Rob Murphy

No comments about aches and pains -- perhaps improvement?

He was wearing all types of compression gear, Bret. Like a true hobby jogger!!! :-)

And for the record, I was too.

LOL - Was any K-tape involved?

Plus I got in 20 minutes of hot tub time while Jake ran 7 more with Kramer.

well said. and very funny truths. Options!

Seriously, why don't you have a column in the tribune? I would be a faithful reader. Always appreciate your thought provoking comments.

While I do not completely disagree with you, the reality is there are very few kids that have a chance at a state championship or scholarship no matter how much they dedicate themselves. Some kids need to be exposed to multiple activities to find out what they have a true passion for. If you are stating that if you have one of these truly gifted athletes then you should encourage their development in that sport and not distract them with all of the other stuff just so they can be well rounded, then I completely agree. I also agree with your comment about kids having too many options. My kids only play one sport competetively because it is too overwhelming for them and me when they are involved in too many activities.

Those are good points Andy.

What bothers me sometimes is that many kids don't seem to understand the concept of opportunity cost - the fact that an opportunity in one area of life might detract from success in another area.

The legendary Oregon coach, Bill Bowerman, used to constantly admonish his athletes to try to find some meaning in what they were doing as runners. But he would remind them that meaning could only be found if they pursued the sport in a particular way.

You are right to say that very few people will win a state championship no matter how hard they train. However, it's the work that must be done to win a state championship that lasts and is useful, not the actual hanging of the medal around your neck.

Every four years we have the Olympic Trials. Only the top three finishers in each event will go to the Olympics. Chances are, the athlete who finishes 4th, maybe missing out on an Olympic dream by hundredths of a second, sacrificed just as much and worked just as hard over the previous four years as the person who edged them out. Would anyone advise them afterwards that they should have taken a few more vacations, relaxed a little more, gone to a few of those parties they skipped?

It's the process that is instructive and provides us with meaning. The kid who commits himself 100% and comes up short gains just as much as the kid who wins the state championship.Maybe more in the long run.

As the wife of a scoutmaster for the last six years, I would like to point out, that if the boys use their time wisely, they should finish their eagle before they hit high school. It is designed to be finished by the time they are 14.

I don't think that learning to maintain some sort of balance is a bad thing. I was a 10 x state champion, I sang in the audition choir, and had a 4.0 gpa. I probably sacrificed a little bit in terms of a social life, but I'm glad that I participated in several high school activities.

There are kids who focus solely on running, run tons of miles, win state championships, and then you never hear from them after high school because they are burnt out. I think learning a balance prepares them well for college, where they might be balancing school, track, and actually doing their own laundry. Some of the best and most well adjusted college and professional runners didn't focus only on their running in high school. It was part of a bigger picture.

That being said, it is definitely still important to make sure that all the training gets finished, and that good sleep and diet are priorities . . . especially during the season. I think you are right in that kids have too many opportunities, but isn't that better than the kids who have no opportunities at all?

I didn't get my eagle scout. By the time I was 15-16, I was involved enough in sports (mainly running) that I didn't care. I regret it a bit, but still love running. I'd rather be real good at one thing than mediocre at many. To each their own, though.

In fact, I gave a presentation about ultrarunning to boy scouts. Two of my quotes: If you're going to do something, do your best. You can't do everything, so give your efforts to the things that matter the most to you.

I can't argue with anything you are saying Emily and my son is involved in scouting as was I. I also will encourage my kids to be well rounded.

But I also hope that by their later high school years that they will have a passion for something that they work at above all other interests. I see a lot of kids that are what I call dabblers. They do everything with a slight bit of interest and then move on to the next activity. A little bit of obsession would do them good I think.

I would add one more thing. I run into former students all the time who are doing things like working at Starbucks at 26 and living at home with their parents. Sometimes these were even 4.0 students who breezed through my AP class, were popular, and involved in lots of activities. I'll talk to them and they just seem aimless. I think it's because they failed to develop and nurture a passion.

Good point. Focus on a passion is a great thing. I completely understand where you are coming from. I think that is what is missing from those who do burn out, is a lack of passion for what they are doing.

Lots of good points here. Its another one of those things where there is a middle ground. I think being passionate about something is the best. Balance is also good - but "forced" balance (ie. parents forcing their kids to do a ton of stuff when they really would rather focus on 1-2 things) is bad.

I still consider myself a kid. I am very focused on / passionate about running, but I still enjoy doing some other stuff (hiking, skiing, etc). Those things sometimes (often) take a backseat to my running, and I'm OK w/ that. I think if I didn't channel my energies towards running the way I do, I wouldn't appreciate a lot of other things quite as much.

But that being said, when I was all about running 100% of the time, I sucked.

Rob I have a hard time even deciding where to start here. I loved your comment so much on finding meaning in running, and by that, life. It's all about the work. I'll seize anything that burns off the apathy and sense of entitlement that is everywhere you turn in our society. If you're comfortable, you're dying.

