There’s an interesting discussion on my lacrosse forum. It seems some parents are upset when their kid’s team loses by more than 10 goals. What they don’t understand is that this is unavoidable when lacrosse is growing as it is in North Carolina. When my oldest son began playing in 1996 there were six or eight high school teams playing in the state. There are now 71. That means that established programs, like Riverside High School where my sons played, must play schools that have just begun a program. Even if some established teams play their third string players they can still beat the newer teams by double-digit goals.
Over the past few years I’ve learned that the players understand this better than their parents. They understand that to get better they have to play the best. They know that if a good team plays down to them they will not learn what they have to learn. But some parents worry about Johnny’s self-esteem. It is this kind of parent, and the educators who agree with them, who decided there was too much competition on the annual spring field days. So they eliminated the tug of war because the losing side might feel bad (they didn’t). They eliminated sprints because there was always a winner. Now it’s very collective, with everyone getting a participation ribbon. No winners. No losers. No fun.
That’s why I love athletics. It is, at least for now, one of the few remaining places where excellence can be celebrated with trophies, victories and celebration. Those who lose just have to learn to get better. It can happen. Riverside High School started its lacrosse program in 1993, going 4-9. The eventually won four state championships and moved into the state’s lacrosse elite. There’s a lesson in there for kids if their parents will just let it sink in.
