Growing up, we’re often encouraged to find and pursue our passions, especially when it comes to sports and hobbies. However, just because we love a sport doesn’t mean it’s always the right fit for us. This post explores the concept of finding the right sport, activity, or hobby that aligns with our lives and circumstances.
Passion vs. Practicality
We often hear that passion is the key to success, but in reality, practicality plays an equally important role. A sport or activity that we love might not always be practical due to factors like accessibility, location, or personal circumstances. It’s essential to balance our passion with practicality to ensure that we can fully enjoy and benefit from the activities we choose.
Practicality: The Role of High Five Principles in Finding the Right Fit
When determining if a sport or activity is the right fit for a child, the High Five Principles for Sport provide a valuable framework. These principles – Friendship, Caring Adults, Play, Mastery, and Participation – help ensure that kids have a quality experience in sports and recreation, which is crucial for long-term engagement and enjoyment.
- Friendship emphasizes the social connections children form in sports, which can often determine whether they stick with an activity. A child surrounded by supportive teammates is more likely to thrive and find joy in their chosen sport.
- Caring Adults highlight the role of mentors and coaches in creating positive experiences. A coach who fosters encouragement and growth rather than undue pressure can make all the difference in a child’s willingness to stay involved.
- Play reminds us that sports should be fun and engaging. A sport that feels like a chore instead of an opportunity for creative and joyful expression is unlikely to keep kids motivated.
- Mastery focuses on skill development, allowing children to experience a sense of achievement. A sport that offers clear opportunities for growth can instill confidence and a desire to keep improving.
- Participation ensures that every child feels included, regardless of their skill level. When kids have the chance to contribute meaningfully, they’re more likely to feel a sense of belonging.
By using these principles as a guide, parents and kids can evaluate whether a sport aligns with their needs and circumstances. A quality experience in one sport might lead to a lifelong passion, while a mismatch could signal the need to explore other opportunities. The High Five Principles encourage a practical approach: focus on activities that prioritize connection, growth, and fun, ensuring that every child has the chance to discover what truly resonates with them.
Accessibility and Location
When it comes to choosing the right sport or activity, accessibility and location are often the deciding factors for families. Some sports bring logistical challenges that make participation tough. Living in Calgary, for instance, offers incredible opportunities for winter sports like skiing or bobsleigh – but these often come with hefty price tags, specialized facilities, and significant time commitments. Meanwhile, sports like hockey can demand early morning ice times or hours of driving to practices and games. Add the cost of equipment, registration fees, and travel, and you quickly realize that not every sport is practical or accessible.
On top of these financial and logistical challenges, many communities face limitations in coaching, facilities, and resources. I’ve seen it myself at schools where over 40 girls try out for a single volleyball team. While some schools can create two teams, finding enough coaches, practice spaces, or opponents for three or four teams is often impossible. These situations highlight that accessibility isn’t just about affordability; it’s also about availability and opportunity.
For those who don’t make the cut, it’s easy to feel discouraged – but these moments can teach invaluable lessons. Life doesn’t guarantee a spot on the team, and learning how to handle setbacks is just as important as learning how to win. I’ve been cut before – from my baseball team in Grade 4, from the Dalhousie/King’s Ultimate team during my first tryout, and even from Team Canada in 2008. Each time, it stung. But looking back and connecting the dots, I realize those moments shaped me.
Those failures forced me to confront my weaknesses – whether it was a lack of preparation, skill, or the ability to commit to the required travel. Each setback pushed me to work harder and come back stronger. Life doesn’t get easier; we simply get better at tackling hard things. That’s the beauty of failure – it’s not the end, but the beginning of growth.
Fortunately, there are accessible options for families, even if they look different for everyone. Accessibility could mean joining a local rec league, choosing a sport with minimal equipment costs, or finding subsidized community programs. It might even mean stepping up as a volunteer to create opportunities where there currently aren’t any. The key is finding activities that fit your family’s unique circumstances and resources, ensuring the experience is sustainable and, most importantly, enjoyable.
In the end, accessibility is about more than just affordability—it’s about practicality, resilience, and opportunity. By helping kids navigate the challenges of sports—whether it’s learning from being cut or finding alternatives that align with their abilities and interests—we set them up for a lifetime of confidence, growth, and fulfillment.
Evolving Interests and Abilities
As we grow, our interests and physical abilities evolve. A sport we once loved as a child might no longer align with our needs as we get older—whether due to shifts in lifestyle, priorities, or physical capabilities. Recognizing this is an important part of staying active and fulfilled. Letting go of an activity that no longer serves us creates space to explore new opportunities that better fit where we are in life.
Take ultimate frisbee, for example. It’s an engaging and dynamic sport, but it’s best introduced to kids around Grade 7. Before that age, younger athletes benefit more from focusing on foundational skills like throwing, catching, running, and jumping. These skills form the backbone of physical literacy, which enables kids to approach sports with confidence and competence. Rushing into complex strategies and gameplay too early can undermine this foundation, making the sport less enjoyable and more overwhelming.
This idea applies across all sports. Prioritizing skill development first allows kids to gain confidence, enjoy the process, and build a toolkit of abilities they can carry into any activity. Physical literacy ensures that athletes aren’t limited to a single sport or context but are prepared to adapt, grow, and thrive no matter where their interests take them.
