Faster than a speeding bullet...Stronger than a freight train...Can leap tall buildings in a single bound! What if your child is taller than a flag pole...smarter than the average eighth-grader, and is struggling to single out just one sport to play?

When I was younger it wasn't that hard to make it on the sports teams with a little effort. We had 80 students in my graduating class. If you were big, you might play both ways on the football field.

I played four sports a year - baseball, football, basketball, and track. Football was my specialty. As far as the other three go, my mother only needed to wash the back side of my uniform after I picked out the splinters.

In the larger schools, many athletes have to focus their training on one sport. That's where decisions get tough. At what age do you encourage your child not to play one sport, and concentrate on another? What if they put all their beans into one pot, and then don't make it onto that high school team?

Did you go through a similar experience? Please share your stories with the rest of us.

-Bob Hammerstrom

bhammerstrom@nashuatelegraph.com