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How to Solve the Drastic Participation Decline In Every Sport
Sports Marketing Survey, a research company that tracks sports participation for the The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) released their latest numbers that showed a decline in overall participation in all sports. The following is a recap of participation growth or decline over the past 9 years by sport:
Participated 1+ times
Baseball: -12.7%
Basketball: – 8.4%
Tackle Football: -17.4%
Soccer: – 3.7%
Ice Hockey: -12.5%
All sports dropped across the board, with soccer seeming to escape any significant decline. However, just as your sport is short on goals, so are your participation numbers when you take a closer look. Though the numbers above provide a snapshot of the health of each sport, a more accurate number to focus on is the “Participated on a Regular – Frequent Basis 13-51 times per year range over the past year”. This range more accurately measures the most recent trends among a majority of youth organized participants.
Baseball: -7.5%
Basketball: -7.0%
Tackle Football: -30.7%
Soccer: -7.4%
Ice Hockey: +17.3%
Big winner is Ice Hockey – why? Mostly due to the overall small number of participants 2.1 million compared to other sports (Tackle Football 6.8 million, Baseball 13.8 million, Soccer 13.7 million, Basketball 24 million). It takes an increase of just several hundred thousand in a small participation based sport such as hockey to move the levels too such a rapid growth pattern. The big loser is football – why? A lack of any type of recognized unifying governing body, therefore a limited training system for coaches, and the increased public knowledge in regards to the serious injuries that continue to occur at the youth & high school levels ( http://www.nytimes.com/info/concussions-in-football/?emc=eta2 ), is no doubt all taking it’s toll.
What do these numbers tell us? Overall no sport should be happy with these results. Historically kids have left organized youth sports at 75% rate. Is that rate increasing? Possibly when you consider how elite and serious we as a society make sports for kids. If you take the 30,000 foot view you’ll see an increase in the number of travel teams, year-round sport commitments, endless tournaments, sport specific clinics & camps, and combines, all designed to quickly whittle down only the best participants.
The very reason how, where, and why our kids play sports needs to be rethought and repackaged. The future of sports will look different, but at this critical point of continued decline in participation we need to begin to reshape it now.
A courageous head of a sport’s governing body would be smart to make the following changes to reshape the future success of their sport:
Presently don’t touch the infrastructure of today’s competition for ages 8 and above. It’s irrational to think anyone can change a generation that’s totally immersed in replicating the elite level of sports for their kids.
Moving forward redesign the participant pathway for everyone entering the sport below the age of 8 as follows:
Ages 5 – 7
- Conduct an Instructional Season that include skill competitions & small version games
- Incorporate instruction in the basic rules of how the game is played
- Introduce every position to every player
- Meet no more than twice a week
- Provide complete curriculum manual (on-line videos w/ mobile apps to take on-field) to all volunteer coaches
- Seasons last no more than 8 weeks per year
Ages 8 – 9
- Run more advanced Instructional Season for first 4 weeks that record individual skill competition results
- Incorporate instruction in rules of the game
- Conduct 4 weeks of small version games with interchangeable teams & coaches that focus on achieving different fundamental skill objectives & track individual & group results/scores each week.
- Instruct all players in all positions
- Meet no more than twice a week
- Provide complete curriculum manual (on-line videos w/ mobile apps to take on-field) to all volunteer coaches
- Seasons last no more than 8 weeks per year
Ages 10 -12
- Run more advanced Instructional Season for first 4 weeks that record individual skill competition results
- Instruct and test knowledge of rules of the game
- Conduct 4 weeks of small version games with interchangeable teams & coaches that focus on achieving different fundamental skill objectives & track individual & group results/scores each week.
- Establish free-play (pick-up) games once per week where kids choose teams, establish rules, & officiate themselves
- Meet no more than three times per week
- Provide complete curriculum manual (on-line videos w/ mobile apps to take on-field) to all volunteer coaches
- Seasons last no more than 8 weeks per year
Ages 13-14
- Conduct two seasons of 8 weeks each
- Run more advanced Instructional Sessions in conjunction with Small- Sided Competitions for first 4 weeks that record individual & team skill competition results
- Instruct and test knowledge of rules of the game
- Conduct 4 weeks of full regulation games with officials in conjunction with individual & group skill competitions
- Entire organization of teams travel twice per season to play teams from other communities.
