November 30, 2008
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Genetic Testing to See Which Sport Your Child Should Play
Children as young as 2 years old are being given genetic tests to determine which sports would best fit their talents.
Scientists can now tell using tests which kids are most likely to excel in which sports. A study was done of 429 elite white athletes. 50% of the sprint athletes had two copies of what is called a “R variant.”
One parent said, “I could see how some people might think the test would pigeonhole your child into doing fewer sports or being exposed to fewer things, but I still think it’s good to match them with the right activity.” Here is the link: Link
Do you think genetic tests should be given to children to help them determine which sports they should compete?
Comments (112)
I think natrual talent shows up soon enough.
no, i don’t think this is right. children should be able to choose which sport they want to play. if they choose a sport that they happen to be good at, then good for them. they don’t need doctors testing them for things like that.
@seedsower - I second that.
Xo
Ed Kaz and SaintVi want to talk to you about this redating stuff on their site.
there I told on them
My test would have shown up that I was good at dodge ball and the hoola hop and red rover.
The possibilities of where this could lead frighten me a little bit.
No, let’s not do this to our children, please.
We should let them try all there is, experience all there is. Let them find their talents on their own.
Let’s leave their future a journey for them to explore themselves, yeah?
love.
No. They should play what they want. Practice/Training????
I am trying to answer this but my eyes won’t stop rolling. This is ridiculous. By even buying into something like this people are giving no weight to how environment effects people and their abilities, skill development, coaching or other assets. If you want to buy into genetic testing then I have a few bridges for sale…
Sure, why not? Then we can be like China and train ‘em young to win the olympics…
LET’S WORK ON CANCER FIRST.
Here’s a novel thought: Why not let kids decide for themselves whether they even want to play a sport. If so, let them play the one(s) they love and not be pushed into something they may be good at, but not enjoy. Just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean you’ll want to do it.
No!
Sure. It doesn’t hurt to know.
I think that’s retarded, and it should be up to what the child likes as opposed to what they’re best at. I’m best at music, but I draw anyway.
i tend to think that allowing the small humans the opportunity to self determine what they enjoy whether or not they excel is giving the small human the tools to make later life decisions. like career. i’m great at a number of things that i do not enjoy. i’m also not the best at a number of things i do enjoy.
@jillcarmel - mine, too!
fuck no. that’s so stupid. If that’s their fucking talent you’ll most likely find out anyway.
Science continues to get more and more ridiculous. I think they’re just bored. they should just find a new frikken hobby already.
@saintvi - Why not let kids decide for themselves whether they even want to play a sport. If so, let them play the one(s) they love and not be pushed into something they may be good at, but not enjoy. Just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean you’ll want to do it.
Success is a good thing. and success will bring its own happiness. To me, it’s a good thing if parents gauge the long-term potential of their children and position them for the greatest chance of success. Most children lack the wisdom or perspective to look beyond the immediate.
@FlashFosgitt - we must be about the same age?
That’s just weird. Even if you find out your kid would ‘excel’ better in certain sports, if your kids doesn’t want to or have interest in it then it means nothing. I would encourage my kids to do any sport or activity and if they like it and want to continue doing it I would support them. If they’re not 100% into something it doesn’t matter what a tests says.
Sure.
@lotta_valdez - LET’S WORK ON CANCER FIRST.
This may come as a suprise, but not every geneticist does cancer research. Not every research grant is devoted to cancer research. Not every biomedical firm finds its buisness niche in cancer therapy.
@jillcarmel - might could be. born in mid-50′s?
I think they’ve really went overboard on that one, lol. But hey, they now have genetic testing to evaluate what the chances are of someone getting breast cancer. A lot of our patients are having it done, and sadly, based on the results alone are going ahead with mastectomies prematurely based on that information. I think I’d just wait to be diagnosed with it before doing that. I just can’t imagine doing something prematurely like that, especially in light of the fact that God is still in control,
@xxmusicxxfreak - fuck no. that’s so stupid. If that’s their fucking talent you’ll most likely find out anyway.
Particular traits and particular body types are more suited for some sports than others. There are a lot of sports, and most of them are not sampled in school-time research. Kids don’t do figure skating, gymnastics, judo, and swimming along with kickball and tag.
If I knew that my daughter would have the flexibility, body type, and musculature for gymnastics, I would probably have her focus more on gymnastics lesson than the softball youth leauge. This would probably be the best investment, and what more, if I want the daughter to succeed, I would do so before the window of opportunity closes.
