All times are UTC - 6 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 5 posts ] 
  Print view Previous topic | Next topic 
Author Message
PostPosted: 14 Mar 2010, 07:50 

Posts: 176
When I was a kid, in addition to walking miles barefoot in the snow, we did not have all the sports opportunities available today. There was no such thing as soccer, let alone indoor soccer. Baseball was something you played in the summer. Basketball was a few kids and parents at the local school gym -- "real" basketball didn't start until 7th grade.

Today, we have year round sports. It's not enough to play baseball in the summer. You play and prepare all year -- indoors around these parts. When your baskeball "season" is over, never fear -- there is another season a week away on some "super elite club" -- for 9 year olds. 24/7, 365 days seems to be the rule.

Many kids are playing multiple sports at the same time. Leading to missed practices and games. The attitude seems to be -- "its just _____ (insert sport here)." Correct me if I am wrong, but I see sports as more than an athletic activity. There is teamwork, sportsmanship, and commitment. When I was a kid, you joined a team and you committed to that team - you went to every practice and game unless you where deathly ill. What are we teaching our kids, if it is "ok" to miss a scheduled practice or activity to attend a competing activity?

Now here is the ironic part. Parent A has his kid in 2 sports. Parent B has his kid in the same sports, same teams (and will soon be adding a third). Games conflict. Basketball is the final game. Other sport continues year round. Parent A allows kid to miss most of basketball game to play the other game. Parent B is upset because they need the kid to "win" the basketball game. I look at him and tell him "that's what happens when you over commit your kids, your nuts."

So what are we doing to these kids? Are we causing long term damage? Are will telling them that commitment is not important? Take on as much as you can, even though you can't do it all?


 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 14 Mar 2010, 17:49 
User avatar

Posts: 3139
Just between you and I, I think that some parents are nuts .... they think their kid is the Michael Jordon or whoever - they are taking away their childhood, their chance to go out and have some fun... use their imagination - just be a kid.

I think you said it well here...... ")." Correct me if I am wrong, but I see sports as more than an athletic activity. There is teamwork, sportsmanship, and commitment. When I was a kid, you joined a team and you committed to that team - you went to every practice and game unless you where deathly ill. What are we teaching our kids, if it is "ok" to miss a scheduled practice or activity to attend a competing activity?

Cut back a little bit and let them enjoy the sport and stop making it like a job. JMO


 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 20 Mar 2010, 21:08 
User avatar

Posts: 314
Golfman: Im assuming you are coaching middle school aged kids and at that age, they are all experimenting on different sports and of course they are going to conflict. However, If a player is competing on two basketball teams at the same time, nows the time to ask for a committment. Its unfair to both coaches having a kid decide which game hes going to play and which practice hes going to miss. Parents of this type of situation need to get a life and instead of thinking only of themselves and their child, begin to understand what harm, this situation causes. You are not only disappointing the coaches but most of all you are disappointing the rest of the team you are playing with. If as a parent, you feel it necessary to have your son/daughter play on two teams in two different leagues at the same time, then it is incumbant on YOU to decide which team you will honor. YOU CANT PLAY THEM BOTH!!!!! Coach Mac


 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 21 Mar 2010, 11:51 

Posts: 176
Coachmac,

I agree that playing on 2 teams in the same sport is wrong. But, it was really a comentary about the change to "year round" youth sports these days. When I was a kid, it was: Fall = football (or soccer), Winter = Basketball (or wrestling), Spring/Summer = baseball. You didn't really mix them. Now, everything is year round -- they have spring basketball, summer basketball. They move baseball practice indoors. Soccer goes outdoor (fall), indoor (winter), outdoor (spring). Etc. So for example, I'll have a kid playing baseball this spring who will also play soccer. If there is conflict, it seems to me you're teaching him that one team "doesn't matter." Then we complain about the younger generation having no commitment. Go figure.


 Profile  
 
PostPosted: 25 Mar 2010, 12:59 

Posts: 19
Golfman,

Thanks for sharing, as you know we now live in a society that demands our attention every single second of the day, which is causing our young people to have attention deficit, they are over stimulated, over connected via the internet and overwhelmed.

My sport was basketball, I played soccer until I was in the 8th grade and committed myself to playing basketball year round once I hit 14. I had a vision, a plan and was focused on that plan and dedicated to my vision.

Now a days it seems to hard to even dialogue with young players on establishing a vision. We as parents, coaches, people who want to help empower kids need to develop a framework of what is necessary for success in life. Our quality of life depends on making successful decisions, your story highlights how pervasive bad decision making is in our homes that leads to impacting the child negatively.

Now that we have talked about the problems, In your opinion, how do we start to find a solution?

Dan
www.innovativeathletes.com


 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 5 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 6 hours


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron