My mind went through all the reasons this might be happening: burnout, other interests, team dynamics, I was too hard on her, the gamut. What could it be?

"It's my dad. He loves me and I know he only wants the best for me, but he just can't stop coaching me, in the car, and from the sideline each and every game. I can't play when he is around, and he insists on coming to every game, every road trip, you name it. It's like it's more important to him than it is to me."

Sadly, Kate's story is a common one. It is a tale about well-intentioned parents whom want nothing but the best for their children. They love their kids; they just don't always love them in a helpful way.

As I have stated here many times, 70% of children are dropping out of organized sports by the age of 13. Whenever I mention this sad statistic, people come out of the wood work saying that it's only the kids who aren't good enough to play that quit. They say it's an age where school, jobs and other interests take precedence. These things are true and contribute to a part of the dropout rate, but they are not the entire picture.

Sadly, in our current state of youth sports, kids and families are asked to do more and more at younger and younger ages, especially the kids who show early aptitude in a sport. Many of these athletes, our most dedicated and talented ones, burnout and drop out as well. 

We don't simply lose the kids who cannot make varsity; we lose many of the best athletes on our teams. READ MORE>>