Championship state of mind

As you all know I am in the position of interacting with children ages k-4th grade.
Some of the students have been playing team sports and get so excited when they have a game after they leave for the day. Or, they just can't wait for Saturday to come when it's just Thursday!
I can remember waking up on a Saturday morning to get my Skyhawk green jersey, shorts, and socks on....and waiting! The game wouldn't be for another 6-8 hours, but I was ready. I was ready to block every shot on goal. I was ready to say WE won. I was ready to get another gold star sewn on my jersey for a victory or no goal game. I was ready to put a check mark in the win column.

Now a days I have learned that in a team sport environment, there is no score. There are no winners, there are no losers. The kids all play. The kids all win. To this I say...BULL! What are we teaching them? The point is to play as a team. The point is to show good sportsmanship. The point is....no the point is they know if they win or loose!
Now, I'm all for sharing in the experience of playing organized sports. I'm all for letting all the kids play. What I am not all for is not showing them a life lesson in letting them keep score. Although we don't like to admit it, sometimes we loose. And in defeat comes victory. You have to adapt to the difficult task of failure. You have to plan to succeed. The 7 p's!
The only thing we show these kids by not keeping score, is that team sports aren't team sports. I hear the kids talk. I hear them say , "I scored 4 runs, goals,points... whatevers." What part of a team is that? Maybe if there was a score being kept, I would hear,"my team won."
So coaches, let's be coaches. Let's teach them how to trap the ball, spread the field, and not to be off sides. Let's also teach them the importance of relying on your teammates, looking forward to celebrating in a win, and working hard to overcome a loss. Let the kids play the game. I agree winning isn't everything. But tell that to a advertising agent who is just about to land a multi million account and they are going to let the new guy draw up the idea! Tell him oh well we weren't keeping score. 1-2, 20-4.. kids keep score. Parents keep stats. Coaches keep a record. And life,well in the big scheme of things,it keeps score.
I'm DJ GT and I'm out. 1

Either love your players or get out of coaching.
-- Bobby Dodd