I say "so what"?  Just because you have a certain gene doesn't make you an athlete no more than a perfect coach, year round conditioning and private lessons makes a child a sports prodigy.  It takes determination, self esteem, will power, teamwork  and socialization skills.  Certain things can't be drilled into a child.  They either want to do it, or they don't. 

We live in a very sports-minded town, and I have seen many children burned out at a young age because of their parents or coaches pushing them to do too much too soon.  Year-round sports, tournaments that have 8 and 9 year olds playing four or five games a day, and clinics or private lessons when they should be out just being kids and playing with their friends outside. 

tikigoddess Dec. 1, 2008 at 2:13 PM

Children are getting sports injuries at earlier ages - things that they only saw in professional athletes - because their young bodies are not ready to be pushed to such limits (no matter how many vitamins and protein shakes are ingested).  Society is also forcing young athletes to take steroids at younger ages. Teenage Steroid abuse is running rampant in many towns across the country.

Another problem we see is "stage parents."  These parents push their children to dreadful limits, delusionally thinking that if they start children on strict regimens at earlier ages, that their child will excel in sports.  Often times these parents are living out their unfufilled dreams through their child, mistakenly believing that their children want or need to be pushed into spending so much time and effort on sports.  Sometimes these parents believe that their child will be so good when they are older, that they will be able to attend college on scholarships - but at what price?  What price are we willing to sell our children to sports?  And what will it ultimately teach our children in the long run?   

tikigoddess Dec. 1, 2008 at 2:13 PM

Personally I think it is a terrible idea.  Just like trying to pick genes for eye color, or hair color.  Part of being a child is finding out what he/she is interested.  Just because he or she has the sports gene doesn't necessarily mean that they will be interested in sports at all.  Plus the gene only tests to determine whether or not you are a sprinter or a endurance type of person.  It can't tell exactally what sport you would be good at, it just narrows down to what type of runner your muscles are set up to be, like are your muscles more equip for sort sprints, like short distances in track, baseball, or football.  Or for long distances, like cross country, basketball, or soccer.  You still have to find out what type of sport in those broad generalizations your child is interested in, not what you want him or her to play.  I think it is utterly rediculous.  It should be about what your child wants to play not what you do or think he or she should.

JessecaLynn Dec. 1, 2008 at 3:20 PM

Even if I did know I wouldn't neglect other sports opportunities to focus on one specific thing for my child.  I definately wouldn't want to burn them out on what they would be good at and who's to say they would even like the sport they are predestined to be good at.  In a way it would be fun to know that and all sorts of things about our predisposition of disease and all sorts of things. (I think on Oprah they showed where you can do this similar thing and find out about cancer risk and other health things).  I really don't think I would do it for my kid.  I want them to be exposed to many things and find what they love.

2mommies4g Dec. 1, 2008 at 3:56 PM