HAS THE FUN ELEMENT BEEN LOST IN SCHOOL SPORT? DOES IT MATTER IF YOU WIN OR LOSE? SHOULD PROFESSIONALISM EVEN BE ENTERTAINED AT SCHOOL-LEVEL SPORT? DAVID FRANK LOOKS AT THIS THORNY DEBATE
Professionalism has changed and continues to change the face of sport across all disciplines – it has also wrapped its claws around school sport, particularly rugby. People in their mid-40s and beyond will remember sport at school as fun, a chance to test your skills and enjoy time with mates.
It never mattered who won or lost, and being chosen to play a game and representing your school was enough to swell the heart and get the adrenaline pumping. These days, school sport has become a semi-professional environment. Youngsters with a particular talent are singled out, nurtured and enrolled in a designated high performance programme where they eat and sleep their sport, regaled with stories of big money backed by a lifestyle previously unheard of.
Such a scenario begs the question, has the fun element gone out of school sport? It’s a topic of endless argument, yet the general feeling from a few sports personalities in Durban strongly supports and ticks the “yes” box on this one.
East Coast Radio sports personality Sky Tshabalala coaches 1st team rugby, 1st team girls’ soccer and U14 cricket in a school environment and has a two-fold outlook, depending on the status of certain schools. “I see a distinct A and B league especially regarding rugby at boys’ schools and hockey for the girls. For kids playing at 1st team level, it becomes like a job, their main focus, having gym sessions and the like during school time,” he says.
“As a coach you like winning, but the underlying factor for the kids should be the privilege of representing their school at whatever level, no matter the outcome. Winning or losing should not be a representation of the status of your school or cast a dark cloud over a kid because he or she did not perform on the sports field.”
Errol Stewart, a former Natal rugby and cricket player, SA Cricket selector and a SA Schools’ cricket and rugby representative in 1987, was a gifted school sportsman, yet he too laments the current scenario. “Everyone had a go at sport then and if you were a decent all- rounder, you were encouraged to play as many sports as possible. Players of all levels were accommodated but that’s gone out the window with kids told to focus on what they are good at,” he says. “That creates all sorts of unnecessary pressure on say a 15-year-old who has been told he is the next Handre Pollard or Shaun Pollock. Teenage years are an area of massive development for any child and to be tampered with at that stage is detrimental for them.”
Tania Richardson, mother of Dylan Richardson – who played 1st team rugby for two years, captained the side and made his debut for the Sharks in 2019 while also representing the SA U19 side – offers words every parent should heed. “Dylan started rugby at senior primary school and it was something he took a liking to and pursued. He set his own goals and worked towards them in his own way. As a parent, I supported him but never forced him or interfered with what he was doing,” she says. “All he has achieved has been his own doing, but he enjoys it and still sees the fun element because he has appreciated what the game has given him without added pressure.”
Former Springbok wing Stefan Terblanche has similar thoughts. “As former players we are concerned at the intensity of what is expected of kids in top teams at top schools. The key to longevity in a sport is to enjoy it and have a love for it. Professionalism brings too much too soon and many kids are unprepared for what is expected of them, meaning they stumble and fail with nothing as backup,” he says. “Professionalism is relatively new in South Africa and using sport to measure a school is absolute rubbish.”
Sixth in her debut Comrades in 2019, Durban’s Jenna Challenor has mixed feelings. “Sometimes giving everyone a certificate for participating is unrealistic as everything is earned in life, not given. However, they must understand how to deal with winning and losing and controlling that without letting it dominate their lives,” she says.
“While winning is great, life doesn’t allow that level to last forever and difficult times come. Nothing should be served on a platter and it takes focus, work and dedication, with the proper support base, to get the right results. Crucial to all of this is, does the person involved want to follow that path and want to achieve, or is the status of their school or dream of a coach more important?”
Professor Tim Noakes has said: “School sport is about promoting participation by all and not about winning, which is an egocentric, adult value that is important in the appropriate context, but not the most important outcome in school sport. School sport is taking on the characteristics of professional sport. It has become too much like work, with a focus on an outcome and that is to win. Winning is usually beyond the control of the individual. The idea that anyone can be trained to be a champion is nonsense.”
But, some schools say: “We believe that sports participation is more than just fun, more than optional recreation. It helps to build character. It teaches leadership. One learns to try harder when things get tough, instead of giving up, to persevere, concentrate, and practise.”
To summarise: There is competition out there whether we like it or not. Some people get medals and recognition and that’s not a bad thing. As parents, regardless of our children’s struggles or skills, how we help them manage the competitive landscape, is key.
Competition at school level needs to be healthy, but respect, humility, sportsmanship and enjoyment are the key elements, not a win at all costs, prove we are the best attitude. It’s an endless debate.