Comments on: Pushing It Too Far

By: dayton mcgregor

dayton mcgregor — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 16:54:31 +0000

By: dayton mcgregor

dayton mcgregor — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 16:53:55 +0000

I’ve never seen this before on the hill. Maybe because there is no dry slope or indoor training in my region. Even in hockey there are silly people that yell and scream one kid got cloths lined last year. There always seems to be some controversy about people not happy with their own lifestyle. Growing up at soccer, My dad way the most patient guy in the world. Always told me to run faster by getting up on my toes. I really miss that guy.

By: Phil

Phil — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 16:12:47 +0000

I’ve got 2 children and neither of them are in to skating or snowboarding to my disappointment, but I throw all the other sports at them with the hope that something sticks.
When it comes to sport I think that they should enjoy it first and succeed second. However, academically I pay for extra tuition and really push them with their homework often arguing with them when I don’t think they have completed it to the best of their ability.
What’s the difference?
Look at the Williams sisters, pushy parents, now the best in the world, Tiger woods, same thing – It works.
As I said, with sports I feel that kids should really enjoy themselves but that doesn’t mean I’m right.
Everyone is very keen to berate the touchline parents but which parents out there can really say they don’t push their kids to succeed in other areas of their life? We don’t exactly have the ideal focus group on this thread as clearly everyone on here is a keen snowboarder who likes nothing better than shredding with their crew, but with sponsorship and endorsements at a level that puts the average wage to shame and comes with travel and a whole load of perks why is this so terrible? Hoop dreams are nothing new and 99% of kids won’t make it but some will and some kids who were pushed to practice piano 4 hours a night become concert pianists.
These type of discussions are seldom as black and white as they first seem.

By: Bartsimpsonhead

Bartsimpsonhead — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:49:47 +0000

I remember some years ago going down to MK for a little shred and there being the usual selection of rails and kickers out with people young and old hitting them.
MK being MK, at some point one of the Pomas stopped working and there was a massive queue on the other, and it was at this point I witnessed some parent shouting at their kid to walk back up the slope and get some more practice in (there may have been a comp – I can’t remember clearly). Poor girl looked very tired and was close to tears at this.
So pushy parents in snowboarding do exist, and I think it’s sad that they (the parents) try to live out their dreams and ambitions through their children.

By: Stephen Anderson

Stephen Anderson — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 13:51:12 +0000

couldnt of put it better

By: Stephen Anderson

Stephen Anderson — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 13:40:02 +0000

My two kids have been learning to board for a few seasons now, on both dry and snow. They actualy enjoy me being there watching & taking part showing off there skills. By no means are any of us “Pro’s” so i supose the only compation is between the two of them. freindly compation is good for progretion and so is the suport of pairents, without our encouragment …and taxi service there would be a much smaller young boarder comunity. pushy pairents are comon in all competative sport and as boarding has progressed so have there numbers. but what we need to watch is that the encouragment and support is not deemed pushy,I’ll help my kids as much as i can but after reading this artical i found myself questioning myself, asking am i being pushy?….. They had the choice the other night to either go to disny land florida or go to french alpes they chose alpes…was this my influence or there own choice?

By: evin

evin — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 02:25:13 +0000

I think its true i think parents go over the top they should go with what their children will make of the sport and not aggitate their children to try incappable tricks to maybe even getting hurt

By: Nick

Nick — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 01:28:52 +0000

This article is so true. Points out the true exploiting of kids. They never really get to enjoy the sport for the fun of it.

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:41:29 +0000

I was a skier, went to snowboarding one day a few years ago. I wish I started snowboarding earlier though. Love the sport, my mom is really supportive of it. I love DC, I have a DC board. The company made me love snowboarding 10 times more. Great article!

By: matt

matt — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:31:32 +0000

I could not agree more with the point about parents ruining someone’s love for a sport. I have witnessed parents running up and down the side of the pool at swim meets, screaming at their kids every time their heads popped above the water. There is no way this can be fun for anybody; especially when it comes to snowboarding, which is supposed to be a fun sport about having good times with friends enjoying the grandeur of the mountain, not one where there should be immense amount of pressure from parents.