When the Struggle Is the Point

I was banging my head against the wall the other day trying to get an app to work for a project I’m building. I tweaked it, re-downloaded, watched videos, tested again, and still—nothing. It wasn’t working. But I kept going. I worked, and worked, and worked. Hours passed. Days, even. And eventually… it worked.

That feeling—of finally solving something hard—is like a jolt of electricity. It’s part frustration, part adrenaline, and all satisfaction. You earn that moment. And honestly, it made me think about how different things are now for kids.

These days, if something doesn’t work, they just move on. If they don’t know something, they Google it, ask Alexa, or pull up a YouTube short with a two-minute tutorial. And look—I’m all for access to information. But when everything comes easy, the value of struggle gets lost. The second something is challenging, they think it must be broken or impossible. They give up.

When I was teaching at my previous university, the dean used to tell our students, “It’s good when it’s a struggle—because that’s when you learn.” That stuck with me. It’s not just about the answer—it’s about the process. If something is easy all the time… is it even worth doing?

That’s one of the reasons I created the Skywalker Slam Dunk STEM Kit. I wanted kids to feel that thrill of working through a challenge. Not just playing with cool stuff (though the kit is definitely fun)—but getting stuck, getting curious, experimenting, failing, rethinking, trying again, and finally… nailing it. Whether it’s building the mini launcher or testing out the bounce experiment, the kit is designed to spark perseverance, creativity, and problem-solving. Real wins come from the struggle.

So here’s my message to kids (and grownups too): Don’t quit just because it’s hard. That’s where the magic happens.

Keep going. Keep working. Keep wondering. Because when you finally figure it out, when you hit that breakthrough moment—there’s nothing better.

~b

Welcome!

Hi and welcome to Sport Smart! I’m so excited to finally share this with you.

I started Sport Smart because I believe the mental side of sports is just as important as the physical—and it’s time we treat it that way, especially for kids.

I have a PhD in Sport and Exercise Psychology, and I’ve spent years studying how athletes think, perform, and grow. But the real push to launch this came from something much closer to home: watching my two young boys and their teammates.

I’ve seen up close how young athletes struggle with the emotional and mental demands of sports—feeling nervous before a game, getting stuck after a mistake, or losing confidence when things don’t go their way. And I realized something: we expect them to just figure it out. But why should they have to? At times they don't even have the words to express what they are experiencing.

We teach kids how to dribble, pass, and shoot—why not also teach them how to stay focused, how to handle pressure, and how to bounce back when things get tough?

That’s what Sport Smart is here for.

My goal is to help young athletes develop mental skills that will serve them not only in their sport, but throughout life. Confidence. Resilience. Self-awareness. Focus. These are learnable, trainable skills—and the earlier we start, the better.

This blog will be a space where I’ll share insights from sport psychology, practical tools for parents and coaches, and real-world stories to help you support the athletes in your life—whether you’re on the sidelines, in the huddle, or just cheering from the stands.

Thanks for being here at the beginning. I can’t wait to see where this goes.

Let’s raise strong minds and strong players.

~Brooke Thompson

Founder, Sport Smart