My oldest daughter just made the pre-challenge soccer league. In order to qualify for this, the girls have to try-out and be evaluated against other girls their age, so we were quite proud of her for making this step-up from recreational soccer! For a split second, I'll admit, I fast-forwarded about 10 years, and envisioned her as the next Mia Hamm...complete with soccer scholarship to Chapel Hill and all! Then, reality quickly pulled me back down to earth, and although my mother's pride wasn't squelched, my grandiose and warped daydream thankfully came to a grinding halt!
That same day, I listened to a discussion on NPR about the latest fad of retail genetic testing kits that are being marketed to parents, much like me, as a way of predicting their children's athletic prowess. For $200, these kits are being offered to parents, with the claim that they can identify certain genetic markers that can indicate where a child's athletic strengths lie. The idea being, that if you identify the next Mia Hamm at the age of 8, you'll somehow be able to hone those skills earlier, and maybe even more importantly, you'll make certain that she doesn't miss her "calling", and you can sign her up for every soccer camp, clinic, and league in your area early on.
So just how do these test kits supposedly identify these genetic markers for athletic gifts? In a nutshell, there are certain genetic combinations that are linked to things like muscle endurance, speed, or strength, and these companies argue that when these traits are identified early on, they are able to predict which kids will go on to be the fastest or the strongest, and from that information, parents will be able to determine which sports their kids are best suited to. Sound a little fishy? It's not just fishy, it turns out, it goes against good old common sense. On MULTIPLE levels. Never mind that there are so many more variables in a child's life that determine whether or not they will go on to become a super-star athlete beyond just having the DNA required for it. Never mind that things like personal motivation, interest, family dynamics, life circumstances, exposure, and millions of other day to day experiences in a child's life undoubtedly shape their futures, including their future athletic endeavors. Never mind that their are hundreds, if not thousands, of other genetic markers associated with traits that can be useful and even critical in certain sports, that aren't being tested for with these kits. Ever see the movie Rudy? Think his genetic test at age 5 would have identified him as being a future Notre Dame football standout? Never mind all of these common-sense arguments against why these tests might not be able to do what they claim they can do. NOW consider for a moment the oddity of pre-determining a child's destiny. Is it a parent's responsibility to maximize their child's potential? Or is a parent's real responsibility to love, support, and nuture their child, so that their child has the confidence to find their own way in the world?
I know where I stand on the issue. If we do have the next Mia Hamm, I for one would like to find out when the rest of the world does. Where do you stand?
