The Daily Echo 14 December 2006

Written by Sandra Gidley and published in The Daily Echo on Thu 14th Dec 2006

My comments about School Sports Day appear to have attracted some attention and have been taken slightly out of context. I have witnessed too many Sports Days where children have been forced to participate, in front of friends and parents, and have ended up in tears because they have felt that they have made fools of themselves.

If a child can hardly read we do not put them on a stage and make them struggle in front of all and sundry. We do not have public trials of mathematical ability so why do we have a different attitude when it comes to Sport?

My contention is that, at a time when we should be doing all we can to encourage young people to develop the habit of exercise then mass public humiliation is not really the way forwards. Negative feelings about self are reinforced and we all remember those at school who regularly skived off games and believed that exercise was not for them.

I also believe that, for those who want to play them, competitive sports are character building. People gain a lot of enjoyment from them, become fitter and often develop a social network as well.

But if we are serious about exercise for life then we do have to accept that there is not a one size fits all approach. I was lucky, I discovered that I really enjoyed racket sports and over the years this hobby has served me well. I do strongly believe that for each individual there is a form of exercise that suits them and that they will feel comfortable doing. Whether this be swimming, long distance running or dance. The trick is to introduce children to as many different forms of exercise as possible. An over reliance on competitive sports requiring good hand eye co-ordination will alienate a proportion of children from developing the habit of exercise.

I recently attended a local school where children were introduced to skipping as a form of exercise. There was a slightly competitive element and this was not a bad thing but the emphasis was on self improvement over a six week period. Surely this is a good thing?

Schools do try harder these days to achieve some of these aims and children are introduced to a wider range of activities but more could be done. Yes, carry on with Sports Day because many do enjoy it but as long as children end up in tears I will contend that we still haven't got the formula quite right and we should be looking harder for ways in which those children can exercise with confidence. Their future health could depend on it.

Published with the kind permission of the Daily Echo