Chapter 3: Rights and Wrongs: children's Participation in High-Performance Sports

The thought of high-performance sports conjures up many images: finelytuned runners exploding out of the starting blocks and hurtling along running tracks; highly-skilled alpine skiers darting through forests of slalom poles; tiny, elfin gymnasts soaring and spinning through space, or somersaulting backwards along narrow balance beams; brawny tennis players thundering aces across the court; lean swimmers surging through the pool. Skill and mastery at the highest levels of performance link these images. We may also think of sacrifice, dedication, and perseverance. However, how many of us stop to consider who else the athletes may be? For example, they may also be students, husbands, wives, sisters, or parents. Furthermore, many athletes in what are typically thought of as women's sports, such as gymnastics, figure skating, tennis, and swimming, may even be children. Of the adult athletes competing at the highest levels of sport, the vast majority began their training at an early age.