By Courtney Singer
To most of you the answer is obvious: Exercise, fresh air, being part of a team.
To me sports were a mystery, maybe even a waste of time. Boy, was I WRONG.
As a kid whose Mom never found out the answer to the question, I didn’t participate in any sports beyond the obligatory ballet class as a little girl: The serious kind, no pretty tutus, very strict instructors. Once the ballet teachers figured out that I couldn’t remember dance sequences and really had no rhythm, my mom was no longer interested in paying for ballet class. She hadn’t grown up with sports and didn’t understand what role sports play in a child’s development.
There was an all too brief time when I was invited to try out for the high school soccer team. I was fast and small, light on my feet. But I tired easily and didn’t know anything about training. My mom didn’t want to be out in the sun and heat and ignored the whole opportunity. So that was that. Until I found the answer to “Why Kids Need Sports?” in a tiny spitfire of a girl in my classroom.
As a young teacher I regularly attended the after school events of my students, usually a dance or music recital. Then, I was invited to watch Kelly’s soccer game. Kelly often had a difficult time in the classroom. She struggled to control her temper, she played too rough on the playground, and consequently had a hard time making friends.
After finishing up at school I headed to the field. The game was already under way and I couldn’t seem to find Kelly anywhere in the roiling mass of girls on the field. I found her mom and asked her where Kelly was. I hadn’t been able to see her because she was in the MIDDLE of a pack of girls, controlling the ball with single-minded focus, and pushing away girls twice her size. On the field she was SUCCEEDING in a way that wouldn’t work in the classroom.
On the field she was the STAR. Her teammates cheered for her. Her physicality made her a champion. Kelly was beaming like I had ne ver seen before.
I carried what I had learned about Kelly that day back to school. On the playground I asked her to guide the more timid students in learning how to kick a ball and run. In the classroom I put Kelly in charge of her reading group. On the field that day I had learned that she was a natural leader. She still struggled occasionally to control her temper, but as the soccer season went on this too abated. Her coaches let her feel the consequence of losing her temper. Being on a team she was accountable to more than just herself. Her choices affected her teammates and everyone suffered if she earned penalty.
Coaches give children an opportunity to interact with an adult figure that is not a school teacher or a parent. Sports have clear rules and goals, whereas, classroom dynamics and the social hierarchy on the playground can be very confusing.
Sports, beyond the obvious benefits of exercise and fresh air, provide an avenue for children to use skills and talents that are different from classroom skills. On the field they can SHINE. Sports invite children to be part of a team. Being on a team teaches the child to think and make decisions that go beyond their own desires.
One of the funniest sporting events that I ever attended was the first day of soccer practice for the littlest kids. After carefully explaining the rules of the game to these toddlers, the coach demonstrated how to kick the soccer ball. When coach let the ball loose the whole group of boys and girls took off after it. They all wanted the ball for themselves! And the child who got there first picked it up and took off running away from the pack, away from the goals, carrying the ball in his arms, with the rest of the kids in hot pursuit. I laughed myself silly that day seeing the joy on the kids faces and looking forward to what they were about to learn.
We are lucky to live in Skye Canyon where there are so many great parks. Whether it is an organized team sport or just a game that the children make up and play in the pocket park in your subdivision . . . Sports are AWESOME.
And, to all the moms, dads, caregivers, aunties, uncles, cousins, grandparents and teachers that show up in the heat and sun, you are giving your children a lifelong gift.
Skye Canyon hosts regular sports camps and clinics that are coming up this month on the newly refreshed big field at Skye Canyon Park. Go out and cheer for our community.
Courtney Singer runs BLOOMIN’ CRADLE DAYCARE a Small In-home Daycare for Infants here in Skye Canyon. She has limited Enrollment with a Flexible Schedule; Special Dietary needs accommodated; Scent Free Hypo-Allergenic Home; CPR Trained. Call (702) 476-8624 for more information. This is a Landline and doesn’t accept text messages. Phone call inquiries only. Bloomin’ Cradle Daycare has no social media presence for the security of your family