I recently had an interesting conversation with Scott Fawcett about the value of parents supporting youth sports.
Whether it is swimming, football, hockey, figure skating, dance, performing arts, or baseball, without their financial support and commitment, those programs would cease to exist. One of the most significant points that he passed on to me was the impact coaches have on their players. Frequently, a coach is thought of as an instructor of athletic technique, responsible for competition strategy and practice drills. For young people, the value of a coach extends beyond the values of the playing field. An effective coach acts as a mentor, a role model and a cultivator of critical life skills, shaping young people’s character, resilience and mental well-being in ways that resonate long after the final whistle blows.
Today the average youth spend almost five hours per day in front of a screen. Studies have shown that those activities tend to isolate youth from each other and their parents. Yet studies have shown that learning in classrooms improves when adults are in the room at home or when physical activities are being coordinated by an adult.
At a recent swim meet talking to parents of a fifteen-year-old, the parents day begins at 4:30 in the morning cooking a breakfast for their son who will begin practice in a pool at 5:30 in the morning. They drive their son to practice and pick him up shortly after eight to get him to school on time. It was clear to me that they were supporting their son’s activities and had volunteered as officials for the swim meet along with 37 other parents for the session. They were learning the intricacies of the swimming sport along with their son.
I watched as another coach wrapped her arms around a nine-year-old girl who had made a mistake in her swim and was comforting her on the pool deck. I have watched from the sidelines as coaches begin teaching the Tim-bit players shooting and puck handling skills as the youth master the are of skating. Those coaches are developing competence and confidence with their youth. Those hours of working with youth are seldom forgotten by youth.
Those hours of practice on the stage, basketball, baseball, tennis courts, pools, ice rinks, curling rinks, soccer fields are hours away from those electronic gadgets. For all those young athletes, the hours devoted to practice and competition require the development of new skills. To keep up with school, they need to set aside time for homework, for entertainment and family life. The athletes learn to juggle their schedules and that becomes a lifetime best practice.
It is amazing to watch athletes go through high school, graduate, attend post-secondary schools, or trades schools or go directly into work and be successful. The coaches, the parents and officials in sports and the arts all contribute to their success after leaving school because they took the time to foster their children’s growth and development away from the screens that seem to dominate youth today.
