Navigating youth sports: So your child has potential as an athlete?
by Joanna Chadwick, The Wichita Eagle
“Many think a college scholarship in athletics is a given,” Newman University women’s basketball coach Darin Spence said. “Just because you pay some club coach money, that doesn’t mean your child will earn a scholarship.”
3 Myths that are Destroying the Youth Sports Experience for our Kids
By John O'Sullivan, Changing the Game Project
Myth #1, “The Tiger Woods/10,000 Hour Myth:” Your child must specialize as early as possible if he or she wants to play college or pro sports
Myth #2 “The 9 Year Old National Champion Myth:” We need to win as soon as possible, as often as possible, travel as far as we need to get games, and only pick and play the kids who help us do that.
Myth #3, “Youth Sports is an Investment in a Scholarship:” If my kid specializes, gets on the winning team as early as possible, and I invest in long distance travel, private lessons, and the best gear, I will recoup this investment when college rolls around.
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Youth sports are for character building, not trophy collecting
By Mark Arles, Owatonna Peoples Press
As adults we have a responsibility to provide balance, boundaries and the building blocks needed for our kids to become healthy, happy adults. The focus of youth sports must be to teach life lessons, develop values and build character in our young people. True identity theft happens when we allow our kids to be defined by what they do or achieve (grades, trophies, medals, titles) over who they are as people.
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