Cheers and the Tears

SHANE MURPHY, is a sport psychologist and the president of the Division of Exercise and Sport Psychology of the American Psychological Association. He is the former head of the sport psychology program for the United States Olympic Committee and the author of Sport Psychology Interventions and The Achievement Zone.

"Full of practical and helpful ideas for parents who want their child's youth sports experience to be a success. . . . Refreshing, honest, and down to earth." --Joan Ryan, author, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes "Shane Murphy understands parents and helps them help their children. His guidance is immensely practical. This book is essential reading for anyone who works with children in sports." --Christy Ness, Olympic figure skating coach, coached Kristi Yamaguchi to the 1992 Olympic Gold Medal in Women's Figure Skating "The Cheer and the Tears is terrific! Shane Murphy provides excellent solutions to tough issues. If your child is involved in organized sports at any level, read this book! --Sean McCann, sport psychologist, United States Olympic Committee "Shane Murphy has done a great job of identifying and summarizing the key issues of this important component of millions of kids' lives. Not only that, but he does it in an enjoyable and readable fashion. You can tell he writes as both a sports expert and a Dad." --Tom Crawford, director of coaching, United States Olympic Committee "This is a book for people who care about children and sports. Murphy uses nearly two decades of experience as a sport psychologist to provide a caring, critical, and constructive look at the problems and prospects of youth sports. His insights are timely, insightful, and immediately useful for parents and coaches in interested in a sound foundation for participating positively in the lives of children." --Jay Coakley, sociologist and author of Sport in Society: Issues and Controversies

• Acknowledgements. Introduction. The Crisis in Youth Sports. How Did We End Up in This Predicament? What Do Parents Want? What Do Kids Want? Escaping the Parent Trap: Pushing Your Own Dreams or Encouraging the Young Athlete? The Family's Journey: Nurturing Safe and Healthy Young Athletes. How Do Children Become Competitive. How Competition Affects Children. Positive Approaches to Youth Sports. Notes. For Further Reading. For More Information. About the Author. Index.