- Establish free-play (pick-up) games once per week where kids choose teams, establish rules, & officiate themselves
- Meet no more than three times per week
- Provide complete curriculum manual (on-line videos w/ mobile apps to take on-field) to all volunteer coaches
- Continue to allow athletes to explore several different positions throughout both seasons.
In future posts I’ll go into much more detail on this type of Long Term Athletic Development approach that has successfully been implemented throughout Europe in soccer, ice hockey, tennis, etc.
TAKING THE 180 DEGREE VIEW OF YOUTH SPORTS
On my continuous journey of observing the youth sports landscape I just returned from watching a youth football practice last night. Here are some of the things I saw:
Poor Safety Concern for Kids
Poor Coaching Techniques
A lot of standing around & downtime
Not a lot of fun
Let me set the scene. It’s the first practice of the season in helmets and pads for a town in Northern Westchester County, NY, with three youth teams on one high school football field. For one team of incoming third graders or 7 & 8 year olds it was their very first time in full helmets and pads.
Observations:
7 & 8 year old team – begins practice with static stretching on the ground, unless you’re 1960‘s or 1970‘s gym teacher, that technique of warming up went out long ago. It’s been proven that static stretching does more to increase injuries than it does to prevent. A dynamic, fun activity that gets their heart rate up and blood flowing to their big muscles is much more appropriate. But wait, next they line up and conduct up & downs (running in place, throwing themselves on their stomachs, getting up as fast as possible, all on a coach’s demand). A dynamic warm-up, yes I’ll give them that, a kid friendly way to break a child on their first day in pads & helmets on a 90 degree plus day, no!
Next up there’s an explanation & demonstration of form tackling – that’s a great thing, maybe these coaches know what they are doing! Wait, that lasted no more than 4 minutes, now were onto a nutcracker drill!!! A nutcracker drill involves two kids lining up at least 5 yards apart and charging full speed into each other, often resulting in a high impact collision with two bodies on the ground. A drill that has disappeared from many high school, college, & NFL programs due to safety concerns (more about safety in my next blog), now I’m observing it happen with 7 & 8 year olds, their first day ever in pads and helmets!!!
I turn 180 degrees, and I observe the entire high school team warming-up by going through a series of agility stations, working on their dynamic movement skills, everyone engaged, no one standing around. This is followed by a series of dynamic balance drills. Hmm…
That is followed by the high school team breaking up into small groups with an assigned coach. Now it’s time for blocking & tackling technique work. Interesting that they don’t line up five yards apart, but they’re on their hands and knees paired up several inches apart, with a slow progression over 20 minutes up onto their feet, never more than two yards apart.
I turn back 180 degrees and I watch the 5th grade or 10 year olds practicing. After a 10 minute warm-up they are now onto a full 60 minutes of special teams work. No open field or sideline tackling technique, it’s 60 minutes of kick-off strategy! Now let me put this into perspective. This team plays 8 games per season. If history repeats itself for this team, and the coaches don’t focus on tackling & blocking techniques, their total number of kick-offs for the season will hover in the single digits. Yet this team of coaches spend 60 minutes of practice time on kick-off strategy. Maybe it should occur to them to first work on the techniques and skills (i.e. blocking) of how to get your team into the end zone, before you jump the gun and begin working on what occurs after you score – kicking-off.
Oh it gets better! While 11 kids line-up on the field to kick-off with one coach kicking to a group of 3 to 4 dads (they like to be referred to as coaches), 20 other kids sit and watch. Maybe you could be engaging the 20 other kids in a form tackling drill while they wait their turn? Rather than sitting, with their helmets on, in 90 degree heat, bored out of their minds. Now it gets even better, the kick-off is taken each time, by a coach, who is at least 6’2” tall and no lighter than 220 LBS, returning the kick-off at full speed with 11 kids chasing him! If the insurance company ever witnessed this you could kiss that policy good-bye. This coach is weaving and cutting through kids at full speed. Now if he makes one wrong turn into a kid – he could knock them out – real smart & safe! Not to mention there was not one instruction provided on breaking down and tackling. Sixty minutes, wasted on one of the unsafest aspects of the game, with no time spent on instruction or technique, in an unsafe practice environment, on a part of the game that will happen less than a dozen times all season!