@seedsower - I think natrual talent shows up soon enough.
If things were left to chance alone, the child may never find the “right” sport or find it too late. There is a window of opportunity in any sport– some sports more than others.
If we were to do a canvass of tennis pro’s, we would see that nearly all of them started tennis lessons before their teen years. It takes years to develop the form, technique, and instincts for competitive tennis. If Pete Sampras or Andre Agassi only picked up their first raquet in high school, they would have never developed into top-tier tennis professionals– much less play on their high school teams.
no … and how about we research things that are more important to all of mankind as opposed to what SPORT we should play?
No, it may give them an excuse to be more lazy. And what about the other 50%? We would be missing half of our athletes because of it. Determination is a great factor into sports, and just because you have “R varient” doesn’t mean you have the determination to excel in the sport.
no.
Odd way to waste your money.
@awokenfatality - No, it may give them an excuse to be more lazy. And what about the other 50%? We would be missing half of our athletes because of it. Determination is a great factor into sports, and just because you have “R varient” doesn’t mean you have the determination to excel in the sport.
Sadly, no amount of training or determination can transform my 5’6″ overweight Asian cousin to an NBA-caliber point guard. He doesn’t have the genes for height, speed, or hops for serious basketball.
As necessary as “determination” is, having the right traits is just as important.
Anyone ever see the movie GATTACA? Genetic testing is an interesting preview of what could be, but not necessarily what is. I think the test is cool, but that you shouldn’t eliminated all options based solely on a test like that.
@huginn - Second that.
It doesn’t hurt to know. What of the kids who are insecure of their own abilities? Some people aren’t sure of what they would be good at and instead of settling on a decision, they don’t decide at all. I think this is a good step to burn some fat off the American name. I wouldn’t mind knowing what sport I’d do best in, it’d sure help in my self-confidence issues. x]
Anyways, it isn’t as if all the parents who ask their children to take this genetics test that they would actually force them into doing one sport. It’d be a card played to persuade them to go with that particular sport, but you can’t assume that they will force them.
If it is just a cotton swab to the mouth and then they can tell you which sport your child is most likely to participate in…sure, why not!? No harm done. It’s not like my child HAS to play that sport.
I’ll have to agree with SaintVi : ” Just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean you’ll want to do it. “
I really think that the kids should decide for themselves what sports they want to play, or if they even want to play a sport to begin with.
@awokenfatality - I don’t understand how this could influence someone to become more lazy. I would love to take a test like this, even now; I believe this kind of test will encourage a lot of children to participate in the sport they were said to excel in. It’s better than no sport at all. I think why people are lazy is because nobody has pushed them to be the best they can be, this test, in my opinion, can very well be that gentle push towards a much more successful and happier life.
Letting potential parents decide if and which sports their child play? That would be very bad for the children. Part of being a child is exploring and learning, they should not be boxed into one certain activity.
I’d recommend seeing the movie GATTACA.
It might be interesting to find out, but I think it’s ultimately up to the kid (provided the parents back them and have the money for lessons/coaching) what sports they want to pursue. You don’t want to pigeonhole a kid into doing something they hate just because their body is genetically suited for it. I hate participating in sports, but if it were cheap enough I think I’d get myself tested just for fun to see what sport I’d supposedly be good at.
And if they don’t want to do sports? Or aren’t good at them? Are they then less than worthwhile of human beings than other kids?
didn’t we learn anything from gattaca?
Yes, the women on here should be genetically tested to see who gives the best Phone…..
@etoile_francaise - didn’t we learn anything from gattaca?
Yes. We learned that with a little cheating, Ethan Hawke can be an astronaut.
It’s the parent’s choice. Whatever they think is best.
Let’s not. They’re kids. Let them play what they want.
@jillcarmel - omg RED ROVER!
I kinda misses that game. :[
Why not? Let them take the test, find out what they would most likely excel at… and then still raise them in ignorance of the test. When the reach whatever the parent deems the proper age, tell them about the test, and leave them the free will and choice of what they want to do. Having the kids test taken doesn’t pigeon hole them in any form. If the parent focused on just the sports the tests recommend the child take… well thats the fault of the parents not the children.
as long as they have the money for it? sure, why not? it’s not harmful to the child, and it could give them a better sense of belonging if the results are correct.
No, that’s pretty much communism. You know, like what they do in China, with picking out the kids for the Olympics when they’re toddlers.
