For Children in Sports, a Breaking Point

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/health/25brod.html?src=me&ref=homepage

"I’d be the last person to discourage children from playing sports. Indeed, I wish many more would move away from their computers, put down their iPods and cellphones and devote more time and energy to physical activities.

But for many children and adolescents, the problem is the opposite of being sedentary. Encouraged by parents and coaches, many with visions of glory and scholarships, too many young athletes are being pushed — or are pushing themselves — to the point of breaking down, physically and sometimes emotionally.

The statistics cited by Mark Hyman in his book “Until It Hurts: America’s Obsession with Youth Sports and How It Harms Our Kids” (new in paperback from Beacon Press), are sobering indeed: “Every year more than 3.5 million children under 15 require medical treatment for sports injuries, nearly half of which are the result of simple overuse.”

Injuries are only part of the problem, Mr. Hyman wrote. As adults become more and more involved, he noted, “with each passing season youth sports seem to stray further and further from its core mission of providing healthy, safe and character-building recreation for children.”

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I couldn't agree more with the author. In my experience and work, I come across far too many kids for whom sports are no fun, partly to largely because of the pressure put upon kids to perform like pros, and the ludicrous time commitment that goes along with it. Many families can't imagine one camping weekend a summer because sports demands constant practice and preparation of their kids. We're living in a bizarro world here, just like we are with corporate banking, oil companies, etc...

:hi:

He often complained about kids who were burnt out on sports by the time they got to high school.

The state of Oregon high school sports authority was very proud of itself last year, when it declared that no official practices could occur during one week last summer. Of course, most of the teams still met, with seniors running drills. The local paper interviewed sports-obsessed families who couldn't imagine doing anything whatsoever besides following little Johnny and little Jane around the state and around the country for their camps, tournaments, etc...

I have a four-year-old. His mama and I were both fair athletes, who played varsity level sports in high school -- and, well, his mama was actually good, making all-city and all-state teams in softball and volleyball. Alas, I can't imagine being a parent of a kid today who played the sports I played back in the '80s. To me, it would be miserable. There is no time off. We still took two and three week road trips with my parents, with no concerns about the time off, when I was a kid. That would be unimaginable now. Something is out of balance, IMO.

for instance, a good youth baseball player will play nearly year round, even playing on more than one team at the same time.

HS footballers and baseballers are going all summer long outside of their season (plus fall or spring practice), at least where I live. And that's just for starters.

8 years of baseball by the time I hit 9th grade - it has taken me more than 20 years to come back around and have any interest in the game at all (and what little interest I have is fleeting).

football playing son died as a result of a concussion he received on the field. He was encouraged to continue playing...didn't want to let anyone down...so instead, he died. VERY SAD.

who played competitive sports from 4th through 12th grade (the last 4 years was 3 seasons each year), I pay for it every day. One bummed knee, two ankles with virtually no elasticity, chronic bursitis in the serving/pitching arm. Although sports was an escape for me for good reason, I wish that the one responsible parent I had had been wise enough to limit me to no concurrent seasons (there was little to no rest in between).

BTW, during PT which followed neck surgery (not sports-related) the therapist told me that they were packed full of middle and high school students every day after school and on Saturdays, almost every one of them w/sports injuries.

I am now happy that I had winters off, for the most part. I did spend three years playing winter baseball. Of course, baseball is the sport that led me to deal with several years of dealing tendinitis.

It's time to make backpacking a sport. Limit the mileage, and give good credit for best camp cook, and away you go!

thanks to a teenage football injury. That said, I played sports, and I wouldn't discourage kids from playing if they like it. But I wouldn't push them into it if it's not their thing.

I just don't see why they have to practice 365 days a year.

Kids are being pushed at an early age into picking one sport. I think you have a lot less burnout and overuse injuries when a kid plays one sport in the spring, another in the summer, etc.

allows them to still be kids. I certainly won't be pushing them to overextend themselves.

