As part of that, I asked LeaAnn Martin, our women's commissioner, an educator, sportswoman and competitor, to offer her opinion of youth sports and competition. Here are some paraphrased highlights of her letter to the Council. Martin's suggestions Instructional programs should be taught at the level of the learner. They do not emphasize competition but rather skill development. Competitive programs should be offered only to learners who have been taught an appropriate response to competition.
Competitive programs can be positive or negative.
This mostly depends on the adults involved. Parents can create disturbances, or coaches can emphasize winning too much. It is important to minimize potential negative impacts for children in competitive programs and important to understand these need not occur. The primary reason children choose to play a sport is to have fun. The primary reason they drop out is it is no longer fun.