For the Fun of It Work-in-Progress

For the Fun of It

by Robin Bateman

When I was a kid, I loved playing outside. Kick ball, tag, jump rope, capture. Neighborhood street games everyone participated in. Tip time sounded the second we flew out our back doors, leaving homework and house chores behind. We romped a two block area with freedom and ease, unafraid of the dangers today’s youth face. We made up games, injecting rules during play. It was unstructured, formless, free, where (often) tag morphed into capture and then somehow transformed into softball. Skill was optional. A warm body equipped with fearless effort replaced talent. The game was on as long as kids wanted to play and parents weren’t calling them in for dinner or bed.

Today, ballet lessons and soccer practice have replaced the kickball of yesterday. Organized youth sports arrived when my back was turned. And while I missed watching my own daughters grow up with such freedom, I also witnessed the benefits competitive sports offers young children and growing teens –through tennis –a game that captured the interest of my then ten-year old.

Even still, with thousands of youth enrolled in swimming, cheerleading, football, etc. across the state of Georgia, parents, armed with good intentions, are often misguided. Or worse, engulfed in unrealistic aspirations for their children launched during the heat of third-grade competition and unfortunately, projected onto the small shoulder blades of their own lanky ten-year olds.

But what does all this have to do with us? Well, a gym full of third grade basketball players means Moms and Dads are close by --seeking advice about practices, leagues, lessons, drills. Parents want their children not only to shine, but stand out and surpass their peers. This means we, the program directors, the tennis instructors, and the swim coaches are fielding questions.

This means, we, the recreation administrators, play a crucial role in communicating to parents. We hold countless opportunities to steer parents in positive directions thereby ensuring their children develop and maintain a love for sports and physical activity that they will (hopefully) carry throughout their entire lives.

How do we execute such a massive responsibility? Easy, incorporate some of the following into your gym’s philosophy and you’ll be well on your way:

Post It - Post rules, regulations, and a FAQ sheet for parents of competitive players. Parents should know up front, before they sign their children up for programs, what they’re getting into. For example, is the focus of QuickStart tennis learning, developing? Or is it the birth to the next level of competition.

FUN, FUN, FUN - First and foremost, sports activities should be fun -for the kids! The most compelling impact you can deliver comes from instilling the fun factor into the heads of both parents and children. Scott Laakso, Recreation & Tennis Supervisor for Roswell Recreation says parents often base fun on whether they(the parents) experienced enjoyment. “Parents,” he says, “should ask their children: 'Did you have fun?' If the answer is yes, parents should disregard their own personal assessments.”

Winning isn't everything - On the surface, this message is a given, but how many times have we seen parents lose themselves in the winning? Remind parents: The benefits of playing the sport comes from practice, continued play through winning AND losing. Focusing on the win sends the wrong message to children. It creates an atmosphere void of many of the other lessons playing and competing teaches. Moreover, adapting a winner takes all philosophy opens the “exit” door, almost inviting children to walk away from competitive sports altogether.

Variety is the spice of sports - Tell parents to allow their children to participate in many different sports rather than to focus on one particular one. Identifying a child as the next star at age six or ten doesn't guarantee college scholarships much less continued participation through the teenage years. Multi-sport participation gives kids a chance to find their niche, meet lots of other children, and develop physically and mentally in varied ways.

Get the parents involved - There are two avenues here. Playing and volunteering. A perfect solution for “underfoot” parents is to put them to work. Organizing the snack list, taking scores at the tournament desk, or officiating a soccer game all serve to help parents understand what's going on on the playing field for their children.

Play -Sarah Witherspoon, a programs coordinator and tennis instructor at the John Drew Smith Tennis Center says she persuades parents to pick up a racquet themselves. “Playing together emphasizes a sense of family.” Parents can jump in the pool, play soccer, or pick up a racquet…getting them involved intensifies advocacy while strengthening family bonds and ultimately continued participation.

Parents need never underestimate their contribution toward their child's continued competing. Nor should programs coordinators, coaches and organized youth administrators underestimate their influence in guiding parents in constructive directions. The next time you’re asked, “What class / program do you recommend for Bobby?” remember to answer, “The one where Bobby’s having fun.”