01:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, June 20, 2006

BY CAROLYN THORNTON
Journal Sports Writer

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second installment in a regular series on Sports Parenting in which we will explore the many challenges faced by families involved in youth athletics.

Experts say there are a number of potentially damaging ... consequences to spending too much time concentrating on one sport.

SCENARIO 1: Look at how hard my son throws. I think he could be the next Jonathan Papelbon. As soon as Little League is over, we're going to set Billy up in an offseason conditioning program. And it's great that the new rules will allow him to play on his AAU team at the same time that he's playing for his school team. That will get him a few more games next spring. Red Sox, here we come!

SCENARIO 2: Get ready University of North Carolina. I think my daughter could be the next Mia Hamm. Suzie was the leading scorer in our town's youth soccer league this fall, and she's about to start playing indoor soccer. We've been in touch with some of the top local clubs and plan to get her onto one of those teams, as well. College scholarship, here we come!

Specialization in youth sports.

It's become a growing trend: Parents who feel their son or daughter is showing promise in a particular sport decide that they need to concentrate exclusively on that discipline, even as young as 9 or 10, often playing it year-round because they feel it will give them an advantage.

But is it a good idea?

Both empirical and anecdotal evidence suggests the answer is no.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children avoid early sports specialization, citing a number of potentially damaging physical, emotional and psychological consequences.

Although further studies must be done, the organization's Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness has concluded from existing research that the costs just may far outweigh any potential gain.

In stark contrast, the American Academy of Pediatrics says in its policy on Intensive Training and Sports Specialization in Young Athletes: "Those who participate in a variety of sports and specialize only after reaching the age of puberty tend to be more consistent performers, have fewer injuries, and adhere to sports play longer than those who specialize early."

Not convinced? Let's begin by exploring what happens to the body when a child sticks to just one sport.

When broken down, every sport consists of a series of repetitive movements, whether it be swinging a racket, throwing a pitch, running laps, landing dismounts off of a balance beam and so on.

Over time, the constant wear and tear caused by those repeated motions placing stresses on the same areas of the body, often coupled with a lack of proper recovery time, results in what are known as overuse injuries.

With the increase in specialization, children are increasingly being treated for such conditions as swimmer's shoulder, Little League elbow, runner's knee, jumper's knee, tennis elbow, Achilles tendinitis and shin splints.

"I can definitely say in the last 10 or 12 years, there's been more and more and more injuries," said Dr. Marta Sowa, a Lincoln pediatrician who has been in practice for two decades. When a young athlete specializes in one sport, "the same particular areas are vulnerable. The tendons, the ligaments that are the rubber bands that hold those bones together to protect the joints and the growth plates get overused and they can get sprained, strained, fatigued and can let go."

The very nature of a child's maturing body makes them more susceptible to injury than adults, Dr. Sowa said.

While they are developing, kids have open growth plates - the area of growing tissue near the end of the long bones that eventually closes when growth is complete, sometime during adolescence, and is replaced by solid bone.

Before that happens, however, those areas serve as weak spots -- in fact, the weakest of the growing skeleton -- and are more prone to injuries, known as fractures.

Depending upon the severity, bone fractures, which can be caused either by a blow to the area or from overuse, can either heal normally with the help of a cast to hold it in place or at the other extreme can result in deformity or the premature stunting of growth, possibly requiring surgery.

Pediatric sports medicine physicians say they are treating injuries in children that at one time they saw only in adults. Some of these injuries can result in permanent damage, leading to chronic problems, such as arthritis, later in life.

"Playing sports is a wonderful thing. I just see how some of these kids are training," said Dr. Sowa, who usually isn't consulted by her patients' parents until the situation has already gotten out of hand. "I see their schedules and they're just, 'Gotta go. Gotta go. Gotta go.' They're practicing sometimes twice a day, but that's not all right. These kids' ligaments and tendons are unable to take it. Their growth plates are still open."

And what is early sports specialization doing to children psychologically? While not always the case, it can indeed result in a "slow, developing burnout," says Richard Ginsburg, Ph.D., co-director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Sports Psychology Program and co-author of Whose Game is it, Anyway?

Unrealistic expectations, especially by parents, can create feelings of anxiety and pressure, leading to depression, withdrawal, irritability and difficulty sleeping.

Suppose the gamble doesn't pay off? What if, after all of these sacrifices, the child does not achieve the level of success that was expected?

Even if it is explained to a child that only a small percentage of athletes ever get chosen for their high school varsity team and that an even smaller percentage advance to the college level, even if he or she realizes that a degree of luck is required to move up the sports ladder regardless of how good a player is, none of that may lessen the feelings of failure.

To help avoid these potential downfalls, children should be "encouraged to participate in sports at a level consistent with their abilities and interests," says the American Academy of Pediatrics.

"We're always trying to emphasize that grade-school age is to try out different things, but not to necessarily get so specialized in one thing or another," Dr. Sowa said. "Let them try it on for size and see if it's what they like. But a lot of times I find by the time I hear about it, they're already doing it. And my concern is how are you balancing that with schoolwork, with reading time, and with just plain old down time?"

cthorn@projo.com / (401) 277-7340