Back in the days when I was training in gymnastics my training schedule went something like this:
Monday: 4 – 9, Tuesday 4 – 9, Wed 4 – 9, Friday 4 – 9, Saturday & Sundays 9am – until whenever we were finished.
We trained an average of 35 – 40 hrs a week. These days that is not the norm (well at least in gymnastics) and coaches are lucky if they can get their athletes in to train 20 – 25 hrs a week. When I was coaching I couldn’t understand why parents were so reluctant to allow their children to train so much. Of course there were some really over ambitious ones who were convinced their child was the next star – they would have them in the gym 24/7 had I wanted it, but now that I am a parent – I totally get it.
Being a competitive athlete in any sport has its positives and negatives. For myself there were issues with eating disorders and the feeling that I had to be perfect in every way. I had very little friends except those that were training with me because those on the outside just didn’t understand why I would want to train so much. At one point my grades fell behind because I was spending more time training than in school. For many competitive athletes life revolves around their sport and nothing else. They breathe, eat, and sleep their sport. The problem is, nobody prepares the competitive athlete for what the reality will be when they leave the safety of the gym, the pool, the ice rink etc.. When I left gymnastics I dealt with some serious depression issues because I had no clue what “real” life was about.
On the other hand there were many positives to being in a competitive sport. I developed excellent organizational skills, determination and incredible work ethic, learned how to deal with both wins and failures, and got to travel and meet new friends. While most of my classmates in High school worked at fast food places, I was coaching younger athletes and making twice the amount of money as they were.
A few weeks ago my own daughter joined a competitive Acrobatic Team and now trains 12 hours a week. Many parents I know gasped in shock when they heard this, claiming it is too many hours. Am I worried? No. If it were some other children of mine I might be.
Being in a competitive sport is not easy and is certainly not for every child. It is up to the parents to ensure that it is something that their child wants to do and not what the parent wants. Competitive sports have changed drastically since I was involved. For one, coaches must be NCCP certified (National Coaching Certificate program) in the sport they are coaching. There is more education for coaches on both the physical and psychological demands that are placed on a competitive athlete thus resulting in healthier athletes (less eating disorder, less depression and less injuries). Schools are much more accepting of their students who are involved in a competitive sport therefore allowing these children to keep up with their school work (often excelling) while still training in their respective sports.
What about you? Do you have a child involved in a competitive sport? How many hours a week do they train? How many hours do you think is too many? Would you allow your child to participate in a competitive sport?
Until next time
Chantel, momof8crazymonkeys
my son is on the ice 3X a week for rep hockey, and similar in summer for soccer – also soccer one night a week in winter so total of 4X a week of sports for him. i find it very overwhelming and tiring especially with my 2 girls being dragged everywhere. what is miss is the down time at home, relaxing together doing homework, reading bedtime stories. i feel now most of my time is driving them around, feeding them in the van and being grouchy.
I think it’s too much when a child doesn’t enjoy what he or she is doing. If the schoolwork is done, and the training is rewarding (in any way/ways the family feels satisfied) then I say GO FOR IT!!
Christine hockey is a tough sport and so you are right – summers off are a great idea:) I always say whatever works best for the kids and family is the right thing to do:)
Julie it is so true about the friendships – they last a lifetime! I am still in touch and good friends with many of the girls I trained with:)
Thanks Terri – awesome response! It is true – in my opinion the benefits totally outweigh any negatives that may come to place. You are my idol and a total supermom – I have no idea how you juggle it all and still find time to help others:) To top it all off your children are so well adjusted, polite and truly love what they do.
good response terri! sometimes people do things because they like to, not because they’re going to “get” something out of it. it’s funny how some people can’t understand that.
i know my brother is running around with his 4 kids and my oldest nephew is in a very competitive baseball league. what’s he getting? a pack of friends for life from what i can see! standing up for himself and his teammates when he saw an injustice and getting positive results! boatloads of self confidence. well, you probably know all this from your experiences 🙂
Chantel
Thanks for the article.
As you know, I have 3 children all training at high level. 2 gymnasts training 20 – 25 hours per week and a swimmer in the water 9 times a week. I hate when people make comments on how much they train like “What are you hoping to get from this” or “Do you think they are going to the olympics.” I don’t walk up to them and tell them that their children are watching too much tv or playing on the computer too much.
I have one friend who askes me everytime we see them “What are you hoping to get from all of this?” My answer is quite simple
“I am not hoping to get anything from this, but the benefits my children are receiving are huge. They have time management skills that any adult would kill to have. They are diciplined and have respect, not to mention they are not hanging at the mall every weekend.
Competative sport is a huge commitment on both the athletes and parents’ part. As long as they are happy we will continue travelling down this road they are on.
I only have one in rep hockey and that is quite enough.
Cam is on the ice anywhere from 3 to 6 times a week. Sean coaches so it’s always him doing hockey stuff.
Eva has dance once a week and swimming once a week (daytime lesson – not bad). Cuyler has gymnastics once a week. Dance and gymnastics go from September to June an we do nothing for the summer.
I think it’s important that summer is summer and nothing else. When we had Cam in summer hockey I *hated* having to pull him away from playdates or pool parties to play hockey. I really hated pulling out of fun, pick up street hockey games with his friends to have him play ice hockey…so we stopped summer hockey and we summers are 100% wide open!