I regularly talk to parents who have kids playing youth and interscholastic sports, and often these discussions center around travel teams, ID camps, instructional clinics, and various other potential opportunities for kids to showcase their sport skills. Helping kids improve in their sport is great, but too often I see parents (and kids) downplay and/or look past what they are doing in the moment (i.e. their current season) while looking too far ahead at future camps where they hope to be noticed by coaches and scouts. Rather than putting all their focus on what they are doing, these families instead get caught up with excitement about future opportunities. While it is fun to look at future experiences, taking for granted what you are currently doing can lead to missed opportunities for immediate growth.
Looking ahead to the next big showcase
When families get caught up in the quest to earn a future college athletic scholarship, efforts are often directed toward finding the right camps, selecting the right team, and developing the perfect online presence. While these things are important to consider, when kids minimize (or de-value) what they are currently doing, they miss out on important athletic development. For example, if your child is only focused on next month’s important ID camp, and not as excited about his current league (because he doesn’t think the competition is good, or that college coaches will not see him) he actually slows down his athletic growth and potential. In fact, when kids take for granted what they are doing in the moment, they become more injury-prone as well.
A better way to go is to encourage kids to get the absolute most out of whatever they are doing at any given moment. Parents can sell this message by modelling the same mindset and attitude, and encouraging their child to give 100% every time out. When kids take every opportunity serious and always play hard, they continue to develop their athletic abilities — regardless of scenario. In fact, often kids are noticed for their athletic abilities not from a promotional webpage, but from people in the community chatting about the local athletic talent (and you also never know what coach or scout is attending a game). The reality is that kids can always get better wherever they play or train, and that you never know who will see you at any given moment.
Final thoughts
While elite leagues and fancy showcases will always garner attention, it is important to help kids understand that they can always improve, and that you never know who is watching (even when you think no one is!). Rather than lose focus, become bored, or minimize the value of what you are doing at any given moment, why not instead look for ways that you can use the experience to further develop skills? How you view situations has a direct impact on the behaviors that follow, for better or for worse, so choose wisely!
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