Common Characteristics Of Elite Youth Athletes

 Common Characteristics of Elite Youth Athletes

 As a culture we have become fasinated with the performance of our athletes,professional and increasingly our youth athletes.I will explore the common traits of elite youth athletes in the discussion below.

Sports have always been an integral part of society and culture in the United States and around the world.   We learn the core values of teamwork, dedication, loyalty, commitment, fair play, selflessness and sportsmanship through participation in sports.  The essence of children’s sports is that, through participation during the formative years, a youngster can develop those qualities that will enable him or her to evolve into a responsible adult and good citizen.  Children who participate in team sports learn the value of sublimating personal goals for the higher goals of the team.  Sports provide the venue for children to develop the aforementioned core values through positive experiences which promote their physical, psychological and emotional maturity and well-being. 

 What if your child is considered to be an elite child athlete?  What are the commonalities that exist among elite child athletes, and how are parents and coaches to cope with these gifted youngsters?  What are the problems that these children face and the concomitant issues for parents, coaches, health care providers and for overseeing sports governing bodies? These issues will be discussed today are the unique challenges that an elite child athlete faces in our society .   

 Recognition of an Elite Child Athlete

 If you’re a parent and your child is between the ages of six and thirteen years of age, you may wonder how a child’s athletic success translates into identification as an elite child athlete.  An elite child athlete is one who has demonstrated an ability to perform at a level that well exceeds that of his or her peers.  The superior child athlete has demonstrated prowess in a particular area of sports through competition among peers. This specialized talent may require the employment of a skilled support staff in order to permit the child’s gift to further blossom and flourish. The elite child athlete who receives the coaching of experts in the field is often exposed to competition among other elite child athletes.  What are the commonalities among the extraordinary child athletes that set them apart from their other peers?    

Common Character Traits

 While each elite child athlete is unique and no two participate in sports under exactly the same conditions, there are some common traits that are basically found in the superior young athlete:

• Undaunted Will:  the children possess a determination and will to succeed in whatever sport they are undertaking.  While participation in sports is an enjoyable experience providing healthy physical and mental exercise, the elite child athlete embraces the competition and utilizes any temporary athletic setback as motivation for further improvement of his or her skill level.
• Superior Athletic Mentality:  the children are gifted with an insight and understanding of the sport in which they are participating on a far greater level than that of most of their peers.  This is not to say that these children are all superior students.  There is no absolute correlation between comprehension and performance in the classroom and comprehension and performance on the athletic field, although the elite athlete’s ability to concentrate appears to be more developed.

More to be examined next time……

This is an excerpt from my up coming book

Nurturing The Youth Athlete…..

Everthing You Thought You Knew ,But Didn’t Have a Clue

 Track Mom

Dr.Lorraine JohnsonWilliams

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4. Overuse Injuries and Youth Athletes
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