Pro Girls' Sports

Speaking as a parent with three children who are all actively involved in sports -- I also believe you can play sports and just plain play. I do agree that specialization can be a problem, both in burnout and injuries. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago our daughter told me her favorite sport was basketball (she's in a summer league), but last fall it was soccer (she play in fall and spring) and last summer it was softball. I see this as all good. She is enjoying herself, having fun, and making great friendships. And that's what it's all about. And it's the same with our two boys as well. Nice article.

I agree. I am not a parent either but when I used to coach a college team, the change I saw in players from freshman year to senior year was amazing and while you can attribute some of it to growing up, I think a good part had to do with learning how to deal with adversity, communication skills, dealing with success and failure, and discovering what you are mentally and physically capable of. And while most of them played just to play and dont compete anymore, the value they recieved via the sport stays with them.

Working with these girls has single handidly been the most rewarding experience I've had in rugby. Watching them come into themselves as athletes, teammates, students and community participants has been simply amazing. You read over and over the benefits of sport, particularly for girls...but in case you needed more evidence, these are live examples of how sport can literally transform people's lives.

Wow, what thoughtful comments! It's so interesting -- and encouraging -- to hear what each of you is witnessing. Keep the stories coming ...

While I don't have kids of my own, I am the head coach of this particular girls' rugby team. Most of these girls had not played any sort of sport until they started rugby and have not played another sport competitively since rugby. For kids who don't have access to a host of different extracurricular activities, we should be happy when they choose one that they can commit to. All 13 senior girls on this team have been accepted to college and 12 will begin in the fall. Before they found rugby, some of these girls weren't sure that they would graduate from high school. With the commitment, family and work ethic they found in rugby, they were able to turn their lives around. I think early sport specialization and burnout are the least of our worries!

I did basically only gymnastics for 10 years of my life (age 3 to 13). After that I played several sports in middle and high school, following the seasons. I can see the advantage to focusing on a single sport, as long as the person doing the sport is happy to do it. I don't have kids, but being around high level gymnasts for a long time, you see parents really pushing them to do something or be something they may not want to be. Additionally, the overuse injuries are real, and I suffer from some still. But the amount of self confidence I gained from that one sport was incredible. And I also learned to manage my time, to work for what I want, and to deal with pressure situations.

I don't regret the intense years I spent at a really young age in gymnastics, and I left on my own terms and because I wanted to, but I also think that the opportunities I had in high school to do so many diverse sports (tennis, cross country, basketball, soccer, softball) really made me aware of what else is out there and helped me be a balanced athlete.

I have kids. (Am I the only one??) As a former gymnast and competitive dancer, I was single-sport all the way. And I think it was good for me. That's my personality. But now that I'm older I find I'm enjoying playing multiple sports. Mostly because I stopped caring about being good;) I can definitely tell that at least one of my sons is following in my footsteps. I hope to get all my kids involved in some kind of sport and I honestly don't care if they stay true to it or bop around - just as long as they are having fun.

I also do not have any children. However when it comes to specialization at an early age it's almost like walking on broken glass. As already stated overuse injuries are one of the main topics of concern. It is of course hard to see the benefit in multi-sport practice if you really want/need to be good at one particular sport. Although this isn't the case all of the time, if you specialize too early in life, there is a tendancy for burn-out as well. It's fortunate when parents are supportive enough of their children to allow them to discontinue a sport if that happens, however by the time high school/college years role around, and one sport is all you've done your entire life chances are the 'kid' is looking at scholarship assistance for the sport. Then the option to walk away becomes a non-option.

Generally speaking I'm a bug believer in some additional activities/sport if for nothing else than to avoid some overuse injuries and develop a more balanced individual. The International Youth Conditioning Association has some really good information published on youth training.

Just my thoughts.

And that should say big believer, sorry about the typo.

My partner and I have put some serious thought into starting a rugby academy or a boarding school with a strong rugby-culture influence. We believe that the values tought by this sport: self-confidence, teamwork, courage, resiliance, commitment, finishing, etc. are essential to the future of youth in America, and have been somewhat lacking among the recent generations.

One of the main discussions has been how to avoid all the pitfalls of single sport involvement, especially a contact sport. Among the many steps/precautions to focus on:

Proper cross-training, emphasis on flexibility, as well as power, recovery as well as speed, nutrition as well as the game plan are all essential. Imbalance can be avoided if all of these "other element" of fitness aren't minimized or ignored.

Also, kids need other elements of balance in life, not just within the athletic realm. They should be encouraged to put academics first regardless of athletic talent, and should also be encouraged to simputaneously explore other interests: music, theather, etc.

Ideally, parents at home would be able to coordinate all of this, but in modern society (especially in the Bronx), it's just not happening. Not enough time, knowledge, support to make sure all the t's are crossed and i's are dotted. Thus, the boarding school idea. . .

I am very thankful for Lisa Lake and Annie Collier and the supporters that have helped us become who we are today. I am one of the players that were in danger of failing and due to my fellow teammates and my coaches I was able to graduate on time. I am going to be attending college in the fall to continue to play rugby. Thank you Molly, Lisa, Annie, Jenny, and etc for sticking with us and believeing in us.

As mom to three young daughters my goal is for them to grow up valuing fitness and whether that's one sport or five, I don't really care. (Actually, if all three wanted to play five different sports that would really suck for me in terms of taking them to an fro various practices and games...) For now (because I learned this when researching an article about kids in competition:-) I'm just trying to expose them to as many activities as possible. One expert said that this kind of exposure helps kids learn a wide range of skills and knowing a wide range of skills makes it more likely that kids will stay active as adults. Really, it's my hope they find something they love to do. I tend to agree that loving a single sport isn't the worst thing that could happen. Not finding any activity they enjoy would be much worse.

For children, play is naturally enjoyable. And since it is their active engagement in things that interest them, play should be child-led, or at least child-inspired, for it to remain relevant and meaningful to them. Children at play are happily lost in themselves; they are in their own realm of wonder, exploration, and adventure, pulling parents in at times with a frequent “Let’s play, mom!” as an open invitation into that world.