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Youth sports participation on the rise

Nate Pientok skates around defenders like a downhill skier making a gold medal run.

He flicks slap shots with a sharpshooter’s precision.

And he scores goals with the same ease he completes his division homework.

For the 9-year-old Pientok, Hobbs Ice Center is a home away from home as he plays hockey competitively five months a year and skates year round.  But hockey alone is not enough for Pientok as he also plays numerous other sports on top of school.

“Nate is all about it, all the time,” Nate’s mother Deb Pientok said.  “He’s extremely into all his sports.”

Elementary-aged kids are playing more sports at an earlier age more than ever before.  Sports can keep children busy year round leaving them with little free time outside school and sports.

Many kids struggle with the time and pressure that comes with athletics.  Kids strain to find time to go to practices and games and complete their daily homework.  They also struggle with the pressure that can come from parents, coaches and administrators. 

But the dream of getting a scholarship to a Div. I school or becoming a professional athlete and making millions of dollars drives kids to excel at one sport, if not more.  It can be a rewarding experience for kids if the situation is handled correctly.

But pushing too hard could lead to future problems.

Fred Engh, founder and president of the National Alliance for Youth Sports, cautions parents about pushing their kids too hard.

“Some children can be overexposed if they are driven into sports," Engh said.  "Pushing too hard can become dangerous psychologically, emotionally and physically.”

In Engh’s book “Why Johnny Hates Sports,” he writes about parents who live vicariously through their kids.  Engh says some parents take their kid's failure on the field out on themselves and the kid.

“Parents need to know that all children may not be athletes and that they’ll still get along very well in this world,” Engh said.

Justin Casperson, the president-elect of the Wisconsin Youth Sports Coaches Organization, said parents need to distance themselves from their kids in order for their kids to enjoy themselves.

“Some parents have a challenge dealing with their child’s struggles in sports. A few parents have a tough time separating themselves from their children.”

“Parents need to realize they cannot relive their youth or sport experience through their child.”

Engh writes in his book that coaches also play a vital role in the development of a young athlete.  A kid will enjoy the sport and grow into a better person if a coach provides encouragement and a good example. 

It could have a damaging effect in the present and future if a coach doesn’t provide these things.  Casperson lists bad coaching as one of the harmful aspects that can affect whether kids enjoy sports or not.

“Children who have negative exposure to poor coaching tactics will not have positive results.”

Engh applauds the willingness of people to volunteer their time, but says the lack of coaching education can lead to a disappointing experience for youths.  He said coaches need “a basic education program that trains them to make sports positive, safe and fun for kids.”

Engh and the NAYS created the National Youth Sports Coaches Association to accomplish just that.  The organization trains volunteer coaches in every aspect of youth coaching. 

The NYSCA is the most widely used training course in the United States and has trained 1.8 million coaches since its launch in 1981.  All coaches who go through the program must adhere to an ethics pledge that puts the kids’ enjoyment first.

Professional athletes sometimes have the most effect on kids regardless of a coach’s teaching efforts.

Now more than ever professional athletes are having a direct influence on kids.  Young athletes look up to professional athletes but many of professionals can have a negative influence.

Kids admire high-profile athletes like Barry Bonds and Ron Artest and play sports because they want to emulate them. 

But some athletes don’t send a positive message to kids.  Bonds recently admitted to using a performance-enhancing steroid while Artest charged fans at a basketball game.

“Overexposure to professional sports may lead kids to the belief that athletes are above others and receive special treatment and they lose focus of the important things in life like family, school and friends,” Casperson said.

But Deb Pientok said she hasn’t let Nate lose focus of those things despite his intense drive to become a professional hockey player.

Deb Pientok signed Nate up for leagues at the Parks and Recreation Department and the YMCA at an early age.  Nate plays soccer in the fall and soccer and baseball in the spring on top of skating year round.

Nate started playing hockey when he was five-years-old and is currently part of an in-house league in Eau Claire and a travel team that competes against teams from all over the Midwest.

He plays four to five days a week and seven to eight hours a week but that hasn’t stopped him from wanting more.

“He’s actually requested to take on karate, wrestling and football as well,” Deb Pientok said.

She keeps Nate from venturing too far from the important things by laying down ground rules.

“Nate does his homework immediately after school and if he doesn’t he can’t compete.  He also has to maintain a B average.”

