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Taking it slow in youth sport can be key to success

Award-winning Sports Illustrated editor and investigative reporter speaks at Quest
Book
Authour Luis Fernando Llosa will be at Quest University on Oct. 28.

Practice makes perfect 鈥 or does it?

In the Sea to Sky Corridor, where we enjoy unparalleled, awe-inspiring backdrops to virtually any outdoor sport we can dream of, it鈥檚 hard to resist the urge to put your child on the path to logging their 10,000 hours, at least if you subscribe to Malcolm Gladwell鈥檚 theory of success as put forth in the popular book The Outliers.

But there鈥檚 another philosophy parents might want to consider, says award-winning Sports Illustrated investigative reporter and editor, and youth sports speaker Luis Fernando Llosa.

Llosa recently co-authored Beyond Winning 鈥 Smart Parenting In A Toxic Sports Environment with Kim John Payne (Simplicity Parenting) and Scott B. Lancaster (former National Football League youth sports director). The book is a candid, practical guide to help parents navigate the high-pressure world of youth sports.

Llosa will speak at Quest University on Tuesday (Oct. 28) at 7:30 p.m. Presented by Cedar Valley Waldorf School, Llosa鈥檚 talk is entitled How To Be The Best Sports Parent For Your Child: Want Success? Ensure A Creative, Dynamic, Life-Long Love Of Sport For Your Young Athlete. The father of five and long-time youth sports coach says that in a town like ours, where children as young as three are bombing down Whistler Mountain or wearing full armour and learning tricks at the bike skills park, balance is key.

鈥淕etting kids involved in outdoor activities is great. We are all for it. In moderation. They are kids after all,鈥 he said from his home in New York City. 鈥淔oisting a sports career on them too early can cause deep emotional stress, lead to life-long physical damage, and bring about burn out. Hence the high number of kids who quit sports too early.

鈥淲e should look at this case by case. There is nothing wrong with kids doing tricks on bikes, or learning to ski when they are young. It's often a question of if they are doing 鈥榯oo much too soon,鈥欌 he suggests, referencing a common term in his book. 鈥淥r if their parents are living their own dreams through their kids.鈥

Cedar Valley Waldorf School principal Christine Martin has had her own experience as a sports parent of two very active elite young athletes, yet she still cautions parents to take it slowly. Daughter Mikayla, now a Grade 12 student at Howe Sound Secondary, is currently in Italy vying for a position on the BC alpine ski team and has her sights set on the Olympics in the not too distant future. Her sister Shondra is a Grade 11 student attending Sentinel Sports Academy where she can be challenged and get more time on the pitch.

Despite their athletic virtuosity, neither girl was introduced to organized sport until they were at least eight or nine years old, said Martin.

鈥淭hey just played in the forest that backed our property, and they loved it.鈥

鈥淲aiting a bit is a good option,鈥 Martin cautioned. 鈥淭hen when they do join a team or begin to get involved more, they just come at it with more maturity and passion 鈥 and we know it鈥檚 their own desire as opposed to the parents.

鈥淢oderation is tough to find around sport 鈥撀爌articularly in places like 麻豆社国产and Whistler. And it also seems we are pushing harder now than when we grew up as children. We expect more earlier 鈥撀爓hich I don鈥檛 believe is in the best interest of the child,鈥 she said. 鈥淪ooner doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean better. You haven鈥檛 lost a window if you haven鈥檛 got your child in sports early.鈥

Llosa鈥檚 book, Beyond Winning, grew out of personal experiences covering sports for over 20 years, but also as a father.

鈥淚n that time I've witnessed first-hand behaviour that motivated me to want to raise awareness about the endemic problems in youth sports: from cheating, to abusive coaching and age-inappropriate player development, to the use of performance-enhancing drugs to boost performance in young kids,鈥 he said, recalling an article he once wrote about a father who started injecting his son with testosterone and HgH (human growth hormone) at the age of 12.

For Llosa, the safety of children is the No. 1 priority, quickly followed by athletic longevity and a love of sport.

鈥淚njures due to overuse and over training are off the charts across North America,鈥 he said. 鈥淪pecialization has also curbed athletic development and creativity, and resulted in a myriad of severe sports injuries at too early an age. The fact that 70 per cent of our children quit organized sports by the age of 13 is telling enough. Helicopter parenting, over-involvement, flat-out bad coaching, performance anxiety... The list of issues is long. What I believe we want to aim toward is helping youth become creative and dynamic athletes who can enjoy a life-long love of sport.

鈥淎nd that has a great deal to do with educating parents and coaches about learning better ways to present sports to kids 鈥撀燼nd how to manage their athletic development so it happens at an appropriate pace.鈥

Read more at . The talk on Tuesday is sponsored by Quest University Canada, The 麻豆社国产, 麻豆社国产Inn, and 麻豆社国产Integrated Health. Tickets can be purchased on , at CVWS, or at the door for only $10. Visit Cedar Valley Waldorf School鈥檚 Facebook page or for up-to-date information. 聽

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