Journal-writing about sports can help you laugh, learn

It's almost September, and kids are going back to school and starting their fall sports seasons. I have a suggestion that might make your sports more fun.

Keep a sports journal. Write about your soccer, baseball or lacrosse team.

I know it sounds a bit like a homework assignment, but you don't have to write every day. If you get stuck on what to write about, just pretend you're writing a letter to a friend telling her about your team. Have fun with it. Don't worry, no one is going to give you a grade for your journal.

There are plenty of popular diaries and journals. Lots of kids love to read "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and the "Dork Diaries."

There are famous sports diaries, too. Jerry Kramer, an all-pro guard for the Green Bay Packers, kept a journal of his football team's 1967 season. Kramer's book – "Instant Replay" – was on the New York Times bestseller list for 37 weeks.

How do you get started? Buy a notebook. Or open up a file on your computer. It doesn't have to be anything special. Then start to write down your thoughts or collect stuff about your team.

What kind of stuff? You can start by putting the team roster in your journal. Or the team schedule along with the scores of the games.

Like to draw? Draw pictures of your team uniforms or certain plays and players. Don't worry if you're not a great artist. Jeff Kinney, the author and artist of the "Wimpy Kid" series, isn't Picasso.

If your team keeps statistics, you can include them. Or keep track of your own stats.

Of course, the journal shouldn't be just scores and statistics. Write about the fun things that happen. One fun thing I remember is a day that it started raining during practice of a soccer team I coached. The boys didn't stop playing. They had a blast slipping and sliding all over the pitch. The kids talked about that practice for years. It was a favorite team memory.

Write about your favorite parts of being on your team. Or your least-favorite parts. Write about how your team is coming together – or not coming together – during the season.

Every team, whether in the pros or in your neighborhood, is a story. A sports journal is just a way to write down the team stories so you won't forget them.

Keeping a journal may also help you become a better player because you will notice things about your sport. Tennis legend Serena Williams and Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps both keep sports journals to help them with their performance.

So this season don't just play sports, write about them.