Deb Pientok also keeps the family involved traveling with her husband Jerry and 6-year-old son Matt to all of Nate’s games.  Matt may be Nate’s biggest fan.

“I know all the hat tricks he’s made,” Matt said.  “I want to play hockey like Nate so I can score hat tricks.”

Sports even helped Nate learn some important life lessons.

“I think my favorite part about sports is the way it helps you learn and how you have to work hard to achieve your goals,” he said.

“Sports have increased Nate’s drive to accomplish something and have taught him not to give up,” Deb Pientok said.

Nate may still want to participate in as many sports as possible now, but the risk of burnout and injury is higher when kids participate in too many sports.

In his book, Engh says more kids are quitting sports due to burnout.  Many kids get worn out by their 10^th birthday by combining year round practices and games without breaks and vacations.

“Kids who play too many sports can be affected mentally, physically and emotionally,” Casperson said.

Engh says parents are party responsible saying parents believe they have to keep their kid’s pace equal to that of their neighbor’s.

“Some children can be overexposed if they were driven into a sport by their parents,” Engh said.

Injuries are also an issue in youth sports.  The more sports kids play, the better chance there is they’ll get hurt.

Over 3.5 million kids age 14 or under receive medical care for sports injuries each year, according to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign.  Sports also account for 21 percent of all traumatic head injuries among kids.

Playing many sports at a young age may not have an immediate effect, but kids could see consequences later in life.

Nearly half of all middle and high school injuries occur because of the overuse of bones and muscles, according to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign.  These injuries could come from playing sports constantly as a youth.

Overuse injuries have increased greatly over the last 25 years, according to the National PTA.  These injuries include strains, sprains, tendonitis, torn cartilage and bursitis.

Engh said one injury could lead to others and could continue to bother kids through high school and into adulthood.  And some kids are forced, or force themselves, to play through injuries.

Twenty-one percent of kids say they have been pressured to play through an injury, according to a study done by the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission.  Another 8.2 percent say they have actually been encouraged to injure another player.

Casperson said a majority of kids won’t be playing the sports they played in elementary school by the time they reach high school.  But he believes it’s not completely due to an injury or burnout.

“These children are not only getting burnt out by sports, but they have more alternatives such as clubs, theatre and work.”

He adds that an even greater number won’t play their high school sport once they graduate, but adds that “the friendships and lessons learned will last a lifetime.”

Engh and Casperson both acknowledge the great effects athletics can have on kids.

“If a child loves sports it can be a very rewarding thing because the child is building self-confidence and self-esteem,” Engh said.  “For kids who are born athletes, you can’t give them enough.”

“Kids can’t receive too much exposure to sports,” Casperson said. 

“Children cannot be affected negatively from playing too many sports if all other aspects of his or her life are in order.”

Engh and the NAYS joined with recreation professionals from 34 states at the National Summit on Raising Community Standards in Children’s Sports in 2002 to ensure kids would continue to enjoy sports.

The summit yielded the “Recommendations for Communities” as a guideline for youth sports in communities across the nation.

The key recommendations included having a trained youth sports administrator, educating volunteers on how to correctly run a program and educating coaches about working with young athletes.

Youth sports are positive experiences for most kids despite the damaging consequences that are associated with it.

Kids who play sports generally do better in school and have a greater chance of going to college, according to a study by the Hardiness Research of Wyoming.

Physical activity, coordination development, loyalty, work ethic, teamwork and discipline are all positive aspects of sports, Casperson said.

Casperson says the best way to handle youth sports is to introduce kids to sports early in life.

“Expose sports to a child at a young age so they get a fair chance at participating in it.  If children are interested in sports they should feel comfortable telling his or her parents about participating.”

Engh agreed saying it’s best to leave it up to the kids.

“Let children make the decision from the beginning and from then on look at their reaction daily to see if they are having fun.  It they are then let them go.”

Engh agrees with Deb Pientok’s approach in allowing Nate to play multiple sports instead of concentrating on just one.

"Kids won’t get burnt out by playing too many sports but could from playing one sport year round because the motivation is scholarships and the pros.”

Right now, Nate is enjoying himself and working hard to achieve his goal.

“I would like to have a career in sports," Nate said.  "And I’d really, really like to push myself to become a professional hockey player because I’ve always wanted that since I was a little kid.”