To think most of us would struggle

[Olympia2012]

to facilitate our children in their chosen sport to reach Olympic standard

I look at these athletes and just feel the dedication to that one child and their training completely takes over the family. Mrs Daly,Murray,Tweddle etc, I take my hat off to them.

Dd used to play for a footie team. Just locally, but the dedication to just that was massive. Training,kit, getting to venues across the county etc etc. Dragging all the dc out at weekends. The expense! Petrol, food and fees.

I wonder how the average family would cope. Could you?

Dedication I think.

When DD passed her driving test and was able to ferry herself to training and competitions I missed it all. I still go to all the big stuff, if she competes nationally or regionally but the smaller stuff she goes to with her boyfriend mostly although I do know it makes a difference to her if I am there so if it's small but important I'll usually go too.

I think a lot of olympic atheletes are hot housed as youngsters and I don't think it is right.

What about just letting a kid be, to enjoy childhood without that kind of pressure.

A lot of parents look for reflected glory.

My brother and I also used to swim competitively and we weren't always in the same time training sessions in the evenings either. Fortunately there were also other kids in the village at the same club so we had a training car share rota (Pre messing about with car seats!) in the evenings although mum still took us 3 times per week before school. Add in hanging around at pools nearly every Saturday to drop us off / pick us up from the team bus for galas.

Then there was the music lessons once a week for both of us, again on different nights requiring chauffeuring each way.

It wasn't so much the money, it was the sheer amount of time my parents gave up doing all this running around.

I know what you mean, my DD has just started horse riding, she will only ever be able to dabble in it, we can only afford to send her every other week, but she was desperate to do it. She wont ever have her own horse (unless she buys it herself or wins the lottery) or be able to compete. SAying that, that is one of the more expensive of sports/hobbies, its the only thing she has gotten really excited about. She is the opposite of competitive though and sobbed at her sports day last year when she won her race because she beat all her friends!!!

There needs to be more investment in sports i agree, but also, we need to remember that whilst sport is brilliant, it doesn't always have to be about winning and competing - it is just fun and good for you, that should be enough really. Of course we must encourage our children to have aspirations but im not sure about the competition. DDs school is so competitive over bloody EVERYTHING, i hate it.

rubberglove, i think you make a good point there too - i know people who push their kids to do so much, its not about the kids, its about them! Its blatant and it makes me sad. You know, your children don't have to do ballet, tap, modern dance, along wiht tennis, swimming, horse riding, french, spanish, esperanto, latin, etc etc etc - they could actually just spend some time, dare i say it, watching TV and being kids!! I think thats possibly another thread though.

I think that if i child shows promise and inclination and the dedication to excel in any arena, they should be supported, not all parents can afford this and those children should receive government support. Every child should be able to be the best that they can/want to be!

Yes it's all very well wanting schools to be more focused but in the end it comes down to the parents to do all the facilitating, at least in state schools. I am not in a position to dedicate my life to one child's sporting requirements so therefore he just can't do all the training etc.

DD was fairly seriously into horse riding for a few years. ALthough she was never going to own her own pony or compete seriously it still meant taking her to the stables 4 times a week. THe cost was high (although the stables were very reasonable and had a programme for those who wanted to learn how to care for ponies too, which DD did) and it was very time consuming - I could leave her on a Saturday, but in the evenings I stayed as it was a 30 min drive from home. After a while DD got fed up with the commitment too, so she stopped. It was good for her at the time.

I'm sorry to say I'm quite glad she has not shown huge talent in any sport as yet as I don't think I could do all the travelling etc.

My DC both play sport to a very high level and it is a huge drain of time, energy and money.

To go beyond it to Olympic standard requires a committment on the family's part that is huge.

Also, I don't think anyone can hothouse their DC past the basics. To be any good at a sport, the DC have to be 100% committed themselves.

Judging by the accents I have heard and the costs involved, I'd surmise that most of the Olympians are from reasonably privileged backgrounds.

IME, the cost of the horse riding lessons, swimming lessons and rowing required to reach the sort of standard where people are looking at you and thinking "Olympics?" are beyond the financial means of most families.

I think boxing and running are about the only ones where less affluent people have a chance.

And i guess as a parent you are torn... Promote their education or their sport. Education I would think is basic

I think you can manage education and sport to a certain point. Particularly if your school is supportive.

However there comes a point where sport takes over and DC have to choose whoch sport (most DC I know who take sport at a high level are good at several things).

IME private schools are more accommodating thatn state schools. Not because of attitude but because they cannot allow pupils to have periods off school wihtout it impacting upon their rating etc

Unless it is athletics and to a degree swimming, which doesnt require a great deal of equipment (horse, boat), any sport is expensive, and competing at high levels is usually out of the financial abilities of the average family.

It is very obvious from the winners that most have come from reasonably wealthy backgrounds. I expect it would be rare to get an equestrian champion from a working class family.

I always think of what has to not happen if the sport (or music, same applies to get to professional level) is so all consuming.

And also how very hard it must be on the siblings.

Ds1 is 15 and well motivated he gets himself up and bikes to practice in the morning and the evening sessions. He's very sporty and does football and cycling as well but swimming is where he excels.
I already take him to lots of places for competitions and football matched plus getting his bike to meets.
Then ds2 is a good rugby player he's only 10 but Sunday's are spent ferrying him to and from matches and tournaments all over the south. Plus his football on Saturday as well and karate on Monday's and Thursday's.
Dd1 is 6 and has dancing on Thursday and Wednesday and gym on Tuesday.
Dd2 does her sporting activities at day nursery so no ferrying around yet.

I think if either of them showed any real desperate want to take a sport further I would do my best to get them where they need to go. But I can see to get to any kind of career level would need far more time and money (unless sponsored) than I physically have.

Hopefully ds1 will carry on swimming and join teams at college or uni and keep it up.

Even swimming and athletics require a certain amount of wonga.
A freind is at a week's camp with her DC next week. The cost is not huge, but it isn't free. And there's transport, food etc.

Sometimes you'll have to fund accommodation too.

Then there's the thorny issue of work. Most athletes have at least one parent doing the ferrying etc...

You often find sibling groups doing the same sport for that reason. It becomes a kind of family activity.

I wonder if parents are more inclined to give it there all if they themselves competed/took part in the same sport as their child is now doing?

And I also wonder if 'only' children are more likely to go further than those with siblings. The sibling issue is a big factor to me pulling out of dd football. She could perhaps have gone a little further. Literally one Saturday I was stood on the sidelines heavily pregnant, the next Saturday I was stood there with a newborn in a sling!!

Her dad wasn't on the scene either. Not sure if that matters, but I felt very alone. I got over my fear of motorway driving pretty quickly though!

Olympia in my experience there are parents who pursued sport themselves (not always the same one) but there are also those of us with no sporting prowess .

It's funny how things move on over the years.
You start off with lots of pushy parents, watching their DC's every move and applauding as necessary.
But after a certain age it thins out and you end up with the hard core where we all moan a lot...but keep on keepn' on.

I was watching Andy Murrays mum yesterday and wondered how she had got on with it all when her boys were younger! That inspired this thread. She looked quiet,dignified and happy... Her job is done!

I coul dbe wrong, but I htink she coached him in the early days.
She certainly coaches now.

It takes dedication to follow your childs dream andy murrays mum really did give everything up for tennis she lives and breaths tennis , I dont think i could have the dedication for it, not thta my 2 have shown any real dedication to sport,

breathes*