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0816 AUGUST
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?when parents found a way to make money off of their
kids
,
sports
changed,? darron mitchell, the head baseball coach of parkview baptist school, laments. gone are the days of children playing multiple
sports
just for fun. now, many
kids
are playing one sport year round to become elite
athletes
. ?is athletic trend is called
sports
specialization, the year- round training of one sport with the exclusion of other
sports
. ?is lifestyle requires families to immerse themselves in expensive travel club teams that are highly structured. focused trainings and practices dominate young
athletes
? schedules with little time for unorganized play. ?e purpose has shifted from enjoyment of the activity to improving performance. instead of deliberate play,
kids
are spending their time in deliberate practice. m.l. woodruff, the
sports
outreach minister at istrouma baptist church and 11-time high school state championship baseball coach, has observed the transformation of
sports
over the last 20 years. woodruff is concerned about the youth that specialization is producing. he acknowledges, ?athleticism is being sucked out of
kids
.
kids
are not becoming
athletes
, they are becoming
sports
players. instead of becoming well- rounded
athletes
, they are becoming skill machines.? some negative results of early
sports
specialization are increased rate of injury, burnout, and loss of childhood. increased injury ?it?s almost sad the rate at which
kids
, particularly in baseball, are getting injured because of specialization. it?s become an epidemic. ?ree and a half million patients under the age of 14 are being seen by orthopaedic surgeons nationwide,? beau lowery, an expert in
sports
injuries, declares. he has been a physical therapist and athletic trainer for 18 years, owns elite physical ?erapy, and is the director of rehabilitation for the new orleans saints. lowery first began seeing the pattern of
kids
? orthopaedic injuries while he was working with the baton rouge orthopeadic clinic. ?e frequency and severity of injuries correlates with the amount of play and practice on the young, developing bodies. lowery advises, ?parents and coaches have to be educated to know what is safe for these
kids
. periodization, taking time out of the year to rest, must be implemented.? injuries to young bodies can have a detrimental effect on
athletes
as they grow older. lowery recounts several instances of freshman baseball players at lsu whose arms and shoulders were already beyond repair before they even stepped on the college field. burnout ?e burnout is not just physical but mental and emotional as well. high school coaches are seeing more
athletes
that are burned out and tired of playing their one sport. an ohio state university study found that
kids
who played a single sport were more likely to quit their sport and be physically inactive as adults. ?ey burn out and then withdraw. mitchell recalls a similar incident on his team, by joy holden 2015-16 cover kid: camryn c. j. changing the game is it wise to specialize? august 2016 | brparents.com 61
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