in my best, ‘I’m not going to let her know I am rolling on the floor in laughter and disbelief’ voice say…. HECK NO!!!!! I’m not waiting on anybody’s line. ‘Aw Dad, Come on, PLEASEEEEEES!!!!” I stand my ground to the onslaught of pleads and empty promises. “No, I’m not going to wait on that line.’ Now before you cheer or call me a hero or a beast, I have to tell you it was a cold night. And I don’t wait on lines for anything anyway. Not Jet, Met or Knick’s tickets. I hear you snickering back there. Why would I wait on line for those tickets anyway, right? But I digress.

After the concert Vanessa and I were staying in the city anyway and during the time the girls were going to be occupied, Vanessa, Lorraine and I were going to have dinner and meet up with friends for some drinks. I decided to go to the city early and scout out where the concert was being held. Hyperglow, I found out, was this MAJOR concert that the kids like to attend because it showcases up and coming DJ’s. a major party ensues. OK, I have gone to a few of these in my life and I had already given Allura the Dad talk about what not to do and how to look for all the exits in case something happens, to avoid dangers, blah, blah, blah….. What can I say? She’s 14 and has to get her experiences in early before all the crap begins. I did my part.

I drove up to 48th St. between 11th and 12th Avenue and saw the beginnings of a major line, snaking from the North-West corner of 48th St. around and up 11th Avenue. Oh, Oh. Allura may have been right that she and her friends were going to be in trouble. The line was forming fast. As I drove down 48th St., Lo and Behold I saw a parking spot. There is NEVER parking spots at this time of night. Now let me tell you; it was about 6:15 and parking begins at 7 but I kind of knew I was safe to park there without too much fear of a ticket or tow. Now if there was no parking, I could have gotten away scott free…..but nooooooo. There it was, ample room to park. As I got out of the car I glanced up to the sky and asked God…REALLY??????? This spot just had to be there, right? I knew the dye was cast. I was going to do it. I was going to be a KING SIZED SUCKER. I was going to try to wait on line.

I went up to one of the bouncers who really didn’t want to talk to me and asked him if I could wait on the line. Almost dismissively he looked at me giving me an ‘are you CRAZY’ look and said. The line isn’t here, as I looked at more than 100 insanely dressed and overly loud teenagers. ‘The OVERFLOW line is down the block.’ Oh, Oh. Did he say OVERFLOW?????? What the heck does that mean? Then I found out. Up 48th St., past the UPS entrance, there was some barricades set up and there were about a 100 more kids waiting on-line. Oh GREAT! As I made my way back to that line, I saw that it wasn’t that bad. It was close to the entrance to the concert and if I got on line, Allura and her friends would get in fairly quickly.

I asked another bouncer/security if I could hold a place in line, half of me hoping that he would say no. He said I could, so I took my place in line. There was a lot of security, all big men and no-nonsense. Some of the biggest humans I have ever seen. That made me happy. Security was pretty well-organized and well prepared for crowd control. It was 6:30 now.

The kids in front of me turned to look at me with that, ‘ are you kidding me look.’ I quickly told them ‘I’m not going in there, I’m holding a place for my daughter.’ I somehow felt the need to justify my being there to a teenage boy, who was taller than me, with acne on his face! I know I could take him in a tussle, if it lasted less than a minute, I knew I could. I don’t know why that thought crossed my mind but I felt defensive. My daughter was going to be around guys like this ALL NIGHT. I felt protective. The kid laughed and was really good-natured and said ‘ok, dude.’ DUDE! He went back to talking to his friends. The line started to form very quickly behind me. I had not called Allura to tell her I was on-line, just in case I wanted to bail out. Better to keep her in the dark. It was getting colder and I was not a happy camper. 6:45. Why am I on line with a bunch of POPULAR girls next to me. Every kid that walks by they know and it is an immediate eruption…“DUDE, you’re here, what’s up??? yadda, yadda, yadda.” Oh Boy!!! I called Allura to let her know I was on line for her and she screamed! ‘You’re the best, Dad’ was the nature of her immediate response and I knew it to be true. As I basked in the glow of her love, the wind whipped up and I started to feel like I had made a bad decision.

