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| Keep Kids
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When does parents’ zest for
their children cross the line and become a hindrance to the
child’s development as an athlete and a person? There are a
number of situations that we have recognized where parents are
pushing their kids too hard, too fast.
Sometimes parents, with the purest of intentions, will take
their desire for their son or daughter’s success too far. Over
the last 10 years, I have had the opportunity to meet with and
watch this process firsthand. It usually involves a parent
answering questions asked to a child, a game schedule that
belongs in pro baseball (162 games) and an exhausted athlete who
is losing his or her love of the game. Yet, despite all the best
attempts by parents, all the latest conditioning buzzwords and
an emphasis in sport on speed and strength, young athletes are
less fit than ever.
The trend is reflected in every statistic done with young
children in the United States. Obesity is on the rise, children
are less active and technological advancements have improved
video and information transfer and kept would-be athletes
sitting inside at an alarming rate. The athletes that learn to
play hockey are heavier and more unfit than ever before. It
appears the time has arisen where we should address the health
and activity levels of the young hockey player with the same
fever pitch that we put into their attempt to develop into the
next Wayne Gretzky.
The difference between enough and excess is a fine line that can
be difficult to distinguish. The difference between pressuring
your athlete to play hockey or encouraging your son or daughter
to establish healthy levels and habits of activity is
mountainous. For years I have encouraged athletes to play a
variety of sports from a young age. My thought process was, and
still is, that during periods of skill and coordination
acquisition the more that is asked of the body, the more it will
learn. There is a clear distinction between acquiring motor
skills and developing fitness and conditioning. I had previously
thought that levels of fitness should be addressed as the
athletes progressed into high school and beyond. A
well-conditioned 11-year-old would be a young athlete in need of
a childhood and less time with his parent/coach. Times have
changed, and young hockey players need more exercise than ever.
The technological evolution – including instant messages, Xbox
and Sega, and cell phones – has made the average young child
noticeably heavier and less active than 10 years ago. Diet has
also had a major impact. Everywhere you look, high fructose corn
syrup, bleached flour and other simple carbohydrates are
abundant. The information is confusing (low-fat, no carbs,
vegetarian diets) and everywhere we turn there’s a new fad or
phase. There is one constant when it comes to health: Activity.
Kids are supposed to be active, so let’s encourage it. This is
not an open invitation to the hyper father/mother to enroll a
child into one more league. Young athletes should still try new
sports and learn new skills. Many gyms and strength and
conditioning centers have introduced programs to work with
younger athletes. Our gym will work with 11-years-old for the
first time this year to teach coordination and movement skills,
while promoting a higher level of health. It is time to respond
to what we see. Kids are bigger, and bigger is not always
better. Parents should be aggressive in steering an athlete
toward a childhood of activity and fun and get kids out of their
comfort zone. It’s important to demand that children discover
and pursue a healthy lifestyle. Their free time has become video
oriented, their physical education has dwindled and neighborhood
play has become uncommon.
Parents should exercise with their children, help them practice
with enjoyment for the game and encourage a new sport or outdoor
hobby (activities can be structured workouts at a gym or
unsupervised play as long as they’re is active).
I am not pretending to ignore the psychological aspects of an
overweight child. Depression, low self-esteem and a sense of
social exclusion, are all aspects of dealing with poor
self-image. There are many other factors and symptoms that can
occur over time in dealing with a weight problem. The health
industry has seen more money spent in pursuit of “perfection” in
each of the last 30 years. Childhood obesity numbers are on the
rise over the same 30-year period.
Don’t ignore what you see in front of you. What do kids look
like at the rink? What are they eating while they are there? How
much time do they spend at home relative to when you where a
child? I am speaking of athletes from 10 to 18, as they mature
into young adults. This is not quite a plea, but a warning. Pay
attention to the everyday life of your young athletes not just
as it pertains to their development as hockey players, but also
as it relates to their everyday health and well being. |
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