Developing a Model Youth Sports Program

In this ongoing series, Wagdogs takes a look at the current state of youth sports. We'll examine the challenges presented to players, parents, and administrators in creating a program that promotes cooperative and supportive participation, helps ensure the safety of all participants, and emphasizes the values and principles of youth sports beyond just winning and losing. Wagdogs will examine real-life situations and provide suggestions for creating a model youth sports program. We'll show you tools and techniques to improve your program and help it run more smoothly and enjoyably for all participants. We'll also highlight programs that are leading the way in refocusing youth sports on its core mission.

(First in a series)

The continued growth of youth sports programs has triggered an increase in the numbers and types of adverse incidents that arise from a highly-competitive environment which, until recently, had little need for nor experience in setting participant guidelines. Combine that growth with the skyrocketing cost of higher education, mix in the money spent annually by families on their children's participation (registration fees, travel, lodging, meals, uniforms, professional instruction, equipment, etc.) and the mounting financial pressures of the current economic climate, and it's easy to see how youth sports can become more than just a game that kids play.

There is no question that youth sports programs are far different than they were a generation ago. The level of instruction, increased knowledge of fitness and nutrition, and the structure that surrounds all aspects of a child's participation have combined to raise the intensity with which adults and children participate. With that increased intensity comes an almost daily onslaught of stories involving parental misbehavior. Many of these stories defy belief. Here are a few. See if you can determine which of them are actual events.

• A father of a little leaguer puts Ipecac in his 12-year-old son's juice bottle and tells him to give it to a specific teammate that has taken his playing time. Many of his other teammates drink from the bottle, and eight of them are taken to the hospital.
• Parents win $125,000 settlement from their local Little League, after their son sprains his knee while sliding into second base.
• Three parents file a civil rights lawsuit after a 6-member evaluation panel leaves their daughters off the high school girls basketball team.
• Police issue a ticket to a woman for leaving her daughter alongside a highway because of the daughter's "unsatisfactory" performance in a soccer game.
• A father, unhappy with his son's playing time, hires a private investigator to tail the basketball coach, and to call authorities if the coach is seen drinking and driving.

Hard as it is to believe, every one one of these incidents is a true story. And the list grows everyday, from the ridiculous to the tragic. Granted, it may be that 24-hour news channels, the power of the Internet, and our appetite for information makes it seem that there are more of these incidents than in years past. But the goal of a model youth sports program should be to eliminate the types of attitudes and behavior that give rise to these and more serious issues. Youth sports programs should strive to create an environment that rewards healthy competition, mutual respect, and enjoyment for all participants.

Over the next several weeks, Wagdogs will examine the issues facing youth sports programs, and provide information and resources for helping players, parents, and administrators overcome them. We'll identify steps to take to create a youth sports program that balances winning with social development, fun with competition, and intensity with respect. There are many examples of how youth sports programs, administered properly, can help our kids become respectful, involved, and responsible adults. We'll focus on several areas including:

• Why kids play sports (and why they quit)
• The role of adults in youth sports
• Defining and creating successful programs
• Modeling acceptable behavior
• Four key elements in ensuring success
• Best Practices
• Using "Social Marketing"
• How to use technology to support your objectives

Along the way, we'll cite helpful resources, provide sample documents, identify best practices, and enlist expert opinions. We also ensourage you to participate by offering your opinions and ideas, citing your experiences, and helping us highlight the programs that are "doing it right."

Next: Why Kids Play Sports (and why they quit).

Posted By: Jim Roynan

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