The beginning of a sport season signals the start of team trials for many young people.
When young people are not selected for their preferred team, it can be a major disappointment and affect their confidence. It may even lead to them giving up sport altogether.
As whānau, parents or caregivers of young people, how do you support them during this process to make sure they keep playing sports?
Kelly Curr, Sport Development Consultant from Sport New Zealand, spoke to Radio New Zealand and provides advice on how to support young people through trials.
Key takeaways for parents:
- As parents, we don’t have control of the selection process, but we do have control over how we talk to young people about trials.
- Understand the motivations of your young person first – some are competitive and want to play with young people at a similar skill level. Others are happy to get out there and be with their mates.
- Focus on how they can give their best in trials, rather than which team they could end up in, as this can add unnecessary pressure.
- Help young people to think about things like their skills, attitude and how they are showing up to trials rather than comparing themselves to others.
- Acknowledge their feelings and help them to reframe things positively – it’s ok to be disappointed!
