The Center For Kids
FIRST In Sports,
Health, and Education founded
by Regis Tremblay and Jerry Stitt, is a national resource
for young athletes, parents, league administrators, coaches,
and other adults who care about the influence of youth sports
on child development, families, schools, and culture.
A Failed System
Youth sports are not fulfilling
their promise and proper role in society. In fact, organized
youth sports have failed us all and are harmful to most of
our children. How else can one understand a system that eliminates
70% of its participants?
Current research indicates that of the 40 million children
playing youth sports in the United States, 70% or 28 million
will either quit or be rejected by age 15, the time they reach
high school.
There are several reasons for this alarming
situation:
First, the system is
designed to find the best athletes and systematically move
them up the sports pyramid to the ultimate, elite status of
the professional athlete.
Second, and closely related,
is the “dream” of college scholarships that millions
of kids and their parents have bought and dedicate themselves
to with passion and determination. But the dream is a myth
and pure fantasy. For example, there are only 17,000 scholarships
in Division I-A for over a million high school football players.
150 will play in the NFL.
Only 50 boys playing high school basketball
will play in the NBA. The odds are 10,000 to 1. The odds of
a U.S. hockey player making it to the NHL are 50,000 to 1.
The dream is pure fantasy.
Third, the system does
not develop the abilities of all participants, only the best.
Most Little League baseball teams will roster 14-15 players.
Year after year, it is the same five or six kids who play
one inning and receive one at-bat. Sitting on the bench and
being ignored isn’t fun, and so they quit.
Harmful Effects
While there are many benefits
to be gained from youth sports, the negative consequences
of our system of youth sports are many and harmful. Children
not only suffer psychologically from the stress and pressure,
but physically as well, because most of the children who quit
become physically inactive.
Without daily physical education at school,
millions of our kids have become overweight and obese. In
fact, 15% of children ages 6-19 – 9 million –
are overweight. 61% of American adults are physically inactive
and overweight, and 31% of adults over 20 are obese.
Health professionals are calling
it an epidemic and predict that it will overburden an already
inundated health care system with sharp increases in the incidence
of diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, cancer, strokes and
other health problems. For children, one of the most severe
consequences is psychosocial: isolation.
Changing The System
The solution lies in education,
developing healthy eating habits, engaging in physical activity,
and reducing sedentary activities such as watching TV and
playing video games.
The Center For Kids FIRST
In Sports believes that educating and counseling
parents about youth sports and their role of parenting young
athletes is critical to solving the problem.
Kids FIRST
In Sports programs are focused on changing the way
young athletes and their parents view and approach youth sports.
The primary emphasis of these programs is the health and emotional
development of children through life-long participation in
physical activities and sport.
Parenting Young Athlete Seminars
We offer a variety of workshops
and seminars for parents, coaches and other interested adults.
Some of the topics covered include:
The culture of youth sports today.
Violence, abuse, cheating, greed and lousy role models.
The Storyteller Defines the Culture.
Crossing the line: Supportive parent
or abusive parent.
The Pressure-cooked Elite Athlete.
The Professional Model and Youth Sports.
Sports in Schools…….or
Not!
They wonder: Will you still love them
if they don’t win?
Developing the “Whole Person”.
Physical Activity and Good Health.
Choosing the Right Coach and Program
for Your Child.
Dream, Myth or Fantasy: Realistic
Expectations for Youth Sports.
The Facts About Scholarships.
Development vs Winning: What it really
means.
Why 28 million kids quit organized
youth sports.
What can you do to make sports
a fun and healthy, life-long experience for your kids.
Contact:
Jerry Stitt 520-795-5652
Regis Tremblay 602-725-2134
The Center For
Kids FIRST In Sports
5447 E. Lafayette Blvd.
Phoenix, Arizona 85018
