Select teams' move to spring is a winner

Like a cruise ship that left the dock in Elliott Bay 20 minutes ago, the 2007-08 athletic year for high schools just got under way.

A lot of miles will be covered before the journey ends in June, and here are some thoughts and recommendations as the voyage begins:

One of the best things to happen this year is that the Washington State Youth Soccer Association (select soccer) has moved the girls season to spring. This means it won't conflict with autumn high-school soccer. HAL-le-luja! This does two things:

1) Reduces over-use injuries caused by girls playing on high-school teams during the week and on select teams on weekends;

2) Eliminates situations where girls have to choose between playing for their high-school or select team during state playoffs.

Find yourself questioning the value of high-school sports? Keep reading. A report published by two Brigham Young University researchers in the journal Youth and Society finds that the benefits for girls extend years after they leave the playing field.

The study found that girls who play on a high-school team are 41 percent more likely to go on and earn a college degree. The study followed more than 5,000 girls from 1988-2000.

"Sports are good for boys, but better for girls," Prof. Mikaela Dufur told the Deseret Morning News. She explained that sports build "unique social connections" that are helpful in bolstering confidence and providing information such as where to go to college. Sports also develops skills in time management, and borderline students learn study skills that keep them eligible.

I don't want to sound like a lap dog for the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, but its Web site, www.WIAA.com, is well worth a visit. Among its offerings are scores and standings in many sports and a strong history section. Curious how many state championships your alma mater has won? Want to know the state baseball champions of the 1970s? The information is there.

And while I'm plugging Web sites, I'll plug www.Seattletimes.com. It has individual player stats for each school in a variety of sports. Site traffic is highest during basketball season, when we get more than two million "page views" a month.

One of the summer's pleasant discoveries for me was learning that ACL tears in teen-age girl athletes may be highly preventable. My previous mind set was that they were almost as inevitable as zits because the wider hips of girls put more pressure on knees.

The good news, conveyed to me by Dr. Rosemary Agostini of Virginia Mason Sports Medicine, is that with a specific exercise program, a girl's hips, gluteus muscles and leg muscles can be strengthened to take strain off knees and improve balance.

Dr. Agostini, who has given hundreds of free hours to Seattle public-school athletes, says further information is available at the Santa Monica ACL Prevention Program (www.aclprevent.com).

Q: Last year was the first of six enrollment classifications (4A to 1B) in the state. How many schools won their first state title in any sport?

A: Six. Class 4A Oak Harbor in football, 2B Bear Creek in boys soccer, 2B Northwest Christian of Lacey in girls cross country, 1A Chimacum in baseball, 1B Liberty Christian of Richland in baseball and 1B Trout Lake-Glenwood (south central Washington) in girls track.

Have a question about high-school sports? Craig Smith will find the answer every Tuesday in The Times. Ask your question in one of the following ways: Voice mail (206-464-8279), snail mail (Craig Smith, Seattle Times Sports, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111) or e-mail csmith@seattletimes.com