Comments on: Olympic Dreaming? Not a Chance

By: Neimad

Neimad — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:24:17 +0000

Doing anything in your leisure time should be because of the love of it. I can understand the obsessivness of doing something untill it is perfected. But thats just me.

By: Nat

Nat — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:58:21 +0000

I totally agree Meg. There are vital life long lessons to be learnt from playing/competing in sporting activities, whether individual or team. Some of the most important ones transfer over into a persons working life (perserverance, fair play) making these ‘participators’ the most valuable members of any workforce.
One thing worries me though, Meg, your lack of enthusiasm (sic) towards capital letters! LOL

By: coffeewithjulie

coffeewithjulie — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:09:16 +0000

Hi Megs – Thanks for adding in this perspective. Clearly competitive sports has been a very positive experience for you, and I’m sure it is for many kids. This was intended as a more flippant post that speaks to the over-zealous parent that many of us parents secretly fear we have the potential to become. Finding the right balance it the key, but like everything with balance, it can be tricky. Although I never played a team sport, I have heard of “hockey parents” who are overzealous (yelling at refs, their kids, etc) because they are so over-invested in their child’s activity. And I can attest from personal childhood experience that there are definitely “dance parents” who do the same. In fact, at the time, I did harbour some envy towards those girls in dance class who had “dance parents” (mine weren’t) because a certain amount of parental focus just on you is always nice. — Julie

By: coffeewithjulie

coffeewithjulie — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:04:02 +0000

I hear you. I can’t even handle seeing my child face the smallest little disappointment, like not getting an invite to a birthday party or something — how would I ever handle something as big as the Olympics?

By: coffeewithjulie

coffeewithjulie — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:00:58 +0000

I agree, Skeleton is the craziest thing I have EVER seen. Point taken!

By: Stefania (Ingredients for Life)

Stefania (Ingredients for Life) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:41:15 +0000

Jon Montgomery looks like he’s having a pretty fun life.
Kidding aside, I think once the training gets intense parents hopefully back off and let the child decide. I admire that drive and determination. I see so many kids without any. I think as kids become teens they need a focus. While hanging out friends is important too I see far too many teens with nothing to do except get pregnant and get into other trouble. As long as the parent knows when to back off I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the determination that these athletes have.

By: meg

meg — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:21:36 +0000

as one of those kids who woke up every saturday to go to a 5am hockey practice, i have to disagree. my parents encouraged us to be involved in some sort of extra-curricular activity, whether it be a sport or musical instrument. as for me, i asked my dad to play hockey and at a time when not many girls played the sport, he encouraged me to do so. i am so happy he did because being part of a team gives you so much, including the hopes of doing something more with the sport, like being an olympian. there are so many life lessons and friendships made… and even if you don’t make it to the olympics, sports can help people pay for their education or just show how to have fun while being physically active. i never made it to the olympics for hockey, but i did play it for my 4 years in university. i feel so lucky and blessed that my parents pushed me to do extra-curricular activities because i have the best memories and friends from it!

By: DaniGirl

DaniGirl — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 23:22:20 +0000

I was thinking about what it must be like to parent an Olympian this week, too. What I was thinking about, though, was how awful it must be to watch your child come within spitting distance of their dream — and then flame out. All those hours, all that hope, all that anxiety, and it all slips away because of one bad turn or a bad millisecond. Ugh. Makes me glad that athleticism doesn’t run in our family!

By: Shawn

Shawn — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:55:44 +0000

I agree, to a certain extent, but the part of your post that is sticking with me the most is the ‘parents dream the Olympic dream’ first assertion. I was watching Skeleton yesterday, and I refuse to believe that any parent pushes their kid into Skeleton because they have Olympic dreams. Skeleton is friggin dangerous, as is luge, bobsleigh and others.

By: coffeewithjulie

coffeewithjulie — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:17:02 +0000

Well, the snowboarders do look like they know how to party!