BY ANITA THOMPSON
SHOULD WINNING BE important?
To a youngster involved in sports, the
answer becomes a learning opportunity—
not available at Costco), which sets out to help
parents and developmental coaches make sure
youngsters get started on the right foot.
Flowers, who was a UCLA All-American
in indoor and outdoor track and ;eld, holds a
Ph.D. in counseling psychology with emphasis
in sport and performance. He founded and led
the sports psychology department at the UC,
Davis for seven years. He was then recruited
by the U.S. Olympic Committee to be the
sports psychologist at the Olympic Training
Center in Chula Vista, California, where he
worked with 2008 Olympic USA Track &
Field athletes and 2010 Olympic speedskaters.
;e father of three boys, Flowers encour-
ages parents to follow their child’s passion and
Both in his career and while coaching or
on the sidelines of his young sons’ games,
Flowers frequently ;nds himself being que-
ried by concerned parent with questions such
as, “My child gets really frustrated with mis-
takes and poor performance. How can I
help?,” “What are
the best things to
focus on when dis-
cussing a perfor-
mance?,” “How can I
“Instead of me answering
all these questions,” he says,
“I thought: Let’s create a resource
so parents could hopefully sup-
port their kids in a positive way in
sport so they’re healthy, balanced
and happy.”
And should winning be
important? Flowers says, “The
challenge for parents is to create
balance so that young athletes
understand and reap the bene-
;ts of playing a sport, win or
lose. To that end, take the
focus off winning and
emphasize building strong
skills, performing well,
being part of a team e;ort,
playing well with others
and enjoying the athletic
experience.” C
Anita ;ompson (costwriter@
gmail.com) is a freelance writer
in Seattle.
Ross Flowers with
his sons
THE COS TCO CONNECTION
Costco members will find a variety of
sporting goods for children and adults
in the warehouses and on Costco.com.
Kids&spo rts
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SPECIAL SECTION
BACK TO SCHOOL
DR. ROSS POWERS offers a few
tips from his book for parents of
children in sports.
Research sport programs
and coaches to make an educated
decision about what program is
best for your family and child.
Participate in sport cultures
that reinforce positive values and
character strengths that parents are
providing or can reinforce at home.
Introduce your child to sport
programs that teach the fundamentals of sport.
Promote learning and developing
strong skills, positive performance, playing well
with others and enjoying sport experiences.
Reinforce your children’s motivation for
sport and separate their motivation from your
own desire for their success.
AN EXPERT
GUIDES PARENTS
TO A HOME RUN
Raising healthy,
balanced, happy
children in sports
-
h
v ga
nw
IL
u
rs
i
balance so that young athletes
ta
n
i
experience.”
rf
s
Raising healthy,
balanced, happy
children in sports
motivation to participate in sports instead of
their own unfulfilled athletic dreams or
expectations for their child.
“Working in amateur, collegiate and
Olympic environments, [I see] how sometimes overzealous family members can be with their children,
and the pressures they place
on them, which can lead
to emotional problems,
injury and burnout,”
he tells ;e Connection.
© ANDREY_POPOV / SHUTTERSTOCK
© ANDREY_POPOV / SHUTTERSTOCK
