If you’re the parent of a child involved in organized sports, you are undoubtedly aware of how competitive playing a game has become. And it’s not the children who are competitive – it’s the parents. Sure, many of the kids want to get in there and do well at their sport, but the parents push them to do better. Many are finding that other parents have outdone them, enrolling their kids in special training camps, instructional sessions and skill drills in hopes they’ll make it in a highly-competitive league. They plead with teachers and school administrators to do what they can to give their children better grades so high-profile college teams won’t dismiss them. Recreational leagues can be cut-throat. Parents scream at the children and coaches from the sidelines during games. And this all starts – incredibly – in grade school.
But kids, for the most part, don’t want to be in a highly-competitive sports league. They just want to play. Continue reading “The “I Just Want to Play” League”
You’ve probably heard that many people fear speaking in public more than almost anything else. But it doesn’t have to be that way – and as a Scouter, you are in a perfect position to learn how to ease that fear.
That’s the subject line on an e-mail advertisement I received this week from a popular athletic gear company. (I won’t say which one.) They’re known for making high-quality apparel that keeps athletes comfortable in hot and cold weather, and their lines have broadened to include casual clothing as well. The e-mail pictured a young man, ready for school, wearing a polo shirt and khakis from this brand’s new fall line. This is your uniform, the ad states in bold type.
