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SALT LAKE CITY -- Some parents, certainly not all, have unrealistic ideas about their child's talent level.
Sparta United Soccer Club Director of Coaching Patrick Rennie said, "On the boys' side, I've heard parents say, ‘Oh, he's going to be a professional soccer player and he's going to look after me.' That's unrealistic and it's hard on the boy."
I've heard parents say, ‘Oh, he's going to be a professional soccer player and he's going to look after me.' That's unrealistic and it's hard on the boy.
–Patrick Rennie
But parents aren't necessarily completely to blame for these unrealistic expectations. Rennie said sometimes coaches make this problem worse.
"Sometimes parents are lied to that their son or daughter is a (NCAA) Division 1 or Division 2 soccer player," he said.
Sometimes, coaches will overhype a child's ability so parents will keep their kid coming back to their camp every year. In other cases, telling parents that their child just isn't good enough to play for any club can be such an awkward conversation, some coaches will avoid it.
So, how would a parent be able to tell if their child has the ability to play on a high school or college level? Rennie says one of the best ways to do this is to send them to a camp sponsored by a college. He believes college coaches are less likely to tell you your child has major talent when he really doesn't.
"Choose the school that you like academically, send them to that camp and see if they enjoy the coach and the campus. It's a good way to know what the school is like before you start getting into the decision process," he suggested.
But Rennie warns parents, even if their kid has a bright future in competitive sports, their athletic ability won't get them into college as easily as good grades will.
Let's say your youngster has athletic potential. You want to make sure that he or she is on a championship team, right? Not necessarily. Rennie says parents who bounce their kid from club to club, trying to place them on the best club's roster, slow the child's progress.
"Actually, this disrupts their progress because you have to learn (about) a new team, a new system, a new coach. By the time the next season comes around, they're bouncing to the next one and they have to do it all over again," he said.
What if you're told your child just isn't that good. Rennie says it's perfectly fine to get a second opinion.
"Maybe you'll find a coach that relates better to you or thinks that your (child) will have more of an opportunity to make it," he pointed out.
But if you're told by several coaches that your child doesn't have the talent to play competitively, maybe it's time to stop worrying about their future in sports and just let them enjoy the game. Besides, as cliché as this may sound, Rennie says having fun is the most important thing. When kids are having fun playing, they're learning more about the sport.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
