Wolff Sports Parenting Edge

What Every Parent Needs to Know in the Changing World of Youth Sports
1. Auflage 2013
ISBN: 978-1-62675-057-9
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 208 Seiten

A practical, provocative, and comprehensive guide for parents who want to ensure that their children get the most out of all their sports experiences, The Sports Parenting Edge takes a fresh, resolutely positive approach to a popular subject.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Wolff, Rick

Leseproben

INTRODUCTION: The First Question Every Sports Parent Has to Ask.
Very simply, that question is: What do you really want your child to get out of sports? It’s a fairly straightforward question, but if you’re like most parents who want their kid involved in sports, it’s not always that easy a question to answer. For example, if your goal is for your child to someday become a professional or Olympic-caliber athlete, you had better come to realize early on in the parenting process that the odds of any of that happening are microscopically small. In the 21st century, there are literally millions of kids in this country (not to mention the world) who share those dreams—and of course, their parents share those dreams as well. “Okay,” you say, “maybe being an Olympic or pro athlete is a bit too much to wish for. But it sure would be nice if my kid was good enough to get an athletic scholarship to college.” Well, that’s a fine dream, too. But you should know that the odds of that happening are also drastically stacked against your son or daughter. There are precious few athletic scholarships to be offered, and once again, there are millions of kids seeking them. Let me present these odds in another way. When I coached college baseball at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, NY (an NCAA Division II school), I had a small number of athletic scholarships to hand out each year. To fill these scholarships, I could literally pick and choose ballplayers from all over the tri-state New York/New Jersey/Connecticut area. Mercy College is located in Westchester County, where there are approximately 55 high schools plus a number of private and parochial schools. Right across the Hudson River is Rockland County, NY, where there are another 10 high schools. To the east is Fairfield County, CT, where there are approximately 15 to 20 more high schools. Then to the south, there are Nassau and Suffolk Counties, where there are dozens more high schools. And don’t forget New Jersey, where there are even more schools to choose from. In effect, I could choose to recruit ballplayers from 200+ high schools in this 50-mile radius. And I could recruit top players from local junior colleges as well. Now, in every one of these high schools, there are star baseball players who are named Captain, or All-League, or All-County, or All-something. They are all fine high school baseball players. But I would only have to choose two or three a year to fit my needs at Mercy. So, the odds went something like this: if I needed to find a good shortstop, I could look at more than 200 high school shortstops each year to find just one and offer him a scholarship. That’s one out of 200+ outstanding high school or junior college short-stops. And that was for little ol’ Mercy College. I think—I hope—I’ve made my point. If you really want to get your kid a scholarship for college, you’re better off hoping that they get one for academics, not for sports. So again, the question is posed: What do you really want your child to get out of sports? How about setting some more basic—and more reachable—goals? Like hoping that your child simply develops a lifelong love for athletic exercise that will keep them physically fit for the rest of their life? And that they learn the lessons of hard work, discipline, and sacrifice that are the foundation for living life beyond their sports years? And that they enjoy the overall experience of working hard with teammates and competing against their opponents? And finally, that they become proficient enough in their sports that they might enjoy that magical moment of scoring the winning goal, or of being on a championship team, or of just knowing that they’ve worked hard at their skills and have become a very, very good athlete? This book is designed to help children who play sports—and their parents who encourage them and cheer them on—to pursue all of those goals. Yes, a few special ones may go on to become professional or college competitors, but statistics tell us that only a very small percentage of high school varsity athletes ever go on to play college sports. And an even smaller percentage of college athletes are good enough to be tapped to play in the professional ranks. And even at the professional ranks, the average playing career of all athletes is rarely more than a few years. In other words, the entire athletic experience lasts a relatively short period of time. Essential Parenting Tip: Pack Two Parachutes. As a sports parent, it’s up to you to act like an adult, and