I saw this in the Pantagraph the other day.  On those days when you ask yourself "....why?  Why do I do it?"...this article answers those questions. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

-- Dan

Kindred: It pays to be in game(s), moms and dads

By Randy Kindred | rkindred@pantagraph.com pantagraph.com | Posted: Wednesday, May 11, 2011 7:00 am | (7) Comments

 

You see athletes large, small and in between. Some are gifted and know it, so they coast. Others are not and know it, so they work like crazy. A select few are gifted and work like crazy.

There is a place for all of them in youth, junior high and high school sports.

There also is a place for their parents … so many places. You find them behind the wheel, in dugouts, on benches, in lawn chairs, at concession stands, in hotel lobbies.

They work ahead or work split shifts or work into the wee hours, all in an attempt to be there when the boy or girl they welcomed into the world digs in with the bases loaded or drives to the basket.

Occasionally, they look in the mirror or at the bank statement and wonder, “Is it worth it? Is all of this really worth it?”

Here’s the good news, a tad late for Mother’s Day, but early for Father’s Day.

Yes.

It is absolutely worth it.

The wins and losses fade. Trophies collect dust in an attic. Stat sheets wind up in a recycle bin.

None of them matter.

You realize it years later. Like the day you wake up and your youngest is graduating from college.

At our house, it is Friday.

You hear her talk about a semester-long project that involved building a city — designing the water system, infrastructure, etc. — and the mind drifts to softball diamonds here and in other cities, other states.

It was a group project requiring strategy, planning, execution and, more than anything, teamwork. Sports introduced her to all of it.

They taught her and her sister that life isn’t always fair. Line drives get caught. Bloopers fall in. Umpires miss calls. Players drop balls.

Deal with it. Learn from it. Move on.

Sports strengthened their resolve, toughened their skin. So when an irate boss openly voices his/her displeasure, they can tell a concerned co-worker: “It’s OK. I’ve had coaches yell at me.”

Doesn’t mean they like it, doesn’t make it right. But they can handle it.

Sports prepare them to manage success and disappointment, deal with adversity. Remember that the next time you drive six hours to a sweltering summer tournament, or shiver under a blanket at a spring doubleheader.

It’s worth it.

Just be sure to occasionally take a breath, take a step back and take a second to enjoy the moment. It doesn’t last much beyond that.

Games turn to seasons and seasons to years, faster than you can say, “Do you have everything in your bat bag?”

Squeeze what you can from the long rides, the overnight stays. You never get those back. Be a shame to waste them listening to an iPod or dwelling on a loss.

Encourage them to succeed but allow them to fail. They learn from both.

Be there either way. It’s all they will remember.

Experience the journey with them, not through them. You had your time. This is theirs, no matter how many hours you contribute.

Keep in mind, the key is not whether they make or miss the winning shot, but accept responsibility for taking it. If they can do that, they won’t shy away from much at work, in school, in life.

Hold them accountable beyond the court/field. Remind them playing sports is like any privilege. It can be taken away.

Finally, continue to give them love and support, win or lose. Stay in the game.

It’s worth it.   

 

-- Randy Kindred is at kindred@pantagraph.com. The Kindred Blog: www.pantagraph.com/blogs

 

Link to original article here

I found this article in an athlete performance blog, speedinsiders.com,  and found it really insightful.  As coaches and parents, every one of us understands the analogy that you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.  You can tell them how cool and refreshing it is, you can explain how much they need water for their diet, how much better they'll feel after drinking it.  You can sell it in a million different ways, but its up to them - the athletes - to make the decision to do it.   Playing sports is about so much more than the sport itself.  Its about taking the initiative toward building character and the type of person they can be in life.

-- Dan

It’s All in the Decision

27 January 2011 - by Lee Taft

It’s not very often that people become really successful in anything just by luck. When people become successful you can usually find a story as to how hard they worked to get there.

What makes success so sweet is the journey. The satisfaction of knowing you worked your tail off, kept going through many failures and set backs, and persevered.

Nothing frustrates me more with my athletes than when they are unwilling to put even a little effort into reaching a goal. It all comes down to their decision. I used to think a coach can make up for the lack of desire of his or her players. It really doesn’t happen that way. Players must decide to work and pay the price to be successful.

Part of the problem is most players don’t want to work if they are not guaranteed success. The journey means nothing to them. They don’t realize the journey is what makes them a better person. The journey makes them grow and develop a strong will and attitude. Of course we all want to win, but if you only set your sights on the win and don’t realize the gold in the trials and tribulations of the journey - a lot is missed.

It’s all in the decision. One day a young boy and a young girl decided to be great. They decided to take on the journey and not let set backs slow them down from their ultimate goal. This young boy and young girl made a decision, that’s all. They made a decision to work for it.

This young boy can become the president of the United States, the Super Bowl MVP, the leading scorer in the nation, or the best friend to many classmates who need a friend. This young girl can also become the president of the United States, have the greatest talk show on TV for more than 20 years, drive an Indy car and be in NASCAR, or be a teacher that changes the lives of many children. It is a decision, that’s all.

Are we helping our youth understand the power of their decisions? Are we showing them the opportunities for deciding to work toward their goals? Are we teaching kids the difficulties life can bring when we decide not to take on the journey toward our goals? And are we teaching our youth what goals are and how to set them and work toward them? It is a decision for us to help or be bystanders in the failures of our youth. Decide to help and change lives.

Yours in Speed,

Lee Taft