Past Online Articles Create username. The competitive nature of today's young athletes leaves their growing bodies vulnerable to overuse injuries. By Joanna Vishio After school, kids used to rush home to play freeze tag and kickball with neighborhood friends. They played weekend Little League games for fun while parents and coaches joked about the team's losing record. But today's kids rush from school to soccer practice to another practice.
Tournaments dominate weekends, and sports camps monopolize the summer.
Driven by a passionate love of sports and competition, kids are becoming elite athletes at a very young age. Children as young as 10 compete on three teams at once, travel on weekends and practice throughout the week. With dreams of college scholarships and fame, children push themselves to the limit. Today, kids play at a different performance level. Kids used to be on one team at a time, rotating different sports for different seasons.