Youth sport in our society has become quite an animal to control.  Certainly, we can see the many benefits for our children playing sport—to meet new people, to interact with others, to develop social skills, to play, to enjoy, to begin a foundation for healthy living by being active, to find challenges, to develop different types of motor skills and to use their time productively…just to name a few.  However, we can also readily see some pitfalls of youth sport, especially competitive sport—early specialization, over-bearing parents, coaches bent on winning, over-scheduled calendars,  and self centeredness.

So, the question is why should the Spokane Shadow start a program for nine year olds?  Well, our answer is based on all the positive reasons above, as well as the negative ones!  The positive reasons because that is what sport can provide; the negative reasons because that is what sport can provide IF leaders of our youth sports do not lead.  We want to be a true leader.