The Olathe Kansas Soccer Club has a great logo; a soccer ball in the center of a sunflower. A patch with that logo is number 108 in the World's Largest Sunflower Collection. A wit once said; 'Soccer is very easy to play. You only need to know two things. If it moves; kick it.........if it doesn't move, kick it til it does.'
The wit left unanswered why European soccer fans riot. With scores of 0-0, 1-0 and 1-1, is it any wonder? They want their money back!! Ninty minutes for goal totals you can count on one hand! At least that's one thing you can use your hands for in soccer. Deep down they know it is boring. Why else would they try to disquise a zero by calling it a nil?
BUT, before I am tempted to throw out too much bathwater, let me say soccer is a great sport for children.
Find a flat patch of grass,
Find a ball,
Start running,
And kicking,
And passing,
And exercising,
And perspiring,
And playing,
And smiling,
And enjoying. And that's the deal with youth sports: The enjoying. We adults should never do anything to douse that enjoyment. No harping at:
The coach,
The refs,
Other players, or
Our own little loved ones.......WHY NOT? Don't they need to understand competition? Aren't they American-Darwins? Survival of the fittest and all that? That's it exactly!! It is youth sports that will teach them the lessons needed for success in this world, things like;
teamwork, and
being fit, and
care for equipment, and
time management (you mean I have to do my homework AND practice tonight?) and
making friends, and
respect for opponents, and
striving hard within the rules. All the types of things they will use the rest of their lives. So that is why we adults should NEVER do anything to dampen the enjoyment of sports, thus causing little ones to quit. For it is that enjoyment that will get them returning year after year after year to the sports that give them so much.
We aren't raising scholarship athletes for Kansas University or professionals for the Chicago Bulls. We are raising young men and women through the fun and lessons of sports. If they go to college free, or cash a paycheck with a pro team logo----those are happy accidents. In fact, even those happy accidents will never happen without the foundation of unbounded enjoyment. 'Ad Astra to you, children of the world. Keep kicking it til it moves.'
The wit left unanswered why European soccer fans riot. With scores of 0-0, 1-0 and 1-1, is it any wonder? They want their money back!! Ninty minutes for goal totals you can count on one hand! At least that's one thing you can use your hands for in soccer. Deep down they know it is boring. Why else would they try to disquise a zero by calling it a nil?
BUT, before I am tempted to throw out too much bathwater, let me say soccer is a great sport for children.
Find a flat patch of grass,
Find a ball,
Start running,
And kicking,
And passing,
And exercising,
And perspiring,
And playing,
And smiling,
And enjoying. And that's the deal with youth sports: The enjoying. We adults should never do anything to douse that enjoyment. No harping at:
The coach,
The refs,
Other players, or
Our own little loved ones.......WHY NOT? Don't they need to understand competition? Aren't they American-Darwins? Survival of the fittest and all that? That's it exactly!! It is youth sports that will teach them the lessons needed for success in this world, things like;
teamwork, and
being fit, and
care for equipment, and
time management (you mean I have to do my homework AND practice tonight?) and
making friends, and
respect for opponents, and
striving hard within the rules. All the types of things they will use the rest of their lives. So that is why we adults should NEVER do anything to dampen the enjoyment of sports, thus causing little ones to quit. For it is that enjoyment that will get them returning year after year after year to the sports that give them so much.
We aren't raising scholarship athletes for Kansas University or professionals for the Chicago Bulls. We are raising young men and women through the fun and lessons of sports. If they go to college free, or cash a paycheck with a pro team logo----those are happy accidents. In fact, even those happy accidents will never happen without the foundation of unbounded enjoyment. 'Ad Astra to you, children of the world. Keep kicking it til it moves.'
1 comment:
Great blog! Great state motto..good for life.
Thanks for sharing your wisdom
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