What are We Competing For?: How Becoming a High School Volleyball Coach Impacted my View on Youth and Money

What Are We Competing For?

Over the past few months, I did something new. I became a JV Head Volleyball Coach. Something I never thought I would do. I decided to take my hand at coaching volleyball, because 1) I loved the sport and 2) I needed to get out from behind my desk and apartment. What I found was 16 teenage girls eager to learn a new sport and make new friends. 

While I remember fragments of my time playing volleyball, I do remember hating to lose. Like I still hate to lose. I remember competing and trying my best in every single sport. Even the sports I didn’t like. What I realized about today’s youth is that there is a lack of competitiveness and fight. 

Either parents aren’t interested or kids aren’t, or maybe a bit of both, but the kids, unfortunately, are not competing. I tried to figure out why. The school I coached was much different than my high school growing up. This school is among the elite private schools within the region where I live. They have an abundance of resources, activities, opportunities, and more. The pressure is real. A rigorous daily academic load would impact anyone. Is it burnout, is it a lack of desire?

A USA Today article I came across mentioned that about 70% of kids drop out of organized sports by age 13. I played sports until my sophomore year of college. Sports were a way to channel my creativity, lead, make new friends, and learn a new sport. 

Is going all out ingrained within the household, or is it taught outside the home? Most of the players I encountered wanted to be liked and didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes. I reminded them that being liked is not at all an athlete’s mentality. I should be able to give you feedback (even if it’s not friendly) without you not liking me. 

So how does it relate to money? I think Gen-Z and Gen Alpha have access to more resources than any other generation. They adapt quickly to technology and desire to know the why while also explaining themselves and living their truth. While I don’t think the approach is terrible, I think all generations could be more communal, but I don’t believe the idea of community often comes without accountability. I’ve seen many Gen-Z opt out of the traditional track of a career or higher education to pursue a life of galavanting or finding a gap in their future for the sake of living in the moment. At a glance, this makes sense, years of exhaustive studying, internships, and work – deserves a bit of balance. What I wonder is how do they recapture the missed opportunities from compound interest?

The Wealth Playground® helps young people live out their wildest dreams. The Wealth Playground® teaches financial literacy in a way that builds confidence and leadership skills. That confidence goes beyond the volleyball court. 

So maybe the real question isn’t “What are we competing for?” but rather: What are we willing to work for?