be the grown-up that you now are. Suggestion: take a tip from paratroopers who jump out of airplanes for a living. They always pack a backup parachute in case the first one doesn’t open. You should give the same advice to your child as well. Tell your son or daughter to pack two parachutes in life. The first parachute is their dream to become a star athlete. The second backup parachute is to be used in case that first dream doesn’t come true. And as their parent, it’s up to you to be totally supportive of all their dreams. Ideally, that secondary or backup dream will reflect another passion they have in life as well, whether it be a desire to become a teacher, fire fighter, coach, doctor, whatever. But that second parachute should always be tucked away in the back of their mind as they progress through their school athletic years. A BREAKDOWN OF THE ODDS OF “MAKING IT” – What are the current stats on aspiring high school kids who want to advance in sports? Here are some recent numbers as compiled by the NCAA and other sources: Football: Only 9 out of every 10,000 high school senior football players will eventually be drafted by an NFL team. Less than 4% of all high school football players ever play college football, and less than 1% of college players ever make it to the NFL. Boys Basketball: About 3 out of every 10,000 high school senior basketball players will eventually be drafted by an NBA team. Odds: 3,333 to 1. Or, look at it this way: For every 2,300 high school senior basketball players, only 40 will play college basketball, and only one of those will get a chance at the NBA. Girls Basketball: Only one out of 5,000 senior girls playing high school basketball will be drafted by the WNBA. Odds: 5,000 to 1. Baseball: Maybe one out of 200 high school seniors will be selected in the Major League draft. Odds: 200 to 1. Ice Hockey: One out of every 250 high school seniors will be tapped by a team in the National Hockey League draft. Odds: 250 to 1. Gymnastics: More than two million kids participate in gymnastics each year, but only seven or eight participate in the Olympic games every four years. Want even more sobering information? The vast majority of kids who are lucky enough to be drafted professionally will never get close to actually playing in the NBA, WNBA, NFL, Major Leagues, or the NHL. There are just too many other players for too few slots, not to mention the possibility of injuries and other unforeseen setbacks. When I worked with the Cleveland Indians as their roving sports performance enhancement coach, I used to do the math in my head. At the start of each year, we would have 120 or so pro ballplayers report to spring training in February. But come June, we would also draft and sign another 30 or more new players. How did we make all the players fit? We didn’t. Quite simply, each year, the Indians—like every other professional organization—would have to release (or fire) 30 current ballplayers to make room for the new ones. And of course, this process was repeated each year. In short, it was built into the system that 30 players would see their careers come to an end each spring. Now, of those 120 players in the minor league system, what were the odds of any of them ever getting “a cup of coffee” (a short stay) in the big leagues? No more than 10-15%. In other words, just because you were good enough to get drafted and signed was no guarantee that you’d play in the majors. The odds were still 90% against you of getting to the big leagues, even if you were already a pro. In short, Mom and Dad, do all that you can for your kids in sports, but make certain your son and daughter pack two parachutes. I wrote this book to help educate Moms and Dads to understand just how difficult it is to have one’s son or daughter climb the slippery slope of the athletic pyramid of competition. But even more importantly, I also wrote it so that young athletes everywhere can make the most out of their God-given abilities and have the most fun they can have out of playing sports. THE SEVEN BIGGEST MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT YOUTH SPORTS 1. Some travel teams start for kids as young as age 6 or 7. The sooner you can get your child to play on this kind of team, the better. 2. All travel team coaches are certified educators, have degrees in physical education or psychology, and have a solid background in coaching kids. 3. Once your child chooses one sport to specialize in, that will give him or her a better chance of advancing to a higher level. (e.g., college, professional ranks). 4. The best time to teach your youngster how to improve their play is immediately after the game—ideally, in the car ride on the way home when their actions are still fresh in their mind. 5. A youngster who is a top athlete among his or her peers at age is clearly destined to be a star when they’re 18. 6. Creatine as well as other nutritional supplements that are sold in health stores have all been proven to be safe for your child; otherwise, it would be illegal for the stores to sell...