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+--- Thread: Gout Gout (/thread-6651.html)
Re: Gout Gout - Lods - 09-02-2024
(09-02-2024, 04:19 AM)DJC link Wrote:In my experience, it wasn’t Little Aths that was the problem, it was some of the athletes’ parents ?
A big part of the problem.
Parents living through their kids rather than celebrating their progress.
But there are a whole range of other issues.
Rows of young kids bored to the teeth waiting for their race throw or jump.
The dramatic drop off rate as kids are lost to the sport in their teen years.
The sport today is a shadow of itself in the 60s and 70s
Thankfully we have a few elite who succeed.
But many a potentially good athlete has been lost to the sport.
Re: Gout Gout - DJC - 09-04-2024
My daughter’s little aths was very well organised and the kids didn’t spend a lot of time waiting around. Other sports beckoned though and she chose basketball.
When her children reached sporting age, little aths was too much of a commitment and they preferred basketball, footy, cricket and tennis. They only do athletics for school sport.
My son went to little aths for two weeks before deciding that it wasn’t for him … takes after his old man!
Re: Gout Gout - Lods - 09-04-2024
I’ve been involved in half a dozen Little Athletic centres…and it’s true some are well run and do a good job…to a point.
I’ve also been involved in around the same number of senior clubs. Some senior clubs offer a competition option for kids as young as eight. In practice I’ve found they do a much better job with the youngsters, and also offer the advantage of continuity into senior competition. The other big advantage is that coaches and officials are well qualified and experienced athletes themselves, whereas the folks running little A’s are often good intentioned and hard working parents. Of course, over the years of involvement some of these folks do gain some good experience and qualifications.
But here is where I believe that Little Athletics has had a detrimental effect.
It’s created a gap in the teenage years that sees a lot of athletes leave the sport before reaching their full potential in their 20s and 30s
Participation rates in the early years U/6 up until about U/10 are strong. Parental support is all around these groups….and it’s often here that we see the ugly parent, whose little one is destined for greatness, if coaches and officials will just give them (and through extension the parent), their undivided attention.
That’s the first barrier…many kids don’t want to be subjected to the expectations of these parental ‘crazies’. They’re not getting any fun out of that pressure. It can also have a negative effect on other parents and kids who get to witness this. (but I guess that’s a feature of lots of junior sport.)
Once the kids reach High school the drop off rate begins in earnest. At centre competitions older kids are often left to run their own events as mums and dads are looking after younger siblings.
If you’re a little athlete and you’re not making regional and state championships the interest in the sport starts to wane.
Kid’s at High school at 14/15 don’t want to ‘confess’ that they do ‘Little’ Athletics. (that’s a branding issue).
Other sports become more attractive.
The also-rans are lost to the sport.
It’s left to those champion juniors who dominate… and that’s what were seeing at the U/20 championships. Some of these successful juniors will go on to have good senior success. For many this will be the peak, as career and Uni studies take precedent.
It’s a bit sad watching this drop off of young athletes, and I am aware of efforts to build that bridge, so that there is a strong transition to senior athletics…but it’s being blocked to some extent by the usual ‘territorial’ issues and power struggles you get when you have two separate organisations trying to combine into one.
Re: Gout Gout - kruddler - 09-04-2024
(09-04-2024, 05:56 AM)Lods link Wrote:I’ve been involved in half a dozen Little Athletic centres…and it’s true some are well run and do a good job…to a point.
I’ve also been involved in around the same number of senior clubs. Some senior clubs offer a competition option for kids as young as eight. In practice I’ve found they do a much better job with the youngsters, and also offer the advantage of continuity into senior competition. The other big advantage is that coaches and officials are well qualified and experienced athletes themselves, whereas the folks running little A’s are often good intentioned and hard working parents. Of course, over the years of involvement some of these folks do gain some good experience and qualifications.
But here is where I believe that Little Athletics has had a detrimental effect.
It’s created a gap in the teenage years that sees a lot of athletes leave the sport before reaching their full potential in their 20s and 30s
Participation rates in the early years U/6 up until about U/10 are strong. Parental support is all around these groups….and it’s often here that we see the ugly parent, whose little one is destined for greatness, if coaches and officials will just give them (and through extension the parent), their undivided attention.
That’s the first barrier…many kids don’t want to be subjected to the expectations of these parental ‘crazies’. They’re not getting any fun out of that pressure. It can also have a negative effect on other parents and kids who get to witness this. (but I guess that’s a feature of lots of junior sport.)
Once the kids reach High school the drop off rate begins in earnest. At centre competitions older kids are often left to run their own events as mums and dads are looking after younger siblings.
If you’re a little athlete and you’re not making regional and state championships the interest in the sport starts to wane.
Kid’s at High school at 14/15 don’t want to ‘confess’ that they do ‘Little’ Athletics. (that’s a branding issue).
Other sports become more attractive.
The also-rans are lost to the sport.
It’s left to those champion juniors who dominate… and that’s what were seeing at the U/20 championships. Some of these successful juniors will go on to have good senior success. For many this will be the peak, as career and Uni studies take precedent.
It’s a bit sad watching this drop off of young athletes, and I am aware of efforts to build that bridge, so that there is a strong transition to senior athletics…but it’s being blocked to some extent by the usual ‘territorial’ issues and power struggles you get when you have two separate organisations trying to combine into one.
I'd like to offer another viewpoint Lods.
Firstly, quick background.
I never did little athletics, but was quite good at athletics in high school. I made state level in 800m/1500m and cross country a few times. I was invited to USA for a running tour when i was a bottom age U16 because i did well at state level cross country at the time.
