Activity Ideas for Kids with Autism | Are We Landing Our Kids in Therapy?

• Posted: June 14th, 2011

  

  By: Amy Franzwa

  Baseball Expert

  Holding try-outs for athletic teams is a longtime tradition. They allow coaches and managers to select the most talented athletes in the bunch to optimize the team’s chances of winning.  Is this tactic, which increases the competitiveness and seriousness of sports appropriate?  Or, should parents and sports culture take the “winning isn’t everything” approach?   Here are my thoughts on the subject.
  
  Recreation rather than competition may be all well and good for 5-year-olds in a parks and recreation t-ball league, but when kids get to middle school and high school age sports I think it should be about competition. I’m a firm believer that kids should have to earn their position on the team. Athletes should have to prove themselves worthy of more play time and earn the coveted starting positions.
  
  My logic stems from two vital facts of life.  First, life isn’t fair and it shouldn’t be.  The fortunate reality is that everyone has their own set of strengths and weaknesses.   We do not think all students should be given the same grade regardless of their intelligence or the effort they put in.  The same thinking should apply to sports.  We need to be more realistic as parents and need to stop accepting (and celebrating) mediocrity to avoid hurt feelings.  Do we really think this will benefit our child as they grow older and realize that it is their ability that matters?  If your son really can’t play sports, wouldn’t it be better to shift his attention to an activity that he can excel at? There are such a wide variety of activity options today it makes it easy to find the one that will allow your child to shine. 
  
  Second fact of life, if you want something, you need to work for it.  Rather than looking at getting cut or warming the bench as unfair, we must look at it as a perfect teaching opportunity. We have to stress to our children that hard work pays off and sports provide the perfect platform. If your child really wants to participate in a sport that they find challenging, don’t let them throw in the towel. Help them get better! If your son doesn’t make the traveling little league team or your daughter gets cut from the competitive dance team, work with them to help them perfect their game so they can ‘wow’ the coaches next year.
  
  If you can’t personally help them up their game in a particular sport, find a specialty sports camp or private athletic instructor that can. Most professional sports teams, colleges and universities provide excellent youth programs and summer camps to help kids hone their skills in a variety of athletics. 
  
  Ask the most successful people, not just professional athletes, what drove them to better themselves and they’re likely to say it was failure. Sports try-outs drive home important life lessons.   These life lessons will transfer into their adult lives off the field or court and long after they hang up their baseball bats and dance shoes.

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  Comments & Discussions(3)

  • Wynne

    June 16th, 2011

    Very well said! I comfort my kids if they aren't good at something, and then point out all the things they are really good at. I try to teach my kids that everyone has something that their great at, and that's what makes the world so wonderful!

  • ed k

    June 21st, 2011

    hi amy,you make some very good points,eg my. son plays soccer,and in april last year he had a trial for barcelona fc.he was nearly 12 at the time,he got on very good and was told if he makes it on to an under age ireland team,they would like to see him again.this gives him something to work towards and aim for.this year the team he plays for in ireland won league and cup and he won the mvp,hard work pays.

  • Ursula

    June 26th, 2011

    I agree that we all have our strengths and competition is good to create drive and determination. However, everyone who tries out and makes the team should then be able to practice and play as a team member. My son played high school football and was put on the second string team. He rarely played, even as a senior. He is tall, athletic and respectful so I'm not sure why he was second string, but it happens. The part that bothered me most is any non-first sting player only did football drills at practice. Meaning there was no practice playing the game of football, they were just running and whatever other drills they have. How is a player expected to improve if they don't get to actually play the game either in practice or at game time? I know coaches have their favorites but I strongly believe that any player who tries out and makes the team should be part of that team. Of course I offered many times to speak with the coaches but my son didn't want me to make waves so I just let him deal with it. Fortunately my son didn't need an athletic scholarship for college but some other second and third strings probably did. Without playing these kids had no idea what their potential was and no scouts ever saw them.