Wow, let’s turn 180 degrees to watch the high school team. Can it be? They’re still working on tackling & blocking techniques, by position. And no one is on the ground, contact is minimal, but technique and engagement in drills are fast paced and intense.
As a matter of record, this high school coach has coached for over 40 years, has been named NY State Coach of the Year several times, & NFL High School Coach of the Year. Yet he never allows his players to take anyone to the ground in practice. His reasons, number one – safety, he believes rightfully so that you put players in danger every time they hit and fall to the ground, number two – instruction, you cannot teach correctly or effectively when there are bodies constantly on the ground, it ruins the flow of practice. As a result, his team allowed a total of 6 points ALL LAST SEASON. He works on technique, and gets results. The same now holds true for many college and NFL Teams.
Oh, by the way, this high school team are in helmets, shoulder pads & shorts only. Did you know that a majority of all NFL Teams in pre-season camps will be in full pads only an average of 6 days this year? Not this youth football town!
Bottom line, it’s time as parents to turn 180 degrees and learn there’s a better and safer way to play and learn the game of football. You owe your kids that security and safety. It only takes a 180 degree turn!!
Join this Revolution!
In all seriousness, you might find this article humorous but at the end of the day we need to change the manner in which our kids are involved in sports. In particular, youth contact sports must begin to require that all coaches receive legitimate and practical on-field training. Today’s training and certifications are weak at best. With all the safety concerns and studies we are receiving regarding brain and head injuries can we afford not to demand better for our kids. Please join me and demand better coaches training and legislation that protect our children when participating in sports.
Stop Watching & Talking – Start Solving
I cannot decide what irks me more, parents & coaches who destroy the fun in youth sports through their bad behavior and misdirected mission to win games & championships (which is a majority of you by the way) or the so-called youth sports experts that reside at Universities and ONLY write books and papers on what is wrong in youth sports.
All I have to say to all of you is, STOP! Rather than sugar coat and position this issue as if only a few “bad apples” ruin the experience for everyone involved in youth sports, I’m going to tell you the hard-cold fact; You’re all to Blame!
If you’re the over involved parent (the type that needs to coach every team, every season, or the league administrator/commissioner that needs to control all aspects of a youth sport, or the parent that continues to lobby for his/her kid to make and start on any and all teams), or you’re the parent that never volunteers but can be heard every weekend by hollering at kids, officials, coaches and other parents, no matter what group you fall into, you are the problem, not only for your own kid but for all kids involved in your community.
Even the nurturing parent that never says a thing and quietly attends every game, is respectful, and wants their child to have a great experience is to blame! Yes, the highly educated, well balanced, and often the adult with more athletic experience than anyone else involved in sports in your community is to blame. Why? Because they know there is something seriously wrong with youth sports yet they do nothing to enact change.
I also have an issue with Youth Sports Experts that establish foundations and organizations sometimes to attached to prestigious Universities, in order to heighten their importance have become a colossal joke. Enough talking about the issue and how it affects kids.
What we do need are solutions! I have spent most of my entire professional career developing solutions for youth/high school coaches and parents. And I used to be as much to blame as well, until I did something about it. and got penalized for it! Despite my better judgement I coached my son’s football team in a traditional league with traditional rules that are better suited for NFL Players than 10 year olds! Until I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror anymore. I was contributing to a flawed infrastructure that had no consideration for the safety of kids. As a matter of fact I’m currently banned from coaching youth football (which would never stand-up in any court of law) and my son’s team because I raised concerns about the safety of the league rules, and suggested we look to play in a better suited and safer league. So now I sit on the sidelines watching other fathers, with about as much football coaching knowledge as a high school girl’s cheerleading squad (no disrespect to cheerleaders), coach my son and others.
Now don’t misunderstand, I’m not going away and letting this issue go away. Me, unlike you and most parents are going to observe and freely bring to everyone’s attention the mistakes being made and the other options available for their children.
The problem with youth sports are parents. The parents that masquerade as coaches and adults that masquerade as parents. What I don’t understand are the number of parents that make such an effort to get their kids into the best schools & classes, but when it comes to sports, they make very little effort or keep any type of watchful eye. Yet a coach with limited experience and knowledge is given free reign to make decisions regarding your child.
I DON’T GET IT!!! Please step in and question those who run youth sports and hold them accountable!!! I did, and I can get up every morning and feel good that I stood up to the insanity, and will continue to do so until we fix it!!
