Your Lane: Parents, Coaches and Athletes

In the last module we looked at how young athletes develop, and why patience matters so much. This module is about something simpler and harder: your role. Every youth sport experience is a triangle. At one corner is the athlete. At another is the coach. At the third is you. Each corner has a job, and the experience works when each person does their own job and trusts the others to do theirs. The athlete's job is to play, to work hard, to listen, and to be a good teammate. The coach's job is to teach, to decide who plays where and when, and to run the team. Your job is to support: get them there on time, fed, rested, and loved, no matter what happened on the court. Most of the conflict in youth sports comes from someone stepping out of their corner. A parent who coaches. A coach who parents. A kid who's stuck in the middle. Over the next five lessons we'll look at how to stay in your lane, and why staying there is the most supportive thing you can do.