He has nothing between the bones and is in severe pain at the age of 38, but he's too young for a replacement. Sports followed by a few years in the Navy (Special Forces) did it.

because if you do it once, you'll never want to go through it again.

It's all taken way too seriously, the kids are exhausted and WAY overscheduled. Just this evening, I was talking with some people who were explaining that the 6th grade girls had a softball game yesterday. It was 92 degrees here yesterday and very humid. Heat indexes were in the mid to upper 90's. The game went on as scheduled. Started at 4 or 4:30pm. The game lasted for over 3 hours! Those 12 year old girls were out in the baking sun and humidity for over 3 hours! And THEN, they had to be in for practice at 6AM this morning!!!! 12 year olds!!

Sorry, but I think that is f'ing insane.

it's common to see kids passing out during practice or on game day most weeks. Heavy equipment plus FL heat and humidity is hard enough on a high schooler, just think how it is on a 3rd or 4th grader.

I played ball in AZ, with many games starting at 5:00 PM, in June, at 115 degrees. (Dry heat, my arse.)

But practice the next morning at 6:00 AM? No. There is this thing called school... And sleep.

It's a rare week without a kid on crutches anymore, and frankly, many of my seniors write about it in their personal essays and in-class journals. So many have reached a state of hating their sport, and a few even privately admit to tanking in front of college scouts so they don't get the scholarship that keeps them playing on into college.

was a highly recruited HS football player. He played two years in college and eventually quit. He told me several years later he wished he'd joined the marching band instead.

I've seen some marching bands who practiced just as much as the football team in high heat & humidity. Band camp - looked a bit brutal to me in the summer with a director who wanted to win all the band competitions.

I agree on the sports. Another thing that I noticed is in the younger years too many sports are run & controlled by adults for the young kids with parents driven to win. I don't completely agree with the not keeping score mentality, I thought it good that a child learns to win or lose. But it's my opinion that too much in a young child's life is organized.

Back when I practiced and taught karate I saw too many kids being dragged to class who actually hated it and put in minimum effort while their parents were paying over $1000+ a year for the lessons & $50 for tests (and more like $200+ for black belt tests).

I taught at a Y where the lessons were much less & when a kid said they had to take the summer off to play baseball or whatever I encouraged them to do so saying you only get to be a kid once. My class would be there for them when they got back.

I'm glad I grew up when we played baseball, stickball, street football & other childhood games on our streets from noon-dark with no adults supervising or providing the rules.

Only wish I do have is at the time girls would've been allowed to play little league. I loved baseball, but I was shut out of any organized play in my town cause I was born female.

Generally, where I am, the band students don't face as much of a time commitment.

However, theater is another story altogether. If a student wants to be in a school play in high school, they're often at school until 9, 10, 11 at night every night for weeks, if not months.

And geez I was only in the chorus with one friggin' line in Bye Bye Birdie. I think our director had Broadway aspirations. But damn he was cute with his little green VW bug! All the girls had a crush on him.

she worked seven days a week from the age of 8. Her joints were worn out before they were fully grown, she didn't get a period until she was 19, she had no childhood at all and was never able to give that joy to anyone else as her reproductive system didn't develop properly.

She has been paying the price for her parents decision her whole life and all she got for it was a storage unit full of medals and ribbons.

I don't believe in playing games, but only expressing what someone thinks, and trying to be kind and having fun in life.

do so because they want to, and their parents make time for them to do so. (Not pressure them.) I know there are some parents who take it way too seriously, but my friends allow their kids to play recreationally and don't really put any pressure at all on them to perform.

I know it can be damaging when there are too many expectations on kids, especially at a young age.

and some parents gave me grief because my practices were too easy--"lots of walking around"

But then we would win. Well this particular sport is 90 mental-- "full speed, and sometimes half speed simultaneous moving chess" as I would tell them. Then they started to understand I was getting the kids' heads ready to play. By the weekend they were not exhausted and chomping at the bit. Less is sometimes more.

see: the AAU