Olympians and being born into athletic families.

[Anonymous]

As I watch the Olympics, I often wonder what my life would have been like if I had grown up in an athletic family.

I was very athletic and competitive as a child / early teen but sports weren't something my parents thought was a good use of time and they didn't support my athletic activities. I did as much as I could during school hours but by high school everything required before or after school practices and I had no transportation.

Not that I think I would have been in the Olympics, but so many of these athletes were on the slopes / rinks / hills / trails as children - in families that were also very athletic. Had I been born into an athletic family, or one that supported athletic endeavors, I think sports would have become a big part of my life.

Then I think that maybe these Olympians have a drive that supersedes family interests - maybe if I was motivated / competitive enough I would have found ways to practice sports at home even without family support and somehow train myself.

[Anonymous]

Find a Hungarian grandparent, move there, and proceed accordingly in the appropriate sport.

[Anonymous]

I notice some of these parents made huge sacrifices for their kids - moving for their training, etc.! I think I saw Chloe Kim's dad gave up his job to support her training, and that Red Gerard's family moved from OH to CO so he could train.

I don't personally know any sports prodigies like this.

[Anonymous]

They usually have parents who were serious athletes themselves and who "get it" in terms of the tradeoffs that will need to be made to be successful at a young age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I notice some of these parents made huge sacrifices for their kids - moving for their training, etc.! I think I saw Chloe Kim's dad gave up his job to support her training, and that Red Gerard's family moved from OH to CO so he could train.

I don't personally know any sports prodigies like this.

I wonder though how many other kids would also be sports prodigies if they had the time, money, resources, parental sacrifice / commitment invested in them that these teens have?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I notice some of these parents made huge sacrifices for their kids - moving for their training, etc.! I think I saw Chloe Kim's dad gave up his job to support her training, and that Red Gerard's family moved from OH to CO so he could train.

I don't personally know any sports prodigies like this.

+1

I do. You are correct. And Olympians are often not from athletic families.

[Anonymous]

I was a gymnast who competed at an elite level at the gym Nastia And Carly Patterson came from in Dallas. Not all the elite gymnasts came from athletic families, in fact neither of my parents are particularly athletic. However, as the PP noted, the family commitment is legit. There are many forgone vacations and fun outings due to training. Also, you are most likely homeschooled or go to a special private school that can accommodate your training schedule.

[Anonymous]

I think some of the parents are like stage parents too. I have an acquaintance whose child is an elite figure skater. My dd went to elementary with his sister who also skates but not at the same level. In kindergarten, my dd was doing intro group lessons at the rink. My friend’s dd was doing private lessons instead (as a beginner) and renting ice time to practice. So mom saw an interest and devoted the resources. Not everyone can do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As I watch the Olympics, I often wonder what my life would have been like if I had grown up in an athletic family.

I was very athletic and competitive as a child / early teen but sports weren't something my parents thought was a good use of time and they didn't support my athletic activities. I did as much as I could during school hours but by high school everything required before or after school practices and I had no transportation.

Not that I think I would have been in the Olympics, but so many of these athletes were on the slopes / rinks / hills / trails as children - in families that were also very athletic. Had I been born into an athletic family, or one that supported athletic endeavors, I think sports would have become a big part of my life.

Then I think that maybe these Olympians have a drive that supersedes family interests - maybe if I was motivated / competitive enough I would have found ways to practice sports at home even without family support and somehow train myself.

No - you couldn't have done it alone. If getting rides to/from local HS practices were an issue, then your parents wouldn't have turned their lives upside down for you to go train with the best coach for whatever sport half way across the country. As mentioned, Chole Kim's dad quit his job and was driving her 3+ hrs each way to snowboard and then eventually moved up there with her; Red Gerard's entire family moved from Ohio to I think SLC or Colo; and the ice dancing siblings have talked about how their mom moved with them to Mich. so they could train full time with some coach and their home is in Mich. while their dad kept his job in Boston and keeps an apartment there and spends Monday-Friday there and flies out Fri night to go back to Mich.

IDK if it's worth it honestly. For those examples -- great. They're instantly famous, will get (already have) millions in endorsements and hopefully are nice enough kids that they'll take care of their parents' by paying off their mortgage/funding their retirement etc. But for every 1 that makes it, there are 1000000 that don't. They are up there but don't get the 3-4 qualifying spots for the US team. Or they qualify but are just barely competitive with the Olympic competition and don't make it out of qualifying rounds at the Olympics or even if they make it to finals, finish with such low standings that no one knows their name and thus they're not bringing in endorsements. And often their parents have made the same sacrifices as the winners' parents. Sure -- life experience blah blah -- but most of these people don't have parents who are hedge fund portfolio managers or surgeons such that money is no object. If they're UMC professionals - with only one person working bc the other is full time managing the kid's career, they may be making 200k and setting that money on fire with multiple residences in multiple cities, coaching, traveling to competitions etc. -- most of which is not covered by USOC until the kid has qualified for the team. What the heck does their 401k and savings look like?? There was some (young - maybe 8-10 yr old's) family featured talking about how this is their dream in the future -- and for that, they are spending 150k-200k/yr. I love sports but I don't get it. Put your kid in basketball/baseball/football which are comparatively cheap (even if you go above and beyond w private coaching) bc they are played in all 50 states so you don't have to move and can get you at least a partial scholarship at some school and the chance at a short pro career.

[Anonymous]

My father was very athletic in the sense that he played ball a lot as a kid in NYC. I am a natural athlete. The first time I picked up a football I threw a natural spiral, for example. Any sport that required gross motor skills, I did great at.

