Too many competitions

I'm attempting to gain momentum in this blog series on the issues faced in youth sports. The first two may have been sensitive to a few individuals and I'm not planning on holding anything back. I want to be sure that we confront these issues in a constructive way and, hopefully, we can all grow and learn from these conversations.

This topic is far less personal, but still very sensitive to parents and coaches. What I find to be most interesting about this, the third post of the series, is these topics are more sensitive to the adults than they are to the youth...something to ponder on. Is our focal point the needs of the kids or the desires of the adults?

I believe a major problem in youth sports is there are too many competitions. I'm concerned about this for two reason. 1.) Kids are burning up their competitive years at a young age, and 2.) Learning and developing athletes has gone out the window. I'll explain my thoughts with two simple illustrations.

Kids are burning up their competitive years

I received amazing advice from a three-time Olympian (wrestler) when I was in high school. He said the average athlete has roughly 10 competitive years in his/her system. Basically, he said we can choose to use those 10 years at a very young age or later in our career. He added there are a few exceptional athletes who can stretch their 10 years into 15-20 years. I haven't been able to dig up any scientific studies on this topic, but I think there's a lot to what this 12-time US National team member had to say.

My wife was a Big Ten Champion on the track in the 10,000 meters and an All-American in the 5,000 meters. Her coach limited the amount of 5K's and 10K's she could compete in throughout each season and in her career. In fact, the 10K race she won at the Big Tens was the first she had competed in during the season. To him it was simple, he believed an athlete's body could withstand only a set number of distance events in a season and career before their productivity started to decline. He had the ultimate standard - time. If your times started getting slower, your body had reached its peak. We don't have a stop watch standard in every sport, but I see athletes declining at much too young of an age in other sports, too.

By the way, this track coach won multiple national team titles, produced over 15 Olympians, coached in the Olympic Games on three separate occasions and never competed in an organized track and field event himself. He used science to win. He saved his athletes so they could reach their competitive peak at the optimal time, and it in wasn't middle school.

Learning and developing athletes has gone out the window

I remember eagerly awaiting the day that I took my driver's test. I turned 16 in the fall of my sophomore year and earned my licence soon thereafter (on my first try). Getting a driver's licence is a pivotal moment in life of a teenager, almost a right of passage into young adulthood. The Department of Transportation doesn't let an individual take a driver's test without first being educated on the rules of the road. In fact, learning needs to take place prior to tests in most facets of life, except athletics.

In youth sports, we forget about the importance of learning the sport. Instead, we thrust kids into the furnace of fire and hope they learn during the competition. There are teachable moments all around us, but teaching during competition isn't effective. What's wrong with making sure that an athlete understands the sport he/she is participating in before competing? We wouldn't dream of putting a 16 year old boy behind the wheel without the proper training, but we don't have a problem expecting a 10 year old to perform on the field, in the arena or on the mat with no training at all. Youth athletes need to learn how to compete before they compete.


I seek opportunities to listen to those who have gone before me and had success at the highest levels. The people I mentioned have been national champions, world champions and Olympic champions, and they're very well-rounded individuals. We miss out on all of this with too many competitions too early.

As an adult, coaching staff or parent, sit down and make conscious decisions on what events are necessary and how to seize the opportunity to help youth athletes learn. My wrestling club is opened 12 months a year, but we're very intentional about when and how much each athlete trains and competes. Together, we choose what events to participate in, and sometimes this means taking a weekend off.

For young athletes, sometimes the best "training" is spending a weekend fishing with Grandpa or building a deck. It's not about competing more. It's about learning more.