You’re right, parents don't want to hear that. For athletes hoping for a Division 1 college scholarship and beyond, they could be watched from eighth or ninth grade, so if an injury happens early, they feel that they're not going to get that scholarship. That then takes the mental toll because they're losing time. Our developing bodies aren't ready for the amount of impact from some of these sports. Nearly every athlete at some point experiences some injury, hopefully only minor. They're losing interest and I think that pressure takes away the fun of sports and really that's what sports are meant to be. Unfortunately, this whole sports specialization that we're focusing on is really one of the biggest challenges that I'm seeing a lot with my younger patients. Can you talk to me about the pressures from the athletes themselves and from parents, along with early burnout and injuries they can’t control?Ī: Injuries and the burnout is something happening much more frequently because sports have shifted to being an all-year option. Q: A lot of kids, especially when they are young, dream of being a professional athlete or earning a college scholarship. Two years into pandemic, how are kids doing? Here's what some Akron parents had to say Q: What does a sports psychologist do and who might come see you?Ī: A sports psychologist is not too much different than your general psychologist.An athlete may come and see me if they had an injury and had significant lost time that is causing a lot of anxiety or stress and they're having troubles with returning. She then got her PhD at the University of Houston and came back to Northeast Ohio for her internship and her job. Weldon grew up in Parma and played soccer in high school and at Ursuline College. Today’s topic is about youth and sports with Akron Children’s Hospital’s new sports psychologist, Allyson Weldon. Look for occasional videos accompanying the columns on as well. New this time, we will usually have a Now You Know Akron podcast available so you can hear the interview. The series continued in 2019 and a bit of 2020 before the pandemic took over my time. In the monthly series, which started in 2018, I pick topics of wide interest to educate readers who might not otherwise have access to our area health experts. Today, I’m excited to bring back a feature from before the COVID-19 pandemic called Healthy Actions.
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