HAMPSTEAD – The Greater Hampstead Civic Club, along with Hampstead Recreation Commission, Hampstead Wildcats, and Hampstead Association of Softball and Baseball have joined forces to bring nationally acclaimed youth sports speaker, Bob Bigelow to the Hampstead Middle School for a free evening of discussion about youth sports programs. The special presentation will be held on Tues., January 19, starting at 7:45 p.m. at the Hampstead Middle School Cafeteria.

Since 1993, Bob has also devoted several thousand hours researching and lecturing about organized youth sports and its effects on children - and adults. Bob is a national speaker who advocates letting kids play, while de-emphasizing the competitiveness of parents and coaches who often overpower the youth sports experience. Bob advocates grassroots reforms for youth athletics programs nationwide, reforms that can help return the joy of play back to organized youth sports.

Bob Bigelow has also co-authored “Just Let The Kids Play,” a book that calls for meeting the social, psychological and physical needs of our kids, rather than meeting adults’ needs to compete through our children.

“Just Let the Kids Play” is the result of extensive research into both the positive and negative effects of youth sports programs today, and it shows adults how they can give youth sports fun back to the children.