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Dear Athletic Support: I feel like a lot of your columns lately have been putting youth sports down. Every parent who writes in seems to have some major complaint. Some problem they have with their child’s coach or practice schedule or whatever their latest issue is. In our house, we love sports. We live and breathe it! I found your column because I thought I could get some good, insider information about how to help my children become the best athletes possible. That hasn’t been the case, especially lately. What are your goals with this column? Surely you get to pick and choose your questions. And if that’s the case, then why do you consistently pick the complainers? My son’s coach calls kids (and parents) who are always complaining “naysayers.” Nobody wants a naysayer on their team. And, quite frankly, I don’t want to read about a bunch of naysayers, either.
— Find The Light
Dear Light: The truth is, I don’t have the luxury of choosing which questions to run each week. Most weeks, I’m lucky to even have enough questions to produce a column.
So, if you think I’m picking out the “naysayers” because I think it will make for a more controversial read or somehow get my column better coverage — you’re dead wrong.
I’m just fighting to have enough material to keep this thing going.
In regard to the naysayers: I know this group well. I remember them from my days in the locker room, both as a player and a coach. They were not fun to be around. A naysayer can kill team morale faster than a bad loss.
Seems to me like they were always upset about something. Lack of playing time, mainly. And would try and voice their opinions in order to feel better about themselves.
You’re right — there’s no room for this on a team. But an anonymous, sports-themed advice column? Well, that seems like just the place for a naysayer.
In the end, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. And as the author of this column, I can say I’m thankful for all the squeaky wheels out there!
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Dear Athletic Support: My son’s coach canceled all the basketball practices over Thanksgiving Break. He said he didn’t have practice because school was canceled and he wanted to give the boys time to enjoy the holiday. But then we lost our first game when we returned. It was the first loss of the season, and I can’t help but think it had something (a lot, actually) to do with us not practicing for a whole week. What’s your opinion about practicing over breaks?
— Hard Work Pays Off
Dear Losing: Time spent with family will always take precedence over sports. The memories you and your son created over that break will last a lifetime. I hope you enjoyed your time with him because it is fleeting. Your son will grow up and move on.
With that in mind, I hope you come to realize getting to spend this Thanksgiving together was a gift. And you have his coach to thank for that.
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