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Seamonkey
Member
09-07-2000
| Thursday, May 12, 2005 - 1:38 pm
New show, starts June 1 (Wednesdays on Bravo) Bravo is headed to the rinks, fields, courts, and sidelines of America's young, aspiring athletes in Sports Kids Moms & Dads. This new series follows five families' daily struggles and conflicts as their child athletes strive to excel in the highly stressful, competitive, "win at all costs" world of sports. Tracy Austin, the youngest player ever inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame, will narrate the series and lend her own perspective as a former child sports star. Every Sports Kids Moms & Dads family has a different story. Their sports include football, cheerleading, basketball, figure skating and equestrian. The families are from all over the nation, from California to Texas to Connecticut. Craig and Trenton, a father and son team, live and breathe for football. Dad has known his son was "meant to play the game" since the age of two and he makes it a seven-day-a-week job to get him to the NFL. TJ and Lindsay are a mother and daughter basketball duo. Mom gave up her own collegiate basketball ambitions to raise her daughter as a single mother and hopes her daughter will "make different choices," which means "no distractions" aka boys! Karen and Karli are a mom a daughter working hard to keep the daughter Karli's equestrian dream alive after a divorce. This newly-single mom and her daughter struggle to afford the cost of owning and keeping Karli's beloved thoroughbred horse. Kim and Bryce are mom and son who are going for the gold in figure skating. Mom has never been able to stand the pressure of competition and can't bring herself to watch her son compete. Sharon and Sarah are a dynamic team dancing towards their goal for Sarah to become the next National Champion Cheerleader. Sarah has a never-ending cycle of dance, choreography classes as well as countless cheerleading competitions, but mom says daughter wouldn't want it any other way. http://www.bravotv.com/Sports_Kids_Moms_&_Dads/
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Thursday, May 12, 2005 - 1:56 pm
I have a feeling that this will be one that I find myself shaking my head at these parents and talking to the tv!
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Seamonkey
Member
09-07-2000
| Thursday, May 12, 2005 - 2:14 pm
OOH!! Thanks for the cool heading, mods! (I guess) Yes, I may also be raising some eyebrows on this one!!
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Watching2
Member
07-07-2001
| Wednesday, June 01, 2005 - 9:17 pm
Did anyone else see this? I couldn't help but feel sick to my stomach with that boy who was only 8 yrs old and his father pushing him so much to become an NFL star! ACCCCK! The baby cheerleader creeped me out, too. All that makeup on those little girls! I love watching cheerleading too since my DD did it for 6 years, but watching those little girls was just ewwwwwww! The mother of the iceskater bothered me at times, but at least this kid is 16 and is old enough to say whether he wants to continue or not. I think the little kid comps make me think too much of baby beauty queens. I think I liked the girl with the horse the best out of all of them. I'm not sure I'll watch again or not. It might be too painful.
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Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Wednesday, June 01, 2005 - 9:20 pm
I want to comment too. But, I'm in the middle of cooking dinner. I'll be back later......
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Karuuna
Member
08-31-2000
| Wednesday, June 01, 2005 - 9:21 pm
The little boy football player and his dad were on Oprah the other day. She had a psychologist tell the dad that he was living vicariously through his son. Unfortunately, I had to leave and didn't see if the dad got the message. I liked the girl with the horse best too (of course, I used to show hunter/jumpers, so I'm probably biased). Sounds like she's going to have to give up the horse from the previews. Then I'm not sure I'll keep watching either. Lots of that show was horribly painful, I really feel for those kids. And that mom, telling her daughter she was on "anorexia watch"? Sheesh. Take a chill pill, mom!
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Moderator
Moderator
06-30-2002
| Wednesday, June 01, 2005 - 9:22 pm
bump
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Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Thursday, June 02, 2005 - 1:15 am
Yea, at first glance the football player and the cheerleader bugged me too. I just hate it when they take tiny little girls, dress them in skimpy clothes. None of those kids had the goods to keep their tops from riding up and exposing all to the world if they raised their arms up just right. And I won't even get into the sexy shake their hips thing they were doing. Yup, I agree the football dad is living his dream through his boy. That bugs me too. I looked up the skater on the USFSA site. His name is Bryce, and his results are HERE. I'll comment on the results in invisible print, highlight the following if you don't mind being spoiled....Bryce placed 13th in his qualifying group. He didn't make it out of qualifying to compete in the short program. Not sure what to think of the basketball player family yet. Favorite for me too is the equestrian family. I love horses, so that's easy for me. I hope she doesn't end up having to sell the horse. I don't see how it could be though, or their story would end before the series even gets off the ground! I tried to look her up at the Canterbury Horse Trials, but haven't found anything yet. But then, I wasn't able to do a full amount of research yet. I thought it was sort of silly that they are using only the kid's first name, and cutting out the sound when the kid is announced (so you only hear the kid's first name, not last name). Admirable attempt at keeping the kid's full identity secure.......Yet, the parents all introduced themselves by first and last name. Sure, I know sometimes the kid doesn't have the same last name as one of the parents. But, most of the time they do. So it wouldn't be too hard to figure out the kid's last name!
