“Ugh.” That's what I told my uncle when he signed me up for the Special Olympics. I barely made it to the park on time that morning and reluctantly walked over to the sign-in tent. Looking across the field, I stood there thinking what did I get myself into. I didn't know what to expect when I arrived and thought, “Man, I'm wasting nine hours of my summer on a Saturday morning trying to watch people who are disabled that can't even play soccer.” I figured my day would consist of helping these people play soccer and that was it. It ended up being a lot more enjoyable due to the help of a friend named Daniel. Now Daniel, who is not your typical kid, was bigger than the rest. He wore round rimmed glasses, had a slurred speech, wore a black satchel around his body, and waddled when he walked because of his short steps. He lashes his …show more content…
Daniel always misses the ball when he attempts to kick it, but he keeps trying in futile attempts because the ball is taken away from him. They keep on trying until they kick the ball or score a goal and don’t give up easily. They have been through so much and have overcome so much that giving up isn’t an option for them. I am the total opposite. I give up pretty quickly when things go awry, but after watching them, I need more perseverance to keep trying until I accomplish my goals. As much as they may lose, trip, and miss, they always have a positive attitude. They encourage each other and never put each other down. A girl, unathletic but cheerful, always told her teammates, “That’s okay, get it back next time.” A boy, who missed the goal, smiled and whispered to himself, “Shucks, I’ll get it next time.” These two kids made me realize that I have an awful attitude. I have a normal life and these kids don’t, yet they still have a better attitude than me. I felt so ashamed of
One incident that happened to me that change how I thought about sports was when I first started playing soccer. It all started when my mom said that I should join a sport to get me more active. It took me awhile to choose soccer at first because there were so many sports to choose from. I told my mom I wanted to play soccer. She signed me up to play for a non competitive league (GYSA) so I can learn the basics of the sport. She also told me to play I would have to maintain good grades. After hearing that i always tried my best in soccer and school.
I not only participated in the Special Olympics as an athlete, but I went as a volunteer in 2009. I worked with many of the athletes. I helped the athletes get ready for bed at night, and I talked to ...
Youth Soccer has evolved into a fiercely competitive arena. More and more children are leaving recreational leagues to play in highly competitive select leagues. Select leagues are made up of teams, which players must tryout or be selected to play for. I had the unfortunate task of being an evaluator at such a tryout. Fifty ten-year-old boys had come out for a three day tryout in which forty five of them were placed on three teams. Cuts were made on the field and for those boys who had made a team it was a very exciting, but for the five boys who were cut it was absolutely heartbreaking. Had the children been older they might have been able to deal with the disappointment better, but for most of them it was their first real experience with public "failure". Select leagues have the potential to teach and promote important life skills such as hard work,...
We were going to win the game. That was the end of it. I knew it. We were the winners of that game. I stood up and yelled in a voice that even frightened me. I didn’t scream about moving our feet, or calling the ball, I screamed about how big of winners we were. I was done with moping. For seven minutes of my life, I had forgotten that I could do anything I set my mind to, and I had given up. The worst seven minutes of my volleyball career were those seven minutes in the third game of the final match at Brighton Volleyball Tournament. I had put my determination down to wallow in my disappointment. Disappointment needs to build determination. I had decided a long time ago that there were certain things in life that I could do better than other people. Those were my gifts. I use my gifts to my full potential.
The manner in which a kid’s parents react to failure, as she says, is “as crucial as celebrating their success.” The first step to allowing children to realize it is completely fine to lose is having a positive attitude as their superior and guardian. Children look up to and imitate their parents’ actions and beliefs. If parents accept failure as a way to succeed and enhance their skills, then their child will believe the same perspective. Sarah’s parents, wildly upset when her Little League team lost to their rivals, rambled to her about all his errors. They didn’t accept failure as a stepping stone to achievement. Adhered to her parent’s same perspective, Sarah viewed defeat as a weakness. Thinking less of her capability, she didn’t bother practicing to better his performance. At the start of the next season, she didn’t sign up for any sports and became depressed. A kid’s self-esteem plays a vital role in the development of their skills and success. The perspective in which a child views herself affects her effort and performance. Trophies are seen “as vindication” or a justification towards children who have already developed a high-self-esteem. They feel it is what they deserve, which serves as evidence of how great they already view themselves. Participation trophies that aren’t deserved hinder a child’s esteem and effort even more. The praise that wasn’t particularly earned gravitates their minds towards
Growing up in El Salvador, soccer was a sport that significantly impacted my childhood. My cousins and uncles taught me how to play soccer, as well as various techniques that would later benefit me on the soccer field. At the age of seven I started to play for one of most well-known soccer clubs in El Salvador. Practicing twenty three hours a week was really paying off, as I could see in my medal and trophy gain. Not only did they represent my accomplishments, but they also gave joy to my teammates, community, and family because they were the people who encouraged me to give my best. Playing soccer was also a way to release stress because when my family was going through hardships, it was easier for me to let all of my negative energy on the