Unbeknownst to me, at one point, my parents were tentatively looking into moving to Texas because of my gymnastics. It didn't come to pass, but I have given birth to a child who is naturally athletic. She has no interest, however.

[Anonymous]

So maybe it is less being an athletic family and more that parents decide they are going to do whatever it takes to create an Olympian...once they see the child has some potential.

[Anonymous]

At the same token you could have been born to a family who lived off goat hearding in Afghanistan, or a family of alcoholics, or a family who only promotes education, or a family of illiterates, or one bankrupted by chronic illness. Families, like people, value different things. Some value sports, others education, yet others travel, or money, or whatever. If you feel like you have regret about not pursuing sports, maybe start training for a triathlon, or become member of a tennis club, or some other activity you find enjoyable. Asking 'what if' is not productive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As I watch the Olympics, I often wonder what my life would have been like if I had grown up in an athletic family.

I was very athletic and competitive as a child / early teen but sports weren't something my parents thought was a good use of time and they didn't support my athletic activities. I did as much as I could during school hours but by high school everything required before or after school practices and I had no transportation.

Not that I think I would have been in the Olympics, but so many of these athletes were on the slopes / rinks / hills / trails as children - in families that were also very athletic. Had I been born into an athletic family, or one that supported athletic endeavors, I think sports would have become a big part of my life.

Then I think that maybe these Olympians have a drive that supersedes family interests - maybe if I was motivated / competitive enough I would have found ways to practice sports at home even without family support and somehow train myself.

No - you couldn't have done it alone. If getting rides to/from local HS practices were an issue, then your parents wouldn't have turned their lives upside down for you to go train with the best coach for whatever sport half way across the country. As mentioned, Chole Kim's dad quit his job and was driving her 3+ hrs each way to snowboard and then eventually moved up there with her; Red Gerard's entire family moved from Ohio to I think SLC or Colo; and the ice dancing siblings have talked about how their mom moved with them to Mich. so they could train full time with some coach and their home is in Mich. while their dad kept his job in Boston and keeps an apartment there and spends Monday-Friday there and flies out Fri night to go back to Mich.

IDK if it's worth it honestly. For those examples -- great. They're instantly famous, will get (already have) millions in endorsements and hopefully are nice enough kids that they'll take care of their parents' by paying off their mortgage/funding their retirement etc. But for every 1 that makes it, there are 1000000 that don't. They are up there but don't get the 3-4 qualifying spots for the US team. Or they qualify but are just barely competitive with the Olympic competition and don't make it out of qualifying rounds at the Olympics or even if they make it to finals, finish with such low standings that no one knows their name and thus they're not bringing in endorsements. And often their parents have made the same sacrifices as the winners' parents. Sure -- life experience blah blah -- but most of these people don't have parents who are hedge fund portfolio managers or surgeons such that money is no object. If they're UMC professionals - with only one person working bc the other is full time managing the kid's career, they may be making 200k and setting that money on fire with multiple residences in multiple cities, coaching, traveling to competitions etc. -- most of which is not covered by USOC until the kid has qualified for the team. What the heck does their 401k and savings look like?? There was some (young - maybe 8-10 yr old's) family featured talking about how this is their dream in the future -- and for that, they are spending 150k-200k/yr. I love sports but I don't get it. Put your kid in basketball/baseball/football which are comparatively cheap (even if you go above and beyond w private coaching) bc they are played in all 50 states so you don't have to move and can get you at least a partial scholarship at some school and the chance at a short pro career.

+1. My college roommate's family was like this. She had 2-3 siblings who were talented ice skaters - winning everything locally/regionally. When it got serious enough to get to junior Olympic level, mom and dad both had to decide what to do. Both were drs., remarkably neither gave up their career for this but when it was a local thing, they just worked themselves to death -- getting up at 4 am to take kids to the rink etc. and then putting in a full day at work and then showing up at evening practices and obviously were throwing a lot of $$$ at this with ice time, private coaches, hiring rides for the kids to take them from school to the ice before they could drive. When they started getting national acclaim, it was decided that one of the kids would do better as a pairs ice dancer, rather than solo. Turns out his perfect partner was located in Boston though they lived in Minn. Mom got herself a job with a Boston health system and moved with the skating kids and continued this life there; non skating kids stayed with dad in Minn. and it was a commuter/marriage and family for like 10 yrs. Obviously they had money so having 2 separate homes across the country was doable. Everyone is in their 30s now -- no one really placed in nationals; no one went to the Olympics or even trials. So I'm honestly not sure what the purpose was of losing 10 yrs as a family and wasting some serious $$$ which the kids could definitely use now -- none of the kids went to med school or any comparable profession and just have jobs, certainly trust fund $$$ from mom and dad would come in handy now as they buy their own houses, have kids etc.

[Anonymous]

Elite athletics at the Olympic level is a mind game. Singular drive and focus. Willing to sacrifice to a monotonous routine. Ability to train through pain and injury.

[Anonymous]

We have a relative who is not athletic and didn’t have athletic parents. As an adult, he has made enormous sacrifices for his own child to pursue her sport. He even moved his entire family so that she could have access to coaches and train. So I don’t think you necessarily have to have athletic parents. I never played a sport and I have been extremely encouraging and supportive of my kids endeavors although clearly they are not going to be Olympians or even college athletes. So I think the key is supportive parents more than athletic ones. We have some friends who discourage sports (my own mom did) and you do wonder what hidden gifts might be missed.