Putting the FUN back in fundamentals.
Photo booth FUN!
Most sports and extracurricular activities are a great way for the children in our community to keep themselves busy and learn valuable life lessons with peers. Ballet, dance, sports and other activities a hardly ever turn out to b a million dollar career, but they do build the core values of our children and give them experience learning how to cope with competition and so many other things.
We all know travel teams cost so much. We all want our child to win. We all feel the pressure to perform and bring back results, but there is a lot of lost emotions in those thoughts. Only one team at every age level can win. There are literally thousands of team and tens of thousands if not more children playing a sport at any given time. Someone has to lose and most people will not win a championship. That is the reality of competition and sports.
The band practices too.
So is winning isn’t the measuring stick for success, what is? It’s the experience, the memories an the growth. It’s know that Johnny only eats homemade uncrustable sandwiches on game days or remembering the miracle catch made by Sally in right field who never pays attention. It’s having a special coach who gets you through your struggles of shooting a left handed layup in basketball so now as an adult your use that as motivation to not be limited by things you cannot do yet.
I think the younger years may be the place we need to focus the most. The gap in skills can be huge and some kids just seem to get it at a younger age than others. The passion and aggression some children play with just cannot be taught or even contained at times. It is extremely important to find a way to get all children to play with a sort of passion and love for their sport or activity. This starts with celebrating more than goals, wins and shots, but cheering on effort, growth and sportsmanship. Cheer the children on for being a good teammate or passing the ball as much as you do their individual success. Bring the best snacks, laugh at all the stories and remember to have fun.
Winning is FUN!
During middle school, the seriousness of sports starts to take over, Parents start worrying about travel teams and what high school their kids will play for. They worry about all the things around the game, but forget it is still a game and should be fun. I promise you with the way the internet works, coaches will find your kid no matter where they play. These are truly the last few years your kid are kids and not young adults. Try and ease back on the competitiveness and focus on the growth, teammates and relationships your child has built. Remind them how they have gotten better and their teammates around them have as well. Take out old team photos, try on old jersey and remember all of the fun.
High school has finally come for some of your children and you want to be focused and win because that’s what’s going to get them into to college right? Probably not. Recruiting started in middle school and on the travel teams. Coaches were already noticing energy, attitude and presence along with skill this whole time. They have seen your child’s team before and they have taken notes on who is “their” type of player. Every coach has a different idea of what that is, so it is literally impossible to try and anticipate what your athlete can do, but you can have the best attitude, be coachable and support your team. Those skills are honestly tested the most through adversity. Most children will have a senior night and never lace up again. They should remember all the fun and hard work they have put into their sport. You as a parent should remember the fun you had supporting them.
Being a college athlete is a success at any level.
Grades, test scores, NIL deals, transfer portal kids and so much more contribute to where you child will end up, but the attitude they have and focus they can display will help them achieve all their goals. Reminding them that they are so close to being a college athlete at any level and how precious that will be is essential in grooming them for the future experiences. College can be hard, lonely and isolating depending on how far away though go. Building a foundation of love, fun and hard work will get them through the tough days on campus, the bad games during the season and the tough decisions that come with being a college athlete. They will still remember the road games, their crazy teammates and all the fun that went into their seasons.
With NIL deals and the transfer portal, many college athletes will be earning money and looking at turning professional. This is finally where FUN is no longer important or maybe a real factor. For some, without the fun in sports, they may lose their love for the game. Others thrive off of the seriousness and focus needed for professional sports. 99% of all athletes WILL NOT be making it this far, so try to have FUN and enjoy our little athletes growth and stories along the way!