My Favorite Lesson

All of the publicity that is attained by success, and the possibility of this success, places a great deal of pressure and stress on these young single-sport athletes. This stress and pressure takes the fun out of some sports. Youth sports are becoming serious and based more on winning than on having a great time and learning good sportsmanship. Adu points out the winning mindset of athletes in this day and age when he says, “Teams will do anything to win the game. My coach told me to expect that going in and that is exactly how it was. . .I felt like everybody was out to get me” (Goodall, 2003). This

Since the moment you had your first play date every single boy that has ever been born has always wanted to win or be the best out of what you are doing. This is the competitive instinct that is within everybody but especially in boys and men. Even when you’re a baby when another baby is around and that baby starts to get more attention than you your first reaction is to cry and demand attention. As we get older into our teens our competitive instinct blossoms more than any other emotion we have. In sports you always want to be the best, that’s why you play the game. You lift weights and do speed drills so that you get faster and jump higher just to help you become better than your opponent, the thing that drives you through your training

Our society has shifted its beliefs in how we should treat competition in young people. The concept that "everyone receives a trophy" has taken the place of only rewarding those who achieve excellence within that activity. Rewarding all participants in youth activities and sports has become standard practice in American culture. "Should kids get a trophy for participation?" or should only the achievers receive a trophy? In the following essay it will explore the idea that everyone should win from participating and get an achievement for being there.

For some people, it may be difficult to manage time in order to keep up with school and still be involved with extracurricular activities. However, for myself, this was not the case. I have been involved in the Slippery Rock University Winter Guard since my freshman year, which requires much dedication and commitment. Competing in local and even international level competitions across the country, the dedication required for membership in the guard is extraordinary. My commitment to the winter guard as well as my determination in my studies has allowed me to prime my time management skills to be successful in both areas without compromising the quality of my efforts in either one. Moreover, I have also been involved in numerous volunteer opportunities including Special Olympics, therapeutic horseback riding, and sled hockey. I also have a job at the Student Health Center. Although I keep myself very busy, I have managed to maintain an overall GPA of 3.5. Through my shadowing experiences in physical therapy, I have seen that some days can be fast-paced; therefore, it is important to have the ability to manage time in order to accomplish everything effectively and

Sports are not for everybody, not only because of talent level, but because a certain mindset is to be had to be successful at any sport. A commitment is made. Forty hours of practice a week, the average amount of time spent practicing for football players, all for a one hour game, the average time of one game of college football, takes dedication. That is not even counting the time spent icing, resting, and studying the playbook or film, not to mention the school work to be kept up with for college and high school students. Most athletes have become used to the grind and juggling three or four time consuming activities all at one time while being successful at each. Waking up at the break of dawn, following a schedule, and suffering consequences when a bad choice is made creates character and discipline that is often needed for many little league, high school, and college athletes. The most important non tangible thing sports teach anyone is how to get back up after falling, how to get knocked down but get right back up and keep going, how to move on from failure and overcome it, focusing on the next important part of life. These skills of determination and courage taught through sports are essential for being successful in any part of life and are hard to come by anywhere

However, when we talk about youth sports, our main concern is with providing players with a positive, character building experience. Winning is not the only acceptable outcome for youth players, and coaches need to understand this principle. “With a winning philosophy young athletes may lose out on opportunities to develop their skills, to enjoy participation, and to grow socially and emotionally. Well informed coaches realize that success is not equivalent to winning games, and failure is not the same as losing.” (Enhancing Coach-Parent Relationships in Youth Sports, 15)

As an athlete in high school, time management is needed to complete everything on your agenda even with extra-curricular activities in the way. Living overseas, I had the privilege to travel to other countries for athletic events. These events could last a weekend or even a whole week and work will gradually pile up. If we didn’t have it or it was incomplete it will result in a zero without a chance of making the assignment up. In college, I occasionally make time for fun and activities outside of my education. There are several distractions from friends, athletics, to even leisure time that may get in the way from my school work. My education is mandatory and my priority!

I’m proud of my accomplishments thus far in my academic career as a result of making the right decisions in the challenging courses I take that have all been possible through organization and paying attention to my teachers. Through cross country and track, I’ve been able to meet amazing people who share the passion of running and are focused on making the best future for themselves. I’ve benefitted from being a self-motivated student to continue working hard in and out of the classroom. An essential skill I learned was how to manage my time better. As I continue to add activities to my schedule, I use a planner to make sure I am dividing my time evenly to academics and

It goes without saying that coaches and many of their student-athletes are highly competitive individuals. I know from my time as a student-athlete, along with eleven years as a coach, that on game days I was a little bit edgy, tunnel-visioned, and ready to compete. Competition, after all, is what makes sports exciting; it keeps the games fun for the players & coaches and exhilarating for the fans. However, there is a balancing act that all coaches and athletes face between having a ferocious will to win, while also displaying appropriate body language, speaking the right words, and being a part of a positive team culture.

Now I'm sure that some might say that athletic teams were developed in order to create opportunities for recreational fun, not concerning with winning or losing. From a personal standpoint, I get out on the field to win, not to lose. If I do lose, it only makes me more determined to win the next time. To some of us, playing the game isn’t only about fun; it’s about winning. If you can accomplish winning and having fun at the same time, that’s wonderful. But if you ask me, I’d rather win.

“Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser,” Vince Lombardi once said. This saying could be the unsung anthem of American sports for children and teenagers. Everyone loves to win. In sports there is always competition. Is there too much emphasis on “the win” for kids and teens? This issue is important because it essentially develops the way children and teenagers think and react; it will affect them later on in life. Too much emphasis on winning is a problem because there is extensive pressure from parents and coaches, and the consequences can be severe.

It’s important for a child to understand the positive impacts of competition despite a loss in a game. Adults go through competition everyday, from getting a job after a successful interview or missing it from an unsuccessful interview to promotion because of work well done or demotion at work. The basics of competition taught early helps a child succeed later in life. Team Sport equips a child to cope with competition in a friendly environment. Achieving a goal by being part of a team will help a child gain healthy competitive skills that they can use for the rest of their lives. Sports also help a child cope well with both a loss and a win as part of life. Learning to positively handle both the winning and losing side of playing a sport combined with good sportsmanship is a characteristic that carries over from childhood to

Being able to play the sport athletes originally fell in love with is something some young adults don't have the opportunity to do. Taking pride in that alone athletes all over should do. Supporting that idea is the fact when athletes realize the opportunities they have with athletic abilities is something they should take pride in. Doing what athletes love comes with being happy with what we are are doing as well as being able to take fault and own up to when an individual messes up and/or what the team does.

Most of my days are long and tiring. By managing my time wisely, I normally get everything I need for school and my extra circular actives done in a timely fashion. Sometimes it takes not hanging out with the girls, in order to make sure I get my work done. Even putting in an extra hour at work helps me manage my time more wisely and keeps me from temptation. Which in turn forces me to focus more on my school work. Coaching football has always been a passion of mine. Knowing how restricted my schedule is, I strive to get my boys out of practice on time everyday. That way I can make it home to get some studying in, before I head into work.

In the words of Dawson (2004), "time management is all about taking control of your own time." In seeking to help adult learners regain control of their time, Dawson comes up with a number of effective time management strategies. Some of these strategies are highlighted herein. To begin with, Dawson (2004) recommends that one drafts a list of all those activities whose timing cannot be altered. These activities which Dawson refers to as "non-negotiable" activities could include attending lectures, private study and other important undertakings such as picking