The glamour, prestige and friendships that come from being in team sports bring a valued avenue of accomplishment and acceptance for children. The need to start young in learning athletic skills has pushed competitive team sports programs such as soccer, hockey, baseball, basketball, volleyball, midget football and wrestling into the elementary school years.

It is a sensitive time as neophytes to sports are given opportunities to play, develop skills and have fun in a context of games against other teams. Keeping score makes the games enjoyable.

I appreciate the dedication, attitudes and sacrifices of coaches. They give a lot of time and energy to their coaching. At the younger ages, many of these coaches are volunteers. Most have their sons or daughters participating on their team.

As I’ve observed the coaches and watched the games, I feel especially appreciative when:

- Coaches take an interest in children, recognize their personalities and work with them on developing their skills.

- The language of the coach is respectful and considerate. Coaches with tempers set a poor example.

Read on...

Val Farmer

The Forum

04/24/2009