Hey sports fans, it's time to lift the lid off the local
scene and see what's cooking up.
Right now, it's a bad smell rising up from the local pot and
one that has me a bit fired up.
I recently read a Statistics Canada report on organized sports
participation among children with quite a bit of interest.
Overall, the report indicated participation levels are going
down for both boys and girls, with a sharp drop in boys
especially.
The report came out from examining trends in regular organized
sports among children aged five to 14, using data from the 1992
and 2005 General Society Survey.
The report showed in 2005, 51 per cent of boys and girls in
this age group regularly took part in organized sports, down
from 57 per cent in 1992. Boys participation dropped from 66
per cent in 1992 to 56 per cent in 2005. Girls participation
fell from 49 to 45 per cent.
In this day and age of everyone worrying about child obesity,
one would think participation numbers would be going up, not
down. It could have a lot to do with people not having as many
kids as they used to. Or, maybe more kids are dropping club
sports and competing only in high school sports because the
opportunities to land university scholarships are much better.
The big spin on the drop in numbers is directed at household
incomes. It states 68 per cent of children from highest income
families participated, while only 44 per cent from the lowest
incomes participated.
I am not a big fan of this fact.
I come from a family that wasn't rich by any means. For many
years we had to scrape by just to get decent food on the table.
But, we always found ways to get involved in sports. Most
families can find a way to trim something out of their budget
to give a kid an opportunity at sports or find another way to
get the child involved.
In Greater Sudbury alone, there are many opportunities for kids
to get involved in sports for $100 or less. They could join a
track club, a soccer club or even a tennis club. The fees can
be as high as $110 or as low as $50.
I am on a strict budget with my family, and we put together $75
this spring to put my oldest kid into Walden minor soccer. For
that $75, she gets a uniform, trophy, team picture and about 20
games spread out over the summer.
It's money well spent, and money most any parent can find.
I remember one kid I used to play hockey with in Valley East
whose father got a second job cutting lawns so he could have
money to put his son into hockey.
No matter the cost, whether it be money or time, it's worth the
extra effort to earn some extra cash to put a child into sport.
I know if I was out-of-work, I would find a way to get money to
put my kids into sports. I'm not saying I would rob a bank, but
I would cut lawns, shovel driveways, even sell lemonade at a
roadside stand to earn a few bucks to give my kid a wonderful
opportunity.
Sports give kids a foundation to grow on and gives them skills
they might not fully appreciate until they're adults themselves
and working in the real world.
The values gained from sports are endless and an entire column
could be devoted to the benefits of playing sports.
The bottom line here is sports are good and people should find
any way necessary to get kids active.
I know video games, TV and other distractions are eating up
time for kids to play sports, but no video game was ever as fun
as playing a pickup hockey game or street hockey game.
Maybe more younger kids have to be exposed to sports early on
rather than being plunked down in front of a television set
with a video game console.
The groundwork has to be laid when the child or children are
young. The best advice I received when I became a parent was to
get a ball and start playing with my kids as soon as they were
born. I have done it and my kids enjoy getting active and want
to play sports.
I will do my best to ensure they get every opportunity to play.
I hope others will do the same.
Scott Haddow is Northern Life's sports editor.
