Recently while speaking to about fifty 9 yr olds and their parents about the first steps in kid pitch baseball. I found myself repeating my favorite rule regarding coaching sports. "It's all about the Do's" . When throwing a baseball Do grip the ball with your fingers, Do hold your hand above the shoulder, Do hold your glove side high, Do pull your elbow down to create motion, and on and on and on. The mind reacts to positive more easily than negatives. Positive re-enforcement helps establish positive habits. I like to think that talking about positives is a shortcut to learning. Speaking in negatives may introduce a thought that never needs to enter a child's mind. It's a shorter route to success to say "hold your arm high" than "don't drop your elbow" or "don't throw from down low". We had a lot of good players at that clinic who were doing a lot of good things. It just wouldn't be right for me to bring a don't attitude into a great situation. The more I say it ("Do, do, do,") the more I understood that I wasn't talking about baseball, I was talking about teaching and learning in general. We don't start out learning math by saying two and two doesn't equal five and we don't start out learning to walk by hearing don't fall down. Maybe we should approach more of learning and habit formation with the "Do" rule. No more Don't eat this, or Don't do that. Let's start by telling the kids what they should DO!

Do read on and visit us soon at Grand Slam.
Steve

Philly Sport and Social Club	PSSC comes to Grand Slam Malvern Our friends at The Philadelphia Sport and Social Club have reserved our court here at Grand Slam for the fall and winter seasons for their adult basketball and volleyball leagues. Basketball will be held on Tuesday evenings and Volleyball will be held on Wednesday evenings. The Fall season begins September 11, 2007. To register visit the website at: www.phillysportandsocialclub.com Or, for more information, e-mail Tim Horan directly at: timh@sportandsocialclubs.com

	There is still space available in all of our Fall programs for current enrollment. KinderMusik and Kids’ Gymnastics have started this past week and we still have room for your little one. We are having a blast in these fun filled classes! It’s not too late to sign up, the more the merrier! Please visit www.kathyandshanna.kindermusik.net kindermusikks@aim.com 610-873-7667 For more information

Coaches’ Corner

Grand Slam Basketball Lessons are back again! Former Villanova captain, Joe Rogers is back this year to coach both group clinics and private lessons beginning at the end of September. Joe has an enormous amount of experience and knowledge in the game of basketball and has a tremendous knack for relating to kids of all ages. Grand Slam basketball lessons are a great way to teach the younger kids the fundamentals of the game, and a way for more experienced players to refine their skills and techniques. Call today or check our website for class and lesson availability.

Party Corner

Whether you are coming to Grand Slam for a party or just coming to play on your own, be sure to drop your name and address into the fish bowl at the Prize Counter. At the end of each month we pull out one lucky name to win a fun Grand Slam Certificate for free tokens and tickets. Drop your name as bait and see what we fish out!

New Games Come to Grand Slam:

The start of Fall and Winter means a new rotation of games in our arcade thanks to our friends American Vending. We are very excited to announce a few of the new games coming to us within the next few weeks and months. A very interactive Deal or No Deal will be making its way into our arcade soon as well as Big Buck Hunter, Crazy Taxi, Hammerhead and more! Come and see what is new and what is staying. What will be your new favorite game of the year?

Treasure Island Inspires Poet

The news about Grand Slam’s new “Treasure Island Prize Counter” has inspired many compliments. The most impressive compliment came in the form of poetry.
After receiving the Grand Slam newsletter, Bill “Greeny” Green (the famous haiku poet) sent a fresh haiku to Steve. Bill has been living in the heart of the Costa Rican jungle for the past twelve years. He has been perfecting his craft by living with local fisherman. He also spends time wrestling alligators in the wild, which he describes as his way of finding nature’s true essence. We at Grand Slam are very honored by the haiku Green has written to us.

Loud jackpot sirens
Emerging tickets stack on ground
Traded for tootsie rolls

Written by: Bill “Greeny” Green

Halloween Special! You Could Win a Grand Slam Fun Filled Certificate!

Come into Grand Slam any day between Monday, October 29 and Wednesday October 31 in your Halloween costume and get your picture taken to be entered into our costume contest. All who enter will get a special goody bag filled with Grand Slam fun and treats. One Grand Prize Winner will receive a Fun Filled Certificate valued at $23. (Includes free laser Tag, Free Game Tokens, and much more! Our 2nd Place Winner will get 20 Free Game tokens and 3rd place will get 2 Free Action Tickets. Winners will be announced and notified November 2.
So stop into Grand Slam the week of Halloween for some spooktacular fun and treats!

New Program this Fall!

We are very happy to announce the start of a new program called Kid’s Gymnastics Fitness and Fun. This program will begin September 17. The program offers fun and fitness through gymnastics for ages 3-6. With multiple class times available it is sure to fit anyone’s schedule. This program runs for 8 weeks and each class is 45 minutes long.

Employee Spotlight

We are proud to announce yet another star in the world of Grand Slam. At the end of the summer Grand Slam Employee Picnic, we were proud to crown Kevin McIntyre the 2007 Champion of the Grand Slam Rock ,Paper, Scissors competition. (AKA- GSRPS) Although it was a tense showdown during the final three rounds against manager, Randy Graham, Kevin pulled through and threw his best and outwit his competitor. Out of all 27 employees at Grand Slam, Kevin made his way to the top, congrats Kevin we are Grand Slam proud!

Player Spotlight

The Player of the Month is Chris Ray. Chris has been taking lessons at Grand Slam for 6 years. He was a tournament player throughout his years in little league. Chris was a top player for Henderson High School’s 9th grade and JV the last two years. Chris will be competing for a starting varsity job at Malvern Prep this year. Congratulations Chris!