Should I put my kid in just one sport?

Today's Blog comes to us from Social Foundations of Coaching student, Kathryn Lux. Kathryn is senior Softball player for Notre Dame.

As times are changing and sports are becoming more and more competitive, there has been a big push for children to start specializing in one sport. Many feel that this is a good idea because if a child spends all of their time focusing on one sport, then it would only make sense that they have a better chance at earning a college scholarship, right? Well not necessarily. Take myself for example, I received a scholarship to play softball at the University of Notre Dame, and I played three sports until I came to college. I found that because I was a multi-sport athlete, I got better grades and was one of the most active and productive athletes in school.  Also, I would argue that those who are active in more than one sport are better all-around athletes. By participating in multiple sports, athletes gain the opportunity to learn transferable athletic skills, such as the football player who learns balance and agility from wrestling. This is important because even though a child is not active in the same sport year round, they are still improving their game. Lastly, I would say that a child benefits from playing more than one sport because they are members of multiple teams that give them exposure to different coaches with different philosophies, different teammates and personalities, which can provide important benefits for the development of a well-rounded person.

Parents tend to like specialization because it can make life easier for them, and some can live vicariously through their child. The pressure that parents put on their children to specialize can cause the athlete to settle for a sport that might not be their favorite, or might not be where their natural talent lies. Thus, leading to kids becoming burned out because they play the same sport all year round, and ultimately wanting to quit. Sports are about fun, and I would strongly encourage people to allow their children to play multiple sports because it plays such an integral part in their development as human beings, as well as aiding in their chance to earn a college scholarship. 

The Importance of Intramurals

Today's Blog comes to us from Social Foundations of Coaching Student Alex Green.

Growing up, I played sports year-round.  Ever since 2^nd grade, it was one sports season after the other, most of the time with two overlapping each other.  Soccer, basketball, baseball, football, repeat, all through grade school and high school as well.  So when college comes around and those kids that have played sports their entire lives are no longer a part of an athletic team, they don’t know what to do.  Now I do realize that this isn’t the case for everyone, but I do know it is for a lot of students here at Notre Dame, myself included.  This is why I think Notre Dame’s intramural programs can be of the utmost importance for kids like myself and others, whether we realize it or not.

Speaking from personal experience, because I grew up playing sports nearly year round for so many years, I learned to manage my time in a very efficient manner, simply because I had to in order to get everything done in a given day.  My parents were the type that if my grades weren’t up to their standards, then I would have to put the sports I loved to play on hold until my grades improved (and trust me, those were some high standards, seeing as I was admitted to this great university).  Being a young kid loving every minute of whatever sport I was currently involved in, I never wanted to miss a practice, a game, or a weekend tournament out of town somewhere.  Because of this, I made sure I structured my day so that I would always have my work done and in manageable segments.  In grade school, this wasn’t much of a problem, but high school forced me to refine those time management skills even further due to the increased workload as well as time spent on athletic activities.  Throughout high school, my best semesters, academically, were those in which I was heavily involved in a sport, simply because I forced myself to be that much more focused and efficient in my coursework during that time. 

Going into college, all of that just kind of vanished.  I found myself with so much free time that I didn’t know what to do with it.  All of the sudden I didn’t have to be anywhere at a certain time every day for 3-4 hours, I had more time.  Consequently, I got lax in my studies; I became complacent with my academic performance, all because I had so much more time than I was used to so when I was presented with work, I would put it off and instead surf the internet, watch TV, or play video games with my friends.  By the time I eventually got around to do the work, I would have a ton of other work as well, as it just seemed to pile up on me.  Therefore, I would often scramble to get it all done as quickly as possible because I wanted to go to bed or watch more TV or something, and the quality of the work would suffer.  Once sophomore year rolled around, I was disappointed in my academic performance and thus turned to the only thing I knew to be of any help, sports.  I got involved in all the intramurals I could get my hands on, trying to emulate what I had grown accustomed to for so many years before: football, flag football, basketball, softball, even racquetball (which I’d never played before).  In this way, I added a sort of structure to my life, something that I knew I had to do every day/week that I had to plan around.  My grades improved, I got back in a little bit better shape, I made some new friends, but most of all, I was able to have fun playing the sports I love. 

Was it the same athletic level of intensity or commitment of high school?  Absolutely not.  But what it did function as was a friendly reminder of the way I used to do things, more efficiently and with greater success. I needed that.  I’ve come to terms with the fact that I won’t have sports to rely on my entire life, much less next year.  Because of that, I have learned to fill my days with other, meaningful activities, such as part time jobs, special projects and clubs.  Without that gentle reminder of my work ethic from the past that intramurals provided me, I’m not sure I would be as successful as I have been these past 4 years here.  And for that, I will be forever grateful.  

