What matters to the Athlete?

When my high school religion teacher heard I was going to be home for a week for Fall Break from the University of Notre Dame, she asked me if I would come speak at my high school’s youth rally. The workshop I was asked to give was called “Reflecting God in Sports.” I had gone to the youth rallies while in high school and didn’t have much planned for the week, so I agreed to give the talk.
I just got home from the youth rally. As I sit here, I have a lot to reflect on. I gave my talk three times to three different groups of high school students. There were athletes and non-athletes, students who attend public school and students who attend Catholic schools. To start each workshop, I asked the group to create a list of the reasons why they compete in extracurricular activities. No group out of the three volunteered “winning” as an answer; I often had to ask them leading questions to hear that answer. Instead, the students gave answers such as having fun (which was the first response given every time), staying in shape, and building character. Not only was the idea of winning not on the tips of their tongues, it didn’t appear to be in their minds at all.
I wonder how different the responses would have been if I had given my talk to a group of adults, or, more specifically, parents of young athletes. I doubt it would have taken so much effort on my part to hear “winning” given as a reason to compete. What does that tell us about youth sports today? When we read stories about parents violently attacking coaches because their child is not getting enough playing time, maybe we need to step back and learn a lesson from the athletes themselves. They are out there to have fun, learn the sport, and become better people. They aren’t so wrapped up in winning that they lose focus of what is important. Their parents, on the other hand, sometimes seem to forget what youth sports are really about.
I don’t think young athletes get enough credit. Instead of flooding the newspapers with stories about crazy parents, we should give more attention to the people who have their priorities straight. More often than not these people are the athletes themselves; this point was clearly proven to me today.
Amy Grinsteinner, Class of 2011
Social Foundations of Coaching Class
University of Notre Dame