Six year old athletes and the Olympics

I've never been to the Olympic Games, but someday hope to. I have watched the Olympics with great attentiveness since I was five years old and know a lot of Olympic athletes and coaches. I've been in the wrestling corner for six different Olympic athletes and have been cornered by coaches who have competed in the Games, too. Add to that the time that I have spent at various US Olympic Training Centers and national governing bodies, I feel like I have a good grasp on what it takes to become an Olympian. That's why I find it almost "comical" when I talk to a parent of a youth wrestler and they cannot stop talking about how their six year old son/daughter aspires to be an Olympian.

Tonight I will be hosting my first youth wrestling opportunity of the season at Victory School of Wrestling. Generally speaking, the young athletes and parents that participate in activities at Victory have a healthy perspective on wrestling. Our parents love nothing more than to see their child give their best effort and learn valuable life lessons through sports. However, we are clearly focused on the development stage for youth athletes and the Olympics are light years away.

I love hearing little boys tell me that they want to be the next Henry Cejudo or hearing girls aspiring to be the next Clarissa Chun. In fact, I encourage those dreams. I don't like when parents tell me that their child aspires to be these athletes, though.

I have seen parents prohibit the development of their child because they place a heavy emphasis on winning at a young age. Believe me, I am not a fan of the "everyone's a winner" attitude, but I think there's a time and place for everything. An Olympic gold medal at age six should NEVER be in the plans. And I mean never.

This notion extends beyond the realm of the Olympics into national and state level events. Parents have told me that their child's "dreams" will be crushed if they're not allowed to participate in this event or the other and they've worked so hard to become a state champion, etc., etc. Unfortunately, what that parent may not understand, is that their child probably doesn't even know what his/her dad is talking about. It's his dream, not the child's dream. This makes me sad.

I hope when my little guy is old enough to compete in youth athletics, I actively support his endeavors and support the goals that his little mind has the capacity for. Six year old children are not cognitively mature enough to understand what the Olympics are or what a college scholarship is. Encourage them to have fun competing. Help them fall in love with the sport of their choice and the idea of being active and competitive. When they're ready to take on the responsibilities that come with those lofty goals, they'll be able to attack them with conviction because it will come from within. Not from Dad.

I assure you, today we will play a lot of games, laugh hard and have fun at this youth camp. Hopefully these young athletes will leave Victory with more excitement for the sport than they came with. In the meantime, they may learn a few basic skills and develop as wrestlers, but only if their little minds are ready. I refuse to cut their childhood's short by loading them with pressure to succeed that will eventually cut their athletic career short. I want to see them fall in love with the sport and never be able to leave.