The smartest thing I did was bring my Playstation Vita with me. I was able to play tennis and baseball to help me keep my sanity and my mind off the cold, cold wind. The girls next to me were talkative (well duh!) and I saw them past a inquisitive glance my way as if to ask, ‘what the heck are you doing here?’ I kept on playing. The funniest thing I overheard (and I heard some very funny things) was how teenagers use curse words. I started thinking… that curse has never been used in the form of a verb before but after considering it, I could see the usage. Teenagers curse every chance they get. It must be a status symbol or something, maybe a contest, who can curse the best, the most and without taking a breath! Too funny. I saw hook ups, cuddling but mostly I saw kids having fun. I didn’t see anyone drinking or smoking weed but I know it was abundant. I overheard the deals being made for distribution and how to get home safely. I heard girls critiquing what other girls were wearing or not wearing as they had on the skimpiest shorts I have ever seen in my life. And it was COLD!!!!! Ah, youth, you got to love them.

Finally, the girls that were right behind me couldn’t bear not to ask me why I was there. When they asked if I was holding the place for someone and I said my daughter….. DA, DA, DA DAHHH! I became an INSTANT celebrity. I transformed from grumpy, sketchy questionable grandpa to SUPER DAD!

“REALLY, you’re here in line for your daughter??? You are the SH-T!!!!”, I was told. I didn’t even mind that I was being referred to as a curse because it was a term of endearment. “My Dad would never do this” (maybe because he is sane). “Your daughter is the luckiest girl in the world” (I think I’m liking this now). “I want you to be my Dad” (don’t push your luck and be careful what you ask for, just ask Allura). The kids were really animated now and asked me where I was from. When I told them Sag Harbor, they really got excited because they were from Hampton Bays. We were neighbors and now they knew the depth of my ‘SACRIFICE.’ When I told them I work in the city and my sacrifice wasn’t so great, they looked at me like I was crazy for going to the city almost every day. Never-the-less, I was a full blown hero now. When I called Allura at 7pm for an update where she was at, she let me know that they were out of the Midtown Tunnel and coming up 12th Avenue and about 40th St. I knew my ordeal was about to come to an end but then the Hampton Bays girls asked whether Allura played any sports and when I told them she ran track and played field hockey, the girls screamed. These girls were on the field hockey team and maybe knew Allura. I asked them to talk to Allura on the phone and they commenced to tell her what a cool Dad I was. Street Cred! Laughing, they handed me back the phone and I could hear my daughter laughing hysterically. A miserable night had suddenly become a classic.

I saw my chance. I became Super Dad and I started talking to the girls and guys about the Do’s and Don’ts of hanging out at a concert (full parent mode but without the lecture overtone). They appeared to listen as I told them how to do things in moderation and safely. One girl said her father told her to never take anything synthetic. I told her that was a good start! They were all good sports to listen but I knew my presence had almost reached it’s expiration date. Quickly, I did what any self respecting Super Hero would do before he changed back into his secret identity, I took a selfie with the kids.

Allura really had a great time at Hyperglow and came back to us safely. I hope all the kids got home safely too. Especially the Hampton Bays girls. They were really great and fun to be around. It made me remember what I sometimes forget. This is the time of our kid’s lives and they must do the things they do. Fun is a key element to their growth and development, so is excess. In order for us to see the fun they should have it is important to step outside of what we normally would do and walk in their shoes. Maybe even, stand in line.

Injury Prevention in Young Athletes..The core is the key

Hamptons Wellness: Injury Prevention in Young Athletes..The core is the key

Young athletes are at great risk for injury. All parents, coaches and the young athletes themselves must become aware of these facts. Our children are very competitive. Some of them will become involved in team sports and excel. Kids that take part in one sport are more at risk for repetitive motion injuries as well as kids who engage in many sports who do not rest sufficiently between sporting events and training routines. Putting a proper routine of care into place, such as by having sports cryotherapy or other forms of physio, is vital. Appropriate nutrition is a key to injury prevention too. Unfortunately, some will get injured early and never be able to participate in sports again. This is a missed opportunity that does not have to happen.

However, it’s important to remain positive even if your child is injured in sports. An injury does not always mean they can’t return to what they love. Often, things like back injuries such as spondylolisthesis can be incredibly daunting and seemingly the possible end to participation in sports. This particular back injury is very common for the competitive kids out there who are putting maximum effort into their sports. Nevertheless, places like Medical City Kids Orthopedics are able to treat such injuries and hopefully, have them back doing the things they love in the minimum recovery time possible.

This discussion is not only about the best young athletes. The risk of injury is present in everyone who participates in sports no matter his or her age so having knowledge of a podiatrist kansas city, or somewhere more local to you, in the back of your mind can only reassure you that help is available should you ever need it. However, it is important to recommend sports participation early in our lives because it sets us up to remain healthy throughout our lives. Improved cardiovascular and muscular-skeletal development and maintenance, leads to sustained cognitive function, as we get older. So participation in sports when we are young is a leading indicator of a healthy life.

