Parent-Athlete Conversations
These short discussions between parents and their collegiate athletes show how parents can use conversation skills - listening, asking questions, acknowledging difficulties, challenging assumptions, and spotlighting effort and success - to help support their athletes.
Scenario 1: The athlete is struggling for playing time & he doesn’t know his place on the team. He needs to come up with a plan to get feedback from his coach.
Scenario 2: The athlete has a lingering injury. He is upset, frustrated, and worried that he is loosing serious ground.
Scenario 3: The athlete is burned out. He feels pressure from his academic and athletic responsibilities, as well as a lot of pressure from his parents.
Scenario 4: The athlete is frustrated by how a couple of his teammates are choosing to not commit to the team culture. He wants to step up as a leader in the freshman class and needs to figure out how to give his peers feedback while maintaining good relationships.
Scenario 5: The athlete is frustrated by his lack of playing time. He has talked to the coach, worked hard to incorporate feedback, and has been told he is doing a good job in training, but nothing is changing.
“As a coach, I’ve seen firsthand the powerful impact these conversation strategies have had on parents, athletes, and team culture. Sue and Maureen have worked with my team for years. The athletes whose parents participated in their program show up better equipped to handle the athletic and academic challenges throughout the year. I highly recommend this book to all coaches, parents, and athletes who want to improve.”
—Jamie Franks, Head Men’s Soccer Coach, University of Denver