Lisa Catherine Harper, writing for the New York Times:
Already our daughter knows how to dig deep. Like us, she values expertise and excellence. As one team parent said to me, the world is no longer a liberal arts college. If it were, exposure would be enough. Increasingly, the world requires focused skill. The ability to specialize, to know what it takes to be an expert, these are vital. From this point of view, learning what’s necessary to kick a great penalty shot is a skill that translates.
Any serious athlete knows how to be coached, how to take direction, how to respond to criticism. These meta-skills are essential even in creative professions, and my husband and I believe they are among the greatest benefits of our daughter’s relationship with her skilled and demanding coach.
Critical skills in any field!