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Thursday, June 02, 2005 - 7:04 am
The father living through his son is just obvious. He must know it. What kid really knows what their heart's ambition is at 8? It's hard to watch parents be so critical of their children's mistakes. It is like they are not happy with them being their kids just with how they perform.
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Terolyn
Member
05-06-2004
| Thursday, June 02, 2005 - 7:16 am
Rats.. I missed it, but I am sure it will be back on several times this week.
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Karuuna
Member
08-31-2000
| Thursday, June 02, 2005 - 8:13 am
On Oprah, they showed that the little boy was "tracked" into football right from birth, right down to the football pacifier....
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Lurkin
Member
02-15-2002
| Thursday, June 02, 2005 - 8:40 am
Karuuna, the football dad was humbled by the end of the show, he was getting it some. The mom is pregnant with another boy, Oprah loved that one. The cheerleading mom got absolutely nothing. And she seems worse that the football dad to me I was really surprised nothing was brought up what physical injuries these kids can get now for life I have to admire football dad some, he seems to work hard at the 5 jobs to be there for his son.
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Karuuna
Member
08-31-2000
| Thursday, June 02, 2005 - 8:44 am
Thanks, Lurkin. I had to leave right when the psychologist was saying something about ten seconds to grieve was not enough; and that the dad wasn't helping his child grow up emotionally. Good to know that he got something out of it.
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Mak1
Member
08-12-2002
| Thursday, June 02, 2005 - 8:59 am
I didn't see this show but did see the football boy and the cheerleader girl on Oprah. The football player's dad did seem to take the psychologist's comments to heart. He was open to listening to her and seemed to really "get it". He accurately reflected back what he had heard and ended by saying he wants to raise his son to be the best person he can be and acknowledged that he may grow up to do something even bigger than the NFL. <possibly bad memory paraphrasing, but close, lol> The mother of the cheerleader was defensive and primarily concerned (or so it appeared to me) with telling everyone what a wonderful thing she was doing for her daughter. The behavior we were shown in short video clips sickened me. <eta: Lurkin beat me to the post, and I see we had the same insights into the two parents.>
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Watching2
Member
07-07-2001
| Thursday, June 02, 2005 - 10:03 am
I see most of you thought what I did! I saw that the dad and son were on Oprah but my tape cut off right after their introduction. I'm not surprised at the cheerleading mom. She said on the program cheerleading was big in Texas and isn't that where the mom paid to try to have another girl injured or something so her daughter would have a better chance? I know it's not just Texas, of course. Those kinds of parents are everywhere. I'm glad you mentioned the injuries since I was thinking about that as well. We all know what happens to female athletes when they train too hard. That girl may never have a bootie to shake! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that little boy had a weekly chiropractor appointment! That should tell them something right there! My DD started cheerleading on her own in 7th grade and continued until she graduated HS. She was lucky she had some natural ability since a lot of the squads/schools who do really well have girls who have either done dance or gymnastics when they're young. We do have a cheerleading training center right near where I live where they learn to tumble, etc. if you want to pay the price. Some of the schools with the big money now send all of their HS cheerleaders to gymnatics/cheer classes. It's not the sport it was when I was in it and we didn't just stand there and shake pom poms either! LOL Stunts were just starting to be used, but they were nothing like they do now. A lot of the stunts those little girls were doing, wouldn't be allowed in our HS competitions. There was a limit as to what they could do as far as having bases and certain tosses weren't allowed for safety reasons, although did enough. I had my stomach in my mouth at times when my DD was on the top of the pack and when they were tossing her. I'd breathe once they caught her! She wasn't interested once she got to college. I don't know what to think about the BB mom & daughter yet either. I think when kids are young anything you push them to do beyond having fun for the love of the sport/game is just wrong. If they want to get competitive later, it's up to them, but for pete's sake, let them be kids while they can be! They grow up too fast as it is!