What Many Athletes & Coaches Are Missing: Purpose Driven Practices & Training
Though I’ve wanted to write about this subject for a while it wasn’t till I read a NY Times Sports article by Bill Pennington, titled “At the Range, Drive Less and Practice More”,http://onpar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/26/at-the-range-drive-less-and-practice-more/?scp=5&sq=Bill%20Pennington&st=cse that inspired me to put my fingers to the keyboard. Mr. Pennington precisely describes in detail what a majority of us golfers experience during a unfulfilled session at the driving range. Rather than approaching these driving range experiences as a focused practice, to hone our game for the golf course, we rapidly lose ourselves in the act of pounding the ball off the tee, measuring the distance the ball travels rather than developing a feel for every club in our bag. End result, you’ve hit 100 balls and come away with your game in worse shape than when you arrived.
I relate this to a youth practice. You may or may not be prepared with a practice plan when you show up at the field or court, but regardless everything goes south when one or several distractions take place. As an example, let’s take a basketball practice where you arrive ready to work on your team’s fast break and defense. The warm-up begins with kids fooling around, talking, basketballs bouncing in every direction, errant shots flying throughout the gym. Your ready to tear what’s left of the hair on your head out, and practice has not even begun yet. After an unproductive warm-up, you immediately run a fast break drill, where kids don’t stay in position, outlet passes are sloppy and all over the court, kids are not hustling, they’re taking lay-ups off the wrong leg, etc. What often happens next is you either start yelling at the team to “get it right” then it gets worse, or you give up on the drill and move on often to a scrimmage. End result, nothing accomplished, and the opportunity to teach has slipped away.
Believe me, it’s happened to me and to most coaches, until they learn the art of “Purpose Driven Practices & Training”. Not unlike a golfer’s experience at a driving range, you may go prepared to work on your mid to short iron shots, but after you slice or hook a few, skull some others, you abandoned your plan and immediately pull out the driver and start essentially scrimmaging.
Next time you conduct a practice try this “Mindful Practice’ technique. By simply applying a theme to each practice (i.e. Tuesday football practice may become Pursuit Tuesdays) & designing all drills to be focused around that theme (getting to the football first through all individual and group drills), you have created an experience of awareness that no verbal explanation could ever match.
A simple themed or purpose based practice will keep your team focused and you prepared to teach and communicate more effectively. There’s a reason teaching golf professionals refer to driving ranges as practice ranges, it’s a reminder of why you’re there.
Lazing Tasing Days of Baseball
Now let’s look at the two real issues that this story represents.
The first issue, and the less serious of the two is the fact that after 8 innings of any baseball game who could ever blame anyone from wanting to jump out of their seat and make a run for it! Other than taking several consecutive 5 Hour Energy Drinks, what else is a baseball fan to do in order to avoid falling into a deep slumber or going insane. Baseball is boring, it moves at such a slow pace that younger generations will never acquire the same love for the game that we, our parents, and grandparents grew to appreciate. When Neil Diamond’s hit song “Sweet Caroline” wakes me up at Boston’s Fenway Park during the 8th inning, I know baseball has issues. Do I agree with getting up and running onto any playing field, no, but do I understand the eagerness to see some action and get your blood pumping, yes.
Now the second and more pressing issue is the one of fans entering a restricted athletic field or playing area. Did Steve Consalvi deserve to be tased, absolutely! In this day and age of terrorist threats, and crazy behavior, that we read and hear about every day, you cannot and do not have the right to approach athletes in a restricted area. If, God forbid, this was not a kid pulling a prank and it was an insane fan or terrorist threat, and they had not used force to bring this person down and into the custody we would be having a totally different debate.
Does tasing defer this behavior? Apparently not, l ast night it happened again at another Major League Baseball game. But that’s not the point, if you’re trespassing and are perceived to be a threat to anyone in the park you should be subdued using the force necessary to make everyone safe.
If you listen to my radio show on Sirius/XM satellite radio “The ABC’s of Sports” you know that I’m a big extreme sport fan. The risk taking irreverent attitude is refreshing and different from the ho-hum every day sports experience. Yet, if the next generation feels so compelled to bring that to our attention outside their action sport world, consider me no longer a fan.
