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All for the Game
Giving More Than Effort for Sport
By Carma Haley
Children are not born with this drive to perform athletically. This drive is given to these children through an outside source. Whether the source is parents, coaches, peers or the potential of a college scholarship, young athletes will often push themselves to accommodate their "driving force."
According to Shepard Smith, president and founder of the Institute for Youth Development, "Young athletes will push themselves beyond what they are physically, mentally and emotionally capable [of], if only to please the others around them. It is not uncommon for a young child to participate in a program or sport that they really do not care for to earn the respect of their peers...the affection of their parents, or even social standing in the school or community."
Although there are rules and regulations set by school administrators that will restrict a young athlete's participation in the event their grades are not at a "C" level or better, could schools themselves be partially responsible for athletes pushing themselves beyond their limits?
Often times, school systems tend to place strong emphasis on sports. "Our high school is famous in this part of the state for sports," says Michelle Pearson of Leaf River, Ill. "Our boys' football team won the state championship and our girls' basketball team was part of the 'elite eight.' In contrast, our academic bowl team won the state championship and our science and engineering team will be traveling to the state finals. There's not nearly as much of a fuss, pep rallies, etc., made about that as there has been for the sports events."
With schools, parents and coaches placing emphasis upon sporting events, young athletes may begin equating their self-worth with the caliber of their performance on the field. Local newspapers often cover football, basketball and volleyball on the first few pages of the paper, but it's far less common that publicity is given to the latest wins of the local high school debate team.