I have been coaching for nearly 40 years, plus I swam competitively for another 20 years. Why did I stay in the sport for so long? I had a great experience.
When you look at youth sports today, young kids are under a lot of pressure from every part of their life. They have their peers, their coaches (teachers), and their parents, all wanting different things from them. I don't know if I could have grown up with so much pressure on me.
What I've discovered over time is this. Kids do not think like we do or look at sports like we do. OK everyone knows that especially parents, but when it comes to teaching, parenting & coaching they don't have to adjust to us, we have to adjust to them.
At a swim meet the 10 & Under are there for FUN. Their fun includes the experiences of grandma and grandpa watching them; being with their friends; and of course the biggie, the concession stand. That's what it's about in their world. In ours, it's about what their time was, whether did they do the event correctly (no DQ), and our biggie who they beat. Yes, we can all get caught up in the last one, way too soon in our careers. Let's try not to do that - ever; even when they are older. Remember Competition means to compete with - not against.
The kids that are successful, which to me means they have a long prosperous career are the ones that have the BEST EXPERIENCE
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