“Receiving an athletic scholarship is a wonderful thing, but most of us only know what we’re getting, not what we’re getting into.”

-Stephanie Campbell, Former Villanova University Field Hockey Player 

Discovering the Right Motivation

Creating an environment in which your child is driven as an athlete, student, and person through enjoyment, genuine passion, and a “love of the game” (what we at KPA Elite Performance call “right stuff motivation”) can be tough. As parents, in our desire for our kids be the best they can be, we may end up creating an environment that is driven by rewards, punishment, pressure, and guilt. This environment can have many adverse affects that may impact our kids performance on all levels.

This New York Times piece from 2008 tells the story of multiple Villanova University student athletes struggling with the day-to-day demands of being a full time NCAA Division 1 athlete. Unfortunately, these stories have become all too common. Early in her freshman year, Stephanie Campbell was overwhelmed by the onslaught of class, team meetings and practice; a lifestyle that forced her to sacrifice all of her personal time and ultimately led her to question if she wanted to continue at all. In response, her mother sat her down and offered her own brutally honest take:

“Villanova costs more than $40,000 a year to attend. They’re paying you $19,000 to play field hockey. At your age, there is no one out there anywhere who is going to pay you that kind of money to do anything. And that’s how you have to look at this: It’s a job, but it’s a great job.”

While Campbell ultimately stuck it out, countless others did not. Citing coaches on campus, the New York Times article suggests that as many as 15 percent of athletes on aid quit within two years. Campbell says that of the 10 who initially arrived on campus with her, only four made it all the way through.

What are we to make of Campbell’s motivation for continuing?

 

“It’s a job.”

The last sentence of Kathleen Campbell’s quote tells the story here. “Its a job” sounds numerous alarms for us because research has found that the source(s) of one’s motivation have major consequences for the quality of experience and persistence over time (for a short video introduction, I suggest watching “the surprising truth about what motivates us”). In the Campbells’ case, Stephanie’s mothers’ comments equate her continued playing of the sport with an extrinsic source: money. Interestingly, the same article quotes Villanova baseball player Tim Poydenis, who reveals his opposite, intrinsic (right stuff motivation) drive to continue playing:

“we love what we do and it’s worth it.”

 

Professionalizing Youth Sports

Of course, this contrast between playing for money and playing for love should not shock us given how we have professionalized youth sports. Watch HBO’s youth sports documentary, Trophy Kids. Or have a look at a 2014 ESPN sports poll which reveals the latest concerns among parents: the emphasis on winning over having fun, rising costs for participation and travel, and increasing risk of injury and burnout.

The dropout literature only confirms these disturbing trends and their impact on motivation. A 2014 study of over 2000 articles on youth sport dropout found that the strongest predictors of remaining committed were related to intrinsic, or “right stuff” motivation: autonomy (feeling in control of one’s actions), perceived competence (sense of ability) and relatedness (connection to others).

From our perspective, dropout is the inevitable consequence of any experience that loses its intrinsic appeal, when we stop enjoying it for its own sake. When sport becomes simply a means to secure some external reward or satisfy outside expectations, the willingness to push through in those hard times becomes even more difficult.

KPA Elite Performance knows that this landscape is tricky and that few can offer practical solutions for how to move forward. Our programs dive into the heart of the matter by breaking down motivation, lifestyle and environmental influences that can shape your child’s long-term future. Parents who take advantage of this KPA Elite Parent program give themselves access towards truly understanding their child’s ideal performance conditions. Parenting is an elite sport in and of itself. How you live your life and achieve your goals directly influences how your child optimizes their own potential.

If you are interested in further information please feel free to contact us.

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