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Should an 11yo go to the Commonwealth Games

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Zimmerman
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Should an 11yo go to the Commonwealth Games

Post by Zimmerman »

Heard on the radio this morning that an 11yo has been selected by Wales to represent them at table tennis at the forthcoming commonwealth games.

Is this a case of “if you’re good enough you are old enough”

We have seen 16yo pitted against men in physical sports... so surely a bit of table tennis is harmless?

Or is the psychological pressure unfair?
Is it any different to throwing kids in to films, modelling, pop careers etc?

Suppose we also have kids competing at local or district level. Will this be too much different? Will the kid grasp the enormity of it, or will it simply be another competition?

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Tacalabala
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Re: Should an 11yo go to the Commonwealth Games

Post by Tacalabala »

Provided her parents consent and proper safeguarding is put in place, why not? If she can get to the latter stages, she will be one of the stars on the Games. It will still be a great experience for her if she loses in the first round.

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Zimmerman
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Re: Should an 11yo go to the Commonwealth Games

Post by Zimmerman »

Because she’s a child?

I’m not sure where I stand on it.
As a parent, a small part of me thinks about protecting her from the undue pressure (the psychological impact that might have / the potential detriment to her development as a person etc.)

The flip side is, my daughter has just started gymnastics. Even if she gets mildly good at it, she might spend weekends in tournaments around the county. Is this any different (you assume the kid could just stay with parents etc rather than some Olympic village type set up) and table tennis is hardly the mass market pressure of plenty of other sports/disciplines.

Ergo, it’s not necessarily going to result in a Britney Spears or McCauley Culkin ruined childhood.

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Tacalabala
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Re: Should an 11yo go to the Commonwealth Games

Post by Tacalabala »

I can't see the harm as long as she always knows she can give up when she wants, that she is under no pressure or expectation, and that she has proper people around her to make sure that's the case.

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unc.si.
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Re: Should an 11yo go to the Commonwealth Games

Post by unc.si. »

Have to say I was slightly perplexed when I saw the thread, baffled as to why an 11 year old wouldn't be allowed to go and watch the Commonwealths.

now I understand...

Anyway, I think if she's good enough to get selected, she must have been coping with the pressure of county, regionals and probably nationals as well for quite a while. Yes, it'll be a step up, but she'll have support and she'll have built up some mental toughness to get that far. It's not like throwing a random 11 yo in at the deep end. Go for it. Carpe Diem.

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forestfan
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Re: Should an 11yo go to the Commonwealth Games

Post by forestfan »

Yeah, it’s not like the pressure of being a child star in certain other walks of life, it will be newsworthy for a few weeks, she gets a nice holiday in Australia then can see how things progress and if she wants to pursue it as a career long term.

Born in June 2006 though :shock: Was just starting to get used to the fact people born this millennium are appearing in the Premier League (and can legally buy a pint) :wink:

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