This begs the question; how do we prevent injury? We are all familiar with the terms Rehab or rehabilitation. This is usually the course of action after an injury has occurred. As such, many athletes tend to seek out a professional who specializes in the area of Sports Rehabilitation. Some of these therapists can be found at somewhere like Luna, and can be contacted when you want to get your recovery back on track. And when an injury is concerned, the timing of their rehabilitation has to be right. I suggest that for our young athletes, we become familiar with PREHAB. Why not prepare the body for the rigors of exercise and sports by specifically targeting the training and exercise routines necessary to prevent injury?

Many of our young athletes train improperly. This is not an indictment of our team coaches or trainers but recognition of the limited time and resources they have to address the needs of all the athletes they have to manage, especially at the Middle and High School levels. It is well known in the area of sports medicine that the development of the core and core training, exercise and strengthening is very important to the prevention of injury in young athletes.

I have a daughter who is an athlete and has aspirations of becoming an elite athlete in track. She has been injured before with a strained Achilles tendon. This injury impaired her ability to run and she lost time on the field as a result. This year, we sought to help reduce her risk of injury by investigating where we could get her trained and strengthened and we discovered IET, Integrated Exercise Therapy in Bridgehampton. We learned that some of her field hockey teammates had been participating at this facility and were excelling in their sport and we figured, what the heck, lets give it a try.

When we got there, Andrew and Molly greeted us and then very quickly started an evaluation of Allura’s flexibility, strength and core weaknesses. The video that we are presenting shows one segment of that evaluation. We were amazed at how quickly IET identified risks for injury and developed a structured, progressive PREHAB routine for Allura to follow.

We can only suggest that any parent of a young athlete pay close attention to the risks of injury in their kids. It is amazing how frequently injury occurs with young athletes and the costs associated with health care and rehabilitation after the fact; not to mention problems that may arise as a result of growth plate abnormalities and subsequent life long impacts.

Our kids are participating in organized sports teams; football, basketball, baseball, field hockey, track, soccer and volleyball as well as skateboarding. Injuries are going to happen. We have chosen to seek additional sports therapy outside of her normal work-out routine with her team to help Allura reduce her injury risks by improving her physical strength and flexibility. Whether you choose IET or another method for reducing the risk of injury in your young athlete, do not hesitate in getting started as soon as possible. Lost time in the athlete’s sporting life as a result of injury can be prevented. The Core is the Key!

For more on this topic: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248796.php

photos and video by Kurt Leggard…

More than just a Game to me

Sag Harbor, NY: Pierson/Bridgehampton Varsity Field Hockey Team the NYS Class C 2013 Champions…More than Just a Game To Me

KHL_5281Medals1 — Lady Whalers, 2013 NYS Field Hockey Class C Champions

There are many significant moments we live in our lives that we remember. Our 16^th birthday party, our first kiss, the birth of a child, the death of a parent…. a championship game. Our children don’t know it yet because they don’t have the benefit of hindsight but this championship game will be with them for the rest of their lives. For some, it will help to define them as winners. For others it will show them what can be accomplished with hard work and teamwork. Both good lessons that will further their individual pursuits, as they get older.

My take is somewhat different. To me, there is NOTHING as good as team sports. Seeing your teammates in their team sports uniforms invokes such a feeling of unity. If your child is interested and you have the time (what a novel idea) please encourage them to join a sports team. The lessons learned are endless. The inside jokes, the special nod of a head, the telepathy, the bonding of lifelong friendships. These are the things that will move forward, the things that will last. Who knows where it will take them in the future, maybe onto a professional career themselves in hockey, football, rugby, etc. and you’ll be buying their merchandise online, whether that be the carlton merchandise or the Adelaide crows merchandise, who knows what will happen but getting them started is giving them something to think about.

Lady Whalers 2013 — Katherine Matthers, Allura Leggard, India Hemby, Samatha Duchemin, Kasey Gilbride

We often celebrate the captain of the team and the star players. We see them with the ball, in their hand, the bat, the ‘SPEAR’ in their hands and admire their ability to rise above the moment and seize the opportunity to make the big play and win the game. We are in awe of the great coaching and understand that we don’t always know as spectators what is best for the team. The Lady Whalers are blessed to have a few really good players and some great players and it showed on Saturday and Sunday night, November 16th and 17th 2013. We marvel at their resolve.

