Summer Programs Re-visited
Bleacher Talk
March 23, 2008
Summer Programs Re-visited
The heat is on and one thing is certain. It’s summer! And as in many previous summers, parents are going over several options of summer programs or classes where they plan to enroll their kids. These programs range from the academic type of classes all the way to music and of course, sports.
The primary reason why parents enroll their kids in sports programs is to fill up their summer with productive and meaningful activities. By signing up, they hope to hit two birds with one stone. Their kids manage to spend their summer vacation wisely, and they also pick up something new to learn or manage to improve their craft or skill at a specific sport. For some, the summer is an opportunity to learn a sport that they’ve always wanted to pick up, but they’ve never had the opportunity to do so. For others, it simply becomes a continuation of practicing a sport that they’ve already picked up at school.
But there’s a warning that must also be issued in this department called summer sports. Summer sports programs should not be viewed or treated as THE clinic that will convert kids from simple beginners into superstars. Believe it or not. Some parents still believe that the summer sports programs are the only solution to convert kids into another Michael Jordan, David Beckham or Tiger Woods.
Summer sports programs are good for sports development, but these must be treated as complementary activity to the never-ending process of learning to improve one’s skills in his or her favorite sport.
If you’re looking a perfect model for this set-up, all you have to do is plot out a year-long sports program for your children. It all starts with his interest in the sport. And I’ll have to put an emphasis on your kid’s interest, not Daddy’s interest. As parents, we should show all the possible options there are for our kids, even if we don’t like some or many of these. I guess common sense will dictate that the likes of Formula One racing, downhill skiing and American football are out of the question. A “guide” question that parents should ask themselves quietly is if the sport chosen by their child has a long-term potential in becoming a sport that he’ll learn to love.
When that sport is chosen, it’s then time to check out all the possible sports clinics that are being offered by both schools and private individuals out in the market. This is where one must make a closer look at going to the kid’s school and other non-school-based clinics for their kids. Some schools believe that their sports programs are the best for their kids and openly tell their students to be cautious of those “other” summer clinics being conducted by others. While the school-based clinics are good for the kids for the long run since they’ll most likely end up playing for the school team, the “other” summer clinics are just as good and competent. And yes, there’s no harm in signing up in these clinics. I can cite the cases of badminton, swimming, tennis, golf and even basketball where private instructors (and even parents themselves) have become the choice of parents for their kids because many schools don’t have competent coaches.
I’ll cite basketball as an example since this is the sport with which I’m most familiar. While all schools with basketball programs will have their respective summer clinics, also having theirs will be the BEST Center of Coach Nic Jorge, more popularly known as Milo BEST (May 5-10). The others include Sunsport of Jojo Romarate (March 31-May 23), Hapee-Online of Mark Tallo (April 1 onwards), Time Out of Rex Salvaña, Sir Litz of Edsel Vallena, Power Play of Larry Villanil, Friends Basketball of Roland Remedio-Sesum Asignar (April 7) and many others.
But will the summer be just that? All clinics? Not this year as the Cebu Youth Basketball League’s (CYBL) Summer Shoot-out will gather all these clinics and schools together for a summer-ending tournament. The tournament will also have something new to offer as teams from Bacolod and Iloilo have signified their interest in coming over. And if plans don’t mess up, we’ll also have a team from Manila. Whoa!
The crucial part of this whole set-up is learning how to maximize both “worlds” or “schools” for your children. When parents look at the long run, their children will most likely end up playing for the school team in inter-school competitions. This is one of the best ways to maintain one’s competitiveness in a sport. After all, it can’t be all-practice and no-play for any athlete. He or she will never improve if he/she lives such a sports “lifestyle.” On the other hand, sports clinics that aren’t school based almost always provide a fresh look of lessons learned for kids who are have been “stuck” to their school coaches/clinics forever.
Both sides co-exist to provide the young athlete the opportunity to keep on growing. When the summer clinics are done, kids continue training in their respective schools while the other clinics lie low but still continue their sessions albeit with fewer students and at a lesser frequency.
It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved: the young budding athlete, the parents and the school that stand to benefit from the athlete’s improvement.
**
Time-out: May our meditation of Christ’s resurrection today lead us into striving to live the same kind of life that Jesus lived while on earth. After all, his being among us was to show that we too, can become other Christs. >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com or 0923-342-8193 (for SunCell subscribers).
