Tatonka
01-19-2006, 08:10 AM
This article is "borrowed" from another forum - I thought it was important enough so I'm trying to give the topic more exposure......here it is:
Special Report: Kids in Racing
What Kids Get from Racing
by Lance Oliver
Racing is fun. Just ask the thousands of kids involved in it.
But did you know it can also be healthy for a child?s development?
Yeah, healthy. And that?s not just us talking?it?s the opinion of experts in the field, like Patrick Cohn, a sports psychologist in Orlando, Florida, who counsels both youths and adults in all kinds of sports.
Cohn notes that participating in competition as a child can have benefits that last a lifetime.
Certainly, the exercise associated with motorcycle racing helps kids stay in better physical condition than sitting on the sofa eating junk food and playing videogames. But as Cohn notes, there are mental and emotional benefits as well.
?Sports help kids get used to the competitive environment. And life can be very competitive,? Cohn says.
Through sports, he says, kids can learn to set goals, to focus and to handle pressure?abilities that will serve them their entire lives. A young racer who receives proper guidance gets valuable lessons in separating which tasks are essential for success, and which ones are distractions. They face new challenges and gain confidence when they meet those challenges.
Cohn adds that competition also helps kids learn how to handle both success and disappointment, two things they are bound to encounter in life.
?In fact,? he notes, ?everything I teach in sports psychology, I hope carries over in life.?
Much of that applies to sports of all types. But motorsports in particular offer additional lessons. For instance, a young racer is not only responsible for preparing his or her own body for competition, but also helping maintain a piece of machinery that?s far more expensive than a baseball glove or a pair of basketball shoes.
?That?s a level of responsibility that just doesn?t exist in other sports,? says AMA Sports Manager Steve Carnegie.
Before joining the AMA staff, Carnegie ran a motocross camp in Georgia, teaching beginners how to ride and experienced youngsters how to ride better. Having worked with hundreds of kids, he says one of the benefits he?s seen is the self-discipline racing builds.
?They see the other kids who do well and they decide, ?I want to be someone who can be mentally strong, make smart decisions and have a never-give-up attitude,? ? says Carnegie.
Many parents use that discipline to encourage young racers into better performance in school, too. Racing is a privilege earned by meeting family responsibilities and being conscientious about school work. Plus, the demands of the sport leave less unstructured and unsupervised free time, which is when most kids get in trouble.
?If an athlete is on the racetrack or the court or the golf course, that?s time away from other places where he could be getting into trouble,? Cohn says.
That?s the theory, anyway. And Carnegie says that in his experience, it works.
?Of the thousands of people I?ve met in this sport,? he says, ?I can think of only a handful who have drifted into things they shouldn?t be doing.?
8 Simple Rules for Parents
It may not look like it on the track, but racing is a team sport. And for amateur racers, the ?home team? usually means just that?Mom, Dad and other family members who support their racing efforts.
That puts extra responsibility on parents, who often need to fill the roles of coach, tuner and sponsor, in addition to their normal duties.
How do you juggle those complex roles? Sports psychologist Patrick Cohn offers eight guidelines for parents of amateur racers:
1. Racing should be fun. Treat it that way. With all the money in professional sports today, it is hard for parents to understand that it?s just good fun to young racers. The primary goal should be to have fun and enjoy the healthy competition.
2. Young racers compete in sports for many reasons. They enjoy the competition, like the social aspect, and enjoy the challenge of setting goals. You might have a different agenda, but you need to recognize that racing is your child?s sport, not yours.
3. Focus on the process of racing, instead of results. Winning comes from working the process and enjoying the ride.
4. You are a role model for your child athlete. Your child will see how you react to a close race or questionable behavior by a competitor. Stay calm, composed and in control at the track, so your child can mimic those positive behaviors.
5. Refrain from race-day coaching. Once at the track, athletes need to trust in their training and ?just do it.? Save the coaching for practice and focus on encouragement at the track.
6. Help your athlete detach self-esteem from achievement. Too many athletes attach self-worth to their level of performance. Help your child understand that he or she is a person first, who happens to race, instead of a racer who happens to be a person.
7. Ask your child athlete the right questions. This tells your child what you think is important in sports. If you ask, ?Did you win?? your child will think winning is important. If you ask, ?Did you have fun?? he or she will assume having fun is important.
8. Pledge to follow the Parent?s Code of Ethics developed by the Parents Association for Youth Sports (www.NAYS.org; (800) 729-2057). PAYS provides a parental handbook and code of ethics for adults to sign before each competitive season. This is a great tool to guide parents in their interaction with young athletes.
Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D., is the founder of Peak Performance Sports in Orlando, Florida. He is a nationally recognized mental game coach who works with motorcycle and auto racers. For more information, visit www.peaksports.com or call (888) 742-7225.
