created by Dr. Cheryl Dellasega

SPRING ... NO WAY R.A.

www.clubopehlia.com

Product website: http://www.championpress.com/ophelia.htm

To subscribe to this free e-zine, please click here and complete the subscription box

There Is No “I” In “Team”

Spring will be here before we know it and now is the time to start thinking about talking to girls about joining a spring sport.  Since the ‘tween and teenage years are a period of immense growth and development of mind and body, athletics are a great way to work out physically and emotionally.   In addition to making bodies stronger and more skilled, sports “teach” the mind valuable lessons that can be used in the classroom and everyday life. 

For girls, sports are a great way to learn about team work, an opportunity that was traditionally thought to be only relevant for boys. Consequently, women of all ages have struggled to find their comfort zone in the athletic arena.  The saying “there is no ‘I’ in team” is a valuable one for girls, too, since being competitive has often been equated with being super aggressive and even cruel.  (Remember Jean Racine, the bobsledder who replaced her partner in the 2002 Utah Winter Olympics and earned the label “Mean Jean”?)

Think of a sport: baseball, basketball, swimming, cheerleading, or any other, and chances are everyone must work together to achieve a goal.  In the case of the actual game it is to score a goal, make a shot, or move from defense to offense, but the lesson of teamwork can be transferred off the playing field and into real life. For example, if a girl who plays on a team has a group project for school, the lessons she learned from her sport could help make her a more productive member of the study group.

Teamwork is so important in the job arena that many companies now include team building activities in their orientations.  The ability to cooperate and collaborate with others is one of the first things a would-be employer looks for, and if a girl has been involved in a sport, it’s more likely she’s been exposed to these qualities.  Some bosses even consider participation in a sport as a plus when hiring students for their first job.

Besides teamwork, sports can also teach girls about respect. Respect for your coach, respect for your teammates, respect for the referees, and respect for the opposing team, are a critical part of teamwork.  Being disrespectful is not tolerated--some referees have been known to kick a player out of the game if she is being disrespectful.

The Martial Arts are an example of a sport that emphasizes the importance of respect.  In other sports, players are expected to shake hands after games and always display sportsman-like behavior. The kind of respectful rituals a girl learns from sports are valuable lessons that can be carried into real life. If she knows the importance of respect and gives it to everyone she meets, she will in turn receive the respect she deserves. This will help boost her self confidence and her self-respect.

Sports can also teach girls to be calm and collected in a variety of trying and difficult situations. For example, a player may not always agree with the call a referee makes, but she can not explode or get angry.  When scores are tied and emotions run high, it is also important to stay focused on the task at hand and work with others for a common goal.

Athletics can also enhance observation skills since you need to be aware of not only where the ball is, but where the members of your team and opposing team are at all times. This also helps girls to make accurate, quick judgments and strategize while on the move. Miscalculation can result in loss of the ball, fouls, missing a goal, or the other team scoring.

Participating in sports can also help a girl’s communication skills. When you are part of a sport, you need to be adept at both verbal and nonverbal communications. Teammates constantly need to be “talking” to one another either with there mouth or with their bodies. Certain gestures can mean “pass the ball to me” or “shoot!” Good communication skills are essential on and off the playing field.

Playing spots also help instill a sense of confidence in the player and offer another arena for success. As an athlete, girls can develop confidence in their decision making skills and learn to feel comfortable in the spotlight.  While confidence might not be there initially, over time, being on a team can help grow a girl’s self esteem. She will think “If I can do it here, I can do it anywhere!”

Joining sports is also a great way for your daughter to make friends with a group of girls that share some of her interests. Girls who play sports together are usually (but not always) close-knit and great friends because they spend so much time together (practices, games, bus rides to away games, etc.).  However, this same close association can bring challenges, as the story below shows.

Lastly, school is one of the leading causes of stress for young girls, who are faced with the pressure to get good grades, the pressure to fit in, and the pressure to please parents, just to name a few. One of the best ways to relieve stress is engaging in a physical activity. This doesn’t mean every girl needs to run out and join the soccer team; any kind of physical activity can combine exercise and stress relief.    

Kids and Sports: How much do you know?

