Trophy Kids

[Lewis]

I just saw an advert on Channel 4, where these bunch of nutty parents, who are pushing their children to be sport prodigies. From the advert one person said he spent over several thousand on them and berated their child for missing a shot. God I would hate to have parents like that.

Website: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/trophy-kids

[Lewis]

Are sporting stars born or made? How do you raise a child champion?

Lee Spurling, known professionally as The Wolf, is 12 years old. His devoted parents, Lavinia and Ian, believe that he is the next Tiger Woods and they spend all their time and energy helping their son to become the best in the world.

Eden Silva, from Essex, is trying to make her mark at the World Under 12 Championships. But will her skills match up to the expectations of her father Roger, who is taking a huge gamble on his daughter's talents?

Giving The Wolf a run for his money is the Iceman, Britain's youngest World Golf Champion - nine-year-old Billy Spooner. Billy's dad has turned his back garden into a golfing range for his only son and is always by his side, working as his caddie or offering him fatherly advice.

Meanwhile, in South London lives one of the country's brightest boxing prospects, 15-year-old Charlie Edwards - the Under 16 Champion of Britain. Boxing has taken over his single dad Larry's house. His garage has become a gym. The garden has a full-size ring and there's a sauna in his bedroom...

Website: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/trop ... /episode-1

I would think education would be more important than sports. There are strange people in the world.

[Ray]

I'd hate to have parents like that too. They're like beauty pageant moms --the moms who force their daughters to enter contest after contest. This kind of thing borders on child abuse.

[Fat Man]

I'd hate to have parents like that too. They're like beauty pageant moms --the moms who force their daughters to enter contest after contest. This kind of thing borders on child abuse.

Not to mention, the soccer moms!

[RaleighRob]

Wow. I used to joke that people should have to take a class and pass a test to get a "License to Parent".

But now less of a joke and more like a damn good idea!

[blackdog4444]

Worse is that the kids start absorbing their force-fed ego and become little snots. That's what I hate the most. Then the parents act like their the best in the world, but then you gotta wait when the kid is 16, driving all around town, drinking and "messing around". Then we'll see who's been a good mommy [or daddy].
Then the problem with beauty pagent moms is that they think that runway is safe. Well it's safe until a pedophile finds away around security and sneaks a few peeks of their kid showin themselves off. Even Dr. Phil knows child beauty pagents aren't safe! It doesn't take a genius, let alone a well educated man, to figure that out.
Yea... definitely gotta feel bad for the poor kids that don't even like sports [or beauty pagents] that are being forced to do that stuff. Comes to show the decline of the reliability of the human race these days. I wouldn't be surprised when Super Bowl Sunday or March Madness become recognized are observed as more of a religious thing than just entertainment.

[Lewis]

Set The Video: Trophy Kids, Channel 4, Thursday, 26 March, 9pm

Channel 4 have a bit of an obsession when it comes to looking at weird folk. They sent Mark 'Couldn't Present His Arse Let Alone A TV Show' Dolan to meet 'the freaks' and have featured more than one show on child beauty pageants. Now we get to look at the Trophy Kids (Channel 4, Thursday, 26 March, 9pm) who are shunted around by deranged parents who just won't listen to common sense or that niggling notion in their mind that they are in fact living their failed dreams out through their sobbing child.

*Sports Propaganda* Even those that really, really hate sports, would admit that a certain admiration required for those at the top of their game. I mean, anyone who is the best in the world in their chosen field should be applauded on at least one level. Of course, at the top, it's tough. Very tough. *Sports Propaganda*

So imagine then, you're a kid at the top of your game in your age group. You've got all those pressures to perform that you've imposed on yourself and the added misery of knowing that your mates are at home having a laugh, playing video games and eating their own weight in funsize Snickers... and you've been awake since 6am doing circuit training.

Rubbish.

So then, even worse than all that, is when you've got a parent yelling in your ear all day long, saying meaningless mantras like "PUSH ON!" and "DIG DEEP!" Can you tell I was once regarded as a prodigious talent in sports once? Mercifully for me, my parents didn't kick me up the arse everytime I looked like I wanted a sit down.

In this show, we'll meet dreadful parents saying "All I'm bothered about is Lee's happiness. Nothing else," which, as you will see, is clearly a lie as their child sits by crying their little face maroon. We'll also meet a unrelenting tennis coach who barks; "Without the parent, the kid is worthless!"

This will provide uncomfortable and depressing television. Guaranteed.

Website: http://www.tvscoop.tv/2009/03/set_the_video_t_221.html

I haven't seen it yet, but I am going to Sky Player it. I am dreading to see what the parents are like.

[Earl]

These parents are going to burn their kids out someday. Incidentally, the same thing happens when parents push academics when the kids are way too young. Believe me, I know. My wife, who is a former high-school teacher, has told me how this stuff affects the kids.

[RaleighRob]

These parents are going to burn their kids out someday. Incidentally, the same thing happens when parents push academics when the kids are way too young. Believe me, I know. My wife, who is a former high-school teacher, has told me how this stuff affects the kids.

Good point. With academics though, I think it's more common for parents not to push hard enough. (And in many places, that's seeming to get even worse.) So many dropouts these days...yikes.

I myself did very good in school (aka nerd)...yet a part of me wishes my parents had encouraged me to push a tad more. (Then maybe I would have majored in something harder like engineering and be now making twice my salary. Oh well....can't blame them...they did good.) Anyway, I digress.

With academics, I think parents have to strike a balance...they don't want to burn the kids out, but they don't want to let the kids off too easy either. The best parents get that balance perfectly. Unfortunately, way too many go one extreme or the other.

With athletics and other extracurriculars (like beauty pageant moms)....it's quite different. The parents shouldn't be pushing AT ALL. These are non-essential activities that the kids themselves should pursue because they want to, and not because anyone expects them to.

[Earl]

You're right. My previous post wasn't well thought out because I was tired.

[Lewis]

I just watched it and wow. I felt so sorry for the children, they had become recluses and the parents had decided to take them out of school and make them focus on sports. The parents had given up their jobs and dedicated their lives to sports, it was like they were taking away their childhood. I hope down the line, that the children turn out alright and those parents should be sent to jail.

[Earl]

The parents had given up their jobs, and had decided to take their children out of school? Are they out of their minds?