It took me 16 years to figure out what I like to do and I love it. That would be policy debate. And, for the record, I practically begged my parents to let me do it, but now they are very supportive.
And no, I’m not even the best debater around, but I still love it. The test wouldn’t have said that.
I would do it for my kids.
I do think it’s wrong to *force* a kid to do an activity in which he’s simply not interested. But there’s nothing wrong with encouraging him to try something.
@Atomic_emmcee - I actually think children should be required to play some sort of sport, even if it’s an individual sport. I grew up not playing sports, and now I’m in terrible health because of it.
@BebstersBlog2 - This would be communist if the government mandated these tests for all children, and then required that children with specific skills train intensely for only the area in which they are expected to excel.
As it stands, this is a procedure that individuals (children or adults, for that matter) could CHOOSE to undergo. And if they do choose to be tested, then they can choose to ignore the results.
grrr It’s just like those stupid instrument fittings. If you want to play a sport (or an instrument) but have no idea which one you want to do, then fine, do the testing and give it a shot, but don’t limit yourself to it. I’ve seen kids told they can’t play the instrument they want because they’re not “fit” for it. Then when they’re playing the one they ARE fit for, they aren’t happy and end up switching instruments or dropping music altogether.
As far as sports go, if Little Billy is genetically awesome for basketball but wants to do soccer, then let the poor kid do soccer. We don’t need to genetically engineer our daily lives.
I don’t see the problem with it if the child enjoys playing the sport that is suggested from the genetic tests.
Sure, because we all want our children to grow up being a steroid taking athlete, who makes millions of dollars, who is idolized by all and gets more respect than the real heros of this country, like military soldiers, police, fireman, doctors, nurses, and teachers.
@huginn - That is true, he couldn’t play pro, but altleast he could make his own teams of shorter guys if he wanted to.
@ecafrusehtrednu - Once that one knows they’re good at something, they may not want to do it because it’s not a challenge. Clearly, not everyone loves a challenge but the things we tend to be naturally good at, 100% of the time we don’t persue it. I’m good at physics and chemistry, but I don’t want go near the subjects. Also, for those that don’t have a sport gene in them, it would just make them want to give up and not do anything physical. That’s a mind set that Americans tend to have, just because they’re not naturally good at something, they stop trying, when two extra hours of studying or practecing can get them on top.
next thing you know they’ll be predetermining our jobs and careers using genetic testing…
“according to the map of your DNA, you are best suited to work at the morgue…”
I understand that our DNA contains vast amounts of technicalities about our person, but I think some things are better left to be discovered on their own. So what if the DNA says you’d be great at soccer, does that somehow make it taboo for you to try your hand at basketball?
@PreciousOnyx - I understand that our DNA contains vast amounts of technicalities about our person, but I think some things are better left to be discovered on their own.
An extra bit of knowledge doesn’t hurt. For instance, wouldn’t you think it better than not if someone with a family history were tested for Huntington’s Disease or suceptibility to breast cancer?
Eh. Do it if you want. But unless the test was really cheap, I wouldn’t even consider it. If the test really offers reliable information about your physical attributes, then that information could help you find a successful role in a variety of sports.
@LadyValkyrie37 - Sure, because we all want our children to grow up being a steroid taking athlete, who makes millions of dollars, who is idolized by all and gets more respect than the real heros of this country, like military soldiers, police, fireman, doctors, nurses, and teachers.
Nice of you to stumble down a slippery slope.
Across the country, children participate in competitive athletics in soccer, basketball, and baseball youth leauges. Many parents even make the investment in tennis, skating, or gymnastic lessons. The mere interest and competiveness in sports doesn’t mean delusions of granduer or steriod-seeking tendencies.
@awokenfatality - 100%…? How are you so certain of this? And are you saying that if we are naturally good at something, we definitely won’t pursue it; but if we are not naturally good at something, we’d stop trying? I don’t understand this logic. It’s true that people without the sport gene will become discouraged, but if the person wasn’t meant for sports, perhaps he was meant for academics? In that case, instead of doing things half-assedly, wondering what he should(‘ve) do(ne) with his life, I think he would benefit knowing that his academic potential most likely exceeds his physical potential.
no, let the child decide !
Or save the money and wait to see what they are a natural at….
I probably wouldn’t do this for my future kid,
but I mean, if have the right intentions and don’t want to force your kid into an activity,
then I don’t see a problem with it.
It’s not like changing their genetics in the womb to make them good at a certain sport.
