by always a sports season » Sun Apr 15, 2007 7:04 pm
Track and field is an excellent sport for kids to be in! There's a variety of events to try and find the right fit for each athlete. There are also more opportunities for participating in college. And you are always working at reaching your personal best and not worrying about some of the politics or parents grumbling in the background who gets playing time. Yes, it is a good sport for kids to get into and make a name for themselves. However, small schools are at a disadvantage as a team for winning track meets. But individuals can still win their events and they can be noticed for themselves and not just because their team made it to the state tournament. It can be hard to find track and field coaches that are able to teach technique for all the events. Coaches sometimes have to seek outside experts or former athletes in those events to help out.
Basketball gets way too much emphasis and that's why there ends up being so much negativity from parents and so forth. Everyone thinks they're the expert because they understand dribble, pass, shoot the ball into the basket. They also don't know all the dynamics that goes on in practice and off the court either that affects play. It's the elite, glamour sport where everyone notices you. But the reality is that there may be many good athletes and only a handful of really great ones with the right work ethic and attitude to make it beyond the high school level. However, parents have often brought up their basketball players to believe they'll be the next Michael Jordan.