Bridgeport Bandit Sports Association: Bandit News: Great Reasons to Keep Your Daughter in Sports and tips to help you do it

Saturday, January 26
Great Reasons to Keep Your Daughter in Sports and tips to help you do it
 You already know that playing sports benefits your daughter. That’s why you got

her involved with sports in the first place. But there may be a few benefits you

don’t know about. The Women’s Sports Foundation, a leading internet source for

girls and women in sports, lists the following benefits for girls in sports:

Better Grades and Graduation Rate: High school girls playing sports are more

likely to get better grades and more likely to graduate from high school than their

non-playing counterparts.

Avoid Unwanted Pregnancy: It’s not a guarantee that your daughter will be

safe from unwanted pregnancy. However, participation in sports makes it less

likely.

Reduce Risk of Teenage Breast Cancer: Your daughter’s risk of breast cancer

can be reduced by up to 60% with as little as four hours of exercise per week.

Reduce Risk of Osteoporosis: Sports such as softball, volleyball, soccer, and

track, require your daughter to carry her own body weight while training. This

type of “weight bearing” exercise promotes bone density and helps establish

bone mass which lessens the chance of osteoporosis later in life.

Preparation for the Future: By playing sports, your daughter can learn skills

critical for success in the workplace. She’ll learn develop skills such as

teamwork, goal setting, and recovering from mistakes. With many families now

relying on two incomes to make ends meet, it’s important your daughter be

prepared for the challenges of a competitive work place. Do you think it’s a

coincidence that 80% of female executives at Fortune 500 companies identified

themselves as former “tomboys” that played sports?

Other benefits include more confidence, higher levels of self esteem, lower levels

of depression, a more positive body image, and higher states of psychological

well being. Okay, you don’t need more convincing. Sports are good for your

daughter. But did you know that by age 14, girls are more likely to drop out of

their sport than boys. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, girls drop

out at a rate 6 times greater than boys. How do you keep your daughter from

being part of that statistic? How do you keep her involved in sports so that she

can experience all of these benefits?

We have some tips to help you do just that!

Tip #1: Exercise Positive Reinforcement

Women's Sports Foundation research shows that boys and girls between the

ages of 6 and 9 -- and their parents -- are equally interested in sports

participation. However, as stated before, girls are more likely to drop out of their

sport by age 14. Girls simply do not receive the same positive reinforcement

about their sports participation that boys do. Boys get sports related gifts for

birthdays and Christmas. They see sports role models on TV and in the

newspaper. It’s “understood” that boys play sports. The same is not true for

girls. Show your daughter how interested you are in her sports activities. Make

sure your actions and words support her sports participation. One way to do this

is to attend practices and games whenever possible.

Tip #2: Expose your Daughter to Women in Sports

Take your daughter to local college games. Watch women’s sports on TV,

especially if the sport she plays is on the air. Show her what’s out there for her to

accomplish one day. When your daughter sees women playing sports, she’ll

appreciate and respect the sports skills of women. She’ll be able to imagine

herself excelling in sports which will contribute to her the drive to keep playing.

Tip #3: Be a Role Model

Teach your daughter that sports is a part of life by exercising regularly. Yes, that

means you have to get up off the couch and do something rather than sit in front

of the TV and eat dessert. In a study of collegiate female athletes, and nonathletes,

athletes reported having more physically active parents than the nonathletes.

Even if it’s just a walk around the block or around the park a few times

a week, you’ll be leading by example. Your daughter will learn that exercise is

just as much a part of your life as putting out the trash on rubbish day or

vacuuming the carpet. You may not do it every day, but you don’t go for too long

without doing.

Tip #4: Be Realistic

Focus on the development of your daughter’s skills more than on her athletic

accomplishments. For example, praise her for performing better than she did

last week or last month. Let her know that you notice her improvement. Don’t

focus so much on whether or not she leads the league or her team in a particular

statistic.

Tip #5 Think Before You Speak

She may not show it, but you’re words are important to your daughter.

Insensitive comments can lead to medical disorders. A preoccupation with

weight and body image can have a negative effect on your daughter’s health.

Over-exercising while under-eating can cause your daughter serious problems

both short and long term. Make sure that your daughter’s experience in sports

doesn’t turn into a negative one.

Tip #6: Keep the Game Fun!

No matter what sport your daughter plays, it’s a game. It’s supposed to be fun!

I’m sure you perform better when performing a task you enjoy. You’d rather skim

through, or drop altogether, the tasks or activities you don’t enjoy. Guess what?

You’re daughter is no different. She’s more likely to excel in and continue

playing a sport that’s fun for her.

Tip #7: Don’t Mistake Success for Fun

Just because your daughter is one of the best on her team, doesn’t necessarily

mean she is having fun. Girls that do excel may feel added pressure to perform.

If this pressure becomes overwhelming, playing sports may become more

stressful than fun. I know you want your daughter to be the best. But don’t

forget to be proud of her when she is being the best that she can be.

Tip #8: Remember That Your Daughter is NOT You

Even though people may compare your daughter to you, she is not you. She

may not have some of the strengths you have. By the same token, she may not

have some of the weaknesses you have either. Don’t go nuts if she’s not as

good as you were at something. Don’t shelter her from a situation that may have

intimidated you. She’s not you. Encourage her to be herself. Celebrate her

strengths and help her work through her weaknesses.

About the Author

Stacie Mahoe is the owner of www.AllAboutFastpitch.com

Sign up to get free softball tips from Stacie at www.FreeFastpitchTips.com