Worth Repeating: Senator Marnie McBean on The Pitfalls of Early Specialization

Worth Repeating: Senator Marnie McBean on The Pitfalls of Early Specialization

Three-time Olympic gold medalist and Canadian Senator Marnie McBean sees many of the problems with youth sports in Canada and she's intent on figuring out what we can do about it. From her international rowing career to raising her 10-year-old daughter Isabel, Marnie has seen sport at every level and has a very current view on what's currently happening in youth sports today. In this segment, Marnie shares insights on why multi-sport participation matters and why early specialization may be preventing a lot of boys from finding their true calling in sport. Listen to the full episode: ⁠Spotify⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5uB0YlpeTAeUwIe8U332qe?si=fd0f6512656e4e13] ⁠Apple⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/senator-marnie-mcbean-incentivize-coaching-more-multi/id1834970608?i=1000744963214] Watch on ⁠YouTube [https://youtu.be/STvVFt4gEIs?si=hP2S6WeP4oXyHL_e]

Adam Bighill: From Bullied to Belonging, Misleading Money Grabs & Coaches Build Communities

Adam Bighill made more tackles than all but five players in the history of Canadian football. He won three Grey Cups, was named the CFL's most outstanding defensive player three times, and is a shoe in for the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. But the most revealing thing about Adam's relationship with football can't be found on the stat sheet. Born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate, Adam was bullied as a kid and used sport to do the one thing it does better than almost anything else: earn respect and build belonging. His proclivity for sport and his relentless work ethic meant he was always one of the first picks. Sport levelled the playing field and gave him a place where he fit. Now retired from the CFL and coaching his three kids in flag football, Adam has a clear-eyed, no-nonsense view of what's wrong in youth sport today: parents with mismatched expectations, a money grab masquerading as development, and coaches who yell instead of teach. His philosophy is simple, and the results speak for themselves. His team went from chaos to competing at the national level on one practice and one game per week, and more importantly, every player improved and contributed to the best of their ability. Adam is very direct on the importance of coaching, the need for more resources, and his belief that sport can help everyone build confidence and self-worth. 🎙️ Better Sports Parents is helping parents positively contribute to the youth sports environment. Subscribe for new episodes every week. Chapters 00:00 Opening 02:07 Introducing Adam Bighill 03:32 Why He Retired 04:08 Three Kids, All Multi-Sport 06:03 Early Specialization 07:47 Too Many Games, Not Enough Practice 08:39 The Money Grab 09:25 The Power of the Coach 11:07 His Coaching Philosophy 14:41 How to Make Practice Fun Without Losing the Work 17:27 What Bad Youth Coaching Actually Looks Like 17:43 The Best Coaching Advice He Ever Received 20:08 Managing Parents 21:48 The Context of Team 23:47 The Word Every Coach Needs: "Yet" 23:59 Being a Sports Parent on the Sidelines 24:47 What His Dad Taught Him Just by Showing Up 26:41 Applauding Everyone on the Field 29:12 Conditional Love and What It Does to Kids 30:39 Youth Travel Sports 32:43 What Happens Outside Structured Practice 34:40 How Much Commitment Is Too Much at a Young Age? 37:05 Why Kids Play and Why Parents Should Ask 39:12 How Sport Gave Adam Belonging 41:28 Sport Broke Down Every Barrier 43:43 Sport Builds the People Your Community Needs 45:56 "Some Kids Need Football More Than Football Needs Them" 46:23 Canada vs. the US 48:50 Privatization in Youth Sports 52:33 Sport Should Be a Meritocracy 55:11 The Pressure Parents Feel 57:35 What Adam Expects From His Own Kids 59:02 What 14 Years of Pro Football Built in Him 01:01:29 The Mindset That Lasted Beyond Sport 01:03:45 Adam's Biggest Issue in Youth Sport Today Resources ⁠Adam Bighill⁠ [https://wellington-altus.ca/advisor/adam-bighill/] ⁠Operation Smile Canada⁠ [https://operationsmile.ca/] ⁠Better Sports Parents [https://www.bettersportsparents.com/]