It's only a game...

If you weren’t watching the Notre Dame vs. Louisville Men’s Basketball game on Saturday, you missed a doozy.  Down seven points with under a minute to go, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish stormed back to score 12 points in just over 30 seconds to send the game to overtime. Irish Junior Jerian Grant scored three monster 3-pointers, and successfully converted a three-point play to lead the comeback. The game then continued for another 5 overtime periods, full of drama, eventually ending in an Irish victory, in the longest game in school history.

It is on nights like Saturday that we are reminded exactly why we play, why we watch, and why sports are so awesome. As athletes, players get to experience the thrill of defying the odds. As fans, we get to experience the truly mystifying exhilaration of a closely fought battle. The whole experience showcases young people giving it there all in an environment that lets them exhibit what they do best.

Tired minds conquer fatigue. Balls and bodies defy the laws of physics. And ordinary evenings turning into legendary nights.

And as epic as the night may have seemed…it was only a game.

And that’s why we watch…it’s a game!

And that’s why the Irish won.

Anyone watching the Irish bench could see that the longtime skipper of Notre Dame’s team, Mike Brey,  knew exactly why we play the game: to play. Irish coaches and players were having fun: laughing, smiling, and having a “ball.” Brey’s positive style of coaching kept the young team poised, loose, and confident in the heat of the game.  The Irish, often overwhelmed by factors of the game that they could not control (foul trouble, intense defensive pressure), never allowed what could not be controlled get in the way of what could be controlled: their joy and their performance.

And this positive style of Coach Brey has led Brey to over a decade of success at Notre Dame. Coach Brey realizes that the essence of sport is play, and play is supposed to be fun. You can see it on his face that he is having fun, and when players see that, they have fun, and when players have fun, they play well. Sure, Notre Dame hasn’t won every game under Mike Brey, but that’s the reality of sports: some games are won, and others lost.

The beauty of sport that I think Coach Brey really embraces is that something as inconsequential as a game has a transformative power. Something as trivial as basket dropping through a net can galvanize fans, inspire youth, and transform athletes. And Brey gets that. He coaches to pursue excellence in a craft, but realizes that without joy in a passion, there can be no real success. And with joy, we get nights like Saturday. 

National Signing Day: My Least Favorite Holiday

Google Kevin Hart. You'll be glad you did.

I love college football. The pageantry, the talent, the tradition, the passion: I love it all.

I hate National Signing Day. The build-up, the coverage, the attention, the “drama.” For what?

If you want to point to any day on the calendar that contributes to the growing distaste that many fans have toward the once pure sport, look no further than the first Wednesday in February.

On National Signing Day, highly talented 17-year-old boys get their first taste of stardom, holding press conferences to let the world know where they will be attending college. Without fail, every year has its share of drama, featuring some boys “defecting” from a choice they had made months before. ESPN has every angle covered. “Live look-ins” take viewers from conference rooms full of happy coaches landing the latest blue-chip recruit to high school auditoriums where the starlets are making their commitment (often with their parents signature, because they are too young to legally sign a binding contract!).

And then we wonder, 5 years later, why some of these same boys turn into egocentric self-serving jocks. Why do you think someone like Terrelle Pryor, a former Ohio State recruit who ended up being suspended from college football for selling his autographed paraphernalia, thought he could get away with anything? Why do schools have entire offices dedicated to NCAA compliance, ensuring that athletes don’t break the rules?

We made them this way!!

Our demand for round-the-clock, daily updates about a sport that takes place only 12 Saturdays a year, has turned young athletes into celebrities. And then they behave like celebrities. And just like celebrities, many of these young men handle the spotlight with grace and integrity. They work hard, they get a good education, and they perform on the gridiron.  Others…not so much.

And keep in mind, all this hype is before a boy arrives on campus! He hasn’t even played one down of college football, and speculation already buzzes around who is the next Heisman Trophy winner! It’s no wonder that players are clamoring to get paid. We treat them like superstars, with all the implicit scrutiny, and so only thing missing now is a paycheck. When we give in to the hype of college recruiting, we don’t think for a moment that we are contributing to a complex which robs these children of their youth, slinging them from small town talent to national superstar. We don’t think for a moment that putting these kids on a pedestal will actually make them less likely to continue to pursue excellence.  But we do. These kids are just along for the ride. They love the attention, and I don’t blame them. So if you’re someone who longs for the bygone days of college sports in which recruiting was not something anyone knew about, than one piece of advice: turn off your TV.