The Magic of Yet
Credit: P. Khunatorn
I struggled to come up with an idea for this month’s column. With so much happening in the world of sports, that really shouldn’t have been the case. Between the lack of sportsmanship at the Ryder Cup, the public tension between players and leadership in the WNBA, and Drake Maye throwing absolute dimes in Foxborough - I’ve had no shortage of hot topics to choose from. And yet, the struggle persisted.
When I hit a creative block, I usually turn to one of my well-worn notebooks - a personal collection of quotes, book summaries, podcast insights, and random thoughts I’ve scribbled down over the years. The pages are filled with things I want to remember and look back to from time to time. In an old notebook I came across a line my son once shared with me, something he learned from Mrs. Currie, his beloved second-grade teacher.
“The magic of yet.”
Bingo.
-----
In the classroom, teachers tend to meet students where they are. They make time to understand a student’s learning style and level of confidence with various topics and assignments. The education system is layered and progressive. There is research to support how particular skills are taught and when they are introduced to various age groups. A great teacher focuses on holistic growth of a child, supporting long term development rather than pushing for perfection or immediate results.
But when it comes to sports, that same patience over performance tends to disappear.
Instead of meeting athletes where they are physically, the youth sport landscape often rushes them toward high-level performance from the start. Comparison and competition begin early. There are required tryouts for teams before age 10 and year-round competition schedules that leave little room for rest or alternative activities.
This culture shift is not always because coaches or parents are demanding - this progression has become the nature of the beast. We are so used to measuring success by outcomes and wins that we tend to forget the process matters, too.
When the focus shifts too soon from learning to succeeding, children can end up sidelined. Not by injury, but by burnout and lack of motivation. The pressure to perform at a high level, before they are physically or cognitively ready, can leave young athletes feeling inadequate for not possessing skills they aren't even expected to have yet. That is how we lose potentially great athletes – by pushing them into the fixing trap when there is nothing to fix but lack of patience.
In the classroom, we would not tell students to skip addition and subtraction and go straight to solving algebra equations. Nor would we challenge a student to write a research paper well before they could string sentences together. Yet this is the model we subscribe to in our youth sports system. Race to the top, no matter which foundational skills you must skip to get there. We are so eager to compete that we overlook the staircase of real progress and forget that the climb to mastery takes time.
What if we let the magic of yet guide our sports culture the way it influences our education system? What if we embrace time and consider the social and emotional impact our decisions have on young athletes?
We may realize they aren’t quite ready… yet.
We may grasp they aren’t as committed or determined… yet.
And we just might discover that providing children with time and proper support - similar to how we educate in the classroom - leads to better outcomes in the long run. Not by producing more talented and durable athletes, but more confident and resilient people.
The athletic environment is supposed to be an extension of learning. Through sports, children should discover what it means to work hard, to fail, to reset, to grow. But if we skip the steps, if we chase performance before understanding, if we insert ourselves into the equation, we cheat young athletes of the most valuable lessons sports can offer.
The magic of yet reminds us that growth is the name of the game. It happens on our own timeline, during our own race.
---
While writing this column, I asked Mrs. Currie for insight into the magic of yet. She offered three exceptional takeaways after 40+ years of teaching and guiding the next generation.
1- Be flexible with your thinking
2- Embrace a sense of humor
3- Mistakes are our best kind of learning
The magic of yet reminds us that growth is never instant. Sometimes we need to simmer.
Carry on.
This article originally appeared in The Daily Hampshire Gazette on October 13, 2025.