Windham Sports Pages ~ Sissifying a Generation?

IS COMPETITION GOOD FOR OUR CHILDREN?

SPECIAL SERIES

We are working on a special series of stories about competition and our children.

We want your opinions on the subject of whether we are making our youth stronger or weaker by taking out some of the competitive aspects of school and sports.

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Part I

Part II

Part III

Many things have changed about sports since we were kids, some good, and some maybe not so good.

One change that seems to be taking root not only in sports but also in our school systems is taking the competition factor out of the equation.

Some school programs no longer cut players and guarantee equal playing time. Others don't allow coaches to report individual achievements to the press out of fear another child will feel bad about themselves for not getting their name in the paper.

We all understand that individual successes are only one aspect of the game but the question is, does it matter if individual athletes are recognized for their achievements or are we becoming a hypersensitive society that is "sissifying" our children so they won't be prepared for the obstacles of real life?

This trend isn't limited to sports programs. The Windham School System has also seemed to say they don't want competition between the kids by eliminating the traditional grading system. Not only do the kids not understand how they did in school, my accounting degree doesn't even provide me with the tools needed to decipher whether my children are excelling at school.

Please answer the following questions. Please let us know if we can quote you or if you would prefer to remain anonymous if we use something you said.

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1. Should players be cut from teams? Does it matter if it is a school team or a travel program?

2. Does not cutting players from a team make being on the team less important to the kids?

3. Should individual achievements be shared with the media? (When a kid scores a goal should we be able to celebrate and congratulate that player or does it make other kids who didnt score feel less important?)

4. Should the schools go back to a traditional grading system or is the new one better? Is this another example of trying to make everyone feel good instead of holding people accountable, or challenging them?

5. Are our kids going to be prepared for life in this feel good era, where the fear of hurting feelings outweighs challenging our children to step up and make themselves better?

6. Are we letting our kids down or is this the more humane way to raise our children?

7. Please share any of your thoughts with us that we may not have covered above. Be honest, we dont need to share your name if you dont want us to.

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