36 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JUNE 2019
YOUTH SPORTS WHYS AND HOWS
BY ALEX MITCHELL
Smithtown’s Rob Parnell, one of the
country’s most talented lacrosse players,
is the type of hometown hero that
gives parents hope of their young child
later going pro — but he didn’t truly
develop until the end of high school.
Many parents question when it’s the
right to get their own kids involved
in sports and how serious they
should be committing to a specific
sport and the potential of a college
career. The answers to these are
simple in the eyes of Long Island
sports experts.
“There’s an advantage to being a
late bloomer,” says Parnell’s uncle,
Jim Metzger, CEO of Whitmore, a
leading insurance brokerage on
Long Island, who was scoring goals
as an All American lacrosse player
at Hofstra University from 1979 to
1980 prior to his days of scoring major
insurance deals. “They certainly
seem hungrier in athletics and the
future.”
Long Island-based trainers suggest
diversifying their skillset for the
best results.
“Kids should be playing multiple
sports up until the age of 16 at the
minimum,” says trainer Marc Bucellato,
who heads the soon-to-be
franchised On The Marc Training
out of Great Neck.
Using the examples of baseball and
hockey, he says that the two sports
compliment hand eye coordination
that an athlete wouldn’t learn by
playing one sport exclusively.
“When we have kids do the ladder
drill we can immediately tell if they
played multiple sports or if they specialized
in one,” Bucellato says.
John Dunlop, who runs Woke Athletic
and Fitness Training in Syosset
is a firm believer that kids who are
pushed into specializing in a single
sport are more prone to injury.
“I think this is why injuries like ACL
tears are more common in young
athletes,” Dunlop says adding that
being a versatile, multi sport athlete
enhances lateral and gross motor
skills, which help prevent that kind
of season ending injury.
What will likely come as a breath of
fresh air to parents of young athletes,
the focus should remain on fun and
enjoyment according to Bucellato and
Dunlop.
“When you’re not having fun you
burnout, plain and simple,” Dunlop
says giving the advice that parents
shouldn’t overcomplicate a child’s
athletic career and development.
“It doesn’t matter if your kid is slow
at age 11, that won’t be the case at age
16,” he says.
Parents have even asked Bucellato
what kind of protein powders are
best suited for their child, to which
he responds ‘just have them eat a lot
and drink chocolate milk.’
Those primed for a longtime athletic
career, the coaches and teams will
find at the right age. Until then, they
should just have fun and work hard,
the trainers advise.
And for those that don’t go pro, there
are still valuable lessons that can set
a young athlete up for success later
in life.
“Everything I learned in business
I learned on the sports field,” says
Metzger, whose two seasons with the
then-Flying Dutchmen off Hempstead
Turnpike taught him the reward that
comes from “discipline, dedication,
and desire” on the field firsthand.
“The way I relied on my teammates
then is the way I rely on my colleagues
in business now,” Metzger
says, mentioning that human capital
is his business’ greatest asset.
Another life lesson from sports that
Metzger preaches is the value in
failure.
Using the analogy that even baseball’s
best hitters walked back to the
dugout empty handed, Metzger says
he’s learned more from losing than
he has from victories.
“There’s seeds of opportunity in
failure and it’s at those time when
you truly know who you are,” he says.
Backing up that sentiment of character
through sport, Metzger spent
June 6 back at his old school, Half Hollow
Hills High School, prior handing
out outstanding player awards for
lacrosse.
“The team didn’t have the greatest
season, which is why I especially
wanted to talk to the players and parents
to explain that the record doesn’t
matter in a few years, but the values
these athletes are learning will,” the
All American businessman says.
It’s for those reasons and many others
that when Metzger sees a potential
new hire mention team sports on a
resume it jumps off the page.
HEART HEALTH
Parents should have realistic expectations when getting their kids involved in sports. (Getty Images)
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