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The Courage It Takes to Play

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The Courage It Takes to Play
 
You lace up your shoes,
heart pounding,
stomach tight.
Your name is called.
 
And now every eye is on you.
You step up to the plate.
You climb onto the beam.
You sprint down the field.
You take the shot.
 
Behind you?
A chorus of adults.
Coaches yelling.
Parents pacing.
Whispers. Cheers. Groans.
 
Your teammate’s dad clenches his fists when you miss.
Your own mom drops her head when your shot clangs out.
The sideline is a storm of expectations,
And you’re standing in the eye of it.
 
You’re 5.
You’re 10.
You’re 13.
 
Do we see how brave they are?
To try. And try. And try.
To fail.
To be seen doing both.
 
But what do we do?
 
We break down their mistakes in the car.
We critique and tell them what they should have done.
We withhold the stop for ice cream.
We think we’re teaching—but what we’re really doing is taking.
 
We take the joy.
The safe place.
The reasons to play.
 
So here’s the reminder:
 
If they’re on the field, they’re already brave.
If they show up, they’ve already won.
 
They don’t need our pressure.
They need our comments.
They don’t need a critic.
They need a support system. They need a fan. They need love, win or lose.
 
Let’s not be the hardest part of the game.
Let’s be the reason they keep playing.
 
The Careless Language of Sports Parents 
My Daughter Chose to Quit Sports and This is What I Want Youth Sports Parents to Know

Primary Sidebar

  • What We Can Learn from Alex Cooper’s Story About Emotional Harm in Sports
  • The Parents Role: When They Dream, and When They Don’t
  • The Courage It Takes to Play
  • The Careless Language of Coaches
  • The Simple Words That Changed Everything
  • The Careless Language of Sports Parents

Categories

  • A Healthy Athlete
  • Sports Parenting
  • Coaching and Team Culture
  • High Performance
  • Lifestyle
  • Mindset

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WHAT'S TRENDING IN YOUTH SPORTS?
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We Believe In The Power Of Sports

Injuries in young athletes have soared. Costs to compete have skyrocketed. Kids are quitting in record numbers. But we believe strongly in youth sports, and the many ways it improves our childrens’ lives.

We are here to help parents regain balance and sanity, and to help restore the joy, accomplishment, and core values derived from sports.

Begin your journey today.

 

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About the founder

According to a survey conducted over 30 years by two coaches and athletic administrators about what young athletes want to hear most from their parents after a sporting event, it turns out it is: “I love to watch you play.”

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