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About PSO -> PSO Philosophy on Competition
Parent’s Attitude towards Children’s Sports and PSO Philosophy on
Competition
We often tell new parents in children’s leagues that sports places a child,
for the first time, in the arena of public opinion for success and failure.
Up to this point, if a child failed at home or at school, the only ones that
knew were those directly involved—the parent, teacher and child. Now, a
child’s success or failure is viewed by dozens from the sidelines/bleachers.
This often creates a dilemma for the parents in that it is difficult for a
parent to accept that they and their child are responsible, at least in
part, for both success and failure. As a result, parents often place blame
on the coach, officials or the league for any failure. We would encourage
you to be mature in your thinking in this situation and put this in a proper
perspective. We should also understand that the process of losing can be a
positive experience for children, if they use it as a springboard for
working harder, focusing, learning better the skills of the sport and, most
importantly, to overcome adversity in a positive way.
A second major issue in youth athletics is competition and how a league and
parents view competition. We have all heard and seen numerous stories of the
competitive drive of parents and coaches that is out of control. PSO wants
great competition with great class and a Christ-like attitude. We do not
fear competition. We, in fact, view competition as a great motivator.
Occasionally, parents believe that one team or coach “recruited” more than
they should. Please understand that most of our children’s sports leagues
are not primarily draft driven, in that children are not placed on to teams
by the league, but parents are given the freedom to form teams with the best
players available. We do not limit a coach’s ability to recruit members
beyond not allowing the removal of a player based on performance or holding
a multiple player ‘try-out’ for choosing children. For the most part,
coaches are encouraged to aggressively recruit players for their team. This
allows our organization to reach out to unchurched children and parents that
may not know Christ and recruitment increases healthy competition. It is
important that you, as a parent, understand that PSO encourages wholesome
competition and teams to recruit great new players. It is our desire that we
train the best young athletes in the North Dallas area; that they use the
physical and spiritual training they receive to influence others,
especially, as they mature as athletes in junior high and high school.
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