Now, that would be terrible.
@ecafrusehtrednu - I just gave an example of myself how I was good at something and didn’t pursue it, this clearly crosses out that not 100% of the time people persue what they’re good at. Also, I was very good at Tae Kwon Do and at playing the clarinet, didn’t have the determination for either of it and dropped both things. A lot of my friends are really good at math and science, but none are persuing careers at it. It’s like I said, some people love a challenge, and having something handed you on a silver platter isn’t all that fun. Humans are interesting creatures in that sense. Of course, this doesn’t apply to everyone.
I can see your logic, but just because we’re good at something, it doesn’t mean that it’s our passion. It can help those in confuse, but people tend to have more than one talent, more than one passion. Besides, finding what you’re good at, is like finding yourself. You can’t find yourself if some test tells you that you’re suppose to do this, you’re just fitting into the mold that they tell you to go to. It can tell you to go into basketball, but you maybe miserable in doing it when you could have applied yourself acedmically and found your true self in chemistry or something. Although, sometimes, your passion is what you’re naturally good at. It’s tricky.
No.
Let them experience all the sports they want & enjoy them. Just because they would supposedly excel in another sport naturally doesn’t mean they can’t become great at another with practice.
I often wonder what the world is coming to. Things are getting ridiculous.
@la_faerie_joyeuse - Yeah, I know that, I’m just taking liberties and insinuating that the government could use this as a ways of communism and we would hardly notice. The question also kind of implied that it should be mandatory.
@huginn - How’d I know that whatever I’d say you’d be by to chirp at me? BTW, you owe Palin an apology- that rumor was rescinded: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl150.
my point wasn’t on matters of health- it was on using DNA to groom people for certain positions in life. sure, screening for health defects is a plus i’m not against that.
sports are pretty irrelevant to life. i guess if they like one,,, that one will do.
@awokenfatality - Ah, I misunderstood your the pursue part. I thought you meant that it is a 100% that people who find something they’re naturally good at, they won’t pursue it. My bad, but still, I don’t think that what you’re saying is right. You’re not so much as fitting into the mold as you are being offered a suggestion that suggests the better output. Besides, at that early age, children need guidance. There are many choices to make in the world, and one of them is deciding what to do with sports. It doesn’t need to be passion, and the child certainly does not have to take the suggestion. But it is a suggestion, an idea to bounce off of. It certainly does not hurt to know what your strengths (or weaknesses) are.
I don’t doubt that practice and determination can get you far, but if your greatest potential lies elsewhere, it’d be very convenient to know of it.
@LadyValkyrie37 - hahaha,, sorry,, i saw huggins reply to this,,,
ive never been a doctor or a nurse,,, altho i claim to be a doctor of life,,, ok,,, ive never been a nurse,,, unless you count nursing a dog back to health,,, tried it with a few cows,,, but,,, usually lost my patient,,,
anyway,, ive been all the others,,, not heros,,, mostly just scumbags,,, and mostly well paid,,, well,, when i was in the military i wasnt well paid,,, but that was back in the day… a hero first of all wouldnt be paid for his work,,, pay negates the title hero in all instances,,,,,
@PreciousOnyx - How’d I know that whatever I’d say you’d be by to chirp at me?
I also peck. =)
BTW, you owe Palin an apology…
No. Why? It’s not as if she suddenly got any smarter.
my point wasn’t on matters of health- it was on using DNA to groom people for certain positions in life
There is no “grooming.” The mere knowledge of genetic traits isn’t hard determinism.
With the information from medical tests, we can make the most informed decisions. Understanding of negative medical conditions means smartly altering lifestyle or undergoing particular treatments. Positive information is also good. In this case, knowledge of particular physical trait can give children the best chance to excel in sports.
This is all about making the most informed decision.
no & yes
yes cause i’m still looking for what in the world i am good at, but no because part of the fun is finding it.
technology trying to make life easier i guess
Wow, are you serious? Why?
A test like this would really speed up the dodgeball team picking practice.
@huginn - My comment was extremely sarcastic and is just a very small facet of how I feel on this subject. I also believe that far too many parents in this country have their children in too many extracurricular activities. Kids no longer have time to be just that, kids. They always have something they have to practice for. Parents are just plain overscheduling their children. Also, far too many parents have their children into such things for themselves. It’s like the children have no say so in what they want to do. The parents dictate exactly what sports and activities they participate in. Have you actually watched the parents at any childrens/teens sporting events? These parents are fucking out of their mind with the competion of it all. I’m a very competive woman and I’m all for educating kids on the joys of competing. However, when all the fun is sucked out of it by overly zealous parents, well, it’s time for a change.
