Should soccer officials ban score-keeping for kids?
Ontario Soccer Association, Alex Chiet
"You know I have to laugh when I see the kids getting medals for competing.
It takes the joy away from winning. You gotta win! The name of the game is WIN." - Don Cherry
In Don Cherry's world, winning is everything. So he is not going to like the direction the Ontario Soccer Association is going. Starting next year, all of its affiliated leagues for children under 12 will be required to stop keeping score, stop keeping track of team standings and start focusing on helping kids be better players.
Supporters say there's proven research showing the approach will produce soccer players with greater skills. And some child psychologists think it could make for more well-adjusted kids. But critics say it denies our basic need to compete and robs children of the opportunity to learn how to do it.
Alex Chiet is the Chief Technical Officer for the Ontario Soccer Association. He was in Vaughn, Ontario near Toronto.
Former writer for USA Today, Beau Dure
Beau Dure isn't buying the argument for getting rid of scoring in kids' soccer. He is a former writer with USA Today and he's now working on a book about youth soccer called Single Digit Soccer. Beau Dure was in Vienna, Virginia.
This segment was produced by The Current's Liz Hoath and Josh Bloch.
Music Bridge
Artist:Tosca
Cd: Dehli 9
Cut: Every Day & Every Night
Label: !K7
Spine: !K7 CD 140
Shin Dong-hyuk Promo
You may remember our conversation with Shin Dong-hyuk last spring, it is one of one of our Top Ten interviews of the last 10 years. Shin Dong-hyuk is believed to be the only person born in a North Korean prison camp who actually escaped.
North Korea is in the news again today, the South Korea news agency is reporting it has set a No Fly and No Sail zone off the east and west coast for what are believed to be military drills. We hear a lot about North Korea because of its controversial nuclear tests and provocative stance with South Korea and the United States. But little is said about the thousands of people currently held in North Korea's many prison and labour camps.
In an effort to bring more attention to that country's miserable human rights record, and the plight of North Korean prisoners. Shin Dong-hyuk has been in Canada this week. He spoke to a small gathering in Toronto on Monday, organized by the Munk School of Global Affairs. Anna Maria got to sit down with him, and we'll air that interview tomorrow in Checking-In.
If there's anything you'd like to tell us about what you hear on the program, we'd love to hear it. Call us at 1-877-287-7366. Follow us on Twitter, where we are @thecurrentcbc. Find us on Facebook. Or email us through our website. And while you're there, download the podcast and check out all the links and background information about what you're hearing here.
Other segments from today's show: