Recently, a reader of Trackmom.com made a few comments on the site Trackshark.com and e-mailed me , mentioning I should check it out. So I did. The forum thread discussed talented girl sprinters across the country. They went on about many girls from California, Colorado,Washington, Texas to name a few. I was intrigued by the conversation in regard to youth girl participation and how it should be viewed. Here are a few of the Trackshark.com comments below.
“There should be a law about not hyping any girls up pre-puberty!!!”
“I’m SOOOOOO glad someone caught on…!
“I think its absolutely proposterous the way some go overboard with children, yes young girls, knowing that when puberty hits, it has soooo many affects on their athletic abilities and how they perform and goes directly into their psychie….
That’s why I’d congratulate but be VERY mindful about how you raise a young girl in sports…some extremely talented pre-teens/teens in track, never recoup from that “winner” mentality when their bodies begin to take form and cannot duplicate their success on the next level….they suffer mental breakdowns when their athletic dominance gets shattered…its a total balancing act, and people should realize how precious a young girls mind is with regards to their youth dominance and if they should not maintain that same level.”
“ While I agree with some about the over hype, i must say that we do the same with everything we do we are track fans! Fans as in fanatics! I am not a great fan of what I read about Mr. Wells, but I have to defend the brother because what I hear about his program is he wants to get kids scholarships and that is what he does. Those kids are not getting scholarships to minor collages but major Universities. The key is there education is being paid for. Also research says his kids are successful Talaya Ownes Alabama is one of the best 400 hurdlers in the country, Ashley ownes did take second in the NCAA indoor nationals, Joe Morris Tennessee made the finals of the SEC as a freshman this year. Old names Aspen Burkett, Dawn Riley, and alecia latimore pepperr the record books for the University of Illinois. He had Dominigue Calloway of Ohio State that was one of the best hurdlers in the country her years in college. Let me see didn’t a Tony Smith of the university of Oklahoma run for the flyers, she hold Oklahoma triple jump records. And last be not least Sarah Mathews of Standford University. So not being a fan of his I have to respect the man, because he can say “Show me the money!” And the colleges keep coming! We as coachs and athletes would love to say we sent kids to every major University in the country. I would say if a high school coach is not making a kid the best they could be at the time they are coaching them than that coach is not doing there job”.
“I love watching the young kids but they are young kids, and as for Dior Hall. My friends in Colorado informed me she got hurt trying to run the college height and distance in the hurdles. This young lady just got out of the midget division. She should never had been put in that situation but only the coach knows what there kids can do”.
“…..people tend to anoint them the next coming, and girls are very quick to buy into it. So when they begin to realize it is not automatic (come easy), they get tested mentally, and that’s when the people in their lives should watch and be careful. Too much fuss is made over Girls in Track and Field, because of early & young success. The label “Elite” has a bearing on young girls also. So when they begin to physically change and other athletes begin to catch up, then the Coach in charge at that time gets the blame that they messed up this “Elite” athlete, and the child can no longer hold on to that “Elite” status in their minds the way it’s been force feed to them, because they no longer “DOMINATE” , even though they still may be a very good performer, they usually just go in another direction because many feel they are letting someone down if they can’t perform like they did when they were younger. That’s why all the fuss.
Remember, most Girls are pleasers, and all they want to do is please those close to them or whom thinks very highly of them. So yes, sometimes we need to be very careful with overhyping young girls.”
”
……..”Hyping 10, 11, 12 and 13 year olds seemed to me to be something that taken in the right spirit, could make our sport that much more interesting, but in this day and age I can see where it could have some adverse affects. If in any way anything I have posted which was done in pure fun and enthusiasm for the sport of track and field has had any adverse affects on any of these young girls, I apologize.
With that said I wish there wasn’t as much lecturing and criticizing done on this bulletin board about what people feel is wrong about track and field and more enthusiasm about what they feel is right. Looking for showdowns between 12 and 13 year olds is going a little over the edge in my opinion but making comments on a race where two or three of the top young girls in the country show up and run against each other is a good thing to me”.
If you want to read more of this thread click here Thanks to Trackshark.com for the great discussion.
Knowing many of these parents personally I feel that the parents of girls under 15 are showing balance while developing their child. I don’t think there isn’t anything wrong with celebration of good performances and perhaps we as track enthusiast should simply enjoy the journey,twists and turns of this every changing divisional landscape of the sport.
Sure there are some athletes that may be over trained that is common in all sports not just girls track, sure there are girls that have a dip in performance as her body catches you with her early speed.
As a parent of a girl sprinter I have to prepare her for the host of what if’s and if this..when this… I believe most people understand this but in the moment of the race we enjoy the race not what may not happen tomorrow.That is saved for Monday through Friday development.
Our children have dreams, parents have dreams too. Balance is the word of the day. I know how my family keeps it ,and I am sure most families has there own as well. Lastly I find it very interesting that this is a common topic with the girls ,but boys have there share of percieved missed futures and early starts, I need not say any names but they have all been under a similar microscope over the years. All the same we enjoyed the excitement they provide in youth and high school track.
My comments in the thread are below.
” TrackMom wrote: ”Being a Mom of a pre-pub sprint girl. You guys (I assume mostly men
out here) have me a bit confused. First, you hype these talented girls up then you rip the rug out from underneath any one that admires them or puts another in the ring.
They are all developing and year to year someone get’s to be on top however that happens. It doesn’t mean it will stay that way but they are progressing at that moment in time they are on top. Some one asked in this thread where is the balance for a parent or coach?
I certainly have my own thoughts but how can there be balance on this forum when admiring an athlete means that we shouldn’t talk about them or observe stand out performances?
My daughter is well under the Youth Division age ,but I think alot about girls and development.As a very wise coach told me and my husband.He never goes after records,or the times he thinks a girl “should ” or (could) run but an organic development born out of fun and exceptional talent and sound training.
I hope my daughter can keep “organic” having fun while exceling in all aspects of her life not just her recreational persuits.
I enjoy reading about,Aaliyah,Hannah,Dior,Mary Beth.Taisyn,Audrianna,and all the ones chasing their dreams of gold too, the list can go on .Their recent times and performances are what I as a fan want to know .
I hope that continues. We all are fans,that is why we read and on ocassiion write about youth track. I believe we understand the dynamics of girls in this sport ,but all the same we love watching a great perfomance at 9 or 19.
Human nature is to compare and contrast. As a parent I do much more than that (with my daughter) ,but as a fan of other youth athletes what else can I do since I don’t know these girls or boys personally, but I enjoy the competition.
TrackMom”
Please leave a comment below on your feelings about this topic for girls and boys as well. Also if you would like to start a thread of discussion of your own please go to the “TM” the TrackMom.com Community today.
i love this site and can’t wait to disect it completely for every quote and sub note i can find! track mom, take a bow
kerry myers