By Guest Author Noah K. Kaufman, Ph.D., FACPN, ABPdN
There are many positive things I can say about the benefits of sports for youth, much of which has already been said. For the interested parent, read almost anything written by Dr. Larry Leith, who has done a great job reviewing the literature on the link between exercise and mental health. Beyond that, it is a no-brainer that physical activity is good for developing bodies, male and female. My message is thus a bit different, as it pertains to the potential benefit of high-level, competitive sports for youth—especially developing males.
If you Google the 2009 death of Steve Larsen, the ex-bike racer and triathlete, you will learn how this father of five unexpectedly died at the age of 39 from a rare heart condition. Steve, who continued to maintain a high level of physical fitness, was out training when he died. I use Steve Larsen as an example because when I was initially getting serious about competitive bike racing, back in 1984, he was the one I looked up to more than anyone else. I was 13, he was a year older, and yet he was in a different galaxy when it came to what he could do on a bike. Not only that, he did it with style: his blonde hair was always perfect; the constant tan; stylish clothes; intelligence; intense motivation; and a work ethic like no other 14-year-old I had ever known. Steve Larsen, at 14, was outstanding in so many ways, he shot to the top of my list of heroes.
Fate guided me away from the world of high-level competitive sports not long after I finished my teens and I have taken an entirely different path in life since then. But know this: the early influences of people like Steve Larsen have not faded from my awareness. In fact, it is most accurate to say that I strive in what I do now in an attempt to be like the Steve Larsens I met through my participation in the world of high-level, competitive sports.
Interestingly, the proportion of outstanding people in that world is large, compared with other arenas in life. I recall telling my stepdad how succeeding in graduate school was like cutting warm butter compared to racing bikes—and it wasn’t because I was smarter than my classmates. Sure, I have encountered some brilliant and successful people through my experiences as a neuropsychologist. But, honestly, I have yet to meet a Steve Larsen, a Kent Bostick, a Connie Carpenter-Phinney, or a Lance Armstrong. High-level, competitive sports seem to attract a different breed, which can have a potent and encouraging effect on developing brains.
Am I saying every parent should push their child into high-level, competitive sports? No. But if you have a little lion that is drawn to battle fields and wants to test themselves, I firmly believe that high-level, competitive sports can bring youngsters into contact with some truly remarkable human beings. And developing males—most of us will agree—crave healthy examples like that in their lives. I know I did.
About the Author: Dr. Kaufman—a national champion bicycle racer in 1987 and teammate of Lance Armstrong in 1989—became interested in the field of psychology after being exposed to sport psychology while attending training camps at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. He earned his B.A. from the University of New Mexico in 1998, his master’s degree from the University of Oregon in 2001, and his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in 2003. He completed an APA-approved pre-doctoral internship at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, a 1-year post-doctoral program at Mesilla Valley Hospital in Las Cruces, NM, and a 2-year post-doctoral program in clinical neuropsychology through the Fielding Graduate University under the guidance of Dr. Arnold Purisch. Dr. Kaufman has been a co-author on multiple peer-reviewed journal articles but now focuses the majority of his time running a clinical and forensic neuropsychology practice based out of The Center for Neuropsychological Studies in Las Cruces, NM. Dr. Kaufman does not offer counseling or psychotherapy, only clinical and forensic neuropsychological evaluations.
Diplomate American Board of Professional Neuropsychology
Diplomate American Board of Pediatric Neuropsychology
Check out his website:www.noah-kaufman.com
