What’s up with Norway?
Many of us have not been quite as tuned in to the Winter Olympics this year. Reasons from overlapping Super Bowl, COVID, lack of fans and potential outbreak of war have all been cited as reasons why viewership is down. Regardless, as I write this, the USA has fallen into 4th spot in the medal count and Norway leads the charge, once again, in Gold and total medals.
Those who know me, have heard me talk about this little Scandinavian Country …the little engine that could, and how they dominate in competition. Mind you, not just in winter sports. Articles, abstracts, white papers have emerged over the years, citing climate, technology, technique, competitive nature and even eye color as primary reasons why they lead the world in Gold Medals.
What we hear little about and what I believe to be the primary driver of Gold was best articulated by Bryant Gumbel on the HBO show Real Sports. In 2019, Bryant and team set out to get to the bottom of this dominance and embarked to go below the surface and reveal the truth.
What we ultimately learn is something so true to me that I wish I could broadcast and sneeze it out to every parent, youth coach and sports program in every sport, accross the country. This may sound ludicrous, just let your kids play and have fun with sport.
Why, I’m sure you’re asking? Essentially, when children are free of adolescent competition, the many pressures are reduced and the brain and body can mature without fear. Just think, when Johnny starts T-ball, we get him a bat, glove, some balls and a tee. We then, likely get him on the field and impart our knowledge, with the best intentions of helping him with his swing, fielding and throwing. Not much harm here. Then comes the not so good part. We begin to build fair teams. Seriously, we drag Johnny to the field with all the other 4-5 year olds and ask each of them to run, catch and hit. Based on their performance or lack thereof, they are ranked and placed on a team. When Jenny decides to play soccer or Ryan decides to play lacrosse, we put them through the same paces, which yield the same result. When Jenny and parents recognize at the age of 5, she is a soccer prodigy, she is placed into a club program and off she goes. Expectations change, pressure builds, overuse injuries ioccur and brain development takes a monstrous hit. In the meantime, Johnny is hitting last and playing every third inning. His parents, peers and coach feel sad for Johnny becasue he’s not as good as the other 4-5 year olds. Johnny’s parents, painfully, get through the season and reveal to him, baseball may not be the right sport. He’s done.
In my opinion, what Norway gets right, is cultural. Don’t get me wrong, they compete and kick butt, however, they allow children to grow and develop without pressure and fear. Hans can ski or play soccer shoulder to shoulder with every one of his 5 year old peers, however, unlike Johnny, the only expectation is to have fun. Fun is primary and antecdotally, Hans is by far the least coordinated and skilled of the group. Hans is developing, his brain is growing and he nor anyone else, including coaches, cares about his skill level or performance. He and his peers all receive the same coaching. As Hans begins to mature, athletic skill builds and he is finding success on the pitch. He’s now 7 and is physically maturing, however, he is still not allowed to compete. The emphasis is still on fun. No college scholarships in mind, nor pro career. All this fun has led Hans to believe in himself. He does not defect from the sport due to peer pressure or not enough goals scored. He’s not with a specialized coach or club team; he is equal. At age 13 or 14, Hans is now physically mature, happy and evenly skilled as the rest and would like to further pursue the sport. Growing up in the USA system, I would argue Hans would not have made it this far. Too often, when skill is not identified early, all bets are off. Hans would defect and either move to a different sport or possibly give up sport completely. In the end, Hans, who was the least coordinated of the bunch, wins Gold, which is a common occurance. The least skilled and developed early adolescents in Norway often win Gold.
For all the parents of young children who are ready to enter organized sports, I would ask you to consider Norway’s philosophy. I recognize, culturally, it’s not how we do it in the USA, but in order to allow your children to thrive in sport, let them have fun. Here are a few tips:
Learn about programs in your community which promote fun
Watch a game and take note of how coaches are motivating players
Observe if all players get equal playing time and having fun
Determine if score is important