March 23, 2008
Summer Programs Re-visited
The heat is on and one thing is certain. It’s summer! And as in many previous summers, parents are going over several options of summer programs or classes where they plan to enroll their kids. These programs range from the academic type of classes all the way to music and of course, sports.
The primary reason why parents enroll their kids in sports programs is to fill up their summer with productive and meaningful activities. By signing up, they hope to hit two birds with one stone. Their kids manage to spend their summer vacation wisely, and they also pick up something new to learn or manage to improve their craft or skill at a specific sport. For some, the summer is an opportunity to learn a sport that they’ve always wanted to pick up, but they’ve never had the opportunity to do so. For others, it simply becomes a continuation of practicing a sport that they’ve already picked up at school.
But there’s a warning that must also be issued in this department called summer sports. Summer sports programs should not be viewed or treated as THE clinic that will convert kids from simple beginners into superstars. Believe it or not. Some parents still believe that the summer sports programs are the only solution to convert kids into another Michael Jordan, David Beckham or Tiger Woods.
Summer sports programs are good for sports development, but these must be treated as complementary activity to the never-ending process of learning to improve one’s skills in his or her favorite sport.
If you’re looking a perfect model for this set-up, all you have to do is plot out a year-long sports program for your children. It all starts with his interest in the sport. And I’ll have to put an emphasis on your kid’s interest, not Daddy’s interest. As parents, we should show all the possible options there are for our kids, even if we don’t like some or many of these. I guess common sense will dictate that the likes of Formula One racing, downhill skiing and American football are out of the question. A “guide” question that parents should ask themselves quietly is if the sport chosen by their child has a long-term potential in becoming a sport that he’ll learn to love.
When that sport is chosen, it’s then time to check out all the possible sports clinics that are being offered by both schools and private individuals out in the market. This is where one must make a closer look at going to the kid’s school and other non-school-based clinics for their kids. Some schools believe that their sports programs are the best for their kids and openly tell their students to be cautious of those “other” summer clinics being conducted by others. While the school-based clinics are good for the kids for the long run since they’ll most likely end up playing for the school team, the “other” summer clinics are just as good and competent. And yes, there’s no harm in signing up in these clinics. I can cite the cases of badminton, swimming, tennis, golf and even basketball where private instructors (and even parents themselves) have become the choice of parents for their kids because many schools don’t have competent coaches.
I’ll cite basketball as an example since this is the sport with which I’m most familiar. While all schools with basketball programs will have their respective summer clinics, also having theirs will be the BEST Center of Coach Nic Jorge, more popularly known as Milo BEST (May 5-10). The others include Sunsport of Jojo Romarate (March 31-May 23), Hapee-Online of Mark Tallo (April 1 onwards), Time Out of Rex Salvaña, Sir Litz of Edsel Vallena, Power Play of Larry Villanil, Friends Basketball of Roland Remedio-Sesum Asignar (April 7) and many others.
But will the summer be just that? All clinics? Not this year as the Cebu Youth Basketball League’s (CYBL) Summer Shoot-out will gather all these clinics and schools together for a summer-ending tournament. The tournament will also have something new to offer as teams from Bacolod and Iloilo have signified their interest in coming over. And if plans don’t mess up, we’ll also have a team from Manila. Whoa!
The crucial part of this whole set-up is learning how to maximize both “worlds” or “schools” for your children. When parents look at the long run, their children will most likely end up playing for the school team in inter-school competitions. This is one of the best ways to maintain one’s competitiveness in a sport. After all, it can’t be all-practice and no-play for any athlete. He or she will never improve if he/she lives such a sports “lifestyle.” On the other hand, sports clinics that aren’t school based almost always provide a fresh look of lessons learned for kids who are have been “stuck” to their school coaches/clinics forever.
Both sides co-exist to provide the young athlete the opportunity to keep on growing. When the summer clinics are done, kids continue training in their respective schools while the other clinics lie low but still continue their sessions albeit with fewer students and at a lesser frequency.
It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved: the young budding athlete, the parents and the school that stand to benefit from the athlete’s improvement.
**
Time-out: May our meditation of Christ’s resurrection today lead us into striving to live the same kind of life that Jesus lived while on earth. After all, his being among us was to show that we too, can become other Christs. >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com or 0923-342-8193 (for SunCell subscribers).
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