School children and sport
Is there an over-emphasis on winning and achievement at the expense of late developers or budding achievers whose talents are not immediately evident?
The new school year has started in all earnest and with it comes the inevitable selection processes where teachers and coaches select “good” and “talented” athletes and players for inclusion in school sport teams.
Selections are then made solely on current performance and ability and are quite understandably done with cut-off times in order to put together the best possible teams.
These individuals and teams are of course expected to perform exceptionally well at the particular sport and bring honour and prestige to the school.
The sport achievers are then often singled out as “stars” and bask in the limelight and admiration of teachers, coaches, fellow scholars and of course, parents and rightfully so. Everybody loves a winner and winning is good.
But this leads to the question of whether or not there is an over-emphasis on winning and achievement at the expense of late developers or budding achievers whose talents are not immediately evident.
After selecting the “talented’ kids, who in many cases are then developed further by being exposed to better resources, better coaching, and better competition the potential “late developers” are left behind and their talents left undiscovered.
Quite often, a potential star is sidelined because winning is here and now and seasonal sporting activities place severe time constraints on the selection process. The potential for the late developer to reach meaningful and successful sporting achievements is torpedoed right there and then.
With encouragement, careful nurturing and in-house development programs a scholar who is a “middle-of-the pack” or even “back-of-the-pack” athlete or sport player at the beginning of his or her career at a particular school may well develop into an achiever by the time the next year or season comes around. They must not be ignored or forgotten.
Who knows? Even the child who is left alone and crying on the track while finishing in last place may well develop to be the superstar of tomorrow long after today’s “stars” may have burned themselves out.
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