- The debate over whether young athletes should specialize in one sport or participate in multiple sports continues.
- Area coaches acknowledge the benefits of multi-sport participation, including skill development, community building, and athleticism.
The debate between athletes playing multiple sports or specializing in one is an ongoing one in youth athletics.
From a young age, kids can play at an elite level, with not just the town and recreation programs the older generations grew up with. Now there are countless AAU and club teams to play for and higher-level camps and clinics being developed for young athletes.
In the Gardner area, however, multisport athletes are still a huge part of athletics in many ways, from the skill they bring to multiple seasons as well as the culture it helps to build in small school communities.
Here’s what some of the area coaches had to say about the multi-sport vs. specialization debate.
Importance of balancing it all
Oakmont girls basketball coach Tina Seabury sees the need for multisport athletes in a tight knit school community. Many of the players on her team are two- or three-sport athletes, with a majority of them also members of the soccer team.
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“I think the most important thing is they don’t forget about the sport that is out of season,” Seabury said. “It’s not lost on me that sometimes with multisport athletes, they don’t necessarily practice the other sports (out of season). Oakmont has done a great job of supporting each other in that endeavor.”
The Spartans put a big effort in the offseason to prepare for this winter and even won the basketball summer league they were a part of.
Their dedication over the summer ensured the athletes were preparing for not only their different fall teams, but also basketball. This offseason work gave them the prep they needed to finish the regular season undefeated.
More:Monty Tech boys basketball fights through challenges of season, pushing for tournament bid
Dependent on the individual
For Gardner girls basketball coach Francis Phillips, the debate comes down to the athletes themselves.
“I think as far as the importance of one or the other, I think it all depends on the goals of the individual,” Phillips said.
At Gardner, there is a large number of multisport athletes. Four out of Phillips’ starting five players participate in one or two other sports. He agrees with the benefits, ranging from the athleticism and skill to the community and culture.
“I’ve also seen certain players that stick with one sport excel at a faster rate than others, so I don’t really think it’s a negative, per se, but could vary depending on the person,” Phillips added.
For the memories
Gardner’s boys basketball coach Pete Gamache sees a different positive aspect of playing more than one season.
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“Honestly it comes down to the more bus rides you can take with your high school team, the better,” he said. “I’ve never been a proponent of skipping seasons and missing memories and funny things that happen and things you can learn from just for the sake of getting extra time in one sport.”
Gamache coaches two seasons himself — girls soccer and boys basketball. Both teams are filled with multisport athletes, including his own children, Kendall and Cam, who both play soccer and basketball.
There is an understanding that athletes who excel in one particular sport may choose to focus in on that in order to play at a higher level in college. For the vast majority of high school athletes, though, they will be hanging up their cleats or sneakers once they graduate.
“My big message to all the kids when they are thinking about not playing something or tired or whatever, is you never get that season with your friends back,” Gamache said.
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