Sports: The Road to Somewhere - Just Not Where You Thought
Sports: The Road to Somewhere - Just Not Where You Thought
By Amy Pazahanick, Guest Contributor Winners Connection, Growing Champions for Life
Parents, coaches, and players each have very specific roles in how the development of a student/athlete will progress. However, here are some facts from the world of tennis, as an example, that we should all keep in mind.
• Odds of becoming pro tennis player: 2 in 10,000 or 0.0002.
• Break even for a pro ranked #150 in the world: approx. $160K year.
• 4-8 years to reach top 200, at a cost of $160K year, equaling between $640K to $1,28M.
• Cost to train per year: approx. $12K. By age 15, you've spent roughly $60K in 5-6 yrs.
• Only 7% of the top world 100 juniors will be professional tennis players, and only 1% will be in the top 20. (Posted 4/26/2014 by Javier Palenque)
Other sports have similarly small odds of going pro. When one looks at the cold facts, there is absolutely no reason what-so-ever to aspire to be a professional athlete. The cost and investment of time is just mind blowing. Add to this list the randomness of injuries, bad coaching, and mental factors; these variables and experiences combined with the real facts make the decision to pursue a pro career delusional. But none of those discouraging stats are why I encourage kids to play sports, and to play it extremely well.
I want kids to play the sport of their choice because it will prepare them for life. Needing to practice every day, compete every other weekend, win and lose, laugh and cry, become part of a team, make friends, exercise daily and learn proper nutrition - that's what life is all about! When young athletes devote their daily life to improving their skills, knowing full well that there are many other players better than them, they have gained a huge advantage for handling life through their adult journey of family, work, and community.
Through sports, we can teach kids the principles needed to succeed in life: independence, self-reliance, decision making, hard work, balance, determination, standing up after a big fall, disappointment and joy. They will experience the cost of winning and the sacrifices needed to get there. They will learn from losing and to get back up from it, understanding that losing is only feedback. In essence, they will be properly trained to succeed in their lives. This is priceless.
When administered properly, sports can make our kids better citizens, better sons and daughters, better fathers and mothers, and better people all around. While it would be great to get an athletic scholarship to a great school, we need to make sure that is not the end goal. In my tennis experience, with those horrible odds, there is simply no other way I would have chosen to spend time together with those kids. It prepares them for when they leave the nest to be able to fly for themselves, and be champions in their own life.
If you really want to be involved in sports, invest in sport organizations where you see a program that focuses on developing your child into a champion person.
Five Tips for Parents
1. Treat your child the same way whether he or she wins or loses. If you buy them an ice cream cone after they win a match, you had better buy them an ice cream cone after they lose a match, or the message is loud and clear, "I get more approval or love, when I win than when I lose." Make the focus always on effort and attitude, never outcome.
2. Let the coach do the coaching. Don't try to take the coach's job away. Be the parent.
3. Don't think of your child's sport as an investment for which you expect a financial return.
4. Don't compare your child's progress with that of other children.
5. Look relaxed, calm, and positive on the sidelines. Your attitude will help your child perform better.
Amy Pazahanick is the Director of Tennis at White Columns Country Club in north metro Atlanta. She serves as a Growing Champions for Life Athlete Advisor for tennis and golf.
• Odds of becoming pro tennis player: 2 in 10,000 or 0.0002.
• Break even for a pro ranked #150 in the world: approx. $160K year.
• 4-8 years to reach top 200, at a cost of $160K year, equaling between $640K to $1,28M.
• Cost to train per year: approx. $12K. By age 15, you've spent roughly $60K in 5-6 yrs.
• Only 7% of the top world 100 juniors will be professional tennis players, and only 1% will be in the top 20. (Posted 4/26/2014 by Javier Palenque)
Other sports have similarly small odds of going pro. When one looks at the cold facts, there is absolutely no reason what-so-ever to aspire to be a professional athlete. The cost and investment of time is just mind blowing. Add to this list the randomness of injuries, bad coaching, and mental factors; these variables and experiences combined with the real facts make the decision to pursue a pro career delusional. But none of those discouraging stats are why I encourage kids to play sports, and to play it extremely well.
I want kids to play the sport of their choice because it will prepare them for life. Needing to practice every day, compete every other weekend, win and lose, laugh and cry, become part of a team, make friends, exercise daily and learn proper nutrition - that's what life is all about! When young athletes devote their daily life to improving their skills, knowing full well that there are many other players better than them, they have gained a huge advantage for handling life through their adult journey of family, work, and community.
Through sports, we can teach kids the principles needed to succeed in life: independence, self-reliance, decision making, hard work, balance, determination, standing up after a big fall, disappointment and joy. They will experience the cost of winning and the sacrifices needed to get there. They will learn from losing and to get back up from it, understanding that losing is only feedback. In essence, they will be properly trained to succeed in their lives. This is priceless.
When administered properly, sports can make our kids better citizens, better sons and daughters, better fathers and mothers, and better people all around. While it would be great to get an athletic scholarship to a great school, we need to make sure that is not the end goal. In my tennis experience, with those horrible odds, there is simply no other way I would have chosen to spend time together with those kids. It prepares them for when they leave the nest to be able to fly for themselves, and be champions in their own life.
If you really want to be involved in sports, invest in sport organizations where you see a program that focuses on developing your child into a champion person.
Five Tips for Parents
1. Treat your child the same way whether he or she wins or loses. If you buy them an ice cream cone after they win a match, you had better buy them an ice cream cone after they lose a match, or the message is loud and clear, "I get more approval or love, when I win than when I lose." Make the focus always on effort and attitude, never outcome.
2. Let the coach do the coaching. Don't try to take the coach's job away. Be the parent.
3. Don't think of your child's sport as an investment for which you expect a financial return.
4. Don't compare your child's progress with that of other children.
5. Look relaxed, calm, and positive on the sidelines. Your attitude will help your child perform better.
Amy Pazahanick is the Director of Tennis at White Columns Country Club in north metro Atlanta. She serves as a Growing Champions for Life Athlete Advisor for tennis and golf.
