There are so many articles in recent news dissecting youth sports. For the most part, all the ones I've read are about how we are expecting too much of our young athletes, putting too much pressure, creating negative results that range from overuse injuries to just crying kids with crazy coach-parents.
As much as I agree with the detriment that many overzealous coaches and parents can create...I think there is a place for competition in youth sports. While, I don't believe that children should be playing the same sports year round, they may have a favorite and tend to take that one to the next level.
They should also be allowed to try many different sports and hell, even fail and quit some until they find the one they connect with. I, however, don't believe in participation trophies. I believe in keeping score...listen, life is so hard as it is...are we helping our children by watering down the lessons that sport can teach them?
And what's a parent to do with that child that is a born athlete? You know that one that has an innate drive to compete and excel? Should I as a mom, hold her back because the latest trends are participation trophies, scoreless games, and just some good old rec fun?
One of my girls was born to compete. It's fair to say has that "need for speed" in all that she takes on. She wants to be the smartest in her classes. She wants to be the best...and more importantly, in my eyes, she expects the best from herself even if she may not always be the best. She holds herself to high expectations and has a natural sense of reflecting, adjusting, and then, taking it to the next level.
I struggle with this as a mom because it is a characteristic of her I relate with and I don't want to put any more pressure on her than she already puts on herself. I worry about it as well. I don't want her to lose the fun of sport. But, I value the lessons that competition creates: setting goals, putting in hard work to achieve those goals, and then, the lessons learned along the way....win or lose.
This girl may or may not be an Olympic skier some day (that's her dream)...who am I to tell her to be realistic? Or tell her she should just ski for fun? If she sets out to do this, whether she succeeds or fails, the work ethic and life lessons she is learning along the way are priceless. There are no participation medals given out after standing a top a race course and flying down around the gates. You fall sometimes. You get disqualified. You have bad runs and lose your mojo. Your equipment sometimes fails.
There is no one out there that can relieve some of the "pressure" if you are having an off day like "team sports" on a field or court. While you are a part of a team, it still comes down to you, standing a top the mountain looking down, waiting to give it your all.
Just like life. We have the people that are there to encourage us and lift us up on our off days. But, in the end...it's all what we make of it. We create our own world that we walk through. And in sport, if my daughter wants to compete at the highest level she can, why not? If she falls or fails, I will be there to give her a hug and tell her better luck next time....no participation trophy needed.
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