no bullying at the gym

Every time I see one of these tragedies reported, my first reaction is: “I wish she had been in sports.”

… The prosecutor brought charges Monday against nine teenagers, saying their taunting and physical threats were beyond the pale and led the freshman, Phoebe Prince, to hang herself from a stairwell in January. …

NY Times – 9 Teenagers Are Charged After Classmate’s Suicide

When we sport coaches are challenged that our training / competition environment is “too tough” or “too dangerous”, ask:

What about the alternative? Real life.

It’s not easy being a teenager today. There are more bad options tempting kids than ever before.

Growing up with a high priority on sports is one of the best, very best, ways to survive your teens. The gym is a tightly controlled environment with much higher ethical standards than High School.