09-04-2024, 05:56 AM
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’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.