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Amelia Walden

Ms. Levesque

Communications

30 May 2018

A Bar Set Too High

Should nine-year-olds really be traveling 426 miles for gymnastics competitions? Is it

necessary for fifth graders to spend several thousand dollars per year to play soccer? Do

eight-year-old athletes need to join a team originally meant for ten-year-olds? Because of the

nature of incredibly intense youth sport, the answer is “yes” if they intend to continue their sport

well into their teen years and “absolutely” if they desire to receive athletic scholarships or

compete at the college level. By providing intense athletic club options for these children, society

makes it pertinent that kids begin training hard for their sport at a young age. The question

should be “why?” What benefit is there to beginning intense sport training and participation at

young ages, and what is the cost? The solution may seem simple. If a person thinks eight is too

young an age to begin traveling out of state for soccer tournaments, then that person should not

send their child to these competitions. Unfortunately, this would cause the young athlete to be

viewed as unimportant and not “serious” enough about the sport. So what is the solution?

First, there are an incredible amount of causes for the intensity of youth sports. The most

prominent cause is societal pressure to not only be the “best” of the generation but also to do

better than all previous generations. We know the most aerodynamic positions for ski racing, the

most efficient ways to skate in cross country skiing, and the best game tactics to lead soccer
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teams to victory. So how do we keep improving, as society wants? Now the requirement to be

“better” than the previous generation is for athletes to be near perfect at a young age. However,

competing in intense sports early has some extreme downsides later in life. More often than not,

children reach a level in which the pressure to win is so high that they stop competing because it

is too competitive or not enjoyable. Sports shouldn’t be something that is only enjoyed to a

certain age because of an impossible expectation to win, but the truth is that many kids quit at an

age when they begin to have interests in many areas and wish sport could be less competitive. In

fact, a poll by the National Alliance for Youth Sports found that 70% of children quit sports by

age 13. This shows that many kids, especially those who could benefit greatly from sports, are

deterred from sports because they are too competitive and intense.

Parental involvement can also be a factor in youth sport intensity. Some parents who

grew up doing the sport the child competes in like to live vicariously through their young athletes

by ensuring that their children are the best in the league. Whether it is soccer or ski racing, many

parents compete with one another about whose child or team is more skilled. Parents may also

pressure their kids because they want the best for them later in life. These parents know that if

their child does not place well in competitions or tournaments, the athlete probably will not be

able to continue in their sport or receive a scholarship to college. However, when parents become

involved, it encourages children to strive to win and impress them. Some parents even become

upset when their child does poorly. Over-involvement of parents and adults adds to the pressure

and intensity that young athletes face.

This brings me to the next cause: a system in which the level one can compete to is

dependent upon where that person begins. Unfortunately, competitive programs usually require
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skills that can only be acquired through competing at a younger age, making it difficult for

athletes to catch up if beginning their sport later. According to the executive director of the

Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society program, Tom Farrey, a goal of receiving an athletic college

scholarship puts pressure on athletes to reach success at a young age. However, the NCAA alotts

scholarships for only about 2% of high school athletes. Therefore, there is not a high probability

of children earning these scholarships, yet they are trained as if they could be just on the edge of

receiving one. A college scholarship goal is a much too intense goal for so many children to be

striving for, contributing to over-intensity throughout all youth sports age groups.

The problem of intensity in youth sports is a complex issue. Youth sports are incredibly

competitive. One major part of the problem is that athletes are expected to be winning by age 15

or they are deemed not good enough to continue. According to Freddy Grossniklaus, a coach for

the Park City Ski Team, working on only gate training and building speed may work for athletes

in their younger years of competition, but their lack in skills and technique will eventually catch

up with them. Therefore, they will end up “peaking” at age 16 or 17. There is less focus on

technique, skills, and building a good platform or base in youth sports, and more focus on

winning. Unfortunately, this means that athletes cannot just learn and improve, but also must win

if they want to continue sport well into high school.

Another part of the issue is that children are generally expected to know exactly what

sport they would like to do by age 12. This makes it difficult if a child just wants to try

everything or does not want to commit full time to one sport, which places that child in the

recreational (rec) leagues. Rec teams, or less competitive teams, usually fade by fourth grade as

anyone “serious” about sports moves on to clubs and therefore must become focused on a single
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competitive sport. Though it is possible to play multiple rec sports until age 15, playing in these

leagues does not usually give athletes the necessary skills to join a more competitive high school

or club team.

Another level to the idea of “intensity” is the cost associated with these sports. Training

and competition cost incredulous amounts of money for what should just be the “fun” level of

sport. Athletes may travel more than 400 miles to attend tournaments or competitions, starting at

only nine years old, and many programs at that age cost upwards of $1,000. This is not even

including the cost of equipment such as skis, uniforms, protective gear like shin guards, or other

required items.

