Parenting Elite Athletes

It has been awhile since I have contributed a blog article to this website; a year of grief, chaos, school, travel and sporting events keeping me from my passion of writing.  Although I have not written here, I continue to visit this site and my previous articles to revisit just how far Nicholas has come as an athlete an individual and, more importantly, just how far our family has come as a "team".  

What is it like to be the parent of a gifted athlete? Last week I learned a little more when I attended a panel discussion hosted by the Cambridge Center for Adult Education (CCAE).

In the face of the growing epidemic of overuse injuries in youth sports, sports parents are often given two different kinds of advice: to make sure that their kids don't play sports all the time (too much sports) and to make sure their child isn't playing a single sport too much (too much sport).

Balance and variety is best

In considering what "too much sports" and "too much sport" mean it is helpful to use real-world examples.

The idea of “dumbed down” sports is a scary concept for some. It can be hard for many adults, especially coaches, to accept. The mere idea of doing so can bring their coaching into question and evoke feelings of hesitation, resistance and fear. Many are often quick to admit, “My dad never ‘dumbed down’ sports for me, and I turned out fine.” However, watch a seasoned coach try to teach a young child without “dumbing down” sports, and they fail miserably. Still, purists claim “dumbed down” sports coaching is anything but natural.