Growing up in Park City my whole life, one thing I’ve noticed especially in the community and schools is the pressure that is put on kids and teenagers around sports. This could be from parents, coaches, or even just the mindset of the community.
We are so accustomed to former or future Olympians, professional athletes, and D1 sports scholarships that we forget that there are more things to life than being the best at your sport.
As someone who is involved in sports at Park City High School, I see this first hand. So many kids and teenagers will come home from a hard race or game being asked, “Why didn’t you score that one goal?” or “Why didn’t you get a better time?” This harmful mindset of winning and competition that we have is even prevalent in kids.
When I was in elementary school, every day kids in my class would go around asking, “What is your sport?” I felt ashamed when I answered that I only played sports with Basin Rec instead of being on the ski team or soccer club.
This has really affected me and other teens I know. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes it works. For some people, they always want to be better and win, which is totally good.
But for others, being active and involved in sports is about having fun in what you’re doing. I think that a mutual understanding of “people before sports” in our town could improve mental health for kids and teens in their lives.
Sydney Sato
Sophomore at Park City High School