LET HER COMPETE

What Girls Learn Through Sports Can Follow Them for Life

Sometimes we talk about girls in sports as if the biggest goal is simply getting more girls to participate. I think we should aim higher than that.

Let her compete.

Let her chase championships, experience the pressure of a close game, lose occasionally and come back the next day determined to try again. Because when a girl competes in sports, she may be developing much more than athletic ability.

She may be learning how to lead.

A recent Forbes article highlighted research connecting girls' participation in sports with leadership later in life. The numbers caught my attention: a large percentage of women who eventually reach senior business leadership positions played sports when they were younger.

That shouldn't surprise us.

Think about what sports ask a young girl to do. She has to communicate, make decisions, accept instruction, handle criticism, work with different personalities and perform while people are watching.

Sometimes she will fail publicly.

Then she has to recover and try again.

Those are leadership skills.

And you don't learn all of them by sitting in a classroom and reading about leadership. Sometimes you have to experience them.

That's one reason I think competition matters.

There's a tendency sometimes to believe that protecting young people from disappointment builds confidence. I'm not sure it does.

Confidence isn't believing everything will always go your way.

Real confidence is learning that even when things don't go your way, you'll be okay.

You missed the shot? Come back and take the next one. You didn't make the starting lineup? Keep working. Another player is better than you? Learn from her. Your team lost? Shake hands, go practice and come back ready to compete again.

Those experiences build something.

That's the Mind.

And coaches have an enormous responsibility in that process.

A good coach can challenge a young girl without destroying her confidence. A good coach can demand more from her while making sure she understands that her value isn't determined by the scoreboard.

Most importantly, a good coach can create an environment where she learns to use her voice, take responsibility, solve problems and lead.

That's what we should want at Play 4 Rings.

We don't need to create a watered-down version of competition for girls.

Give them the real thing.

Give them good coaching, meaningful games and opponents who challenge them. Give them opportunities to lead and teammates who depend on them. Let them experience nervousness and disappointment—and then give them the opportunity to discover what happens next.

Because someday the opponent won't be wearing another basketball jersey.

The competition might be for admission to a college, a job, a promotion, a business opportunity or a leadership position.

She may walk into a room where she's underestimated. She may hear no. She may make a mistake in front of everybody. She may have to speak when she's nervous or lead people older and more experienced than she is.

And maybe somewhere inside her she'll recognize that feeling.

I've been here before.

Maybe it was the fourth quarter. Her team was down six. The gym was loud. Her coach looked at her and said, We need you.

And she learned to step forward instead of stepping back.

That's why keeping girls involved in sports matters.

Not because every girl needs to become a college athlete. Not because everybody needs a scholarship. And certainly not because everybody is going professional.

It matters because sports can give young women a place to practice becoming strong, confident decision-makers before the stakes of adulthood become much higher.

At Play 4 Rings, when we say we're Building Triple Threats For Life, this is exactly what we're talking about.

Develop the Body to compete. Develop the Mind to think and lead. Develop the Will to respond when things get difficult.

So give her the ball. Give her the opportunity. Give her responsibility. Give her room to succeed—and don't be afraid to give her room to fail.

Then watch what she does next.

Let her play. Let her lead. Let her compete.

Play 4 Rings | Building Triple Threats For LifeTraining the Body, Mind & Will Power for excellence in any arena.