Honestly, i never took it seriously, and i was just naturally gifted / fit through playing footy.
OK, so one occasion i opted to forgo an opportunity to compete at state level 800m when there was a late withdrawal - i was next to qualify. Why didn't i go? I had footy training that day and i didn't want to let the team down. Which is the heart of the problem.
Athletics, in general, is all about the individual. Yes, you have some loose involvement with the other athletes and you can compete in relay races etc, but the 'team' is not a traditional team.
So for me personally, i prefered to be part of the footy team, than compete as an individual.
I was a half decent footballer, got scouted around the same age, but again, was never serious.
At that age, teenagers want to belong. They don't want to be outcasts. Its not as obvious as peer pressure, but that does have some similarities. I think that is the biggest issue with little athletics vs most other (team oriented) sports when it comes to retaining athletes......specfically at that age.
Re: Gout Gout - Lods - 09-04-2024
Yep
It certainly is an individual sport Kruds...that doesn't mean the team aspect is totally missing
The funny thing is that when I think of my friends the closest ones are all athletes.
(That could be partly due to the anti-social make-up of a lot of self-centred athletic folk
)Friends are few, but the trials and shared experiences of competition are a strong bond.
I started athletics at 17, around the same time Little A's was kicking off in Sydney.
Back in the days interclub was run as a club v club concept
Competition for all clubs was at the one venue... E.S Marks field
Most of the major suburbs fielded sides as well as the the universities. (Sydney Uni, UNSW)
Over the years I competed for St George, Sutherland, Parramatta and Ryde Hornsby.
The competition was structured from A-G grade according to ability.
The big clubs entered teams in all grades.
What you found was that an athlete might be an A-grade high jumper, but if we were short a shot putter in G grade they'd have a go at that event just to get points for the club...and of course there were relays.
They were pretty heady days. On a Saturday afternoon we had a couple of hundred athletes competing and you would be competing against Olympians in some events.
So while the main focus was on our own individual performances the club aspect was very strong...and winning a premiership in any grade was regarded as a big achievement. The fact that you could compete in many grades over a season in different events also meant you could have multiple team success over a year.
That was kind of a golden era for athletics and seems to be largely diminished since Little Athletics came into being.
Certainly the club aspect is not what it was.
I can't help but feel that LA's is a contributing factor in the decline of that club structure at senior level.
Having said that I think there remains a strong 'team' aspect to Little A's when the kids go to regional and state championships.
The other big team approach comes from your training squad. Our squad usually numbered around 15-20 and we all took an interest in, and celebrated each others performances.
I've also been involved in club administration. If you think Football politics is a bit wacky, you should see Athletic club administration.
So yes, it's a very individual sport, but not without a strong 'team' aspect in the structured club/ squad situation.
Re: Gout Gout - kruddler - 09-04-2024
I did concede there is some team dynamics, but its just not the same kind of team.
Re: Gout Gout - Lods - 09-04-2024
(09-04-2024, 08:12 AM)kruddler link Wrote:I did concede there is some team dynamics, but its just not the same kind of team.
It's probably not, especially these days, but...
We're probably looking at it from different experiences.
My football career lasted about 6 years, so it was limited
You seem to have never experienced the 'team' aspect of Athletics.
I will say that on that limited experience there was very little difference between a training session with my football teams and training sessions with my athletic squads in terms of interactions with others. (There was, of course, considerable difference in methods and activities though.)
Naturally there is a different emphais on game/competition day.
The footballers focus is (or should be) on team performance.
The athlete's focus is on personal performance.
But the footballer will always want to perform at their best.
And the athlete will hope in performing at their best that helps their club get the points.
Athletics isn't the 'loner' sport some may think.
Very few athletes who perform at the highest level do so in isolation.
Most are part of larger training squads and support groups.
And like footballers some of those interactions can lead to life long friendships.
Re: Gout Gout - Thryleon - 09-04-2024
I took sport seriously when i was 15. Round ball game. I got super fit, cracked a senior team at age 17, and then started dreaming of "making it".
Then the 1998 world cup happened and a 17 year old Michael Owen who played for Liverpool scored at the world cup, and dashed my ideas of grandeur because ultimately you need to have "made it" and signed at least a semi amateur contract by that age.
I wasn't good enough. Hormones took over and that was that. I started chasing girls, parties and booze. That's what likely does in "committed" little athletes.
I imagine a lot of aspiring young athletes understand that only very few make it to the top, the few that do need to be lucky and particularly true you need to start considering life outside of sport because thats where you'll end up if you don't make it.
Wanting isn't enough. Once you become a somewhat adult it becomes apparent that physical attributes are key to "making it". I was 180 odd cms, and about 80 kg when I came to the realisation that I want going to grow too much more, I wasn't blessed with elite speed and no matter how hard I trained the agility wasn't there. I wasn't a natural athlete, but I was a competitor and enjoyed team sport.
Alex di minaur is a testament to the committed pipsqueak. He's forged an excellent career for someone who isn't blessed with the same natural weapons and its a testament to his tenacity that he's done as well as he has. If 100 kids of the same type applied themselves the same way only 5 would hit the heights he has, and they would have some ability that separates them from the other 95.
Re: Gout Gout - tonyo - 09-04-2024
It's pretty clear Gout Gout is a jet.
The most important question no-one on here has asked - can he kick a football? Would look great going down the MCG wings.....
Re: Gout Gout - Lods - 09-04-2024
(09-04-2024, 11:30 AM)tonyo link Wrote:It's pretty clear Gout Gout is a jet.
The most important question no-one on here has asked - can he kick a football? Would look great going down the MCG wings.....
Kouta should have been in the Decathlon in Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004) ;D