The Buzz on Youth Sports

Childlike antics or just preparing for adulthood?
© Jon Buzby, www.JonBuzby.com

How often do we, as youth sports coaches, get frustrated at the quirks and peculiar whims of the players we coach? At the most crucial points in a game, a player can ask the most bizarre question or act in a completely inappropriate way. After all, we’re adults; we’d never behave that way.

How many of us have hollered to a player to "pay attention" in the outfield in the 6th inning of what is now a two-hour game? Ask yourself, have you ever daydreamed during the ten-minute Sunday sermon? "Hey, you in the fifth pew, ready position!"

Your third baseman comes sprinting in with one out to go in the last inning. "Coach, I have to go to the bathroom." You want to tell him, "Just hold it, this game (between two 5 year-old tee- ball teams) is important." But he’s already headed to the bathroom, or the port-a-john, or at some fields, the woods. Ask yourself, have you ever had to go so bad that nothing was more important? If you’ve ever visited a lemony-fresh port-a-john, the answer is yes!

Following the big game you’re giving a great congratulatory speech and all the players are turned the other way searching for which mom has the snacks. Yes, the same players who won’t remember which team won by morning but can tell you game by game what flavor the juice was. Before you get mad, ask yourself, have you ever not heard the invocation at a banquet because you were too busy deciding what you would fill your plate with on the first trip to the buffet? Just an FYI, Amen means "so be it," not "dig in!"

Your players are all on the bench watching intently as their teammate bats. At least that’s what you’d like to think. Instead, one is throwing sticks, two are talking about their latest Game Boy scores and one is picking his………well, you get the point. Before you become irate, ask yourself, have you ever tapped your pencil, doodled on a note pad or written your to-do list during a staff meeting? And I know you’ve never whispered to the person sitting next to you, at least not about your highest Game Boy score.

And finally, the next time one of your players asks to sit on the bench for an inning because he is tired, ask yourself, have you ever taken a "mental health day?" Be honest, and that includes playing in golf tournaments with your colleagues no matter how stressful your round was.

Ask yourself, are these quirks and peculiar whims, or really just the onset of adulthood?

© 2007 Jon Buzby

Jon Buzby is a successful syndicated columnist and former youth coach. His column, The Buzz on Youth Sports, appears in newspapers and magazines around the country as well as throughout the Internet. His latest books are, "Coaching Kids: It’s More than X’s and O’s" and "Raising a Sports Fanatic." Email your questions or comments to Jon via email or visit his website at www.jonbuzby.com for more information.

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