FTNFebruary20261-12

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Smiles at people Follows objects with eyes

Rolls over Responds to own name

Walks with support Says basic words

Says several words Follows simple instructions

Speaks in sentences Turns pages in a book

Stands on one foot Counts to ten

Coos Holds head up

Sits without support Recognizes familiar faces

Points to objects Imitates gestures

Points to show interest

Walks alone

Plays with other children Climbs well

Tells a simple story Dresses independently

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FEBRUARY

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COMPETITION IS GOOD BUT LET THE KIDS HAVE FUN!

Strike three! And the dejected ten year old walks away, head down, dragging his bat behind him. He looks up and sees an angry coach and parents in the stands throwing up their hands in dismay as they lose the game. They lost the game! (According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, a game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool.)

Playing sports is a great way for kids to burn up some excess energy in a positive way, as well as a way to develop some sport specific skills. There is more than physical skill at stake here, though. Sports can be very

instrumental in developing life skills, too. But, just as important is having fun. Kids need fun ‘cause well... they’re kids!

So much attention is given to college and pro athletes by the media and the enormous wealth and fame that accompanies them, that the benefits for kids can get lost. As a result, youth sports has become more competitive and with that, it seems, less fun.

Here lies the rub, and the question... What is more important? Competition or just playing for fun? These two valuable and important components of sports should be

balanced, but instead, they have become lopsided, with most of the emphasis on competition. Youth sports has, in many cases, gone over the edge when it comes to the importance of winning. Everyone has heard of, or seen, a crazed parent or coach having a meltdown on the diamond or in the gym because they lost the game. What results is a bunch of eight year old kids sitting on the bench in shock, as the wrong message is delivered by coaches and parents.

A new attitude has also permeated youth sports. The attitude is that kids, in order to excel at a sport, need to specialize at an early age and then play it year-round. First off, less than one 1/2 of 1% of high school players will ever reach the pro ranks in one of the four major sports (baseball, basketball, football and hockey). And to lower that percentage even more, not every kid on their little league team makes it on their high school squad. So the overall chance that little Johnny, although

possessing a wonderful swing with that big orange plastic bat, will have a career as a professional athlete is pretty slim. However, the chance that Johnny will have a long career playing in a coed Sunday softball league is pretty good, provided that the fun of the sport is not drained out of him at a young age.

A study done by Michigan State University revealed that, “by age 13, about 70% of kids have quit sports.”

In many instances, fun is a few notches down on the priority list of coaches and parents. While fun is not so important, winning and the pressure that goes with it, is high on the list. Sometimes the emphasis on winning can overshadow the fact that sports is mostly about staying fit and healthy.

However, going to the extreme in the opposite direction doesn’t really work either. In a well intentioned effort to keep it fun for everyone, some organizations play games where no score is kept and no winner or loser is declared.

But if the kids are old enough to count, on the ride home, parents will be informed who won or lost, and the exact score, by the very kids who just played the game!

In youth sports, there are organized leagues and also what are known as “pick-up” games. But really, they are both organized, only the pick-up games are organized by the kids and the leagues are organized by adults.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each. Engaging

in informal pick-up games allows kids to learn how to form teams, work with the other kids toward a common goal, develop rules, and take responsibility for following and enforcing them. When the adults are in charge, the right adults that is, the game stays more structured and coaches can teach the fundamentals and strategies of the sport. It does seem that when

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the adults are in charge, the focus is more on competition and when the kids are calling the shots, it’s more about fun. Blending competition and fun is a win-win for all.

Some parents and community leaders have come to the conclusion that too much competition is not a healthy way to teach kids a sense of fair play. At the youth level, fun and competition should be more balanced than they seem to be. The main focus in youth sports should not be competition for kids who really just want to play for the sheer enjoyment of it. When coaches and parents focus on winning, they often lose the opportunity to really teach life skills.

However, competition is a fact of life and it is certainly a significant part of sports that should be valued even at the youth level. But, when it is over-emphasized, problems arise.

Another problem with youth sports is that not every kid has the opportunity to play or has limited time on the field. This

is where parents need to determine what type of team is best for their child. If little Johnny plays on a competitive “travel team,” there’s a chance he might be riding the bench if he’s not as talented as

Little League blends competition and fun as all kids get to play during the regular season, but only the best-of-the-best get to play in the All-Star Tournament.

some of the other players. That “fact of life” is usually made clear up front at tryouts. Going into that situation, it’s important that everyone involved (parent, child, coach) are on the same page. Putting the team first and learning to be a role player and not the star, can help build character under the right circumstances. If sitting is a problem, then a recreational league might be a better fit. Most rec leagues have some sort of minimum play time requirement, but that can have its own set of problems. If it’s late in a game and a player at the end of the bench didn’t get their minutes or at-bats, a coach would be forced to put him in at a critical time of the game. If that kid strikes out with the bases loaded or puts up an air ball with the team down by a basket, he or she could take some unfair abuse from over-

zealous players, coaches or even some parents in the stands.

Some leagues take that decision out of the coaches hands by, for example, blowing the whistle every four minutes in a basketball game to put in the next group of players so all play equal minutes, regardless of the game situation.

Little League Baseball does manage to blend competition and fun as all kids get to play during the regular season but only the best-of-the-best play on the competitive all-star

teams.

Over the years, a handful of kids who were written about in this magazine have made it to the pros. Largo youth football player, Dexter McCluster, was profiled 1999 as a ten year old. His answer to future plans? To play in the NFL. He went on to play seven years in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans.

Palm Harbor Little League

All-Star Ryan Harvey was drafted in the first round by the Chicago Cubs in 2003. But these two are the exception

rather than the rule. By the way, both of those kids interviewed as 10-12 year olds, said playing sports was FUN! Although making it as a pro is very rare, for some talented kids, sports can be the ticket to college and in those cases, competition is the key... with a lot of fun on the side.

So, when evaluating your players, look not only at the vertical leap, fast ball speed or time in the 40... be sure to add the size of the smile... ‘cause they’re kids and sports should make kids happy!