“It carries over a big deal”: Playing sports early in life can set young athletes up for victories in the future

WACO, Texas (KWTX) – As an athlete you try to celebrate the wins and learn from the losses.

Although most people are only athletes for a small part of their lives, research conducted by Dr. Laura Upenieks, a Baylor University professor with a doctorate in Sociology, shows that a short period of your life dedicated to sports can set you up for victory in the long haul.

“Respondents who had the lowest levels of anxiety and depression were those who consistently played sports throughout their entire childhood,” said Upenieks.

“We didn’t formally test the mechanisms, but it goes without saying that playing sports in childhood builds good exercise habits, teamwork, self esteem, confidence”

All of those traits can be carried into other areas of your life.

Camdyn Parsee is a coach for Team Waco youth summer track, but before he started passing on his knowledge to the next generation, he was an athlete.

Parsee competed as a child in the same program he coaches for now.

He says that looking back, the lessons he learned are priceless. “To work together as a team, not only in sports, but just in life,” said Parsee. “It’s helped develop me into becoming a more patient and collected person.”

Sometimes, the positive imprint becomes obvious well before your playing days are over.

“You learn other people’s social skills, and how to just talk to them better, so it helps me communicate more with people outside of softball,” said Beya Martinez, a member of the Centex Little League softball All-Star team.

Even Parents say that a few hours a week at practice can result in improvements that their child carries with them off of the field.

“It carries over a big deal,” said Shamekia Carpenter, whose kids run track for Team Waco.

“Just socializing, being around other kids, learning from other adults and being coached by other people.”

However, not every kid looks back on their time playing sports fondly.

Upenieks pointed out that in her research, she found major mental health implications for kids who played briefly, before quitting sports.

“Kids who played sport, but dropped out before the age of 18, had worse mental health than kids who never played sport at all, ” Said Upenieks.

In her study, Upenieks used data from the National Sports and Society Survey.

Of the 3,931 adults surveyed, 1,612 (41%) of them played youth sports, but dropped out before the age of 16.

943 (24%) people participated all the way through high school.

1,376 (35%) of them said they never played youth sports at all.

For those who quit, 129 (8%) of them said it was due to abuse from a coach.

“Those seem to really stand out to us that they had such an impact on mental health twenty plus years down the line,” Said Upenieks

725 (45%) of those who quit sports at a young age cited not having fun as their reason to stop playing, and 491 (31%) said it was due to a lack of skill.

“Quitting because they weren’t having fun or parental pressure, that’s probably signaling that something else beyond the sport environment is maybe going wrong,” Said Upenieks.

Among the other reasons listed included financial issues and injury.

In fact, the survey found that those who never played sports were actually better off mentally than those who played and quit.

“I think that kind of gives us sort of reason to pause and say, ‘well sport can have benefits, but sport can have downsides’,” said Upenieks.

Keeping youth engaged as they grow, and their interest change can be nearly impossible for coaches, who are looking out for the best interest of the entire team.

Organizers of Waco United Youth Sports say they encourage young athletes to stick with their sport by seeking feedback from the community.

“We definitely lean on them to say, okay, what do we like in this program,” said Michelle Kelly. “

What do you think about this? How much further can we grow if we have them as part of the program?”

Her husband John, who helps run the league, says that they recognize the impact they have on the kids they coach.

“The way we see it, it’s our ministry,” said Kelly.

“God’s given us this opportunity to impact other kid’s lives, and we’re just loving seeing their impact as they go out.”

Upenieks says one of the keys to keeping kids around is to give them the freedom to have fun.

Which can mean turning away from repetitive drills and intensive coaching, and having children participate in activities with a little less structure.

“You can’t expect 8 and 9-year-olds to be able to figure out what to do for an entire two hours,” Said Upenieks.

“But for 30 minutes let them play, or scrimmage, or maybe even play something completely unrelated to that sport.”

Although this may seem unusual, Parsee follows this advice at all of his practices.

He says incorporating games into the normal routine helps improve performance, all while lifting a weight off of the kids’ shoulders.

“Like, cat and mouse, or let’s say I have the kids run a 150. I’ll have one kid here and he’ll go, then I’ll wait until he gets a little distance, and I’ll be like, ‘okay go catch him,’” Said Parsee.

“We try to have these kids not only compete, but have fun while competing. Sports can be very stressful. Especially as you get to the high school and college level.”

Win or lose, the mark every competition leaves can be permanent.

“What happens in a childhood sporting environment can really leave a lasting imprint on peoples’ health, for good or for bad,” Said Upenieks.

Copyright 2024 KWTX. All rights reserved.