I was reading the other day about the pro's and cons of youth sport specialization and the potential effects it can have on the athlete. Specialization in youth sports, think about that for a minute, playing one sport year round. I don’t know about you but when I grew up not only was I required to play several different sports by my dad, but I wanted to play everything my friends were playing so I could hang with them. There was no specialization, there was getting on whatever seasonal sports team was going on at the time (football, basketball, lacrosse, baseball in the summer) and doing your best to get better and contribute. The only athletes I knew that played the same sport year round were the individual sport athletes (golf, swimming, diving, tennis) those guys and girls were always at a meet, match, or tournament. As I read on in this article, it had several different experts giving their educated opinion regarding this recent phenomenon and in almost every case all of them, doctors, coaches, and sports specialists agree that putting your child in one sport only limits his or her ability to develop other much needed muscles and movements that will help them succeed in whatever sport they love most. A well rounded athlete is successful because they have used and developed all of the muscles needed to accomplish the required movement that helps them complete their athletic task. Playing one sport and using the same muscle set all of the time can hinder your ability to develop into a better player. I have heard several big time college lacrosse coaches say that they don’t recruit lacrosse kids only, they are adamant about the kids their looking for to play two or more sports so they are well rounded. Kids are meant to be free and play, lord knows that this is the only time in life that you can do this, that’s why they have so much energy and mischievousness, at least that’s what my grandmother told me. So let’s let our kids be kids and get out and play as much as possible without the extra added pressure of growing up before they need to. I'm just saying!
Letter from the Editor: