Today's blog post was written by Anthony Rabasa. Anthony is a senior Film, Television, Theater major at the University of Notre Dame, and is a student in the Social Foundations of Coaching course taught by Play Like a Champion founder Professor Clark Power and Program Director Kristin Sheehan. Anthony is also a defensive lineman on the University's football team.
It is very easy in today’s sports world to get caught up
with winning and reaching goals. I believe that it is important for parents and
coaches to know that when a young athlete is competing, the most important
thing to them is that they just have fun. Thinking back to my own
experience, I remember when I first began playing football. I would look forward to Saturday mornings because I knew it was game day and at the time, playing football was--and continues to be--one of the more fun experiences I have ever had.
When parents get too involved in a young athlete's development
on the playing field, I believe it takes a personal toll on the athlete.
Parents must let the coaches and athletes work together to improve in certain
areas where the athlete needs improvement. My parents never really got involved
with my coaches when I was a growing youth athlete, but they were always there
to support me in my role. Naturally you want your child to be a superstar and
have them always excelling on the playing fields. However, this is not always
the case. Even if the young athlete is not the play-maker or the superstar, he or
she is still a valuable contributor to the team simply because they’re on the
team. Telling a young athlete that he or she is doing well on the playing field
will encourage them to do better. I have found that this is especially true if the parent continues to tell
their children that they are getting better every single day. Speaking from experience, this really does go a long way.
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| Photo Credit: Columbus High School Football Team, Miami, FL |
