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Many are concerned about stress placed on youth sport participants. Is there really stress in youth sports? Of course there is! Not only do the athletes experience stress, but so do the coaches, the parents, the officials, and the administrators. But before we conclude that this is negative, ask first: What is stress? Stress is produced when someone feels that their physical and/or psychological well-being is threatened. They perceive that they may be harmed in some way.

Is stress negative? What do you think? According to study, not necessarily. This type of stress is positive and is referred to as Eustress. Many of you may now be thinking, how can there be pleasant or pleasurable stress. Competitive sports activities are a source of both eustress and distress, as are any types of competitive activity. We might argue, for example, that the video game industry exists to provide a source of eustress! The enjoyment of competition is reported by young athletes as one of the top three reasons for which they participate in youth sports.