With winter youth sports right around the corner, it's important to ensure your children are signed up and ready to go as the season begins. From birth certificates to scheduling conflicts, there are a few obstacles that can sometimes stand in the way of your registration process. However, with preparation, you can make signing up for youth sports a stress-free process!

The Registration Process:

Registration deadlines often fall weeks ahead of when practices begin. Waiting until the last minute to register might not end with positive results. So, know important registration dates ahead of time and post them some place obvious so they won’t be overlooked or forgotten.

Ensure you have a Proper Birth Certificate:

To verify a player’s age and make sure that he or she is in the proper age group, an original copy of a birth certificate is usually required. Unfortunately for some families, this can present complications. If a family has moved around a lot, birth certificates might have been lost. If a family suffered through a fire or flooding, their birth records might have been damaged or destroyed. Sometimes even if a family holds a copy of the child's birth certificate, that might not be enough! Most youth groups require their players present an original copy of a birth certificate, meaning that it's notarized and certified, rather than a photocopy.

If you find yourself needing to order an original copy of your child’s birth certificate, there are online sources that can help get your child's birth certificate fast and offer expedited services at affordable rates. But verify the service you select is a government authorized provider, like VitalChek, to prevent identity theft and avoid excessive middleman charges and hidden fees.

Scheduling Conflicts:

With so many competing after-school activities, scheduling conflicts are bound to occur, especially in a family with more than one child. Discussing which activities and sports the child most wants to participate in is important. It's likely that between the time commitments to practices and games, other activities may have to slide onto the back burner.

Additionally, parent-child scheduling conflicts might arise, and it's important that expectations are managed. Parents with full-time jobs might not be able to make it to every game, but they will love to hear all about it afterwards. Car-pooling with teammates can be a big help in managing scheduling issues, too.

Many communities and schools have organized sports for the winter season which include both indoor and outdoor activities. Here are some examples that will help make fitness and fun part of your children’s winter agenda:

• Youth Ice Hockey

• Ice Speed Skating

• Ice Figure Skating

• Cross Country Skiing

• Indoor Swimming

• Bowling

• Gymnastics

• Karate

• Snow Boarding

• Basketball

• Cheerleading

• Tennis

• Target Shooting

Start of the Season:

After the registration is complete, birth certificates have been provided and schedules are aligned, it's time to look forward to watching your children compete and win at the court, the field, the pool or the rink!