Worth Repeating: Trevor Linden on the Rising Costs and Pressure in Youth Sports

Trevor Linden played 19 seasons in the NHL, captained the Vancouver Canucks to the 1994 Stanley Cup Final, and performed under the most intense pressure imaginable. But as a sports parent to his 8-year-old son? He's about as low-pressure as it gets.In [http://gets.In] this segment, Trevor discusses the advent of travel tournaments to major markets for teams with very young players, the rising cost of youth sports, and how adults set the example of what is acceptable with their behaviour. Listen to the full episode: ⁠Spotify⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/episode/0QWvVeFx6JJFXT9AFLsYOw?si=d319ef91510947bd] ⁠Apple⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/trevor-linden-youth-sports-arms-race-travel-tournament/id1834970608?i=1000751164347] Watch on ⁠YouTube [https://youtu.be/wrBAyIYXXrc?si=x96YlwhHfNJGAcEs]

Shannon Winzer: We're Failing Our Coaches, Why Parents Lose the Plot & The Gift of Free Play

Shannon Winzer has coached volleyball at the highest level on two continents:national teams in Canada and Australia, and now as head coach of the Dallas Pulse in Major League Volleyball. She's also a mother of three kids actively playing youth sports and a volunteer lacrosse coach in her community. That combination gives her a perspective on youth sport that very few people have. What she sees frustrates her deeply. Coaches who have lost sight of the developmental needs of young people. Organizations selling dreams to parents who don't know enough to question them. A volunteer coaching workforce that is expected to do everything and supported to do almost nothing. And a youth sports culture so focused on winning, medals, and the next academy program that it has completely forgotten why kids play sport in the first place. In this conversation with Scott Rintoul, Shannon is direct, honest, and at times quietly furious. She talks about talent identification, the myth of early specialization, what the best professional athletes all have in common, the role of school sport, and the one question every parent should be asking their child but probably isn't. Her diagnosis of the biggest issue in youth sport is simple: we've lost perspective on what the purpose of youth sport actually is. Better Sports Parents is helping parents positively contribute to the youth sports environment. Subscribe for new episodes every week. Chapters 00:00 Opening 01:58 Introducing Shannon Winzer 03:18 Why She's So Passionate About Youth Sports 03:59 Her View on Youth Sports Today 05:22 Why Parents Lose the Plot 07:17 What Shannon Wants for Her Own Kids 08:44 Do Parents Understand Their Role in Youth Sport? 10:04 Fighting Your Child's Battles vs. Supporting Them Through Their Own 11:44 When a Child Approaches the Coach vs. When a Parent Does 12:01 What Learning Looks Like: Reframing Failure 13:49 Please Don't Coach From the Stands 16:23 Why Coaching From the Sideline Adds Noise, Not Help 20:26 Why Shannon Got Into Coaching 22:03 Shannon's Youth Sports Background 24:03 Academies: When They Help and When They Don't 28:19 Setting Boundaries as a Sports Family 30:09 The Greatest Gift We Can Give Kids: Free Play 33:28 How Coaches Can Create Space for Creativity 36:21 Ask What They Love, Not Just Why They Play 39:27 We Are Failing Our Coaches 42:18 Coach Retention, School Sport and the Teacher Problem 47:02 The Missing Recreational Pathway in Volleyball 51:29 Why Shannon Chose Volleyball Over Basketball 52:28 Multi-Sport at the Professional Level 55:53 People Selling Youth Sports 57:42 Shannon's Biggest Issue: We've Lost Perspective 01:01:08 We Need a Framework, Not Just Funding 01:04:31 The Number One Purpose of Youth Sport 01:08:36 Competition and Participation Can Coexist 01:10:48 The Myth Around Talent ID Resources ⁠Shannon Winzer⁠ [https://provolleyball.com/staff-members/shannon-winzer] ⁠Long-Term Athlete Development⁠ [https://coach.ca/sites/default/files/archive/2020-02/CAC_7516A_11_LTAD_English_Brochure_FINAL.pdf] ⁠Better Sports Parents⁠ [https://www.bettersportsparents.com/]

Worth Repeating: Kim Gaucher on Giving Kids the Freedom to Make Decisions

Kim Gaucher was a member of the Canadian Women's Basketball Team for more than 20 years, captaining the team in multiple Olympic Games. Her prolific NCAA and professional career led her into coaching and eventually her current role as Head of the Players Unit with FIBA, the governing body of international basketball. In this segment, Kim discusses the benefits of kids playing in unstructured environments, how players benefit when they're not coached during games, and how the focus on individual skills has taken away from team play. Listen to the full episode: ⁠Spotify⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/episode/6UwPeeLowHe1tZDlwPG6WR?si=dfff5cbd1da64c94] ⁠Apple⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/kim-gaucher-open-the-gyms-increase-accountability/id1834970608?i=1000746825790] Watch on ⁠YouTube⁠ [https://youtu.be/5mksK9QU7YA?si=GO8p79WY33KmEOcw]