Judges smile, mommies scream hysterically, and other competitors have meltdowns in the green room. "Aren't they adorable? Why, they look like little adults."

Well, they're not.

While we are quick to see the inherent dysfunction and predict the long-term consequences of making grown-ups of our little children, we see virtually the same thing on athletic fields across the nation.

Children are being steered from playgrounds toward structured leagues at younger and younger ages.

"They sail solo around the world, climb the highest mountains and race around ovals at breakneck speed," the Associated Press's Nancy Armour wrote in her article, "Much Too Young for Extreme Sports."

The world lures children with fame or finance into competition and celebrates the next great hope with such severity that pee-wee football films are making their way to college coaches.

In his book "Game on: the All-American Race to Make Champions of our Children," Tom Farrey argues that we're on "a race to the bottom" in youth sports, "obsessed with finding the next great athlete at the expense of getting all kids on playing fields."

A Running Debate

While some are awed by the 9-year-old who medaled in a 10K or a fourth-grader who ran a marathon, most local kids' running groups strongly emphasize participation over competition.

The Chapel Hill / Carrboro Pacers Youth Running Club, for example, neither pushes the notion of competition, nor is it open to runners younger than 7 years old.

"Running can be beneficial at any age," Pacers head coach Meredith Bolon said, "but a positive experience in an organized running group depends as much on a child's level of maturity and emotional readiness as on physical ability."

The Pacers minimum age helps ensure that runners are not only ready to cover a mile or two without stopping, but also that they're prepared to enjoy structured workouts, Bolon added.

Likewise, Girls on the Run simply uses running as a medium for instilling values like self-esteem and self-determination.

"Girls on the Run is founded on the basis that if you reach girls before they get into middle school, they're still open to new ideas and not as influenced by their peers," said Susan Mehlman, program manager for Girls on the Run of the Triangle, which accepts girls aged 8-12.

Younger than 8, they're too young to understand some of the concepts, Mehlman explained.

The girls train for a 5K (3.1-mile) run, but it's never a really hard workout, she said.

Like the Pacers and Fleet Feet Carrboro's Mini-milers program, Mehlman said Girls on the Run tries to instill the love of running as a lifetime activity -- not the shortcut to a top-heavy trophy rack.

A League of their Own

Likewise, local recreation administrators avoid leagues for children who aren't ready for structure. Exposing kids to age- and maturity-appropriate play varies from sport to sport, said Chapel Hill / Carrboro YMCA sports director Mike Meyen.

"You've got to look at the different skill requirements," Meyen said. "In soccer, it's a little bit easier to see a 3-year-old picking up basics. For basketball, we thought about 3-year-olds, but they're just not quite ready for that, and there are even some at 4 who aren't ready."

Meyen said he has occasionally needed to sell a parent on patience.

"You do get people who are worried that their kid needs to start right now," Meyen said, "because the other kids in the pre-school class have started, and they're going to be behind, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Some come in at 3, but others come in at 6 or 6, and by age 7, you wouldn't know the difference."

Carrboro Recreation and Parks recreation supervisor Charles Harrington said his agency often looks at other markets to determine appropriate ages; parents themselves must help make the ultimate decision.

"Occasionally, we have to enforce rules we already have in place," he said, " like with a younger kid who's trying to throw a curve ball. The reason we have any of our rules in place is for the protection of the players."

Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation athletics specialist Mike Troutman said demand drives much of the supply of leagues for younger children.

"Generally, it depends upon what the public is telling us they want," he said. "Right now, we're offering nothing for kids below age 5."

"Obviously, with football, we have to be more conservative," Troutman said. "For 5- and 6-year-olds, for example, we offer (non-tackle) flag football. It also depends quite a bit on the sport."

Generally, Chapel Hill does not let children "play up" more than a year ahead of their age.

"We'd usually find that when they wanted to play up (more than one year,) they couldn't handle it," he said. "Age groups are established for a reason."

The Starting Line

The fact that children may not be ready to slam dunk their travel team's way to the 3-year-olds' championship doesn't mean they shouldn't be exposed to activity early on.

"By 4 or 6 months ... a parent you can facilitate early core strength simply by encouraging a child to actively use their body to explore the environment around them," said the article "Children and Exercise: a Physical Therapist's Perspective," authored and published by Balanced Movement Physical Therapy ( www.balancedpt.com.) "Just create a safe environment were they can trip, fall, roll around and get up again without being harmed. Let your child run, jump, hop, skip, bounce, and roll--all activities that can start by the time they are 2 years old."

While rules and guidelines blur as to what child is ready for which sport, there are signposts and warning signs to help steer the way.

Recent summer heat reminds us that young children are among the most susceptible to heat-related disorders. While heat disorders threaten everyone, their severity is greatest in young children and the elderly, Healthline.com noted. Parents need to be especially alert to dehydration and the development of problems in infants who can't speak up.

Some parents wonder whether pumping iron is safe for teens or younger boys, stated MyOptumHealth.com staffwriter Lila Havens said. Strength training trumps weight training in terms of overall fitness.

"Using light weights in a controlled way ... can benefit most teens," Havens said, "but weightlifting or power lifting can put teens at significant risk of injury -- especially back injuries."

Havens added that early weightlifting can also inhibit bone growth.

"Plus, the emphasis...on bulky muscles can lead kids to experiment with performance-enhancing drugs or supplements which have many well-known serious risks."

24 / 7 / 365

Perhaps the most dangerous fallacies are those that surround any advantage gained through specialization.

"We really don't see too many (injuries) from the standpoint of weightlifting or activities," said Brian Beatty, physical therapist, certified strength and conditioning Specialist, and owner of Carrboro's Balanced Movement Physical Therapy.

"What we do see is too much specialization too young," he explained. "We see overuse injuries with kids. That's startling, and it shouldn't be happening."

"It used to be that kids would play whatever sport was in season," Beatty said. When it was winter, you shot hoops, in the spring you played baseball, and in the fall, you'd play football. Now maybe they're playing for a school soccer team, and they're also playing in another soccer league, and then a soccer showcase."

Beatty said specialization can lead to imbalances and injuries. Early warning signs can be sprains, strains, and soft-tissue soreness.

Prompted by his father, Mozart composed and performed music younger before he was 6, Armour noted. Tiger Woods first showed off his golf skills at age 2.

But Mozart died virtually penniless, and, as for Tiger... well...

"Some parents are concerned their children won't like them" for limiting their activities, education and parental coach Kiki Weingarten told Armour. "No, no, no, no. You don't have to be their best friend. They don't have to like you. You have to be an authority figure."

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