Building a House on Sand – Don’t Ignore Athletic Preparation
After working in football for over 14 years at the NFL and as a consultant to the Arena Football League I’ve seen many seasons go by in youth football where conditioning is misinterpreted as a stamina and strength test. Laps around a field, wind sprints, push-ups, sit-ups, and leg raises make up the majority of what most consider a good session of conditioning. What most fail to realize is stamina and/or strength workouts for kids, that don’t apply to the execution of fundamental skills, is counter productive and simply a waste of time.
What I’ve witness with a majority of kids that play football is that most cannot get in or come out of a stance properly, don’t move their feet with the agility necessary to be effective blockers or tacklers, not to mention how to avoid being blocked or tackled. Youth basketball players struggle to get into a basic athletic position to effectively play defense, missing the skills necessary to move laterally, backpedal, and change direction. Are those athletic elements not the foundation of most sports? But a majority of all youth sport programs either spend very little time training kids to become somewhat proficient in these basic areas of athletic movement or they ignore it all together. As a result the development of athletes, quality of play, and safety have declined significantly.
Millions of parents place their kids into Leagues, to play organized games every season of the year. They spend millions of dollars on registration fees, equipment, uniforms, travel, etc. yet they spend little or no time invested in preparing their kids. It’s similar to buying a Baby Grand Piano then immediately signing up your child to play a recital, without ever taking a lesson. Yes they may be able to play “chopsticks” – but chopsticks version of sport won’t translate or work on a field of real athletic competition.
Last football season I was highly criticized by parents when I incorporated agility, balance & coordination training into a pre-season of football practices for 9 year olds. The problem was that they were uncomfortable that were not conducting in their minds “traditional practices”, after witnessing other teams do sit-ups, push-ups, laps around a field, and wind sprints. I don’t ever recall a football player having to conduct those on game day. As a matter of fact, you rarely witness a football player running in a straight line unless it’s to get off the field.
You cannot build a house on sand without some type of foundation that supports the future structure. The following drills are simple yet vital movement skills that directly relate to basketball. The drill involve cones, an agility ladder (substitute with chalk) hurdles (substitute with shoe boxes), and basketballs.
The movement skills executed throughout this obstacle course involve agility (fast feet) keeping the body square, coordination of the lower body over hurdles, hand/eye coordination in conjunction with footwork, lateral movement, & lateral movement in conjunction with lower & upper body combined coordination. Notice that the correct movement throughout the course is a smooth lifting of the knees with quick feet. The incorrect movement is hopping or jumping over the hurdles.
The movement skills executed throughout this obstacle course involve agility (fast feet) keeping the body square, coordination of the lower body over hurdles, hand/eye coordination in conjunction with footwork, lateral movement, & lateral movement in conjunction with lower & upper body combined coordination. Notice that the correct movement throughout the course is a smooth lifting of the knees with quick feet. The incorrect movement is hopping or jumping over the hurdles.
The Most Overlooked Athletic Skill – BALANCE
BALANCE – THE KEY ELEMENT TO ATHLETIC SUCCESS
Balance is the most essential skill for an athlete to possess, and time needs to be spent on developing it. All sports rely heavily on balance. Think of a soccer player attempting to keep possession of a ball, a pitcher winding up and throwing to home plate, a basketball player taking a jump shot, a football lineman blocking a defender, or a tennis player playing serve and volley. In each case balance plays a key role in achieving the precise set of movements necessary for the skill to be performed correctly.
To develop balance, you need to develop “muscle memory”, an unconscious tensing and releasing of the right muscles in just the right increments that enables them to maintain their equilibrium in motion. It is through this process, for example, that people learn to ride a bike. When learning, the body sends signals to the brain to orient the body to where it should be positioned and maintained, allowing the body’s muscle memory to eventually take over and become what seems to be second nature.
A key element in athletics is the ability to maintain balance while in motion. Whether you are rapidly transferring body weight during a golf swing, swinging or hitting and getting out of the batter’s box (Seattle Mariners, Ichiro Suzuki), in baseball, snowboarding down a mountain (Olympic Half Pipe Gold Medalist, Shaun White), or maneuvering around an opponent in ice hockey (NHL Pittsburgh Penguins, SIDNEY CROSBY), soccer (former US Women’s National Soccer Team Player, Mia Hamm), or lacrosse (Mikey Powell Amazing Jumping Goal on YouTube), Balance allows the body to transfer weight while performing. Athletes need to be able to continue to execute while transitioning from a variety of body positions and movements. They often find themselves off balance before or after executing a play. To be in a position to finish a play, or to prepare for the next play, they must be able to adjust quickly to regain proper balance.