Special Report: Kids in Racing
What Kids Get from Racing
by Lance Oliver
Racing is fun. Just ask the thousands of kids involved in it.
But did you know it can also be healthy for a child?s development?
Yeah, healthy. And that?s not just us talking?it?s the opinion of experts in the field, like Patrick Cohn, a sports psychologist in Orlando, Florida, who counsels both youths and adults in all kinds of sports.
Cohn notes that participating in competition as a child can have benefits that last a lifetime.
Certainly, the exercise associated with motorcycle racing helps kids stay in better physical condition than sitting on the sofa eating junk food and playing videogames. But as Cohn notes, there are mental and emotional benefits as well.
?Sports help kids get used to the competitive environment. And life can be very competitive,? Cohn says.
Through sports, he says, kids can learn to set goals, to focus and to handle pressure?abilities that will serve them their entire lives. A young racer who receives proper guidance gets valuable lessons in separating which tasks are essential for success, and which ones are distractions. They face new challenges and gain confidence when they meet those challenges.
Cohn adds that competition also helps kids learn how to handle both success and disappointment, two things they are bound to encounter in life.
?In fact,? he notes, ?everything I teach in sports psychology, I hope carries over in life.?
Much of that applies to sports of all types. But motorsports in particular offer additional lessons. For instance, a young racer is not only responsible for preparing his or her own body for competition, but also helping maintain a piece of machinery that?s far more expensive than a baseball glove or a pair of basketball shoes.
?That?s a level of responsibility that just doesn?t exist in other sports,? says AMA Sports Manager Steve Carnegie.
Before joining the AMA staff, Carnegie ran a motocross camp in Georgia, teaching beginners how to ride and experienced youngsters how to ride better. Having worked with hundreds of kids, he says one of the benefits he?s seen is the self-discipline racing builds.
?They see the other kids who do well and they decide, ?I want to be someone who can be mentally strong, make smart decisions and have a never-give-up attitude,? ? says Carnegie.
Many parents use that discipline to encourage young racers into better performance in school, too. Racing is a privilege earned by meeting family responsibilities and being conscientious about school work. Plus, the demands of the sport leave less unstructured and unsupervised free time, which is when most kids get in trouble.
?If an athlete is on the racetrack or the court or the golf course, that?s time away from other places where he could be getting into trouble,? Cohn says.
That?s the theory, anyway. And Carnegie says that in his experience, it works.
?Of the thousands of people I?ve met in this sport,? he says, ?I can think of only a handful who have drifted into things they shouldn?t be doing.?
8 Simple Rules for Parents
It may not look like it on the track, but racing is a team sport. And for amateur racers, the ?home team? usually means just that?Mom, Dad and other family members who support their racing efforts.
That puts extra responsibility on parents, who often need to fill the roles of coach, tuner and sponsor, in addition to their normal duties.
How do you juggle those complex roles? Sports psychologist Patrick Cohn offers eight guidelines for parents of amateur racers:
1. Racing should be fun. Treat it that way. With all the money in professional sports today, it is hard for parents to understand that it?s just good fun to young racers. The primary goal should be to have fun and enjoy the healthy competition.
2. Young racers compete in sports for many reasons. They enjoy the competition, like the social aspect, and enjoy the challenge of setting goals. You might have a different agenda, but you need to recognize that racing is your child?s sport, not yours.
3. Focus on the process of racing, instead of results. Winning comes from working the process and enjoying the ride.
4. You are a role model for your child athlete. Your child will see how you react to a close race or questionable behavior by a competitor. Stay calm, composed and in control at the track, so your child can mimic those positive behaviors.
5. Refrain from race-day coaching. Once at the track, athletes need to trust in their training and ?just do it.? Save the coaching for practice and focus on encouragement at the track.
6. Help your athlete detach self-esteem from achievement. Too many athletes attach self-worth to their level of performance. Help your child understand that he or she is a person first, who happens to race, instead of a racer who happens to be a person.
7. Ask your child athlete the right questions. This tells your child what you think is important in sports. If you ask, ?Did you win?? your child will think winning is important. If you ask, ?Did you have fun?? he or she will assume having fun is important.
8. Pledge to follow the Parent?s Code of Ethics developed by the Parents Association for Youth Sports (www.NAYS.org; (800) 729-2057). PAYS provides a parental handbook and code of ethics for adults to sign before each competitive season. This is a great tool to guide parents in their interaction with young athletes.
Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D., is the founder of Peak Performance Sports in Orlando, Florida. He is a nationally recognized mental game coach who works with motorcycle and auto racers. For more information, visit www.peaksports.com or call (888) 742-7225.