Sport parents, we invite you to click on the video to the right to watch an enlightening video where kids explain how they feel when their parents watch their sporting events.

Play Like a Champion encourages creating a “child-centered” sport environment. We love this video because we hear directly from young athletes about their experiences - their advice is worth listening to and taking to heart. You might be surprised to hear the athletes in this video share that even when parents are cheering positively, this can still make them feel distracted, annoyed or even tense. They also express that parents embarrass them by their yelling or cheering.

Studies repeatedly show that 70% of kids drop out of sport by the age of 13. This often occurs because there is too much pressure in the sport environment, which drains the fun from the game. Even well meaning parents can unwittingly contribute to this pressure. Based on these athletes’ counsel in the video, here are some simple pearls of wisdom for sport parents: 

• Be a big cheerleader for your athlete and their whole team. 
• Smile and offer a positive gesture like a thumbs up during a game.
• No yelling and possibly even less boisterous cheering.
• Provide positive encouragement and support rather than coaching.
• Offer a big hug after a game.
• Following a competition, say “I love to watch you play” and leave it at that!

The video above comes from the website www.ilovetowatchyouplay.com, which hosts a wealth of tools that parents can access to truly help their athlete have a positive sport experience. We think you will enjoy these resources, finding valuable wisdom and insight from them.

Play Like a Champion Today Educational Series

PO Box 72, Notre Dame, IN 46556 | information@playlikeachampion.org

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