Kept in proper perspective and with appropriate balance the benefits of youth sports, especially youth soccer, are incredible and cannot be equaled in any other way. But when youth soccer becomes a Snark hunt, far more may be lost than gained and it will be lost mostly by the only ones who truly count – the kids.
Beware of the Soccer Snark Hunt
By John Murphy, CYSA Chairman
When I was young there was a “game,” a trick really, that was pulled on the naïve and unsuspecting. It was called Snark hunting. It worked this way. The naïve person – the victim – would join as a new comer a group at a party or some other event. Someone in the group – the perpetrator – would get the idea of taking advantage of the victim by inviting them to go Snark hunting with the group in a nearby field. The hunt was usually at night, but not always. The perpetrator would explain to the victim how there was this bird called a Snark that was hard to catch and how some valuable prize would go to anyone who could capture one. The victim was told all kinds of things to do that were necessary to “assist” in the hunt. These included making strange bird noises to attract the Snark and hunching down low while shaking bushes and other plants in the field to flush the Snark out in the open. The group with the victim would then go to a field to hunt for Snarks where the victim was encouraged to make strange noises and shake up the plants in the field. The problem, of course, is that there is no such thing as a Snark. Very rarely someone in the group would tell the victim that the whole proposal was a trick, but most of the time “mob psychology” took over and everyone would go along with the “game.” Sometimes the victim would just shake the experience off and endure the future taunts that followed, but far more often the victim would view the Snark hunt for what it was – a cruel trick, and end his or her association with the group.
So what does Snark hunting have to do with youth soccer? It turns out that there are a several variations of the Snark hunt being “sold” every day in youth soccer. One variation is to tell parents that it is essential for a youth to begin specializing in youth soccer at the earliest possible age. The theory – the pitch made by the perpetrator–is that if one wants their child to excel at youth soccer then the child must concentrate on nothing but youth soccer from the earliest age, often said to be ages 7 or 8. If and only if, so the parents are told, they commit their child to just youth soccer at age 7 or 8 can they expect the child to have any chance in the sport in the future. Parents, understandably emotionally wanting the very best for their kid and afraid of their kid being “left behind” and with the best of intentions will too often out of naiveté accept the theory. Unfortunately for the parents and even more unfortunately for the kids, the quest for sports specialization at such an early age is just a Snark hunt. As the American Academy of Pediatrics counsels and as studies support and confirm, sports specialization should be avoided before a child reaches adolescence. And, as common sense dictates, it is folly to think that one can predict at age 8 whether a kid will be a superior athlete at age 18. Young kids are not just short adults; they are growing physically, emotionally, intellectually, and in every other way and going through changes adults have long since forgotten about.
Another possible form of youth soccer Snark hunting is the pitch that soccer must be elevated for the child above all other considerations of all kind. This too is “sold” on the theory that only real dedication evidenced by a single-minded commitment to just youth soccer practices, games, travel, and tournaments can lead to success as a soccer player. Thus, the player who wants to be truly “elite” in the sport must not engage in events such as family get togethers or even dinners, give up basic socializing events at school such as proms, dances, including school sports, and even make the player’s own academic performance subordinate, or so parents and kids may be told. Really? And when the years have passed will either the parents or more important the player – now a young adult – have gained more than they lost or will they look back and feel that they have been through a Snark hunt? For almost all the answer will include the word “Snark.”
Kept in proper perspective and with appropriate balance the benefits of youth sports, especially youth soccer, are incredible and cannot be equaled in any other way. But when youth soccer becomes a Snark hunt, far more may be lost than gained and it will be lost mostly by the only ones who truly count – the kids. Thus, the object is to avoid being the victim of Snark hunts. This can be done with just a little bit of effort. Be skeptical of schemes that promise more than your own common sense tells you is wise and do a little investigation of their validity before making substantial commitments. There is much truth to the saying that “if it sounds too good to be true it is.”
