Wins and Losses
Nov 29th, 2007 | By Scott | Category: Papa PrattleThe fall youth sports schedule has concluded and the winter schedule is just starting to organize. There is about a two week break between the seasons. I was taking the schedules down from the information collection unit (refrigerator) in the kitchen and noticed something, no one had written down any W’s or L’s on any of the schedules.
How could that be? We played 15 - U10 (age 10 and Under) soccer games, 6 sixth grade football games and 12 - U14 (age 14 and Under) soccer games and no one in the family recorded the outcome?
Way to go family! You get the point of youth sports: practice hard, learn to play with others; improve every week , understand what it feels like to win AND lose and then go on to the next sport!
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That’s impressive.
There’s a common train of thought emerging over here that wants to remove ‘competition’ and referees from children’s sport.
The kids learn more respect for each other as players through having to ref the games themselves and with no “must win at all costs” pressure they get to concentrate on the skills of the whichever sport they’re playing, hence improving.
Nice stuff I think.
Sooo cool! It’s cool to win, but I love it even more when my kids play their butts off, win or lose. Great post.
Yeah man! I agree totally. I am coaching youth basketball this season and it is all about getting kids to love the game. I have to admit I am getting the coaching bug after a month of it and love watching as kids start to “get it” finally. Good one Scott.
information collection unit. love it. i’ll be recycling that if you don’t mind.
Wins and losses are important. Not most important, but important none the less.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I do believe that the most important thing learned in youth sports is sportsmanship, teamwork and the mastering of the required skills. Also, the “win at all cost” mentality is not acceptable, ever. Yet, we can not dismiss the natural competitiveness we are all born with, and made this country great. Competition and the desire to do better has been at the root of all great acheivements.
My girls play in a soccer league where score is not kept. Yet, during every game the kids keep track in their heads(so do their parents). There is nothing wrong with that.
Look at our sports heroes. Have you ever heard Tom Brady say before the Super bowl, “I am just happy to be here.” I’m guessing not. Rather you would more apt to here something like, “it’s not over yet,” or “we still have one more game to win.” The “just being happy to be here” mentallity is born of the “let’s not keep score philosophy, which does not teach our kids to be the best they can be.
I want my girls to be armed with the attitude, strength, and courage to compete with anyone, whether it be in the classroom, workplace or the sports arena. I do not want them to be content to “just play”, rather I would hope they strive to be the best at whatever they choose. Even if it means losing once in a while. The world is a tough place. We win and lose every day. Whether we get the into the college we want, get the sale, or the promotion, we need to equip our children with the coping skills to deal with life’s up’s and down’s. Those lessons are offen first learned on the field of competition.
I don’t want my girls to be ashamed to lose. I hope they have to feel the sting of defeat along the way. So, keep score. For it is only with the distain of defeat that the triumph of victory can be truly appreciated.