I was a dabbler!!

I wish I would have had someone help me focus my energy as a kid. It took me until I was 30 to find out I even knew how to run.

So ... I can't stop thinking about this can you opened, Rob. So I had to look at some of the research out there.

Here is some food for thought:

Fransen et al. "Differences in physical fitness and gross motor corrdination in boys aged 6-12 years specializing in one versus sampling more than one sport" Journal of Sports Sciences. 30.4 (2012): 379-386.

Results: 735 boys participated in study. In boys between the ages of 10-12 it was found that the boys who were more diversifies (sampled many sports) did better on standing broad jump and gross motor coordiination than boys specializing in a single sport.

_________

Bridge, Matthew W., and Martin R. Toms. "The specialising or sampling debate: a retrospective analysis of adolescent sports participation in the UK." Journal of Sports Sciences 31.1 (2013): 87-96.

Results: A significant association between the number of sports participated in at the ages of 11, 13, and 15

and the standard of competition between 16 and 18 years was found. Individuals who competed in three sports aged 11, 13, and 15 were significantly more likely to compete at a national compared with club standard between the ages of 16 and 18 than those who practiced only one sport.

__________________

CôTé, J. E. A. N., Ronnie Lidor, and Dieter Hackfort. "ISSP position stand: To sample or to specialize? Seven postulates about youth sport activities that lead to continued participation and elite performance." International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology 7.1 (2009): 7-17.

Conclusion: It appears that the current trends in sport programming are characterized by institutionalization, elitism, early selection, and early specialization (Hecimovich, 2004; De Knop,

Engström, & Skirstad, 1996; Hill, 1988; Hill & Hansen, 1988). Many sport programs

are requiring higher levels of investment from earlier ages and are discouraging children from participating in a diversity of activities (Ewing & Seefeldt, 1996; Hecimovich,

2004; Gould & Carson, 2004; Hill, 1988; Hill & Hansen, 1988). However, there seems

to be clear evidence suggesting that sport programs such as these may not be providing

an optimal environment for youths’ lifelong involvement in sport or even for future success

in elite participation (Côté et al., 2007; Guellich, Emrich, & Prohl, 2004).

_________________

I could go on and on and on. :) Most all of the research I looked at agreed that there just isn't enough evidence out there and that there is just too much variability to come up with a "one size fits all" rule. :)

With that said, what I have learned from all of this is that I really want my kids to sample sample sample while they are young. Then, as they reach adolescence when they really start to discover who they are and what they love then perhaps specializing is the way to go if they have collegiate dreams or higher in that specific sport.

I find it interesting that all five of my children are so different. My oldest, who will be sixteen in a handful of weeks, was very diverse until about 2 years ago when she really began to work primarily on basketball. We have been advised to already have a sports resume on hand whenever she attends any basketball tournaments. She is working on getting a scholarship at a division 2 or 3 school and has been told that she should needs to have a collegiate plan in play (and offers) by the time she is junior in high school. That sounds crazy to me, but apparently that is the track that some of these kids have to be on if they want to play college sports.

With that said, I have been told that only 2% of athletes get a full ride "athletic" scholarship. That means the VAST MAJORITY have to have additional means. In other words, I do not believe that academics should ever suffer on account of sports. BUT ... it seems to me that they often go hand in hand. The focus you use in sports is definitely transferable to academics and vice-versa.

Anyway, it looks like I have written an epistle here. Sorry, All. Peace. :)

Why are you introducing actual facts to this discussion Teena?

i've been pondering what I wrote. I'm not arguing that kids should specialize in one sport - especially at a young age.

What I'm mostly thinking about is leisure and vacation time. I'll write more on it today.

I get where your going Rob. I agree pretty much with what your saying, some kids are definitely over involved with too many pursuits at the expense of developing mastery in others. However balance is good also and especially at a young age.. That is why when my son approaches us with an interest in getting involved with another activity we carefully go over the pros and cons of it and how it could affect other interests and areas in their life. Ultimately I think it comes down to common sense in determining what will benefit and help them grow as individuals and not overload and frustrate them.

quite the can of worms. interested in your future notes on leisure/vacation.

Boy I want to put in my two cents worth but I will just sit out for now.

Hey coach is it ok if I miss practice Thursday? I need to work on my eagle project. Oh and I'm also going to lake Powell next week. Oh oh and my "cabin" the week after that! Sounds like fun right!?

Or how about lifting a 20 pound State Trophy in the air, that in the moment feels like 50 because we left every once of energy on the course? I want to be on that podium come October looking down at AF, Davis, Bingham, Riverton, Herriman, and 9 other teams only dreaming of the glory we will receive from pushing ourselves past our limits off day in and day out this Season. You have my word I will minimize ditractions and I have already made running my no.1 priority.

By the way, I have my Eagle done. :)