Myth #2 A
child should play one sport year round to get the athletic scholarship.
One sport year round is needed to make your child a better
athlete, really? Let’s take a look at the reasons this is happening. There are
many many children playing one sport year round. It certainly is a paradigm
that has taken hold and grown over the last thirty years. More and more youth sports organizations,
including USA Soccer, adhere to this policy of having children commit to this
level of participation. They actually ask for the family to submit a calendar
of their “outside” activities and make sure that the parents know that their
child, if he or she does not want to fall behind, needs to make this commitment
to a year round “training” program. It is also inferred by some of these
coaches that failure to make this level of commitment will cause the child to
be benched. Interestingly though, it is never the star player that receives
this sort of demand. Excuses are commonly made for this player.
“Mandatory” camps are held during the “off” season. While not being
exactly mandatory, it is made clear you better attend if you want to keep your
spot. Families are told that the team must stay together and play together if
they want to win. It becomes a
partnership with the parents and the children, a “lifestyle” I am told.
I would much rather be home, with a home cooked meal. My family eats
together 6 times a week and I am confident it is a major reason we are such a
close knit family. Plus it would save a lot of money.
Let's insert an interesting fact
hare. ALMOST all these teams and organizations speak this mantra and yet many
of them don’t win as much as they would lead you to believe with the importance
they put on winning. Oh sure if you play enough games, go to enough tournaments
you will eventually win or get “close,” thus providing the impetus to play
fewer kids and to go out and recruit better players.
Few parents realize when this is happening that their child may be losing
playing time to the new kid. AND this new kid, the new “chosen one” comes in
and is given ‘cart blanch” and special
treatment by the coach on many occasions, thus undermining the team concept and
the mantra that we must stick together and play together.
Sometimes I hear that the parents allow this because the children really
“love” the sport and the parents are letting their children “take this as far
as they can.” ( I LOVE ice cream. But I can’t eat it every day, it’s not
healthy for me.) Other times I hear that the “pros” do it this way so should I.
The athletic scholarship mantra is
repeated where this child got a scholarship playing one sport year round. My
kid is as good or close so why not, more is better. BUT IS IT?
Let’s look at the science, psychology and data.
First there are two to eight times more injuries for those who play one
sport year round. Health, according to Dr. James Andrews considered being the
TOP Orthopeadic sports surgeon in the country says the most important thing for
an athlete’s success at each level, is their health. Next, children change
their mind all the time. So having them do something, anything year round, is
against their nature and will begin to wear on them and they won’t continue to
grow and benefit. It’s called the law of diminishing returns. That may
initially want to play the sport year round. They may even enjoy it. But soon,
it will wear on them. They are kids, and kids want to do different things. They
will continue on to please their parents and avoid the stigma of quitting, but
then injurious start to pop up and their bodies and minds tell them that they
need rest and soon you have a child not having any fun.
Lastly the drive for athletic scholarships or a pro career is not
dependent on one sport year round according to professional teams. The
Minnesota twins look for multi sport athletes. Their top prospect, Byron
Buxton, and the #1 prospect in ALL of minor league baseball was a basketball
star in high school also. Three out of the four quarterbacks in this 2013 AFC
and NFC championship game were drafted by MLB teams. And Peyton Manning, the
one quarterback who wasn’t drafted, played shortstop in high school through his
senior year and continued to play baseball in the summer. Ryan Callahan,
captain of the New York Rangers played soccer growing up and advocates time
away from hockey in an interview with me at frozenshorts.com. Brian Gionta,
captain of the Montreal Canadiens takes three months off from skating after
every season. See his interview also, at frozenshorts.com.
Absence does make the heart grow
fonder. Abby Wambach, considered to be the top female soccer player in the
world, was a high school basketball star.
Besides, doing something year round for 20 hours a week is considered a
job.
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