Wayne Goldberg puts it plainly: there’s no such thing as an elite young athlete

Added: 2026-04-30

There is no such thing as an elite 8-year-old, high-performance 10-year-old, or professional 11-year-old athlete; youth sports should focus on building strong foundations, learning to compete, staying healthy, and maintaining joy in the game rather than trying to fast-track childhood through early labels that can create anxiety, burnout, and unrealistic expectations.