Dr. Daniel Wann has a few suggestions for improving youth sports, both from parental and administrative standpoints:

Institute a respectful culture, encourage values instead of the win-at-all-costs mentality and identify leaders who will help the integrity of sports.

Specifically, it's up to parents, coaches and participants to alter the expectations of youth sports to strike a balance between success and enjoying participation.

"So many kids participate in youth sports, and you can touch the lives of millions of people through youth sports," said Wann, a psychology professor at Murray State in Kentucky, who is on the board of directors for the National Alliance for Youth Sports.

"They talk about teachable moments in sports, and every practice and every game is a teachable moment. Will we help raise productive members of society or will we raise athletes? Or will we teach, 'a team is a place where parents go crazy?' The importance of this is that so many people are touched by being on a team. If you're involved, you'd better get things right."

Wann has authored more than 100 articles on the topic. Speaking to students Wednesday at the University of Southern Maine's Portland campus, Wann's two-part presentation was part of a three-day symposium that examines issues including sports injury rehabilitation and teaching life skills through sport.

In its 24th year, the Sports Psychology Institute was spearheaded by Dr. William Gayton, a USM faculty member and licensed clinical psychologist who works with pro athletes. Gayton started the program when sports psychology was beginning to emerge.

"I offer it for a chance to provide athletes to learn about sports psychology," Gayton said. "I offer it for coaches because coaches at some point in time can be better coaches if they have some awareness of the work we've done in sports psychology. Third, the psychology majors at USM are looking at careers in this and (sports psychology) is a potential career."

Wann's presentation comes at a time when the numbers continue to grow in youth sports. According to the National Council of Youth Sports, more than 44 million children participated in youth and high school sports in 2007, 12 million more than in 1997. But according to a study by the National Alliance for Youth Sports, nearly 75 percent of approximately 20 million youth sports participants quit by the age of 13.

Wann's theory? "At that point it's not fun anymore."

While parental involvement is one aspect of creating a culture in youth sports, another aspect is coaching. Successful coaching involves the understanding that the coaching position is voluntary, that there is a level of satisfaction among kids, and that there are universal and specific behaviors with coaching.

Furthermore, Wann theorizes, ground rules for involvement in sports must be established for both parents and children, and in the process of creating a successful youth sports experience, he encourages the input of the children who participate.

Ultimately, Wann believes, the goal is to define the balance between competitiveness and a healthy culture in youth sports, a balance he believes is growing because of the awareness of issues that surround youth sports.

"Most people buy into what I'm saying," Wann said. "But their question is 'how?' They almost feel helpless, as in, 'how do I get this back?' "

Gayton believes Wann's message applies not only to coaching but to parenting, areas where he sees an overlap in responsibilities.

"I bring him in here because he's got a horribly important message," Gayton said. "Youth sports is one of the primary socializing institutions in our society. To neglect it and to let it evolve into what it's evolved into is a shame. I'm hoping that message gets out there and leads us to invest more time, energy and involvement into developing the culture."

Staff Writer Rachel Lenzi can be reached at 791-6415 or at:

rlenzi@pressherald.com