Conference to Explore Concerns, Challenges of Youth Sports

The most controversial issues and best practices in youth sports are on the agenda for scrutiny and discussion at a statewide conference which organizers are describing as long overdue. Sponsored by the Maine Center for Coaching Education, in cooperation with the Maine Recreation and Park Association, the Friday, Nov. 14 conference will examine the increasingly competitive, high-pressure nature of youth sports and the role and responsibilities of coaches, parents and league sponsors in making sports a positive experience for all youngsters who want to participate. The focus will be on children in kindergarten through middle school, the major developmental years and, starting around fourth grade, the time that selective youth leagues enter the picture