I have a friend who is rather athletic, and who enjoys sports. As a young boy he could be found playing outside with the rest of us kids, playing tag or two hand touch for the fun of it. But as my friend got older, and obviously more athletic than the rest of us, his father became more involved in his son's sports future.
I don't knock physical activity, in fact I think that most kids today are sitting at home in front of a TV or computer too much, but my friend was pushed too soon to compete. His body had not finished forming into the adult body structure that his dad was demanding out of him so soon. Today he is struggling through surgery after surgery in order to repair muscles so severely damaged through his rigorous workout routines. He had to sit out the majority of his senior year in high school, and give up the hopes and dreams of participating in college sports.
In children under the age of 12 vigorous training regiments can do sever, and sometimes irreversible damage. Since 2000 the amount of training centers for kids have raised steadily, a trend that has those in the medical profession concerned. One of the biggest concerns is the effect that such training has on the child's bones. Until a person reaches their late teens, growth plates and bones are still growing and forming. There are other problems too; muscles, tendons, and ligaments also undergo stress when put under such adverse conditions.
The problem not only lies in the physical aspects, but also the psychological. We live in a society that tries hard not only to keep up with the Jones' but also have more, bigger, better items than them. So with the trend becoming a whose better in the sports arena its hard to combat--not only are their pressure to perform well so that you have a chance at scholarships and playing time latter in life, but also everyone else is doing more extensive training.
The Little League is putting in new regulations in 2007 to combat the trends of premature injuries. Its moves like these that need to be more common. Being an athlete myself, I think that there needs to be more initiatives to get kids out and about, but I think there needs to be a happy medium. Life is so short, and being a kid only lasts for a short while, so sports and activities should be fun. The vigorous workouts, and trying practices should be regulated so that unnecessary injuries do not occur. Lets get back to a time and place for fun, where exercise is monitored so that there is the least amount of injuries as possible. There are always going to be nicks, scrapes, and a few broken bones but when a child has to live their entire life with arthritis due to overtraining, we need to take a look, and reform our idea of childhood sports.
Some Articles On The Subject Can Be Found At:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1713493,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1066908,00.html?iid=sph...
