Your own maturity will be crucial for guiding your young athlete. Kids play for love of sport Kids aren t like adults, says Kuchenbecker. The greatest, most enduring motivation for the young athlete is playing for the love of it, she writes. Tony Shockency, branch executive of the Southwest YMCA in Greenfield, agrees. A long-held YMCA tenet says that strong kids and strong families build strong communities.
Sports are one way to build strong kids.
Winning is indeed more fun than losing, but being the best shouldn t mean everything. I ve seen kids pushed too far, said Shockency. I ve seen a look in their eyes, tired, no heart left for the sport they or their parents are pursuing. She was also in aerobics and a couple of other classes to make her a better skater, said Shockency. Her mom wanted me to put her in strength training on top of everything else.