@mejicojohn - I do consider someone who protects lives, saves lives, helps to heal, and/or educate our youth a hero. Most people who choose such professions don’t do it for the money. Let’s face it, with the exception of being a doctor, these professions do not pay all that much. They do it because they have a passion for it. To me someone who does such things because they are passionate about it is also a hero in my book.
I took the test and it told the doctor to give me a wedgie and call me a fag.
no
@LadyValkyrie37 - I also believe that far too many parents in this country have their children in too many extracurricular activities… Kids no longer have time to be just that, kids.
There’s always going to be a give and take. I’ll avoid an exracurricular’s parenting philosophy debate with you and hit on a finner point:
Sports is important. And it is good for the child’s learning, development, and confindence. The benifits of sports would be amplified if the child enters a sport where he or she can seriously succeed. Genetic testing isn’t a condemnation to a million extra curriculars– it is giving the parents an extra tibit of information to make the most informed decision.
What if the child doesn’t like the sport that the test says he/she excels at? Then the child can easily drop the sport and look for something else that he/she is interested in. I don’t see what the big deal is about taking a genetic test to help determine what sport a child would be good at. They have tests to see what jobs people are suited for, don’t they? These tests are mere suggestions as to what path we might want to take. And even if children were to participate in the sport that they excel at, what would stop them from participating in other activities at the same time?
Or is it the fact that this is a genetic test? What if they found a way to tell which sport a child would excel at if they were to take a written test?
@LadyValkyrie37 - in all reality,,, the politics surrounding these occupations prevent anyone from effectively doing their job,,, well,, i guess sometimes they effectively do their job,,, but their job is not what its advertised to be,,, its a twisted perverted version of what they may have thought it was supposed to be,,,
with maybe the exception of fireman,,, im not aware of many politics in putting out a fire except sometimes firemen argue about the jurisdiction of the fire while what ever it is burns to the ground,,,,
some firemen dont in fact get paid,,, i didnt,,, but i got a pretty good reduction on my water bill,,, hahahahaha,,, big bucks,,, i got fired tho,, because my job which usually kept me out and about for an average of 15 hrs a day usually prevented me from going to the weekly meetings,,, which is a must,,,
i guess im just not a fan of anything mired in politics,,, which,,, hahahahaha,,, just about includes every occupation.
i now do my part to combat that,,, i dont work….
speaking of which,,, hmmm,,, sounds suspiciously like the next step is genetic testing for jobs,,, hahahahaha,,, people will be assigned jobs,,, no need to look for one,,,
didnt russia used to do that???
were just about there,,, ok ,,, i guess,,, some people arent inclined to work,,, i guess theyll be working then,,, hahahahahahaha,,, itll serve them right.
yall probably wont like your jobs,,,, me,,, i still wont work.
@huginn - I believe that physical activity and playing with others are important to a child’s learning, development, and confidence. Playing a team sport isn’t neccesarily the answer to having the child get physical activity and playing with others. Sometimes, a child just doesn’t like sports and there is nothing wrong with that. A child that doesn’t like sports and/or doesn’t play sports isn’t lacking anything. They just have different interests is all.
And it’s too bad that you don’t want to discuss overly zealous parents. The article that Dan links to provides proof of what I’m referring to.
When Donna Campiglia learned recently that a genetic test might be able to determine which sports suit the talents of her 2 ½-year-old son, Noah, she instantly said, Where can I get it and how much does it cost? “I could see how some people might think the test would pigeonhole your child into doing fewer sports or being exposed to fewer things, but I still think it’s good to match them with the right activity,” Ms. Campiglia, 36, said as she watched a toddler class at Boulder Indoor Soccer in which Noah struggled to take direction from the coach between juice and potty breaks. “I think it would prevent a lot of parental frustration,” she said.
Do you take notice that her son is only 2 1/2 years old and she already has him in soccer. She’s frustrated because her 2 1/2 year old son has trouble taking direction from the soccer coach! He’s 2 1/2 years old! Kids that age have very little attention spans to begin with! This kid should be playing with his tonka trucks in the sand box somewhere!
