Prep Sports and Mental Toughness
As a sports photographer, coach, leader, dad and entrepreneurship mentor, the last 15 years has painted a very direct picture.
Sitting here staring at my daily analytics from my Garmin dashboard, data starts a ripple effect. Why do I start my day at 4:30am, typically? Why do I strive to get outside or get a workout in? Why do I have 2 water bottles and a coffee mug on my desk?
You know what I am talking about as you spiral or snowball out of control into the abyss trying to discern and distinguish a history or actions of old. Or, what is yet to come.
Back as a youth, a six sport athlete and shitty student, I started my day at the gym — nearly every morning at 6:15am when the custodian arrived at the school to open the doors.
In the gym I would go to run and shoot hoops. I had a love hate relationship for the weight room and have since I was in 7th grade, but that isn’t for this excerpt.
I’ve had my time where motivation was out the door during the past 30 years, but for the most part — up-and-at’em is a thing! Get it done, is a thing. Being competitive…..is a thing.
Standing at glance spanning several perspectives, I have witnessed the demise of mental fortitude and the rise of uncompromising insecurity with our youth. The ability to mentally produce perseverance and drive has outweighed the ‘just do it’ gusto.
Constructive criticism and true coaching are almost a thing of the past unless one grows up in a family where both parents are on the same page in that respect. Which is very rare.
This has also played a huge part in how many kids are going out for sports. How many kids are quitting when things get challenging and how many parents don’t want to be parents to their kids, so they just give in.
Snapchat and Instagram, amongst other applications on smart devices have paved the way and replaced many sport minded youth.
I know so many youth that have incredible natural talent in one or multiple sports/activities, but have never been guided into those worlds. They could be some of the greatest players. Natural abilities like I have never seen.
This is also playing a huge part on mental toughness. This is the first generation that has grown up on devices — where their primary social interaction is on the device. Not in person.
In my experience, this has been a huge demise to where we are today in rates of suicide, bullying, getting out and active, plus, perseverance. Not to mention childhood obesity — again, another except.
Most youth are not pushed. Coaches or mentors that push are verbally beaten down for being too hard. Then they quit. Look at refs. They even take a huge brunt — ‘you called a foul on my kid, he is perfect. He doesn’t need the anguish.’
Kid quits. Parents are fine with it.
So refs are quitting, too. They don’t want to deal with parents…and also rude, non-respecting kids, when that’s literally who they are their for. Does this play hand in hand? I, after 24 years of youth leadership, would say — YES!
Kids get their first job. They quit because they were asked to do something. They quit because they were asked to stay off their phone. They quit because they can’t have a face tattoo…. You get the point.
2 to 3 decades ago this may have been a small issue. Today, this is a LARGE issue!
I am seeing a correlation at a high level with kids that stay on the couch versus those that get off and are pushed to keep moving forward. Kids who are told, ‘Things are tough, you need to be tougher. You got this.’
As parents. Are we to blame? As a country with all the money driven mind grasping companies and their marketing, are they to blame? The grasping algorithms social media uses to keep you coming back — them?
What I know is what I have been seeing. This is not a cut and dry situation. This needs structure. We all know what happens when lines are just drawn — even adults in their 60s have panic attacks and freak out. Look at the U.S. political landscape.
I know I was a bad student. Did I know the stuff, yep. Did I pass the tests, yep. I hated homework. I’d rather be in the gym. Now, I work my butt off at work. Sometimes 18 hour days. I love homework!
Is that where some of these young adults are headed? Because of their relentless vine videos, it will project them into amazing transformative humans that change the world?
Where do you sit? All I know — we need to shake this up! This and so many other things that I see as culprits dictate this outcome.
