I actually really liked the topic of my paradigm shift paper, which was the increase of intensity of childhood athletics, so I’m going to stick with that theme generally.

I personally most enjoyed writing about the concept of time. Childhoood used to be associated with freeform time, but with the heightened structure due to more intense activities, they experience something much closer to the lifestyle of an American adult. There is rigidity and a responsibility to be on time, rather than growth at one’s own pace.

Parallel to that discussion is one concerning money, which is my other possible topic. I discussed the rising cost of equipment and leagues. Parents spend money on their child, hoping that there are returns on that investment. They hope that their child is the best because of their support, and maybe even envision a scholarship or professional-level salary to make that expensive lacrosse stick worth it. If success has a dollar value, then the sport is much like a job at which the child needs to succeed to make an “income.”

For either idea, I would explore the possible causes as well as the effects on the children, but you have to stay tuned to hear more!

Rachel Sherbondy

Fun and Games

            Youth is associated as a time of great energy and potential, especially in American culture. These two are channeled into a number of childhood activities, where an idealist would say that a child has the chance to experience many kinds of different fields of possible talent or passion. However, recent times have brought a shift in the execution of these childhood activities, making them more competitive and intense. In athletics, performing arts, and organizations, the expectations of time and talent are increasing for participants. Sports, in particular, are increasingly demanding on children. While the taxing nature of the change can be measured in the physical effects on children, there is a greater pressure on children emotionally.

Time is one axis on which the change in the intensity of sports can be observed. Sports used to be a medium through which children could increase their motor skills and interpersonal skills with their peers. Therefore, they spent a great deal of time pursuing different pick-up games with local children, and a smaller amount of time with organized leagues through their parents’ help. However, times have changed this balance drastically. Rather than practices once or twice a week, organized leagues hold practice multiple times during one week. Sports lose their freeform quality when there are so rigidly enforced. Additionally, the increased exposure to adults and compulsory rules monitored by a referee may make games more fair, but they remove the chance for the children to make those decisions to create fairness themselves. Where they previously had an opportunity to use their time for a lesson in proper treatment of others, children must now defer to prescribed rules with less time for personal development.  Time spent travelling for games and practice is usually with family, but it is in a situation of increased stress with less chance for observing the parents going about duties. Children are deprived of their occasions for growth, encountering more repetition of experiences rather than an abstract schedule. Play time was also set aside for creativity that is decreased when organized sports take up a larger portion of the week. Children will find places to exercise their imaginations regardless, but the values that parents expose to them have changed. By encouraging children to be talented athletes, parents have shifted the glory and freeness of sports to a more competitive measure of worth. The packed schedule imposed on children mimics a microcosm the life of an American adult. This kind of emotional maturity to deal with a stress-inducing activity level was not expected of young children previously as they were allowed to develop at their own pace and take on activities as they desired. Not only is time demanded of children, but so is physical output.

The rate of childhood injuries should also be considered when evaluating the intensity of children’s sports. Recently, reported sports-related injuries have been increasing in both number and severity. The rules of the activities have not changed in the past few decades, so this shift to more injuries is directly related to the surge in the strenuous nature of the games and practices. However, the number of injuries is only the visible part of the damage done by the intense sports. Children are pushing their bodies to the breaking point, and only some of them actually will have reported injuries; even more will have less serious non-reported injuries. Also, the injuries themselves are only part of the problem. The average child has a resilient, healthy body that is capable of healing after an injury, and accidents at play are always possible. However, the mind is slower to heal and just as fragile. A child has that increased chance for injury because, suddenly, the priority is not their health so much as it is their performance on the soccer field. The mental repercussions associated with this realization are drastic. The child is now an expendable member of the team, more a means to achieve an outcome for the collective than an individual striving for development.  Sports switched from a freeing experience to one that comes with harsh emotional consequences.

