By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette
I’ve found plenty to complain about lately. Gambling advertisements. NIL. Matt Campbell. The list goes on. But, thanks to a study I recently found, I have something positive to write about, and it directly relates to the athletes of ACGC and Panorama. So, I’ll sideline the complaints and focus on the positive.
I have always felt that with youth sports, the less specialization, the better. Kids, even all the way through high school, should participate in multiple sports rather than just one. The stress put on the same ligaments and muscles by doing the same throws, kicks, jumps, etc., far outweighs the good in what extra skill a young athlete might be honing. The more that athletes are able to work different muscles and learn different skills, the better.
An Analytical Review by Arne Güllich on science.org proved this. The review, titled “Recent discoveries on the acquisition of the highest levels of human performance,” actually goes beyond athletics and looks at academics as well.
“From athletes like Simone Biles and Michael Phelps to scientists like Marie Curie and Albert Einstein, identifying exceptional talent is essential in the science of innovation. But how does talent originate? Did the most talented athletes, scientists, and musicians reach peak performance relatively early or late in their career? Did they forgo mastering multiple sports, academic subjects, and musical instruments to reach world-class performance in only one?”
The review looked at published research in science, music, chess and sports and found two patterns: “Exceptional young performers reached their peak quickly but narrowly mastered only one interest (e.g., one sport). By contrast, exceptional adults reached peak performance gradually with broader, multidisciplinary practice. However, elite programs are designed to nurture younger talent,” Ekeoma Uzogara, the associate editor of education, said.
A chart within summarizes those findings well. The X axis is age, and the Y axis is human performance. In the early years, those with “intensive disciplined-specific practice” reached a high level at younger age but then plateaued. The other line, those with “extensive multi-disciplinary practice,” had a slow rise but eventually rose above the other once reaching “peak performance age.” The research found this to be consistent across Nobel laureates, world class chess players, classical musicians and Olympic champions.
Looking at Panorama and ACGC sports, there is a similar and common theme. The schools’ athletes consistently play multiple sports or have “extensive multi-disciplinary practice.” Now, are the athletes at these schools Olympic champions? Not yet, but, across both schools, in several sports, several individuals find themselves among the best in the state. Could that be a coincidence? Maybe — but it’s a scientific coincidence.
Besides making better athletes across the board, playing multiple sports lends itself to the entire point of youth sports: to have fun. It’s fun to play multiple sports, to make new friends and to continue to build community with one another. We should all do what we can to support this.
Reach out with comments, complaints, story ideas and more to cyote@dmcityview.com.