When Lori Molitor’s 9-year-old daughter, Madison, participates in gymnastics, she wears a heel cushion. After her training session she ices. And before she goes to bed she stretches. All of this is done in hopes of keeping her injury-free as she continues her progression as a budding gymnast.
The Verona mother’s cautious approach with her daughter was borne partially from observing her eldest daughter deal with injuries while competing in sports, but many parents remain in the dark about the dangers of overtraining.
To address that problem, Harbor Athletic Club will host a presentation on the topic on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Guest speakers include Dr. David Bernhardt, a pediatric physician at UW Sports Medicine, and Kierstin Kloeckner, a personal trainer at the Middleton club.
Their message: Young athletes may think they’re indestructible, but they must be treated with care.
One thought on “Are We Pushing Our Young Athletes Too Hard?”
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Now, if we could get a little bit of this achievement oriented mindset to apply to academics, wouldn’t that be wonderful?
But seriously. Having seen some of these injuries in my kids and what missing a season means for them emotionally, I think this overtraining and overemphasis on athletic achievement comes at the cost of academics and that’s really detrimental. My kids often came home completely tired after practice and icing and then had to work until midnight or later. They are students first and foremost. Yet if I try to limit the amount of athletics, they say they would be kicked out of the team which is their social life.