by Emma Sporleder, Student Reporter
UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden said, “Sports do not build character, they reveal it.”
One thing almost every young child looks forward to is the activity of play. As a kid I remember loving nothing more than going outside, running around with my friends and getting dirty. So if children are already active at a young age, why not encourage them to continue by participating in organized youth sports? Children will gain many positive experiences by participating in organized physical activities, but none that are as important and influential as the social skills, physical skills and mental skills developed and nurtured during their time in youth sport.
There are many different types of organized programs such as T-Ball, Little League Softball and Baseball, football, soccer, basketball, martial arts, and so forth.
Because of the broad array of programs, there are over 40 million youth that are participating. If you are someone who doesn’t find anything redeeming about the essence of sporty competition, here are some reasons why you should consider putting your kid in youth athletics.
One of the most important traits children need to develop are their social skills, when a kid plays a team sport they have to communicate with other teammates and their coaches. If you want your child to become more social you have to put them in social situations.
Team sports will require each individual player to do a job in order to have team success, this requires the kids to work with their teammates towards one collective team goal. Kids will learn how to encourage, motivate and practice with their teammates on a regular basis. Developing teamwork skills is essential to all aspects of life.
Exercise is the best way to naturally relieve stress, and childhood obesity is spreading quickly across our entire country. Team sports strengthen the body and the constant exercise reduces stress while building self-esteem. You can’t forget that physical fitness develops coordination, posture, core strength and balance. In this life, we win some and we lose some.
Sometimes you are on the winning team and sometimes you will be on the losing team. In every competitive sport there will be a winner and a loser. Team sports will teach kids how to not lose hope after a loss and continue to work hard.
When a team works hard and comes out with a win, there is no better feeling. Team sports make the youth realize that if they work hard, good things will happen.
I’ve played sports my entire life and I am still in contact with my former teammates and the people that I’ve formed a relationship with because of team sports. It creates a bond that can’t be replicated and will develop relationships that last a life time.
Lastly, life is full of situations where you have to compete. In today’s world if people aren’t willing to compete they will find themselves getting the short end of the stick on a regular basis. I believe that one of the worst traits you can have is the willingness to compete.
Being competitive isn’t just about being better than everyone else, kids should learn to compete with themselves to try and become better every single day.
Once a child grows up, they will need to be competitive in school, sports, and in life. It is a competitive world out there, and team sports is the platform for preparing children for a very competitive world.