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Recreation
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City of Roswell
P.O. Drawer 1838
Roswell, NM 88202-1838
(505) 624-6700
Fax: 624-6889 |
THE LEISURE INCIDENT
"Youth Sport and Kids!"
July 13, 2025
Kim Elliott, CLP
Recreation Director
City of Roswell
You know who they are! They are your neighbor's
and your neighbor's children. They are your nieces and nephews. They are the
'good' kids and the 'bad' kids. They just happen to be your kids!
Estimates range from 25 to 30 million youth who
participate in some sort of organized youth sport program in the United States.
These youth are from age 5 to 18 and live in every community.
Yeah! You know who they are. Most likely you
were one of them when you were their age. I know that this author was!
The author had fun! Most likely you did, too.
Well… maybe you had fun!
We hear so much about the positive influences
of youth sport on our kids. But what happens when those youth sport experiences
are not positive? Sure, the potential to benefit the youth is there, but not
every youth sport experience is positive. Why?
For our kids to have a positive experience, the
activity must be planned to be positive. That does not mean that we should plan
to push our experiences on to our kids, and in the same manner. What then does
it mean to plan to have a positive activity?
First of all, we should plan to allow our youth
to have their own sport experiences. Sometimes we try to play our sports through
the lives of our children. We don't allow them to have their own personal sport
experiences. We have a tendency to plan for them to have the 'sport experiences
that we never had!"
Secondly, it is important that we understand
what kids really want out of their experience. They want to enjoy the sport.
They want to have FUN! They want the excitement of participation, personal
accomplishment, to improve their skills, to test their skills against others,
etc…
Studies indicate that important factors in the
child having fun are the demonstration of personal ability, feelings of
competence, involvement in the action of the game, opportunities to exercise
control and friendship. These are intrinsic factors. Social factors like just
being on a team were secondary.
Those factors that mean the least to youth
enjoying the activity were outcome oriented factors like winning, getting
rewards, and pleasing others. These are all extrinsic.
Kids want to have fun. They want to enjoy the
youth sport experience. When they don't have that enjoyable experience, it can
usually be traced back to an adult. It is sad to say, but many times that adult
is a parent! A well meaning, misguided parent.
How can parents and coaches make sure that
their children have fun playing in a youth sport? There are some guidelines (The
Research File, Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute No. 91-09) that
if followed, will help.
1. Focus on skill development.
Improved skills will lead to feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment.
These feelings, in turn, will bring enjoyment and fun.
2. Provide realistic challenges.
Children and youth will learn and grow through a progressive series of
challenges that are appropriate for their skill level and development.
3. Emphasize personal success. Playing
well, or the feeling that one has played well, is an essential part of fun in
sport.
4. Keep winning in perspective.
Winning plays a part, but it is very low on the list of factors that
contribute to fun. Winning as an outcome is less important than simply
striving to win. By striving to win, kids learn to concentrate, try hard, and
be the best they can be!
Let's allow our kids to be kids and not try to
experience sport again through our children. Sport has so much potential to be a
positive influence in each and every community in the United States. Yet
wherever there is potential for good, the potential for bad exists along with
it.
The Roswell Recreation Department offers
coaching education opportunities throughout the year. Various leagues have
opportunities to set up their own programs and some do regularly. Some league
organizations require their coaches to attend training while others do not!
The experiences that our youth have today
affect the decisions of tomorrow. We, as adults, can affect those decisions of
tomorrow by making sure our kids enjoy youth sport today.
Parks and Recreation! The Benefits Are Endless...TM
