Michigan Golf Journal September 2020

23 September 2020 www.michigangolfjournal.com pee-wee football, or junior golf tournaments run by the local club, there is an entire mechanism for children to travel the nation to compete against players of similar age and/ or skills. Think Amateur Athletic Union or American Junior Golf Association, which boast memberships of 700,000 and 7,300, respectively. Increased competition means a rise in the number of golfers, parents, coaches, and tournaments. It also means the increase in businesses that develop coaches. In a Wall Street Journal  article from 2015, “Work & Family” columnist Sue Shellenbarger cited four national organizations, from California to Florida, that exist to study and improve youth sports. The consensus is that unnecessary competitive pressure on children, specifically by their parents, results in burnout, poor social development, and long-term physical maladies. This is consistent with the findings by sports- training adviser Denise K. Wood, who states in her book “Sports Psychology Special Topics” that one- third of children younger than 10 who are placed into adult-structured competitive environments – as opposed to free play and competition chosen by the child – will burn out or dislike the sport by age 17. Additionally, when children are asked to specialize in a sport that they didn’t choose, or one that they did choose but is parent-driven , they will over-train their bodies in a sport-specific way, overusing muscles and joints while failing to develop physical abilities that an array of physical activity would allow. Any responsible parent would want to put his or her child in the best-case scenario, though it can be difficult to recognize that the ideal situation for the youngster might not be dictated by the adult. The goal shouldn’t always be to win, Shellenbarger cautions, but rather to form the soft qualities that are essential to being a well-adjusted adult: bonding with teammates, taking coaching well, and stretching physical limits. She cites Jim Thompson, the founder of the nonprofit Positive Coaching Alliance, who said: “[Parents] are confused about what the goal is. The goal is to develop better athletes and better people.” There is another goal, however, that is becoming increasingly virulent: admission to college, and the cost of that education. To put a finer point to it, I interviewed former Vanderbilt golfer Jordan Janico two years ago. I asked about the pressure Continues on next page >>