This is why such genetic testing has come about, because this nation has an epidemic of overly zealous parents who overly schedule their kids in as many sports as possible from a very early age. This test will be able to narrow the field for such parents and allow them to push their children in one or two sports instead of 7 or 8. But as the article does suggest, what about those parents who don’t get the results that they hope for. Heaven forbid that such overly zealous parents get the test back and it says their child wouldn’t get good in any sports.
i do like the kids shirt in the pic….
I don’t think it’ll be THAT beneficial for our future generations.
nope
The predictive power of this test is extremely limited – parents thinking of performing it on their children should be extremely cautious about interpreting the results.
I’ve written a summary of the caveats for this test here.
No. Children should be allowed to choose what they will participate in. And, until they can make that choice on their own, their parents should be allowed to choose which events to enroll their kids in and hope they will succeed.
No, I don’t think so.
@HeartOfPandora - yes, that’s an old game you look young -there was a club on the Hollywood strip back in the sixies called Pandora’s Box
I think society should get the heck away from our genes.
Our freedom of will must not be compromised by a dictatorial circle of scientists.
this to me is just going to end up where people start taking out all the bad things that can happen.and start to create a super race. yes i went there.
The child should b able to choose what they want to play. Genetics shouldn’t matter, they can be horrible at the game, so long as they have fun.
No, why not just let the child choose? If he is terrible at soccer but wants to play, let him play. Plus, think of the creepy things this could lead to. Like the government choosing based on tests what kind of life an infant would grow up to have- schools, jobs, everything. I’m just saying, that’s the kind of Twilight Zone crap that this reminds me of.
Seems like a great idea to me. Maximize our efficiency by
categorizing kids in a way that benefits them and society most.
Kind of reminds me of economics.
But what about those kids born without any sportsy genes?
@la_faerie_joyeuse - Well, I definately agree that kids should be forced to exercise, if that’s what you mean. After all, it would be cruel to let your kids become unhealthy and not do anything to help. Though, I will say that if my kid would rather take a walk than play hockey, then he should take a walk.
I think that it’d be interesting but the parent shouldn’t force it, cause even if they are naturally good at it they might not like the sport.
I like science; why not have them tested AND let them choose? why do so many feel that they are mutually exclusive?
No, I think there are more important things to worry about.
My kids will probably end up playing soccer and basketball because my husband played both and I played basketball.
In the end, they’ll just drop them both and end up sticking with band! lol.
@huginn - why not just let her do what she wants?
@xxmusicxxfreak - Because children lack the experience and discipline to make optimal long-term decisions.
Do both. Do the test and try out all different type of sport for the fun of it. Maybe, they play extremly well in one sport but like to play other sport as well.
That’s stupid. A child should play what sport THEY are interested in.
That takes the fun out of playing various sports.
I think the kid should do what they want when it comes to extra curricular activities. Forcing them to do soccer or theatre or tennis, etc isn’t going to encourage or stimulant anything except rebellion if it’s not what they want. Me? I started as a choir geek, then soccer. I had a great time, though honestly I wish I had taken more initiative towards taking gymnastics and/or dance classes. I still dance though, thank goodness those classes you can find anywhere haha
Funny how much we like to probe into when some things will be revealed naturally at a later stage. I agree with the majority of the comments above in that the research money could have been spent on something more productive. In any case, maybe it won’t harm for the parents to know but i would think the kid should be exposed to a variety of sports. At times, the sport (or not, what if the kid detest sports) the kid likes might not be the one he/she is genetically good at.
i disagree with it..
im a FREE-WILL follower anyway.. i think let the child decide wht they want to be
All I am going ot say is that it starts out being a genetic test for sports compatibility, it ends up being a way to “catergorize” people…..NOT A GOOD IDEA. EVER.
Woah that’s so cool! I’d love to get a genetic test… then maybe I’ll find out I’m actually good at something instead of continually thinking I suck at ALL sports. I mean come on… not everyone has mountains and snow to know they’re good at skiing or snowboarding and not everyone has a beach to know they may be good at surfing.
@huginn - well lets say her talent is soccer but she wants to paint. That’s not necessarily a long term decision. but let’s say she sticks with soccer even though she hates it. she could become a big rich soccer star but then not be happy and turn into a heroin addict or something. (i realize i’m exaggerating a bit but I think you understand my point).
Nope.
eh, i think its a stupid way for parents to work less. its always fun to try new things to see what works best. doing this enables parents to train kids at a younger age for the right sport. its no better than in countries like China and Russia where kids are trained to become competitive athletes from early on.