NHB_7185 — photo credit: Kurt H. Leggard

I want to talk about the team. What we don’t see are the countless hours of practice and rehearsal that goes into making the big play. The repetition, the struggle the ‘bench players’ that push the stars to greatness. I was so excited to watch the young ladies overcome the bad calls, the physical play of very worthy opponents to win but it doesn’t occur without the winning DNA that this TEAM has within their collective body. I am excited for our seniors, for their grit and determination and magnificent play. But they learned it somewhere. Three years ago as many of you know well, Pierson lost an opportunity for a championship to this very same team in a double overtime thriller. This current victory was forged through that loss. The team alumni that lost that game came out to watch and cheer the current team on. Some of today’s stars were on the bench when Pierson lost in 2010.

NHB_7382-1 — Photo credit: Kurt H. Leggard

So I say to everyone, look to the end of the bench and peer into the future. We cannot tell who will be the next star to rise to the occasion to carry the team to victory. What we do know is this. The character of this team was revealed through the struggle. It isn’t what you do when things are going well that says who you are, its how you respond when things go their worst that determines who you are and what you will be. The DNA of the Lady Whalers Field Hockey team is filled with pride, strength, skill, determination, grit and excellence. This DNA runs deep and I am very hopeful for the future. Get your kids to join a team and let their winning DNA improve the fortunes of that team! Go Whalers!

NHB_7392 — photo credit: Kurt H. Leggard

Congratulations: Coach: Shannon Judge, Asst. Coach: Melissa Edwards, Kaitlin Daniels &

Elizabeth Marchisella

Team: Kasey Gilbride, Katherine Matthers, Emmeline Luck, Kirra Mcgowin,

Emma Romeo, India Hemby, Rachael Miller, Phiona Vall, Samantha Duchemin, Erica Selyukova, Kerrie Vila, Cassandra Spencer, Sheila Mackey, Ana Sherwood, Calista Cafiero. Allura Leggard, Hollie Schleicher

for more images on their amazing journey to the State Finals..check out Photography By Kurt

https://www.photographybykurt.net/Sports/Field-Hockey

Check out the Winning Goal and Goalie’s cartwheel….So very funny!

They are Dead and I Choose to Mourn Publicly

Hamptons Spotlight: They are Dead and I Choose to Mourn Publicly

They are often forgotten quickly by everyone except their families. Lost in the obscurity of our very busy schedules. We are often told that ‘life moves on’ and so it does but there is a sadness that the passing of 12 souls will only be briefly remembered by those not directly affected by their passing. I choose not to be brief in my acknowledgement of their lives and the mourning of their deaths. I choose to mourn publicly! I have tried to read about these twelve victims of the Washington Navy Yard shooting; to learn a little more about them. It is uncomforting to know that so many of these people had daughters. I have daughters. Many were sports fans as one might suspect. One, a volunteer to make sure that the nests of Bluebirds was prepared to receive their small hosts. They had hobbies; they were family people, all the stuff that makes life worth the living these people had in their lives. Gone in an instant.

I would write about my opposition to high capacity weapons without any opposition to the right of ownership of guns but that is a story for another day. Today I feel the need to focus on the plight of people and families suffering with mental illness in their midst. I have first hand knowledge about the silent suffering of those with mental illness because that sorrow has been visited on my family. It is extraordinarily difficult to manage because of the nature of some of those illnesses. Many times the illness is unrecognized or ignored. In some instances the onset is early in life and sometimes there is a late onset. Mental illness affects children, adults and the aged with varying degrees of affliction. Always there is pain and suffering with the individual and there is too often shame, hopelessness and helplessness experienced by the family. What to do? Where to seek help, a voice of support, respite from the endless hours of caring and concern with no escape. As you can see there is often no rhyme or reason to how mental illness will strike. This makes the care and treatment of this malady so difficult to manage. There are some studies that indicate that up to 20% of our population suffers with some form of mental illness. That’s a whole lot of people.

Those suffering with some forms of mental illness do not feel they need help, as this is a manifestation of their disease. This makes seeking help difficult for families and love ones trying to address the illness. Many times, without the acquiescence of the sick individual, everyone, including medical and primary care practitioners are unable to intervene without a court order. This can be daunting to family and significant others trying to get treatment for the ill.

Since the 1980’s, institutionalization of the mentally ill has been frowned upon but there was a concurrent reduction in both federal and state budgets in providing outpatient services for this population. This contributed to the explosion in homelessness, crime and subsequent incarceration. This has always been a shadow illness because of the shame, perceived or real, that was associated with those suffering. Families afraid of the whispers and innuendo tend to hide the afflicted. Drugs as well as biochemical imbalances or genetics induce some mental illness. I say… SO WHAT!!!! Whatever the cause, it is past time to look at mental illness squarely and to address the inequities of funding and services necessary to combat this epidemic.

