I approached her dad and jokingly asked why the intensity in such a nonchalant environment and got a long-winded reply about her being an "elite player" and that she should be "making better decisions" with the ball, especially considering the competition - albeit grown men - paled in comparison to what she faces on her club travel team.
Sadly, there are far too many parents like Katie's.
According to the National Alliance for Youth Sports, 70 percent of kids drop out of organized sports by age 13. The No. 1 reason? Pressure from adults.
It seems the higher the skill level, the more stress young athletes feel from parents to excel. Whether some parents enjoy living vicariously through their child's accomplishments, or played the sport at a high level and believe they know the right way to play it, there are those who believe their input is beneficial to their children's development.
But why?
"In my opinion, [soccer] parents don't have a good metric on what's good and what's bad for their child's development," said Union assistant John Hackworth. Hackworth previously served as a youth coach on the U.S. national team level and was director of U.S. Soccer's residency camp in Bradenton, Fla.
"Many times parents look at a performance in terms of the score line to determine what's good or bad. Soccer is like playing a piano, until you master the skill you can't even think in terms of playing on stage."
For many young soccer players, the stage itself provides its own unique brand of stress. In today's sports landscape where playing for the high-priced travel club or on an Olympic Development Program (ODP) squad holds more clout than playing high school varsity, kids feel the pressures of keeping their place among the best.
