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5 Ways Young Athletes Can Compete and Still Have Fun
Competition and fun can co-exist in organized youth sports. Here’s how.
I recently interviewed Stephen Nedoroscik, a male gymnast who will represent Team USA at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics as a pommel horse specialist. During the course of our conversation, he mentioned briefly quitting the sport when he was about 10 years old.
When I asked him why, he replied simply, “I just wanted to be a normal kid.”
The grueling hours of training, competition and high expectations took a toll on him physically and mentally. After a few weeks of being a normal kid, Nedoroscik realized how much he missed gymnastics, and told his mom he was ready to return.
His story isn’t unique. While the brief time off rejuvenated his passion, many kids walk away and never return. You’ve probably seen the numerous studies that estimate about 70 percent of kids quit sports before reaching their teen years. The biggest reason: it’s not fun anymore.
When parents hire private instructors for their seven-year-old, or college recruiters start paying attention to kids as early as middle school, it’s no wonder burnout is such a huge problem in youth sports. As the mom of a travel softball player…
