Let Life Teach
December 7, 2012
Here’s a golden nugget from Ann Arbor’s Dr. Dan Saferstein’s little book, Win or Lose: A Guide to Sports Parenting:
“Most of us have an easier time being math parents than we do being sports parents. We don’t stand over our children as they’re doing their homework, hollering at them to round to the highest decimal or carry their zero. We trust that they’ll be able to figure things out on their own, and if they can’t, they’ll get the help they need from their teachers or by asking us.
“What a lot of sports parents seem to forget is that young athletes also need the same space to figure things out on their own. They need to learn how to think and make decisions during game situations, which isn’t easy to do when your parent (or someone else’s parent) is shouting out directions.
“The reality is that if your child could score a goal or stop a defender, he would. In most cases, telling your child to move faster to the ball is like telling him to be taller. Effort isn’t the only critical factor in sports, or in math. Some children will never be high-level athletes no matter how hard they try, which is by no means a tragedy. The world doesn’t necessarily need more gymnastics, softball or soccer stars. It needs more young people who are willing to try and make our world a better place.”
Go to dansaferstein.com for more good stuff from the good doctor.
Yin and Yang
November 15, 2016
The essential skill in the ancient yet still practiced art of paper cutting is to be able to make a single cut that will remove what is unwanted and retain what is needed. The Chinese phrase "yin and yang" captures the meaning ... that which is simultaneously disconnected and connected.
There is a similar art to leading modern day interscholastic athletics, where the top task is simultaneously to protect and promote school sports. Preventing what will damage the pure essence of the interscholastic brand while at the same time promoting the experience for players and spectators.
As the Michigan High School Athletic Association steps up efforts to promote attendance and enhance the spectator experience at local and statewide school-sponsored athletic events, the MHSAA must also be intentional to avoid or discard that which will poison the underlying educational purpose of the events.
As the National Federation of State High School Associations launches its #MyReasonWhy campaign, it must do the same. What we believe and what we do must remain connected.