These days, youth sports has largely turned into a “what’s next” endeavor for many families. When is the next ID camp, the next elite travel team, the next training facility about to open, the next superstar coach to get lessons, etc. When families continually focus on what’s next, they overlook the amazing sport/life experience their child is currently enjoying! Specifically, I am talking about the magical moments your child experiences right now, with the group of kids on his or her team in this very moment. Cheering on teammates, laughing together, and yes, even pulling together after tough losses. These are amazing times for our kids, with finite moments that will end soon, and great life lessons that will be lost if not processed and reinforced. Always looking ahead directs our attention away from these things, creating a hollow experience for kids where the focus is placed on winning above everything else.
Enjoy these moments right now…
Youth sports are really big business right now, and it is understandable why so many parents (and kids) get caught up always chasing the latest shiny objects. Fancy uniforms, increased media exposure, great travel experiences, and the potential attention of college coaches are enough for many parents to get caught up in the chase, with the direct byproduct being minimal attention and appreciation for their current sport experience. One example of this is a concerning trend where families decide that the school offering of a specific sport isn’t quite as good as the local club sport offering in town. Rather than play with lifelong friends for the school and in front of the local community, these families instead chase the dream and bypass the school option in exchange for an “elite” non-school team with kids from different communities, played at generic sport venues. Again, the chase to not miss out on something creates the illusion that what schools offer kids by means of sports are not worthwhile — yet this assumption could not be further from the truth.
Chasing the next opportunity exposes kids to the following:
- Missed out memories with friends. While there is certainly nothing wrong with your child joining a team of all new kids, playing together with the friends you grew up with in your own community is a unique opportunity that once gone, is gone forever.
- The perception that local and school sports are a waste of time. While there is a great allure to join elite club teams, school sports still provide great competition, school and community support, and every opportunity that your child will be noticed by college coaches if he or she is good enough.
- Create a false reality that playing club will get you an athletic scholarship. Countless numbers of kids each year earn college athletic scholarships based on their abilities seen while playing for their school team, lending evidence that it is a myth that kids only earn college scholarships by playing for travel teams.
- A much greater chance for sport burnout, and premature quitting. Youth sports are supposed to be fun, and that’s the #1 reason why kids play sports. When we turn youth sports into mini professional sports, a good number of kids experience sport burnout, and many quit prematurely simply because it is no longer fun.
- A lack of appreciation for sport participation and how it helps with human development. When all we do is chase the next opportunity, we lose sight of the significance of youth sports and the process of play and healthy competition! I am not talking about the results, but the moment-to-moment experiences where kids learn about things like hard work, integrity, sportsmanship, resiliency, and being a great teammate. Sports are not the means to an end, but instead a terrific, holistic, life experience that helps in every aspect of human development.
Final thoughts
Racing to always find the next best thing in youth sports, while understandable, also comes with consequences. When all families do is continuously look for the next best thing, they often overlook the amazing growth opportunities their child is experiencing currently. Take pause and enjoy your current youth sport experiences, and discuss with your kids all the great things they are learning about their sport, the fun playing with friends, and sense of community when folks come out to cheer on the team. Enjoy the process of youth sports, including the invaluable life skills being learned that sometimes get overlooked when families always chase the next big thing.
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