tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17938294.post1039387055940199668..comments2023-12-22T10:54:58.489-08:00Comments on If You Can't Say Anything Nice...: The Pressure We Put On Our KidsDerryl Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00770159992186256355noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17938294.post-46364856420674463802010-12-20T09:31:09.313-08:002010-12-20T09:31:09.313-08:00This reminds me of when Sara was in competitive sw...This reminds me of when Sara was in competitive swimming. She loved it, had a lot of friends, loved going to swim meets across the province, and was an absolute machine in the water. The club held a marathon, and she raised a hell of a lot of money by swimming some ungodly number of laps, never slowing, never showing any strain, just steadily going, going, going.<br /><br />But although she was an excellent swimmer, she never won first-place ribbons. Didn't matter to her - she was in it for the fun. She wasn't Olympic material, and didn't lose a wink of sleep over the fact.<br /><br />But her coaches... There is a special place in hell for someone who pushes kids so hard in a sport that they suck all the fun out of it. I'll never forget the look on Sara's face - trying to be casual, trying so hard to pretend she didn't care - when she said she wanted to quit because it just wasn't fun anymore. <br /><br />I applaud the people who started Give Us Back Our Game.Jenanoreply@blogger.com