The experience that I obtained dealing with mental illness in my family prepares me to explain some of what you may encounter as you deal with this trauma. You must persevere; it will be a long arduous journey that you embark on. There are success and relapse, sorrow and jokes, laughter and heartache; all those things that are associated with mental illness. This is no soft sell. This is hard, very hard. Because the science is not absolute and treatment is as much an art as it is a science, the ill may have a varying degree of cure. And yet, sometimes a treatment fits like a hand and a glove. It almost seems like magic when you see the cloud that has settled between you and the ill part and reveal the person you have been searching for, for so very long. You will need to vigilant because that cloud can separate you again and again. Be prepared for the frustrations as well as the miracles.

There are support groups and associations that can be very helpful in assisting you to get the help you or your loved one needs. Do not be afraid to confront the disease, denial is a recipe for disaster. Talk to your friends. TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS!!!! That is why they are friends, to help you when times are difficult not when times are good. Seek medical advice as well as the advice of mental illness specialists. By contacting all of these people, you should be able to reduce the symptoms of your mental health disorder. However, if you don’t feel very confident going to speak to a professional about your mental battle, it could be worth getting some weed joints to temporarily make yourself feel better. Those interested in that method can learn here if they want. Either way, it’s important to get some support however you feel most comfortable. I know this all sounds unreasonable but I have learned that we tend to function at diminished efficiency when we are in the eye of the storm and this is indeed a very frightening storm. All Managed Care and Long Term Care agencies have provisions for mental health services. All HMO’s have provisions for clients with mental illness that can be accessed. There is a political element as well that must be addressed. When Congress or local and State government attempts to reduce the funding for mental illness related services you must be prepared to fight to retain those services. We owe it to memory of the twelve victims of this last shooting or the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School or Aurora, Co, or Tucson, Arizona or…….They are Dead and I Choose to Mourn Publicly

For more information on Mental Illness and Support:

Mental Health Association of NYC

Office of Mental Health NYS

Mental Health Related Support Groups

The Mental Health Association of Suffolk

Suffolk County Division of Community Mental Hygiene Services
Open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday 853-8500

AN ASPIRIN A DAY…

AN ASPIRIN A DAY…Both my mother and father died due to reasons related to cancer. My mother unfortunately was a lifelong smoker and she succumbed due to complications of her addiction to nicotine. My father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on 9/11/2001, so that date evokes many feelings in me. My mother’s cancer related death probably could not have been avoided considering her development of secondary complications. Interestingly, she was never diagnosed with lung cancer. My father’s pancreatic cancer appears to have been just one of those things. The bad luck of that particular celestial draw. I know as a nurse, (bet you didn’t know I am an RN) that there is a genetic component and predisposition to developing pancreatic cancers. This scares me a little so I have adopted a lifestyle that hopefully will turn the odds in my favor and that I will not develop this disease. Part of this strategy is the prophylactic use of aspirin.

That brings me to the reason for this article. I wanted to impress upon you the benefits that you can get from taking a very common medication, one that companies like impacth.co.uk distribute all around the world, to help you prevent the developments of some cancers. That ‘miracle’ drug is known as ASPIRIN. Yes, aspirin has been cited as possibly reducing the risk of certain cancers as well as its medicinal value in reducing some risks associated with heart disease. I take a baby aspirin daily.

Some cancers are known to develop as a result of inflammation and lo and behold, aspirin is an anti-inflammatory drug. Now, other anti-inflammatories such as acetaminophen commonly known as Tylenol or Ibuprophen (Motrin) have not been identified as having the same positive effects as aspirin on these cancers. These other medications are also associated with other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s), that when over used (even one time overdose), can cause liver damage. I advise caution in their use.

With the use of ALL medications, prescribed or over the counter (OTC), please consult you physician and pharmacist for the proper amount, use and appropriateness of the medication to your body’s specific needs.

I am recommending that you speak with your doctor to see if you may benefit from using a baby aspirin daily or as prescribed, to reap the rewards of this drug. If you DO NOT have any indications that would prevent you from taking a baby aspirin, there is the chance that you could benefit from this medication. Remember that ALL medications have side effects; possible food and drug interactions and you must decide if the benefits outweigh the risks (boy, do I sound like one of those commercials we all hate!). PLEASE, do your homework and study about the effects of this and all medications you are taking. You should not adopt this single intervention in your lifestyle and good health strategy for cancer prevention. Exercise and a healthy diet may be equally effective in combating this and many other diseases.

I think that science is developing in this realm of cancer prevention and it appears that aspirin is indeed the ‘wonder drug’ that it was envisioned to be.

To your good health!

Kurt H. Leggard, RN

(Disclaimer: I do not hold any stock in any pharmaceuticals that have been mentioned in this article so I have no conflicts of interest)