With the shift in the intensity of children’s sports, there is a corresponding change in the amount of money that is spent on them. Even considering the fact that money spent on the sport varies with the amount of equipment needed or the availability of different leagues, the cost of playing a sport has increased drastically. Pickup games are no longer as popular as the paid leagues become more competitive. This demonstrates a change from sports as a form of entertainment to one where winning is the reason for playing at all. Also, once the money is paid for the season, it is held as an obligatory mandate to go to every practice to make the cost worth the benefits of the league. This makes sports more like an occupation for children than a pastime as they were prior to the paradigm shift. They must put in their hours on a regular schedule. A rigid schedule is more reminiscent of an adult’s, reducing the freedom of childhood and already imposing a demanding timetable.  The values exposed to the children change as well. From a young age, they are informed that star athletes make incredibly high salaries and hear mentions of scholarships for athleticism. There is then this expectation that inputting money in the form of extra leagues and better equipment will eventually pay off later in life. Parents and coaches unconsciously place a monetary value on success, driving students not to find worth in the experience but in the payoff they could receive if they become talented players.

The physical markers of the paradigm shift are only the tip of the iceberg considering all the associated psychological changes that correspond. As sports become a great focus in a child’s life, other aspects are reduced such as normal time spent with family or peers making their own decisions. Their concept of self-worth is based more heavily on success in their activities when they are considered so critical. Additionally, the values that are presented to children are less personal and more success-driven, already planting the seeds of impersonal American consumerist culture. While sports may seem like fun and games, if treated with enough seriousness they present ideals that will become a lens through which life can be seen as a simple game, with the only outcomes being winning and losing.

So I know there needs to be research to back these up and it needs added length, but how are the ideas/structure/presentation?

Also if you know any PHYSICAL sources where I could find information (a newspaper article you’ve seen or something) please let me know. I have found some but more is better.

Thanks!

For my paradigm shift essay, I plan to explore the idea of the intensity of sports programs for children in America. Specifically, I’d like to focus on the late 1990’s and 2000’s when there was a sharp increase in the demands placed upon the child. I plan to mention the ways that this is measurable, such as the time it takes, money invested by families into programs, and injuries due to sports. I will research these three aspects before and after the proposed time for the shift. After each, I will explain the repercussions of these changes. Ultimately, I’d like to speak mostly about the change in values that children see in their sports experiences.

If you have any suggestions of more ways this might be measurable, a different/better way to organize the paper, or places (aside from Google and the CAT!) where I might find some interesting viewpoints on this topic, please share!

For my essay, I thought I would analyze the “Miracle on Ice” speech. It’s very pop culture, but there is a reason it speaks to so many people. I want take the position that it appeals to many because the original piece was constructed in such a way that when reproduced in the movie version, the delivery could be very similar. That is to say, coach Brooks’s purpose was very similar to actor Kurt Russell’s. I have the intro paragraph and an outline for the body so far (but I might update before class tomorrow).

Rachel Sherbondy

Dr. Miles

English 137H

Section 27

Creative, Enlightening Title

            The American heart has always had a special place for underdogs, perhaps due to the numerous cases where the two can relate. Beginning as early as the Revolutionary War, the country has had numerous cases where they identify as the underdog in a situation, or perhaps it is that Romantic ideal of the American “self-made man” of Thoreau that places special recognition for those who overcome their unfavorable circumstances. This fondness has brought about an appreciation for the disadvantaged opponent that contributed to the popularity of moments in politics, battle, or sports where these characters were victorious. One such popular moment is the victory of the American hockey team over the Soviet team in the 1980 winter Olympics, which has since been retold in the 2004 movie “Miracle.” This movie quickly became a classic, with some fans even memorizing the well-recognized pregame speech given in the locker room originally by coach Herb Brooks, and then for the movie by actor Kurt Russell (cite). In this speech, Brooks addresses his team and Russell addresses the movie’s viewers for very similar purposes which add to the poignancy and effectiveness of the moment.

Outline from here:

Purposes:

• nationalism
• • team feels invincible (or at least pumped up)
  • movie viewers (primarily American audience feels proud, like the movie more)
    • he is “real with them” (says they would lose 9 out of 10 games)
    • tells them that they are capable of overcoming that
• individuals feel special
  • team members each feel capable and motivated to contribute
  • movie viewers feel empowered
    • “born to be here” could apply to anyone