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Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Thursday, June 02, 2005 - 10:38 am
With the football young man, I can't help but think of Todd Marinovich, who also had a father grooming him since birth. I like the basketball mom, personally. I think she's very self aware.
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Thursday, June 02, 2005 - 10:41 am
I remember reading about Todd in SI, I think he was in high school at the time and I couldn't believe what was going on there and look what happens!
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Mocha
Member
08-12-2001
| Thursday, June 02, 2005 - 10:47 am
Dang how did I miss this show. I need to start watching this as I have 2 boys heavily involved in sports and have been since they were 6.
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Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Thursday, June 02, 2005 - 1:16 pm
Thanks for the link about Todd Tish. I thought of him right off too while watching the show last night. But I couldn't remember his name. The football dad last night saying his son "chose" him to be his parent so he could learn to play football....weird! I didn't see the Oprah show you mentioned. Its good to hear he was "getting it" on the show. I was also reminded of some show (like 20/20 or something) that did a segment on kids who are pressured with way too much on their plates. Parents who demand excellence in school, several extra-curricular activities, etc. I remember them showing one kid who was driven from one activity to the next with no time to even stop off at home. He ate his meals in the car, and changed his clothes in the car while in route to the next activity. This segment might even be where I saw the report on Todd Marinovich.
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Honeydoozy
Member
06-06-2005
| Tuesday, June 07, 2005 - 7:01 pm
I started watching this because of the horse story, and I'll probably keep watching - even though I already know how that one works out. I guess for some strange reason I need to "see it for myself" and try to make some sense out of the mom's behavior and choices. At first I thought it was a strange choice - the horse family seems so normal - there are WAY more extreme "horse show mom" examples out there... things that would raise eyebrows and spark a lot of "train-wreck" curiousity. Now that I see it play out, I have to wonder just how far twisted this story is going to get. I keep wishing that I could reach through the TV and strangle someone.
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Whoami
Member
08-03-2001
| Wednesday, June 08, 2005 - 7:51 pm
Am I the only one who cringes at the way Skate Mom refers to her son's competitors as "little boys?" There's just something demeaning to me in her tone of voice, the way she calls them that.
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Watching2
Member
07-07-2001
| Wednesday, June 08, 2005 - 10:44 pm
She makes me cringe, along with cheerleader mom. That poor little girl won't know if she's coming or going, sooner than later. It's bad enough she's in so many things, but the fact that she can't even stay the whole time for her classes AND gets out of school early for this, is just far too much for me! I do like horse girl. Is she a pretty girl or what!! I hope she doesn't lose her horse. I know it's super expensive to keep horses, but they look like they're in a pretty expensive home and why doesn't her dad help out? My niece has her own horse, well two now, and they're just like a part of the family, just like other pets like cats and dogs, even if they're down in the barn. I'd be crushed if I had to sell not only my horse/pet, but essentially, my "team!"
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Thursday, June 09, 2005 - 7:30 am
I also hated the 10 second rule. How can you dictate to your child, how long he can cry? If he's hurt, he's just got to suck it up. The cheerleading mom is the worst. I can't even watch when she's on without shaking my head.
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Karuuna
Member
08-31-2000
| Thursday, June 09, 2005 - 8:47 am
Apparently the horse mom took out a second mortgage to buy this horse, who was valued at $40,000. Having shown on the A hunter/jumper circuit, I will tell you that it is incredibly expensive to keep up, entry fees can easily run 2-3,000 per weekend, boarding the horse is several hundred dollars per month, with another several hundred for training and lessons. Add travel, clothing, other incidentals, and you are easily looking at a hobby that costs close to $5-10,000 per month, depending on how often you participate in shows. And if you have a $40,000 horse, that's usually pretty often. I don't know why the dad doesn't help out, but like others, I know how heartbreaking it would be for her to sell her horse. (on a side note, I will also say that I'm ready to strangle those trainers at times, when they admonish the girls to whip the horse for disobedience or otherwise punish. Such training methods to me are horribly barbaric and archaic.) As for the ten second rule, the psychologist on Oprah really got on dad about that, and dad has since seen the light and given it up. That was a relief to me, poor child!
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Thursday, June 09, 2005 - 8:50 am
Thank goodness for that, Karuuna! I just couldn't believe it. What are we teaching our kids?!
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