It's not the end of the world when things don't go to plan.

A promising young sprinter from Narromine in Central West NSW, Melinda Gainsford who KEPT TRYING through adversity and setbacks, going on to win a World Indoor Championship over 200 metres, become a three-time Olympian, and was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her significant service to athletics as a sprinter, at the national and international level, and as a role model for young athletes.

This story takes you from Melinda's early days training on the farm, to the biggest stage in world sport. It includes her reflection on being the fastest 14-year-old in the world over 100 metres to being sidelined from the sport with injury for two years! And how she got back on the blocks with the support of her much-loved coach of 23 years, Jackie Byrnes, who discovered Mel when she was just nine years old.

When we're in the thick of sports parenting, we sometimes forget to enjoy the experience alongside our kids - with Mel cherishing the life-long memories her sporting career created for her WHOLE family. She's currently a sports parent and coach herself, making more memories with her children and athletes.

Just a note: We recorded this episode prior to the passing of rugby league immortal and legend Bob Fulton. Melinda is a HUGE Manly fan. Listen out for a little tribute to him and other Sea Eagle greats.

Why has junior sport become high-stakes? Have we lost perspective as sports parents?

In this episode of SportsParenthood, you'll hear from Joel Wilson. He's a former professional rugby league and rugby union player, whose 15-year career in sport includes three years in the NRL with the North Sydney Bears and playing with the ACT Brumbies in its golden era, where he won a few Super Rugby titles.

Finally, Joel capped off his rugby career in Japan.

Interestingly, Joel's sporting dream as a kid is different to how it turned out.

Now, he wears many hats. He's a coach and sports master at a junior school in Sydney's inner west, involved in community sport, and a sports parent. You'll want to listen to the show for some pretty awesome personal stories - sliding doors moments and how a little bit of luck goes a long way in sport.

Through his own observations and experience, Joel reckons some sports parents lose perspective, even though it's coming from a place of love. No one is perfect. Even Joel finds he has to bite his tongue at times!

So, what is important in junior sport?

When your child is sidelined from playing sport through injury, it not only takes a toll on them, it can also weigh heavily on us, as sports parents, too. Often, coming back from injury is not an easy road.

This episode is inspired by our own conundrum in having our two kids suffer an injury each within days of each other last month. They were desperate to compete. We didn't know how to handle their return-to-play.

You know what? The whole scenario has really challenged us as sports parents. We'll put our hands up and say it's been hard navigating their disappointment, and supporting them to find the best path forward.

So, we called in an expert to help us get some perspective.

You'll hear from Cameron Ferguson, who's currently the rehabilitation coach with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles NRL squad, and has previously worked in the AFL with the Gold Coast SUNS.

He's got extensive experience in return-to-play protocols and structuring programs to get players back on the field. If you're stuck like us, not knowing where to go from here with your child, this might help.

In today's episode of SportsParenthood, Laura Van Den Honert speaks bravely and openly about her lived experience with an eating disorder. You'll hear her story about the long-term implications on her wellbeing and physical health. These include a series of bone-density-related injuries, which started when she was a younger athlete, and continue to impact her sporting aspirations as a competitive triathlete 15 years later.

In the interview, Laura recalls her first fun run at six years of age. Her mum and dad were dedicated sports parents, giving up their weekends to ferry Laura to matches and carnivals, and help manage sporting teams. Around 14 years of age, the then middle and long distance runner, developed an unhealthy relationship with food and exercise. It's been a hard road to build up her body and mind to compete again.

After all she's been through, what would Laura tell her 14-year-old self?

What is her message for sports parents?

You can hear it in her voice: the joy, the determination, the competitive spirit: she wasn't the best, she wasn't the worst. You know what? She's got pump, together with a willingness to listen and learn.

In this week's episode, we speak with Remy Siemsen, who currently plays soccer for Sydney FC in the W-League. She made a big impression in her first W-League outing when she was just 16: named Young Footballer of the Year.

Remy represented Australia in the under-20 team, where she scored seven goals on debut. This athlete is on fire, with the ultimate dream of playing for the Matildas. It's been her goal since she was four years old.

Every sporting story, including Remy's, is not without hurdles, heartache and hard work. From her school pathway, turning points, to some great advice for sport parents, Remy keeps it real.

In this week's episode of SportsParenthood, you'll meet Matt Roberts, who has an extraordinary story.

Since the year 2000, Matt, who's currently director, Tennis Alice Springs, has raised 17 teenage boys, who've come from different backgrounds, different situations, with different struggles. Some have stayed for weeks, some for months, and many, for years! Sport has been the constant, and has played a big part in creating a platform for change by keeping them busy, providing structure and teaching valuable life lessons.

In Matt's role as mentor and carer, he's helped transformed their lives. From Junior State of Origin debuts to the NRL signings, and overseas tennis tournaments, sport has been the impetus for many of these boys to achieve big dreams. It hasn't been easy. In fact, Matt has his own chair at the local school's principal's office.

If you're parenting teenagers, you'll know what Matt means when he talks about the "FU years".

FINAL EPISODE UNTIL 22 APRIL 2021: As sports parents, we often resist taking our kids to see a physiotherapist or specialist believing they'll be okay. Sometimes, it's really difficult to tell when the normal aches and pains associated with sport transform into injuries. So, how do you know when to take your young athlete to see a physiotherapist?

What is a physio exactly? How can they help prevent and treat injuries?

Hear from Kylie Holt from Kylie Holt Sports Physiotherapy, who's been working in high-performance sport for more than 20 years, including being an Australian team physiotherapist at three Olympic Games and three Commonwealth Games. Kylie's also spent 10 years at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), and recently with Swimming Australia.

The work of Dr Lynne Munro - head of AusCycling's Olympic fast track program - first caught our attention back in December, in an ABC news article in which she was quoted as saying: "We're looking at building an environment that is specifically about female athletes." Lynne wants to completely rethink the way women are trained and coached in elite sport. As you can imagine, this got us curious! While Lynne's focus is on building up Australia's female track sprint cycling ranks, in the lead up to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, her 'doing things differently' approach makes you wonder what's possible in all sports.

Music and sports performance. How does music affect athletes? What does the science say?

Is music a "type of legal, performance-enhancing drug"?

Research has shown listening to music while exercising can reduce an athlete's rate of perceived effort. What does this mean exactly? Does the tempo have an impact? Why did USA Track & Field "ban the use of headphones and portable audio players" at its official races back in 2007? In this episode, we speak with psychologist and behaviour coach, Hamish McMaster. There's a lot more research into music and sports performance than we thought!

This is a fascinating conversation about the role music can play in reaching the optimal performance zone.

Episode references:

Marconi Union - Weightless (Official Video)

Kerryn McCann - 2006 Commonwealth Games Marathon

This week's guest is Gary Howard from the Run Crew in Sydney. He's a guy known for dotting the i's and crossing the t's - and doing the work that needs to be done. He's still a competitive athlete today - a world's masters silver medalist in the 800 metres, and is currently training for a marathon.

In this episode, we wanted to explore the idea of sporty parents, active kids (PDF) as per research from the Sports Australia, formerly the Australian Sports Commission , that shows active parents are more likely to have active kids.

Gary is the perfect fit - a coach and father of two - in an interesting conversation that covers being a role model as a parent and coach, as well as the benefits of parents getting ONBOARD in kids sport. ... and we throw open the discussion to what fires us up!

Plus, the three of us share our views on some of the topics that irk us in sport.

And, what's the Johnny push up?