Mix it up to avoid sports burnout

Too much emphasis on competition can take the fun off the field

BY ALISON STUCKE PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ST. LUKE’S HOSPITAL

Playing organized sports can be exciting and fun for children and youths, and it teaches great lessons including the value of perseverance and practice. But sometimes the fun of participating declines, and the young athlete wants to quit the sport. Parents might wonder how this happened, and why their child suddenly wants out of organized athletics. This sudden disinterest might be caused by burnout or by sportsrelated injuries.

About 70 percent of kids who play organized youth sports quit by the time they turn 13, and more than 3.5 million children sustain sports-related injuries every year, said Stanford Children’s Health.

“Many parents start out seeing how their child loves a particular sport, only to be surprised when they either walk away from it altogether or they end up with injuries,” said personal trainer Sarah Walls. “The good news is that by taking a proactive approach, this can largely be avoided. I’ve worked with many young athletes and have helped them to avoid injuries and hold onto that passion for the game.”

How can you help your young athlete avoid burnout and injuries, and continue to play the sport he or she loves?

The Pros And Cons Of Organized Sports

“Organized athletics can be a beneficial experience for youth,” said Dr. Jesse Coenen, family medicine physician at St. Luke’s Medical Arts Clinic in Duluth. “There can be improvement in fitness, as well as selfesteem and socialization.”

However, Coenen said, sports burnout can definitely happen.

“With emphasis on success in competitive youth sports, some young athletes specialize in one particular www.lsyouthchorus.org

“Burnout is a result of chronic stress,” sport, and this increases the risk of burnout,” he said. “Burnout is a result of chronic stress, which causes an athlete to withdraw from participating in a sport which was previously enjoyable.”

Dr. Benjamin Nelson, an orthopedics and sports medicine physician at Essentia Health in Duluth, agreed that sports can lead to stress and burnout.

“Youth athletics can be demanding,” Nelson said. “Some players and parents feel pressure to participate year-round, specialize in one sport, and play or practice as often as possible. Loss of enjoyment, lack of motivation, and decreased energy are symptoms of burnout.”

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