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Hosted by Regis Tremblay and Ted Talbot
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My guests will be Keith Weatherbie, Kevin Woodhouse, Kerry Kertes, Gerry Durgin, and Dr. Doug Brown of The Sports Medicine Practice at Orthopaedic Associates of Portland, our sponsor. It has been said many times, "a coach can be one of the most influential people in a young person's life." I'll take that one step further. A coach is one of the most influential people in the entire family's life! For better or worse, the person who coaches your son or daughter has a significant impact on the entire family. How that coach treats your child will determine his or her self-confidence, self-esteem, and whether that child continues to play organized youth sports and to have fun. If your coach does not meet your expectations, it will be a source of constant disappointment, pain, and even conflict. Some of you are registering your children to play for the first time. You have no idea what lies ahead in the world of youth sports, organized by adults. I wish it were possible to fast-forward a few years to get a sneak preview of what awaits you. Many of you have been through it all before. Some of your children will be trying out for a high school team. For all, no matter what level your children are at, the most important question to ask is whether your coach is right for your child? Unfortunately, in most situations, parents have very little say about who will coach. These decisions are almost always left to the school or the youth sports association. It is also unfortunate that there is so little accountability from coaches, schools, and leagues about how coaches conduct themselves and treat their young athletes - your children. There are three reasons for this situation. First, a "winning-at-all-costs" mentality will forgive almost any behavior as long as the coach wins. Second, most coaches are volunteers, and many are coaching because "nobody else would do it." It is difficult to criticize someone who freely gives of their time to coach kids. Third, there are no uniformly accepted standards by which to certify and evaluate coaches and athletic programs. Consequently, our expectations and standards for youth coaches are so low as to be nearly non existent. I have written extensively about the importance of the coach on athletes of all ages. They are, in fact, the most important influence of all, and the most determining factor on why kids play and why they quit. Of the top 10 reasons why kids quit, 9 are directly related to the coach. We'll be taking a look at some of the characteristics you should be aware of to determine whether your coach is right for you and your child:
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Purchase Reclaiming The Timeless Value of Sport and Play A new book by Regis Tremblay |
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You can help support the show by making a tax-deductible contribution to:
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© Copyright 2004 Kids First In Sports, Health, and Education |