Staying flexible and embracing change isn’t just practical—it’s empowering. It opens the door to a lifelong journey of movement, learning, and discovery, ensuring that sports and activities remain a source of joy and growth at every stage of life.
Letting Go and Moving On
When you ask athletes why they love their sport, many will mention the people, the community, and the friendships they’ve formed. This sense of connection can be a powerful motivator to stay in a sport, but it can also be a reason to leave if the community no longer aligns with our values or goals.
Sometimes, letting go of a sport means leaving behind a cherished community, but it can also open up opportunities to connect with new people who share our current interests and values. By considering the practicality of where our friends are and where we can meet new people, we ensure that our involvement in sports or activities continues to be fulfilling. Remember, moving on doesn’t mean losing a part of ourselves; it means making room for new experiences that better align with who we are now.
However, a critical aspect of this process is learning how to fail. In many cases, we unintentionally set kids up to fail later in life by not letting them experience failure when they’re young. Shielding kids from challenges or not allowing them to face the consequences of being cut, losing a game, or trying something new and struggling prevents them from building resilience and learning the value of perseverance.
Failure teaches vital lessons about preparation, effort, and growth. It helps kids understand that setbacks are not the end—they’re opportunities to learn and improve. When kids don’t experience failure early, they may struggle to handle adversity later in life, whether in sports, school, or their careers. By letting kids fail in a supportive environment, we’re giving them the tools to succeed in the long run.
For emerging sports like utimate frisbee and disc golf, this aspect is even more crucial. Kids who choose these sports might find themselves missing out on time with friends who play more mainstream sports, which can be a significant part of childhood. This challenge makes it difficult to grow youth participation in these emerging sports. It underscores the importance of creating supportive communities that align with the High Five principles, ensuring that kids don’t have to choose between their sport and their friends. By focusing on inclusivity and shared experiences, we can help these sports flourish while providing a sense of belonging for young athletes.
For me, this journey started early. I left baseball in grade 4, figure skating in grade 5, and volleyball in middle school. These sports no longer served me, so I ventured into other activities. It was through this exploration that I found sports that truly resonated with me and brought fulfillment.
These experiences taught me the importance of being open to change and willing to let go. By doing so, I was able to discover new passions and communities that aligned with my evolving interests and abilities. It’s a reminder that letting go isn’t about giving up; it’s about making space for growth and new opportunities. Most importantly, it’s about learning to face challenges head-on, using failure as a stepping stone to future success.
The Importance of Being a Multi-Sport Athlete
As a kid, I had the chance to explore a variety of sports, each with its own rhythm and season. Some of the most formative years of my journey came in grades 11 and 12 when school rules only allowed us to play one sport per season. In the fall, I chose soccer over golf, a sport I loved but couldn’t fit into the schedule. Winter was hockey, spring brought rugby, and by late spring, I was doing track & field.
Over the years, I played golf, soccer, track and field, volleyball, rugby, hockey, baseball, and swimming. This diversity didn’t just make me a well-rounded athlete; it gave me the building blocks of physical literacy – the ability to move confidently and competently in different environments. By switching sports with the seasons, I avoided burnout, reduced the risk of overuse injuries, and developed a wide range of physical and mental skills.
The Science Supports It
Research backs up what I experienced firsthand. Playing multiple sports:
- Reduces injuries by giving different muscle groups time to rest and recover.1
- Enhances physical literacy by building diverse motor skills and overall athleticism.2
- Prevents burnout by keeping activities fresh and engaging.3
- Strengthens social skills by exposing athletes to different teammates, coaches, and environments.4
But for me, being a multi-sport athlete wasn’t just about avoiding injury or staying fit. It was about discovering what I was good at, what I enjoyed, and how I could grow. Each sport taught me something unique: precision in golf, speed in soccer, intensity in rugby, and discipline in swimming. Together, they shaped me into the athlete—and the person—I am today.
The Foundation for Frisbee
Looking back, I realize how much these experiences prepared me for frisbee, a sport I didn’t pick up until after high school. The skills I’d developed—throwing in baseball, catching in football, running in soccer, rugby, and track, and jumping in volleyball and track—translated seamlessly. Without the foundation of physical literacy I built through multi-sport participation, I wouldn’t have had the tools to excel in frisbee.
Today, I hold 13 Guinness World Records and 14 World Championships in frisbee. But the numbers only tell part of the story. My success isn’t just about talent; it’s about the variety of experiences that taught me to adapt, persevere, and thrive.
You never know what skills will transfer, what passions will ignite, or what opportunities will open. It’s all part of the journey, and it’s worth every step.
Not all sports are for everyone, and that’s perfectly okay. Finding the right fit means balancing passion with practicality, embracing challenges, and being open to change. Whether it’s through mastering a skill, joining a team, or learning to overcome setbacks, sports have the power to enrich our lives in ways we never expected.
At its heart, this journey is about growth—physical, emotional, and personal. By fostering physical literacy, embracing failure, and staying open to new opportunities, we create a foundation for lifelong movement, connection, and joy.
Footnotes
- National Federation of State High School Associations. “The Importance of Multi-Sport Participation.” (nfhs.org)
- University Hospitals. “Why Young Athletes Should Play Multiple Sports.” (uhhospitals.org)
- Player Development Project. “Should My Players Play Multiple Sports?” (playerdevelopmentproject.com)
- University Hospitals. “Why Young Athletes Should Play Multiple Sports.” (uhhospitals.org)