I liked this article. I stress playing all of the school sports, plus band, etc. to all of my students.
Thoughts from the Coach: Where did the athletes go
Thoughts from the Coach: Where did the athletes go
Where did the multi sport athletes go?
- Thread starter Amy in AZ.
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- Jun 22, 2008
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Seems to me the coaches are causing the problem. This "you have to concentrate on one sport" or "you have to play with my type of program" story is completely self-serving and, IMO, just part of their game with the players and sometimes I wonder if it isn't as much ego as anything else.
I do know that because of this attitude being thrown at the players and lack of quality physical education in the schools, the NCAA is looking at restricting pitchers much like baseball does to insure the player's health.
I do know that because of this attitude being thrown at the players and lack of quality physical education in the schools, the NCAA is looking at restricting pitchers much like baseball does to insure the player's health.
- Jan 25, 2011
- 2,280
- 38
Well my dd has always played basketball and softball, with softball as her main love.We where already told that if my dd does'nt come to the summer basketball clinics at here soon to be junior high , she can forget about basketball. I said her TB team comes first and we will be in the heat of the TB season. I feel the basketball coach is out of line ,the funny thing about it is that we live in a small community and my dd is the only girl in her 6th grade that has any basketball experience , In order to even play basketball she had to play in another town to play at all. Now girls that she goes to school with are saying that they are going to play basketball in junior high with no experience. So sometimes its not that we don't want are dd's to play other sports. But the choice is being made by someone else.
- Dec 28, 2008
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I think there are two types of athletes:
1. The type that just wants to "date" each sport. They can do this playing rec/school sports when the seasons don't overlap.
2. The type that truly "love" softball and have no interest in dating basketball, soccer etc. Those are the travel ball players who work all year to build their body and their mind to excel at softball. They are also smart enough to take time off to allow their bodies to heal and recover from the wear and tear they put on it.
1. The type that just wants to "date" each sport. They can do this playing rec/school sports when the seasons don't overlap.
2. The type that truly "love" softball and have no interest in dating basketball, soccer etc. Those are the travel ball players who work all year to build their body and their mind to excel at softball. They are also smart enough to take time off to allow their bodies to heal and recover from the wear and tear they put on it.
- Jun 22, 2008
- 3,438
- 48
Well, that's part of the problem, everyone thinks they are more than the next team instead of understanding that HS sports is about the kids, not the coach.
obbay
Banned
I agree that kids should be allowed to play multiple sports, but within reason. Growing up, we didn't have nearly the level of organized sports that are available to kids now, so we used to have pick-up games. We would watch Wide World of Sports and see exotic sports like "soccer" and figure out how to play them ourselves (we played soccer for a change of pace from playing football and then it was kind of like a cross between hockey and kickball). Now we have Travel soccer that is played in TWO seasons and the spring season overlaps/conflicts with softball, there is also AAU Basketball that overlaps with Soccer in the fall and Softball in the spring
I know that there is "pressure" for my kid who plays basketball to play it year round. there is also the "pressure" for her to keep pitching year round. And the travel soccer team will be resuming the competitive part of it's schedule during the spring softball season -there is "pressure" there to make it a priority. If everyone wants you to play their sport year round, it doesn't surprise me that we wind up developing one-sport kids. I believe that there is a benefit to taking a break from a sport and doing something else. As a friend in college used to say, "Sometimes a rest is as good for you as a workout".
I know that there is "pressure" for my kid who plays basketball to play it year round. there is also the "pressure" for her to keep pitching year round. And the travel soccer team will be resuming the competitive part of it's schedule during the spring softball season -there is "pressure" there to make it a priority. If everyone wants you to play their sport year round, it doesn't surprise me that we wind up developing one-sport kids. I believe that there is a benefit to taking a break from a sport and doing something else. As a friend in college used to say, "Sometimes a rest is as good for you as a workout".
I don't think that a student should play on a travel soccer team and a travel softball team, I think that they should play the sports in season at their schools and then, play travel in one sport.
If we get away from sports in the schools (which a lot of school leaders would like to eliminate), our kids are going to be a lot worse off than they even are, now.
I will ask a kid at lessons, about balance - have you ever walked across a balance beam? No. Played dodgeball? No. Walked across the teeter totter? I am lucky if they know what one is.
They have never played hopscotch. So, if I talk about balancing on one leg, they are lost.
But most schools still offer year around sports, band, math contests and scholastic competitions. My middle son got a very good education at U of Chicago, partly because of his success in scholastic bowls.
I had a student tell me recently that she had dropped piano lessons, because it fell on the same night as her softball practice. All I said was "Oh, no."
If we get away from sports in the schools (which a lot of school leaders would like to eliminate), our kids are going to be a lot worse off than they even are, now.
I will ask a kid at lessons, about balance - have you ever walked across a balance beam? No. Played dodgeball? No. Walked across the teeter totter? I am lucky if they know what one is.
They have never played hopscotch. So, if I talk about balancing on one leg, they are lost.
But most schools still offer year around sports, band, math contests and scholastic competitions. My middle son got a very good education at U of Chicago, partly because of his success in scholastic bowls.
I had a student tell me recently that she had dropped piano lessons, because it fell on the same night as her softball practice. All I said was "Oh, no."
The multi sport athlete is alive and living in my house. Softball is her only travel sport, she plays Volleyball and Basketball and runs the hurdles for her Middle School, she gave up soccer last spring so volleyball and track could be fit in. She is a 4.0 student and is first chair saxophone in the band. NExt month she will be competing in the Science Olympiad. She is a pitcher so she has the extra training that goes along with. She is busy, but it gets done. All of her coaches know that softball is #1 at this time. Her school coaches have never had an issue with the multiple sports, everyone knows what the team pecking order is, She has never missed a game in any of her sports, with the exception of AYSO soccer who knew in advance that it would happen. She never misses a practice either. Today she has a basketball game and from there she goes right to softball practice. There was a question by our board last spring about multi sport athletes I set it out there in the beginning, she plays more then one sport. If you don't like that, then we will go elsewhere. Judge the kids by the games and practices then make, not on the possibility of missing. Problem averted.
One benefit we have is the number of multi sport athletes who have had good success in our area. A senior in our school this year playes on 4 varsity sports and is also involved with an indoor track team. The local paper covers 13 High Schools and they listed her as the #1 pitcher in their coverage area, she just signed a Letter of Intent to go to a Big 10 school as a pole vaulter. She has the state record in a sport that is going on at the same time as Softball, yet she competes in both a very high level.
It can be done, multi sports worked OK for Jennie Finch. Why not our girls?
One benefit we have is the number of multi sport athletes who have had good success in our area. A senior in our school this year playes on 4 varsity sports and is also involved with an indoor track team. The local paper covers 13 High Schools and they listed her as the #1 pitcher in their coverage area, she just signed a Letter of Intent to go to a Big 10 school as a pole vaulter. She has the state record in a sport that is going on at the same time as Softball, yet she competes in both a very high level.
It can be done, multi sports worked OK for Jennie Finch. Why not our girls?
I'm not sure it is a big deal. There is only so much a person can get from athletics.
My DD#3 lettered in four sports in high school. DD#1 was a softball junkie, and would do anything to play softball. DD#3 liked to play sports. She didn't care if it was softball, basketball, soccer, field hockey, tennis, handball, ping pong, swimming, track--if it was a game, she would play it. DD#3 did practice at sports. She did become pretty good at basketball.
For DD#3 not to play sports would be like someone chopping off her right hand.
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