RAISING THE GAME
7 TIPS FOR HELPING KIDS MAKE THE MOST OF YOUTH SPORTS EXPERIENCES BY KURT DUSTERBERG
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chapter of our family’s life came to a bittersweet conclusion recently. On a warm afternoon in June, our son Conner, a senior pitcher at Apex Friendship High School, recorded the last out of the season. When the final batter for Garner Magnet High School flied out to right field, Conner smiled, walked off the mound and hugged his teammates. Just like that, his nine years of baseball were over. They were wonderful years for Conner, and also for the rest of our family, just as we experienced a few years ago with our daughter, Karen, a pitcher for the Apex Friendship High School softball team. Throughout these years of endless trips to ballfields, I’ve felt fortunate that both of our kids played competitively all the way through high school. Kids who play a sport through their teen years learn so much about teamwork, making sacrifices, facing pressure, accepting a role, and coping with success and failure. It’s a well-worn cliché, but playing a sport teaches life lessons. Of course, most kids don’t stick with sports until the end of high school, for a variety of acceptable reasons. I have coached many of our daughter’s softball teams, from recreation and travel leagues to high school. I’ve coached baseball, too. Over the years, I’ve watched a lot of athletes give up the game—and often not the players I expected. When I’ve spoken to their parents in those instances, they often expressed disappointment, wishing their children had continued to benefit from the personal growth and the joy of athletic achievement. So, what role should parents play in our children’s sports careers? After raising two young athletes and coaching more than 200 others, I believe it should be a meaningful one. I often joke that the difference between academics and athletics for parents is that we don’t go to school and cheer for our kids during a history test. That’s the beauty of sports: We can prepare, guide and support them in unique ways that can sustain and strengthen them. From that first step onto a field or court—or plunge into a swimming pool—parents can have a profound influence on the success and duration of their children’s playing days. It’s not always easy. Sometimes it’s about avoiding missteps, too. But here are seven ways I believe parents can help their kids make the most of a wonderful era in life.
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