Youth Sports: It's About Being Active

By Andy Bohannon, Keene Recreation Programmer

It’s that time of year: the winter doldrums are getting to everyone, and we begin to think about spring and summer activities. It’s the long cold winter that makes spring and summer so enjoyable. With the change of season comes every child’s rite of passage – Little League tryouts.

Well, maybe not every child’s rite of passage … and it shouldn’t be. Parents often sign up their child because they think it will be fun and get them active or their friends are playing. Those are all good reasons, but the truth is, those same reasons apply to many sports that aren’t team oriented. Individual sports your child may enjoy include tennis, golf, karate, track and field, swimming, and kayaking.

All of these activities are sports where children can build skills by themselves, with friends, or even family members. I can’t wait to introduce tennis or golf to my daughter and begin developing a lifelong playing partner. The conversations you have when sharing a common interest are unforgettable and help build that family bond.

Studies have shown that being active in athletics boosts self esteem. Children increase their self worth, and become more social. Do team sports provide an atmosphere for this? Yes they do. However, as children develop skills in individual sports they are more likely to join a team or a league to challenge themselves even more, competing on an individual level and also for a team.

Additionally, you can enjoy these activities at the recreational level and simply leave it at that. The round of golf you play could be about the birds you see and hear, as opposed to the birdies on your scorecard. Sometimes when playing poorly I take a look at the world around me to regain my focus. Nature provides this opportunity to refocus and we should take advantage every chance we get.

In his book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv talks about how we can reconnect to nature through physical activity and being outside. Imagine if your child takes swimming lessons, enjoys the water and becomes capable of swimming independently so you know he can go kayaking in open water. It’s a great opportunity to experience nature while getting exercise at the same time. It also provides your child a chance to explore, and for you to explore the world with your child.

Kayaking can be a blast and many local stores provide rentals or sales of kayaks –and in this area there is open water within a very short drive, so kayaking opportunities abound.

The key to being active is the individual interest that your child has, and that may not run to team sports. Let your child take a tennis lesson through the local parks and recreation department. I remember going because a friend played and wanted somebody to go to the park with. The beauty of a game like tennis is that it is economical. You need a tennis racquet and some balls. Your town probably has a tennis court, where you don’t have to pay to play and think of the great returns in physical activity.

To be active you have to just get out and be active. Explore your opportunities in individual sports: most of them are lifelong activities that can be enjoyed by generation after generation.