Required reading if your DD is an elite athlete

Magazine Preview - Lindsey Vonn at the Summit - NYTimes.com

This is a tremendous article about Lindsey Vonn, a contender for several gold medals. Unlike most articles about athletes, this isn't the pre-packaged sports mythology that comes out before the Olympics.

Pay special attention to the relationship between she and her Dad. Her father had to be stopped from coaching her because he became too much of a pain in the a**. She hasn't talked to her Dad in four years, because of his inability to let go.

Ray
Former Crazy Daddy
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Congratulations to Lindsey Vonn on her Gold Medal today in Vancouver!

I'm late in chiming in, but I read that article the day it was released...sad commentary on sport parenting, sweet victory for the athlete.

He says that he objected to his DD dating a man 9 years older than her, as a teenager. I would have, too.

I was shocked to learn that my own DD's BF was 9 years older than her, but she was 20 and on her own.

Perhaps her dad wouldn't have been happy with whomever she was dating, though.

I think almost every prodigy, whether it is sports, acting, music, or scholastics, have a similar story to tell.

I know more than one family that sold their homes and moved to the adjoining school district over baseball or softball.

Amy in AZ. said:

He says that he objected to his DD dating a man 9 years older than her, as a teenager. I would have, too.

I was shocked to learn that my own DD's BF was 9 years older than her, but she was 20 and on her own.

Perhaps her dad wouldn't have been happy with whomever she was dating, though.

I think almost every prodigy, whether it is sports, acting, music, or scholastics, have a similar story to tell.

I know more than one family that sold their homes and moved to the adjoining school district over baseball or softball.

Click to expand...

Agreed, I wouldn't think too many outstanding youths are that way on their own, they had to be guided in some sort of way.

Your lucky if you had a positive influence, some have negative influences, but would they trade that for a lesser ability?
Apollo Ohno said his dad left him isolated in a remote cabin alone for 8 days, so he could "Get his head straight", because he wasn't performing up to his dads standards. His dad could have said, "I'm not going to pay for your lessons, ice time, equipment, etc anymore since your not giving it your all (because that is what I probably would have done). Would Apollo preferred it that way? I don't think so.
Some parents do not know how to discipline up to the point that it's too much which is unfortunate if it leads to them not speaking to each other, or the child to quit.
I was at a softball game once, rec game 14U. I was watching a game and the pitcher was getting pounded pretty good. After the game I saw the centerfielder being berated by her dad all the way to the parking lot, "You could have hustled more!" on and on, the daughter never said a word, he was being mean, hateful and way too intense for just a rec game. If I was that girl I would have put away my glove and never played again.

I once new two cousins that were mediocre pitchers, both their families moved to a small town --1A just so their daughters could pitch in high school.

Wasn't there some odd story about Greg Louganis (olympic diver) and his dad? I think that his dad built a diving board in the back yard that wasn't the right height or something.

The problem is that these fathers' (parents) tactics sometimes produce world-class athletes. Not saying it's right, but it does work sometimes. For example, Andre Agassi's "Open: An AutobiographY" talks about how as a kid he hated tennis, the intense practices, and his father's relentless drive to turn his only talented son into a world-class tennis player. Andre was absolutely terrified of his father and if he made a mistake, his father would scream and yell at him non-stop, etc.. Would Andre have become a grand slam tour pro and the #1 player in the world had he had a different upbringing? I don't know the answer to that, but in my mind the end does not justify the means.