The following provides several drills that develop and improve overall balance for a variety of sports.
DRILL ONE – STEPPING STONES
Equipment: Five balance pods
Set-Up: Arrange the four balance pods in a diamond shape approximately 3 feet apart with one additional pod place three feet in front of the diamond. Think of all five-balance pods as stepping stones.
Description of Drill: Each athlete walks from one balance pod to the next until he has completely stepped and balanced himself on all five pods.
DRILL TWO – BALANCE BEAM
Equipment: Three to four half-foam rolls, two 12 inch hurdles
Set-Up: Arrange all three or four half foam rolls in a straight line touching at each end, place the two hurdles at the end of the first foam roll and the end of the second foam roll.
Description of Drill: Begin with each athlete walking on the half beams and stepping over each of the two hurdles without losing their balance.
DRILL THREE – OFF-BALANCE FOOTBALL CATCHES
Equipment: Three to four half-foam rolls, a football
Set-Up: Arrange all three or four half foam rolls in a straight line touching at each end.
Description of Drill: As each athlete walks the length of the rolls, toss a football where the athlete must reach out and catch the ball without losing balance. Throw balls to the right, left, over the head, below the waist, forcing the athletes to extend and catch while keeping their balance on the half foam rolls.
Please look for our continued series of articles and drills to develop overall and sport specific balance, developed by experts from action sports (snowboarding, surfing, skateboarding, etc.).
The attached video is one segment of several that I’ll post that demonstrates additional, creative methods to engage your team and athletes in the fun process of developing balance.
It’s Not MARCH MADNESS, It’s MARCH MEDIOCRITY
Why the development of our country’s young athletes
continues to erode?
Are you watching the NCAA Basketball Tournament? If you’re any type of sports fan this is the weekend you should cherish. Excitement packaged in upsets, buzzer beaters, and overtimes. It may be the best sports weekend of the year. But there’s one problem, it’s not good basketball.
I’ve listened and agree with many of the experts and sports talk radio show hosts that complain the talent in college basketball is down this year and has been so for as long as 15 years. ESPN’s Jay Bilas, & radio host of “The Herd”, Colin Cowherd, have voiced this opinion throughout the entire basketball season. Cowherd today on his show best described the NCAA Tournament when he warned listeners “Don’t confuse exciting with good.” He’s absolutely right. I can go to a youth basketball game, and watch an exciting game, despite the fact they cannot dribble, shoot, pass, and take three to four steps every time they touch the ball. Exciting by the way, can be the final few seconds of a 12-10 boys or girls barnburner.
It’s not March Madness; it’s just plain and simply maddening. This weekend, on sport’s largest stages, we are witnessing the results of poor youth coaching, with a rush and overemphasis on playing games rather than teaching the sport and developing the athlete and their fundamental skills first. I’ve discussed this with dozens of college and high school coaches nationwide, including Villanova Head Basketball Coach, Jay Wright on my Sirius/XM National Radio Show – “The ABC’s of Sports”,. They all agree; young players are no longer sufficiently trained in the fundamentals of dribbling and passing. We have an obsession in this country to start kids playing at earlier and earlier ages without ever properly spending the time and emphasizing skill development.
The largest culprit of this talent erosion in basketball is the AAU. Just as we approach the time of year when high school and youth basketball programs finish their seasons, immediately begins AAU basketball tournament play, The AAU provides little in the way of training and a lot in the way of numerous (weekend after weekend) games.
If college coaches want to see the quality of talent improve, and sports fans want to experience the best playing the best this time of year there several simple things we can all do to improve the next generation of basketball talent.
1. College coaches should encourage more high school programs, with their assistance, to conduct skill development camps throughout the summer de-emphasizing tournament play.
2. College coaches should strongly recommend that high school programs reach down to the youth grass root levels with their players to provide more hands-on fundamental skill training.
3. Parents can do their part by resisting the urge to register their kids in consecutive seasons of play, and instead place them in skill development programs (camps, clinics, etc.) that improve their fundamentals while encouraging kids to get their game fix by playing pick-up in their driveways & local playgrounds.
Otherwise, the product that we all cherish, on a weekend such as this, will eventually erode into a memory.