When the coach turned his head, the seven-year-old stuck a finger down his throat and made himself vomit. When the coach fumed back, the boy pointed to the ground and told him, “Yes, there it is, Coach. See?” (Tosches A33).It emphasizes the fact that if a child gets hurt once, they will fear the possibility of getting hurt again ,so they try to find excuses to prevent themselves from playing the game.Second,Statsky states how competitive adults have drained the fun out of children's sports and made the game unappealing for children.She cites Martin Rablovsky, a former sports editor for the New York Times says that in all his years of watching young children play organized sports, he has noticed very few of them smiling. “I’ve seen children enjoying a spontaneous pre-practice scrimmage become somber and serious when the coach’s whistle blows,” Rablovsky says. “The spirit of play suddenly disappears, and sport becomes job-like” (qtd in Coakley 94). It shows the fact that competitive adults are oblivious to their actions and don't notice that what they are doing can really affect a child mentally.Third, Statsky is concerned that competitive sports will lower a child's self-esteem and make them lack confidence.’’Like adults, children fear failure, and so even those with good physical skills may stay away because they lack
In any sport, whether it’s football or softball or tennis, failure is bound to happen. Every athlete, at some point in his or her career, will deal with defeat. Although no one, especially competitors, enjoy failure, it is an essential to reaching success. I recently faced defeat on the softball field that still haunts me to this day, but the lessons I learned and the development in my character made the experience worth it.
I've recently came to the realization that plying full time soccer from when I was 5 years old to now has put a toll on my body.
As I was growing up I always had a personal goal to play sports. My parents never had the extra money for it though. Despite the lack of money, it never stopped me from trying to pursue my goal. One year, when I was in the 7th grade the answer was finally yes! The joy I felt when I heard that three letter word was the same joy of opening presents on Christmas morning. The road to my goal was beginning to become visible.
When I was six years old, I played on an extremely bad soccer team. That year we won one single game. Nobody knew how to shoot, dribble, or pass. Yet somehow my team kept winning trophies. They weren’t anything special; just a soccer ball with the words, “What Matters is You Had Fun!” It didn’t matter if we won or lost because we always got these trophies, trophies for participating. Many people believe that participation trophies are a good thing for children, but all they do is make children think that they always win. Participation trophies are a negative thing for kids.
It was an eventful summer, or you could say a summer with one major event. July sixteenth in particular was that one day that stood out bolder than the rest. It has been over a decade since the time I started investing my summers with sports practices and games. Each year, I took it up a notch. I didn’t really know how I felt about sports. When I was younger, I continually nurtured my skills for a future I didn't even see. Much like how I used to always read. The vocabulary, grammar, and structure I gained knowledge from reading didn't seem to matter back then. Until sixth grade, I really didn’t have a spark that motivated me to do anything. I believe the exact phrase my friend Emily said was, “I will teepee your house every single night until you decide to try out for Citadel.” This Citadel travel soccer team is what gave me better sense of who I was.
Some parents argue that playing youth sports can cause a child to have a negative mentality because the child has a risk of failing in the sport, but failing at a young age can be a good thing because youth sports teach children that not everyone is a winner. Youth sports teams are the perfect opportunity to teach children not everyone can win at everything every time. It is the perfect time for kids to learn how to bounce back after a disappointment. As a child gets older there will be tests they don’t pass, awards they won’t win, jobs and raises they won’t get, and so on. Teaching children at a young age how not to be a sore loser and how to grow, learn, and move on from a loss will help the child recover from more serious losses down the
In Lisa Strick essay, “So What’s so bad about Being So-So? Lisa talks about our competitive nature and the need to be the best. Sometimes competition gets in the way of us being able to following through on a hobby, sport or activity without being given the side eye because we aren’t great that activity. Stick feels as though she let her son down because she didn’t start him in soccer at an early age like the other kids. She states, “ I’m sorry, son, I guess I blew it” (p. 204). She states this after the other kids made fun of her own son; “We don’t want that dodo on our soccer team… He doesn’t know a goal kick from a head shot” (p.204). Kids can be ruthless and not care what they say. Hearing someone say that we suck can make you not want to continue to try.
My first year of hockey was special. My dad successfully played hockey, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. However, success would have to wait. Through 41 games, our team was 0-39-2. It was hardly the season I had envisioned. Our coaches kept encouraging us to work hard and give our best efforts. With our record, seemed like our efforts weren't worth much. However, our recent performances were heartening to us. Our latest 15 contests were all decided in 2 goals or less. We were seeing improvement and it energized us all. At our last tournament we finally won! I still remember the team: the Livonia Bruins. We cheered through the whole rink! Parents and players of other teams came over and celebrated with us; it was a joyous day. We talked