Goals not always attainable

The quest for success in athletics doesn’t come easy and for some it never comes.
And in some cases, it takes a court of law to decide who succeeds and who doesn’t.
Recently, parents of two youth hockey players in Toronto have resorted to filling a lawsuit seeking damages after junior hockey officials cut their sons.
The allegation that the two players have been permanently damaged seems to show how some view youth sports.
The lawsuit is filed against league officials and coaches of the team that picked 17 players from a 70-player tryout camp.
“Their direct actions have caused irreparable psychological damage to (one player’s) self-esteem as an impressionable teenager and demoralized (the other) as an athlete and team hockey player with his peers,” the lawsuit states. “The conduct by all defendants destroyed the dignity of my son, whom in good conscience gave his team nothing but his best efforts.”
Players are not guaranteed success just because they work hard or give 100 percent in each and every practice. The bottom line is that every player will face others who may be better simply because of natural talent.
Some parents refuse to accept this simple fact, probably because they can’t seem to understand that life isn’t always fair. Sometimes those who out-work all others still don’t shine the brightest at the end of the day.
But the stark reality is that very few young athletes will ever go on to play a sport collegiately or professionally. Someday, sadly, their career will end. And as parents, we can only tell our children that there is honor in the effort and sacrifice.

Sports editor Todd Thompson can be reached at 773-6566 or at todd.thompson@hartselleenquirer.com