1.      About how many pre-teen and teen children participate in some kind of sport?

a.      5 million

b.      10 million

c.      20 million

d.      25 million

e.      30 million

2.      According to doctors, how long should your children participate in some type of physical activity a day?

a.      15 minutes

b.      20 minutes

c.      30 minutes

d.      1 hour

e.      2 hours

3.      True or False: Breaking up one long activity into two or three shorter activities provides the same health benefits.

4.      Concerned about your child getting injured? About ________ percent of children that participate in sports get injured at some point.

a.      10

b.      20

c.      30

d.      40

e.      60

5.      Of those injuries what is the most common?

a.      Broken fingers

b.      Sprains

c.      Concussions

d.      Broken ankles

6.      True or False: Pre-teen and Teenage boys account for about 60 percent of the injuries, while girls only account for about 40 percent.

Answers: 1)e  2)d  3)True  4)d  5)b  6)True 

Sports and their Benefits

Here are some great sports for both young and adult females to consider participating in:

Martial Arts: The cost of joining is relatively low, and you can learn a great amount of respect, control, flexibility and patience. Good for those who aren’t too competitive, these lessons can also teach self-defense, an important skill for women of all ages.  

Swimming: Again, usually a low cost activity, swimming is both a team and individual sport. While competing with personal times for specific events, a girl can also earn points for her team who is, in turn, competing with an opposing team. Swimming is a potentially life saving sport that will help build confidence, determination, and respect. Swimming is excellent for those who may be physically challenged; even girls confined to wheelchairs can become excellent swimmers! Swimming is also one of the safer physical activities for your body: there is no impact to stress joints and is a full cardiovascular work out.

Soccer: Soccer is a great team sport for girls who like running and have good foot-eye coordination (it can be learned). Soccer players learn respect, communication and confidence. This is a great team sport because a soccer player needs to be completely tuned in to everything around her, so quick feet and quick thinking are definite assets!

Tennis: Another individual and team sport, tennis can be played in either singles or doubles, while earning points for the entire team. Tennis helps build confidence, hand-eye coordination, and teamwork.  The cost can be minimal, and almost every community has a court so there are plenty of opportunities to play and practice.

Cheerleading: Although cheerleading hasn’t been thought of as “athletic,” the combination of strength activities (also known as “stunts”) with gymnastics and endurance qualify it as a true sport. Cheerleading helps build communication skills, teamwork, and confidence.  Depending on the venue, teams can be through private clubs or schools.  The level of competition and expense varies accordingly.

Lacrosse: Not many schools or communities have this sport for boys or girls, but if yours does, it is a great sport to join because it teaches communication skills, judgment, respect, confidence, and teamwork. Like soccer, lacrosse players must constantly “talk” to one another. You must make quick decisions and be confident in them. And like all sports, lacrosse teaches girls to have a great deal of respect for herself and others.

Field or Ice Hockey: Similar, but not the same, these two sports can teach the same valuable lessons. They both require good judgment, quick thinking, and confidence. Unlike men’s hockey which can be violent and seem EXTREMELY disrespectful at times, women who play ice hockey are usually respectful of the other team and the referees, and that respect is given and received by those who participate. These two sports also help develop good teamwork skills.

These, of course, aren’t the only options when it comes to sports for girls, but they are a few options to consider.
 

Choosing a Sport

*    Check out what activities your daughter’s school and the local community offer—there may be some you aren’t aware of and haven’t considered, like juggling, bowling, tai chi, and others.

*    Research those sports that appeal to her and see which one she would like best before investing a lot of money or over committing her.

*    Once she has picked a sport she would like to play, sign up and stay on! Playing a sport is a great commitment to make and take seriously. If she really enjoys it, this could be an activity she pursues all the way through college!

*    Encourage her to try a variety of sports over time.  The younger years are a  time to find out what she likes, but let girls know that it’s not unusual to be good in some things and not others.  Great basketball does not translate into great soccer, or vice versa. 

*    Most important, athletics should be something she enjoys, not an additional source of stress.

*    Remember that school comes first! If her grades slip, sit down and see where the problem is. If it turns out the sport is interfering with learning, don’t axe it right away. Talk to the coach and see if other girls are struggling, too. Express your concern for her grades and see if you can’t work something out--at younger ages, many coaches are understanding and flexible.  

(c) 2007, Cheryl Dellasega and Champion Press, Ltd. 

You may reprint this page in its entirety as long as all credits remain intact

and if for electronic use, all links remain in tact. For other questions or inquiries email sara@championpress.com

www.championpress.com