Fun and Hard Can Both Exist in Youth Sports (with Jake Savicki)
Fun and Hard Can Both Exist in Youth Sports (with Jake Savicki)  
Podcast: Healthy Sports Parents
Published On: Wed May 20 2026
Description: Youth sports are supposed to help kids grow, compete, fail, learn, and have fun. But somewhere along the way, a lot of adults started acting like fun and hard can’t both exist at the same time.In this episode of Healthy Sports Parents, Jonathan Carone sits down with former player, coach, and creator Jake Savickifor a conversation about what kids actually need from the adults around them in sports.Jake shares stories from coaching high school baseball, raising his own daughter through youth sports, and learning firsthand how much weight parents’ words, reactions, and expectations can carry. The conversation dives into why so many kids stop loving sports, how parents unintentionally add pressure, and why creating the right environment matters more than chasing the perfect development plan.Jonathan and Jake also talk about:Why fun changes as kids get olderThe difference between hard work and pressureHelping kids stay connected to the game long-termWhy comparison and FOMO lead parents into bad decisionsThe importance of understanding each kid individuallyWhat happens when kids feel safe to failWhy parents matter more than they realizeThis episode is a reminder that most kids don’t need perfect coaching, year-round training, or adults obsessing over outcomes. They need support, perspective, encouragement, and the freedom to enjoy the process of growing up through sports.--------More from Jake:TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jakesavicki?lang=enInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakesavicki/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Jake-Savicki-100066450740049/--------FROM OUR SPONSORS:Hey Coachhttps://heycoach.team/Onsideshttps://www.getonsides.com/--------New episodes every Wednesday.---------Get your Healthy Sports Parents gear:https://www.healthysportsparents.com/shop---------Get your Weekend Playbook:https://www.healthysportsparents.com/playbook-----------Follow us on social:https://www.instagram.com/healthysportsparentshttps://www.tiktok.com/@healthysportsparentshttps://www.facebook.com/healthysportsparentshttps://www.threads.net/healthysportsparents Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.