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Shaping young lives with sports 1 The leaders of tomorrow are shaped and molded in the here and now. As the Roman poet Juvenal famously said "A healthy mind is to be found in a healthy body." For parents teachers and coaches there is no greater responsibility than sustaining the mental and physical health of our young people. 2 Growing children need inspiration and physical stimulation. Team sports are a great way to provide these attributes! More than just entertainment through sports young people learn critical skills that will serve them well in their adult lives. The ability to work toward a common goal underlines the value of teamwork. Being both humble in victory and generous in defeat emphasizes the mutual obligation of graceful manners in all human interactions. The lessons our youth learn will stay with them all their lives and there is no better place to assist this learning than on the playing field. 3 Of course the most critical lessons youngsters receive are those that they are taught by their parents and teachers. Nevertheless many lessons remain abstract concepts until they are made real by life experiences. You can talk about how bitter lemons are or how sweet honey is. However until you actually taste lemons and honey you cannot experience the true meaning of "bitter" and "sweet". Knowledge comes from the application of ideas in the experience of real life. Strategy teamwork and cooperation are crucial concepts that can be best learned and understood through sports. Team sports give children a natural place to work hard and learn valuable life lessons. 4 Naturally those who are inherently talented will spend more time on the field and will achieve fame. They have the opportunity to develop leadership skills and earn the respect of their team members. However the benefits of participating in team sports are not dependent on natural ability. Youth need not be stars to benefit from team membership. It doesn't matter whether they are gifted or even good at their chosen sport. As a famous American sportswriter said "It's not whether you win or lose. It's how you play the game." 5 Sports can inspire and encourage the less naturally talented athletes to be their best. What is missing in natural talent can be overcome through hard work practice and learning from the example of others. Those lacking in talent should never be envious and they may learn more about the real world than the gifted players because they learn early on that there are no free rides and they will have to make continuous effort if they want to achieve in this world. Through sports they will learn the value of individual hard work and even greater value of cooperation and teamwork. They will also learn the fundamental importance of planning and preparation for the positive outcome of their life's ambitions. These are all lessons that will be valuable to them throughout their entire lives both in their careers and their personal lives. 6 Of course participation in competitive team sports is not without hazards. Some psychologists have expressed considerable concern about the intensity of competition in youth sports. They argue that children often suffer psychological harm when the emphasis is exclusively on winning. A football coach famous for his competitive spirit said: "Winning isn't everything; it is the only thing." Such an outlook can be harsh on children when they feel pressured to win from the adults around them. Child psychologists often blame parents and coaches for being too demanding. By placing excessive emphasis on winning children miss the learning opportunities sports can offer. In such circumstances the sports experience uncovers negative draining and harmful consequences canceling out the many desirable effects of sports. 7 Sports teach much more than what is easily seen on the surface. Young athletes learn something every time they step onto the field. It does much more than just keep young bodies in shape and growing at healthy rates. Sports give youth a sense of self-worth and accomplishment and teach them to deal capably with failure and success. It helps them learn the ways of the world the benefits of hard work and determination and how to coexist with others to achieve a common goal even with other team members they may not particularly like! It allows youth to find a role they can fill then to change or adapt to that role and over time to grow and redefine who they are and who they will become. These are all traits that can be extremely useful in the real world and developing such traits at an early age paves the way for success later in life. 用运动塑造年轻人的生活 未来的领导者塑造并培养于当下。正如罗马诗人尤维纳利斯的一句名言所说的：“健全的心智来自于健康的体魄。”对家长﹑老师和教练而言，最大的责任莫过于让我们的年轻人保持身心健康。 成长中的孩子需要精神激励和身体刺激。团队体育运动是提供这些特质的极好途径！运动不仅是娱乐，年轻人还可以通过运动学到让其在日后的成年生活中得以受益的重要技能。有能力为一个共同的目标而努力凸显了团队合作的价值。胜不骄、败不馁强调了在所有人际交往中保持优雅风度是彼此的义务。我们的年轻人从中学到的经验将伴随他们终生，而运动场正是帮助年轻人学习这些经验的最佳场所。 当然，年轻人所获得的最重要的经验是父母和老师教给他们的。然而，只有在生活中真正经历过之后，许多经验教训才不再是抽象的概念。你可以说柠檬有多苦或者蜂蜜有多甜。但是，只有在你真正品尝过柠檬和蜂蜜之后，你才能体会“苦”与“甜”的真正含义。概念只有应用到现实生活中才能变成知识。运动可以让人最好地学习和理解策略、团队协作和合作这些至关重要的概念。团队体育运动给孩子们提供了一个自然场所，让他们去努力奋斗并学习宝贵的生活经验。 当然，那些有运动天赋的人将会在运动场上花更多的时间，也将会出名。他们有机会培养自己的领导才能，并赢得团队伙伴的尊敬。然而，能否从参加团队体育运动中受益并不取决于天赋。年轻人不是非得成为体育明星才能从团队体育运动中受益。他们在自己选择的运动上有没有天赋并不重要。正如一位美国著名体育记者所说的：“输赢不重要，重要的是你在比赛中如何表现。” 运动能激励和鼓舞那些天分并不太高的人做到最好。一个人天分不足可以通过努力奋斗﹑训练和向其他榜样学习来弥补。天分不足的人绝不该嫉妒他人，他们可以比那些有天赋的运动员更多地了解真实的世界，因为他们很早就知道世界上没有免费的午餐，而且要想在现实世界中取得成就，就必须不断地付出努力。通过运动，他们会认识到个人努力奋斗的价值，以及合作和团队协作更重要的价值。他们还将认识到，作好计划与准备对于实现人生理想来说极其重要。这些经验教训对于他们整个人生，包括他们的事业和个人生活，都是宝贵的。 当然，参加竞技团队体育运动也并非没有危害。有些心理学家已经对年轻人体育竞技的激烈程度表示出相当大的忧虑。他们认为，当一味强调要赢得比赛时，孩子们经常遭受到心理上的伤害。一位以体育竞技精神闻名的橄榄球教练曾说：“赢不是一切；但赢是唯一重要的事。”这样的观念对孩子们来说有些苛刻，因为他们会迫于身边大人的压力去赢得比赛。儿童心理学家经常责怪父母和教练对孩子们要求过高。如果过分强调输赢，孩子们就失去了从运动中学习的机会。在这样的情况下，体育运动就会暴露出负面的﹑令人身心疲惫的和有害的后果，从而也就抵消了体育运动带来的诸多益处。 体育运动教给我们的远比表面上看起来的多得多。年轻的运动员每次踏上运动场都能学到一些东西。运动远不只是让年轻人保持健康的体魄并健康成长。运动能给年轻人带来自我价值感和成就感，并教会他们很好地对待成败。体育运动帮助年轻人了解处世之道，使他们认识到肯努力和有决心的益处，以及学会如何与他人、甚至是那些自己其实不怎么喜欢的队友相处以实现共同的目标。体育运动使年轻人找到自己的角色定位，然后为了这一角色去作出相应的改变或调整，并随着时间的流逝逐渐成长，重新界定他们自己是什么样的人以及他们要成为什么样的人。这些都是在现实世界中极其有用的品质。早期培养这样的品质会为年轻人未来生活的成功铺平道路。 |
