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From the Minnesota State high School League

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• What High School Students Say.......
• Organized Sports for Children and Pre-adolescents
• American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

September 2005

What High School Students Say.......

Responses from students to national surveys support extracurricular activities not only as lifestyle learning, but also as relief from behavior-influencing tensions of an adult, fast-paced, technologically-focused society. High school students in 50 states say #8212;

• Fun is the number one reason girls and boys get into high school activities. Lack of fun was the leading reason for dropping out.
• Winning as a major benefit of sports ranked only eighth for boys as a reason to participate. Girls gave it a 12 rating.
• Skill development — both boys and girls considered as a crucial aspect of having fun in participation. Even the best athletes considered developing a skill as more important than winning.
• Self-competition and learning about themselves were rated among the most rewarding challenges of sports, ahead of winning or getting attention from others.
• Improved attitudes about themselves, lower drop out rates, and less need for discipline resulted from activity participation.
• The majority said participation in school activities is a very important part of their high school education; 63 percent agreed that activities contribute greatly to school spirit; and 65 percent said activities make high school much more enjoyable.

Student responses to a Minnesota State High School League survey state that —

• 95 percent believe that "how you treat others" is more important than winning.
• 91 percent say that students who participate in school activities tend to be school leaders.
• 86 percent think that sportsmanship is more important than winning.
• 81 percent learned to be sensitive to cultural heritage and traditions of others.
• 73 percent felt that their school places the right amount of emphasis on sports.
• 66 percent appreciate their parents' encouraging attitudes more than any other attitude parents display toward athletic participation.

Sport Schedule Experts' Opinion

Organized Sports for Children and Pre-adolescents

Experts on child and adolescent development have long encouraged children's participation in sports for the many benefits it can provide. However, increasingly, physical and mental health professionals are concerned that excessive involvement in organized sports can be detrimental to kids' health and are recommending balance for youth athletes.

American Academy of Pediatrics

American Academy of Organized Sports for Children and Pre-adolescents Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness and Committee on School Health

PEDIATRICS Vol. 107 No. 6 June 2001, pp. 1459-1462

http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;107/6/1459

• Organized sports programs for pre-adolescents should complement, not replace, the regular physical activity that is a part of free play, child-organized games, recreational sports, and physical education programs in the schools.
• Tournaments, all-star teams, most valuable player awards, trophies, and awards banquets are by-products of adult influences. Despite good intentions, increased involvement of adults does not necessarily enhance the child athlete's enjoyment.
• Despite many potential benefits of organization, there is no consensus as to the overall value of organized sports for pre-adolescents
• A pediatrician may be one of the few adults who can objectively determine when pressures and expectations of organized sports become excessive
• When the demands of a sport exceed a child's cognitive and physical development, the child may develop feelings of failure and frustration
• Unrealistic parental expectations and/or exploitation of young athletes for extrinsic gain can contribute to negative psychological consequences for elite young athletes.
• When the demands and expectations of organized sports exceed the maturation and readiness of the participant, the positive aspects of participation can be negated.

American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

The "Achievement by Proxy" spectrum: recognition and clinical response to pressured and high-achieving children and adolescents

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; February 01, 1999; Tofler, Ian R. Knapp, Penelope K. Drell, Martin J.

The highly stressful, competitive, "win at all costs" attitude prevalent at colleges and with professional athletes affects the world of children’s sports and athletics; creating an unhealthy environment.

From The Dark Side of Youth Sports by Shane Murphy PhD:

35% of kids in sports said they will quit in a year due to:

• lost interest
• not having fun
• took too much time
• coach was a poor teacher
• too much pressure

"An estimated four million children seek treatment for sports injuries in hospital emergency rooms each year. Twice that number sees a primary care physician. The statistics on alcohol abuse among student athletes are alarming. In one study intercollegiate athletes were found to have the highest rates of binge drinking of any group of students. In another study, male high school student athletes in a middle class community were found to have higher rates of alcohol use than other students."