Simply
put, for 99% of the children, youth sports are not a vehicle for or a means to
an end. It is not about status, glory, scholarships, or playing professional
sports. According to the National
Alliance of Sports, 70% of our children
quit playing youth sports by the time they are 13 who were still playing at the
age of 10. To get the fun back into
youth sports, we need to balance the importance of youth sports and the time we
spend on them, the effort we put into them, in proportion to the rest of our
lives. This is “balanced excellence.” The pursuit of balanced excellence is the
ability and desire to pursue excellence in all areas of our lives in an even
manner.
Sometimes, children develop other
interests and outgrow their desire to play a particular sport. It doesn’t have to be burn out that causes
them to quite. It could be not willing
to commit the time, effort and stress it takes to play structured youth
sports. Dating, money, and socializing,
all play a part in the decision-making process of athletes to pursue other
interests. Let them make an individual
choice based on their individual interests, needs, not on parents and coaches
wants and desires. Kids should be
playing sports for the right and healthy reasons, in a safe and healthy
atmosphere.
Parents, coaches, players, and
organizations can get wrapped up in and wildly enthusiastic about Division I
college athletics and professional sports.
But, there is little correlation to our children’s involvement in youth
sports. We need to keep this in
perspective. We need to insure that we
are focusing our attention and efforts on all areas of our life and the lives
of our children. The number one priority
in youth sports is to have fun!
If you are having fun, you are
having fun; you can never put enough value on play. If children are not having
fun, they should stop playing on that team. They don’t have quit entirely, but
if the sport isn’t fun, at least 75% of the time, you should not participate on
that team. Organized and structured youth sports organizations are not the end
all answer to development. They sometimes can be harmful.
Find a team that shares similar philosophy and
play for fun. Text some friends; go to a
field, court, or rink and have fun!
Organize your own pick-up games.
Play is not a job. We ought not to make it one.
There are common expressions used by
parents and players that are heard time and time again: “I will fall behind if
I don’t play year-round…The coach says I have to go to this camp…I have to play
for this club team; they are the best…..She can play soccer with a brace. It
will be all right.” These statements heard on many teams over many seasons are
an indication of unhealthy problems.
Playing youth sports is still worth
playing, even if it does not include playing in high school. Watch the kids sit on the bench during a high
school game. Are they having fun? Are their parents getting their money’s worth
out of their children’s participation in “pay for play” sports? There are pick-up games, recreation leagues,
intramurals, and adult leagues on which kids can play, now and through their
adult years. The fun, the camaraderie can be found in any and all these
alternatives to “pay for play” youth sports.
The underlying current of youth
sports participation has changed radically over the years. Do we understand the significance in that
change, as well as the long-term ramifications, both mentally and
physically? We tend to be consumed as a
society to be on top, to be number one, to win no matter the cost. We are losing the idea that youth sports are
supposed to be a way for our kids to learn life lessons, skills that will stay
with them when they are adults. Youth sports, too, are a means for our kids to
get much needed exercise, a means to socialize, a means for having fun. Playing youth sports is part of the
continuum, the journey of life. Youth sports should not be just about winning.
Winning will take care of itself if the other parts are in place and are
encouraged continually.
No comments:
Post a Comment