Spring has sprung! Everything is blooming, allergies abound, and it’s an opportunity to reset. It is a time of new growth, clearing out the old, cleaning up, and club sports. I thought I’d take the opportunity to share my musing about all of these things.
You can take your cues from Mother Earth and allow Spring to signal rebirth and renewal. Clearing out the old and bringing in the new, perhaps it’s a time for reflection. What goals or “resolutions” did you set at the beginning of the year? Pause and reflect, now that the first quarter of the year has passed. What progress have you made toward your goals? Celebrate that progress and your commitment to being the best version of yourself. Do you want to make changes to your goals? What really matters to you? This could be an opportunity to recommit to putting habits into place that most matter to you. It can also be a time to recalibrate your goals. Maybe you need to start smaller so you can succeed. Or maybe you need to set a more realistic version of your goal. Use this time to evaluate how you want to move forward. Pause and reflect on what you want to make happen for yourself before more of the year passes by.
Spring can also be a time to clear and clean. It’s the season of “spring cleaning”. Maybe it includes clearing away clutter, or getting rid of things that no longer serve you. Maybe it means clearing debris from the yard, clutter from the home, or habits or thoughts that no longer serve you. Perhaps you can literally and figuratively clear the cobwebs away! A clear space, whether in your home or in your mind, can be calming and soothing. Use this time to clear away dirt, mess, things, thoughts, and habits that don’t serve your best self and higher purpose.
If you want support this spring to make some changes in our habits, clear out things that don’t serve you, or super-charge reaching your goals, consider personal therapy.
And what does sports have to do with Spring? I realize sports happen all year round, but perhaps it’s baseball spring training and NCAA “March Madness” (shoutout to women’s basketball having it’s moment!) that has me thinking about sports this spring. If you work with parents or children or are a parent of a child that participates in club sports, I have an interesting read for you. My colleague, Jean Linscott, Ph.D. and her spouse, Kenneth Ruoff, Ph.D., have written a well-researched, fascinating book about the youth sports industry. Dr. Linscott is a Portland, Oregon area clinical child psychologist. She has been working professionally with children and families for over thirty years in hospital-based, clinic, and private-practice settings. She and her spouse and co-author, Kenneth Ruoff, Ph.D are the parents of three athletes who are veterans of the Youth Sports Industry. This book could help you navigate decisions about youth participation and help navigate the club sports system. Check out the information below:
WHAT IS THE GOAL? The Truth About the Youth Sports Industry
Millions of American families spend tens of thousands of dollars annually to have their children participate in club travel sports. In What is the Goal: The Truth About the Youth Sports Industry, the authors educate parents about this industry’s money vacuum designed to suck up a family’s resources by attaching itself to parents’ dreams and fears of missed opportunities for their children’s future. The industry is driven largely by the quest for prestige and preferential admission to college. Within the industry, system-wide conflicts of interest cause unintended harm to the young athletes that sports programs should be designed to benefit. Linscott and Ruoff demonstrate how the Youth Sports Industry (YSI) accentuates the wealth and participation gap by pricing out most families.
Young athletes have become valuable commodities to the sports clubs who secure greater earnings in a lucrative
industry if they play their business cards right. The authors explore who is making a living off of the YSI and who
are its consumers. Linscott and Ruoff analyze the travel tournament, a critical money-generating element of
virtually all YSI clubs that accomplishes little in terms of developing athletes. The authors provide a guide for
navigating the YSI should parents choose to involve their children. The book also proposes broad, society-wide
interconnecting solutions and potential regulations for colleges, medical professionals, legislators, program
directors, coaches, and parents to consider. Linscott and Ruoff further the discussion that sports leaders and
researchers have initiated to facilitate needed reforms and return the fun and self-empowerment back to the
youth athletes.
Release Date: August 6, 2024 (You can preorder on amazon)
“Through exhaustive research and personal experiences, Ken and Jean have truly
captured and exposed the issues within the Youth Sports Industry in America. Having
been involved with youth sports (specifically soccer) for over 40 years, I have seen
firsthand how the once ‘play for fun’ mentality has shifted due to the enormous
pressure that the youth sports environment places on parents, coaches and clubs. This
book is spot on in revealing the challenges that face parents when it comes to deciding
on which direction to go with their young participating athletes. If you have a son or
daughter that is involved in youth sports, reading this book will help you navigate the
delicate landscape of the youth sports culture.”
—Dave Sarachan, longtime professional soccer coach and interim coach, United
States Men’s National Team, 2017–18