Finally, youth sports may be an incredibly complex and deep-rooted problem, but the

solution is quite basic. Guidelines and boundaries that are conducive to the athlete’s enjoyment

of a sport, not just winning, should be created. Competitive clubs should not accept athletes

under the age of 10, which will encourage younger athletes to experiment with sports in less

competitive recreational leagues. Intense types of training and competition, such as extended

length practices, specific (more dangerous) disciplines, scrimmages and mock-competitions, and

the ability to do certain tricks (as in gymnastics or freestyle skiing), should be limited to older

age groups. In addition, training year-round and more than four days a week should be limited to

ages 13 and up, which ensures that these kids are more understanding of the responsibilities

involved with a sport commitment and less likely to injure themselves. Too much training

weekly and yearly can cause a higher risk of injury and burnout, according to Sam Snow, the US

Youth Soccer Director of Coaching.

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Additionally, travel should not be allowed until age 13 and should not be common (more

than twice a year) until age 14. Travel, again, adds to the cost of sports and also tends to increase

competitivity. Kids younger than age 13 are still learning about responsibility and keeping up

with schoolwork, especially when the workload increases in early middle school. Camps during

the summer, which add cost and an extra level of competitive training, do not need to be

“required” until kids reach this older age group.

Finally, boundaries must be set on the expectation of coaches, parents, and other athletes.

Athletes should not feel pressure to win before even reaching high school; this pressure can

dramatically increase the amount of kids dropping sports. An article by the Washington Post

explains that kids begin to feel that they must “excel in the area” they are most passionate about

(and good at) at around age 13 (Miner). Therefore, this pressure to stick with what they are best

at causes many kids to drop anything that isn’t their greatest area. If we relieve this expectation,

however, youth sport over-intensity will be solved.

Youth sports have become so intense, competitive, and focused on winning that they are

no longer enjoyable to many youth athletes. Largely caused by loose restrictions and a belief that

to improve athletes must begin training as young as possible, youth sport intensity may not be

easily solved. But if we begin by simply creating boundaries, we will greatly reduce pressure and

stress among children participating in sports.

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Works Cited:

“Are Kids Specializing In Sports Too Early?” ​US Youth Soccer. ​US Youth Soccer.

https://www.usyouthsoccer.org/are_kids_specializing_in_sports_too_early/

Atkinson, Jay. “How Parents Are Ruining Youth Sports.” ​The Boston Globe​, The Boston Globe,

4 May 2014,

www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2014/05/03/how-parents-are-ruining-youth-sports/vbRln8qYX

krrNFJcsuvNyM/story.html.

Bogage, Jacob. “Youth sports study: Declining participation, rising costs, and unqualified

coaches.” ​The Washington Post. ​The Washington Post. September 6, 2017.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/recruiting-insider/wp/2017/09/06/youth-sports-study-dec

lining-participation-rising-costs-and-unqualified-coaches/?utm_term=.0cd92b9e6ee1

Holland, Kelley, and John W. Schoen. “Think Athletic Scholarships Are a 'Holy Grail'? Think

Again.” ​CNBC​, CNBC, 14 Nov. 2014,

www.cnbc.com/2014/10/13/think-athletic-scholarships-are-a-holy-grail-think-again.html.

Hutchinson, Courtney and ABC News Medical Unit. “Barely Walking Yet, but Kicking a Soccer

Ball.” ​ABC News. ​July 29, 2011.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/Fitness/sports-tots-young-young/story?id=14181568
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Lee, Alice. “7 Charts That Show the State of Youth Sports in the US and Why It Matters.” ​The

Aspen Institute​, The Aspen Institute, 24 Feb. 2015,

www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/7-charts-that-show-the-state-of-youth-sports-in-the-us-and-w

hy-it-matters/.

Mayo Clinic Staff. “Children and sports: Choices for all ages.” ​Mayo Clinic. ​Mayo Foundation

for Medical Education and Research. August 9, 2016.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/fitness/art-20048027

“Middle Childhood (9-11 years of age).” ​Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ​U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services. March 15, 2016.

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/middle2.html

Miner, Julianna W. “Why 70 percent of kids quit sports by age 13.” ​The Washington Post. ​The

Washington Post. June 1, 2016.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2016/06/01/why-70-percent-of-kids-quit-s

ports-by-age-13/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.e66ef2e52151

Myer, Gregory D., et al. “Sport Specialization, Part 1.” ​Advances in Pediatrics.​, U.S. National

Library of Medicine, Sept. 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4547120/.

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Rosenwald, Michael S. “Are parents ruining youth sports? Fewer kids play amid pressure.” ​The

Washington Post. ​The Washington Post. October 4, 2015.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/are-parents-ruining-youth-sports-fewer-kids-play-amid-p

ressure/2015/10/04/eb1460dc-686e-11e5-9ef3-fde182507eac_story.html?noredirect=on

“Scholarships.” ​NCAA. ​National Collegiate Athletic Association. March 10, 2017.

http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/future/scholarships

Walden, Amelia, and Freddy Grossniklaus. “Athlete Burnout.” April 11, 2018.

Walden, Amelia, and Freddy Grossniklaus. “Coaching Tactics in Ski Racing.” April 2, 2018.
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