EDUCATION MATTERS—SANFORD SCHOOL'S PRIVATE SCHOOL BLOG

The air is heavy, the sun is beating down, and there is no reprieve from the heat. This can only mean one thing: preseason is upon us. Preseason is an exciting time in many athletes' lives. It is the time where the foundation of the season begins. You get to see your beloved teammates, coaches and compete at the thing you love most. For some, preseason may bring a bit of anxiety and fear. What are ways that you can enter this time with confidence and joy in your heart, you ask? Try the following tips listed below.

Offering high school sports during a pandemic is challenging.  However, because athletic programs and participation are beneficial for students, many schools have taken steps to safely and effectively offer sports even in the midst of  COVID-19. Here are a few strategies that our coaches and administrators have developed and implemented to safely play sports in a pandemic.

Strength is the ability to produce force against an external resistance. Speed, balance, agility, muscular endurance, and power are all functions of an athlete’s ability to produce force (Wolf 2012). Training to become stronger provides the best “bang for the buck” when preparing for an athletic season.

When you hear the word “literacy” you probably think reading and writing, but did you know that there’s also physical literacy? Project Play gives this definition: "Physical literacy is the ability, confidence, and desire to be physically active for life.”

Schools provide opportunities for all students to participate in interscholastic, competitive athletics throughout the school year. The start of a new sports season is an exciting time, as our player's transition from one sport to another. With all of this excitement and the abrupt downtime of a break, early season injuries can be very common. However, by pacing one’s self and properly preparing the body, any athlete can take the initiative to ensure that they will start their season on the right foot.

Over the last twenty years working with Middle School athletes, I have learned the value of keeping kids active and instilling the importance of lifetime sports at a young age. Often, the lessons learned off the field are greater than the skills and strategies of the game. Many times, these life lessons are so much more impactful than just reaping the benefits of exercise .

Too many times, headlines revolve around negative behavior taking place at sporting events involving coaches, players, parents or spectators. As a lifelong athlete and career educator in the field of physical education and athletics, my experiences in sports as a participant, teacher, coach, and athletic director have been many and varied. I have experienced, and witnessed, winning and losing at all levels. 

From the big screen, to NFL fields, to high school gymnasiums across the country, the buzz about concussions is getting louder. Just as our awareness is increasing, our tools for evaluation are improving. So is our understanding of why it’s important to give students the time they need to fully recover. Their futures depend on it!

Concussion rates represent a high proportion of all injuries sustained by athletes. In the United States, an estimated 3.8 million concussions occur each year as a result of sport and physical activity.

Schools, parents, and physicians want to work together to keep students safe while they play hard and have fun. That’s why there is greater emphasis on information and prevention, knowing each student’s baseline, and responding swiftly and cautiously when concussions occur. Here are some best practices to consider.

Research shows that students perform better in school when they are physically and emotionally healthy. 

That’s why the national organization SHAPE America (Society for Health and Physical Educators) believes in educating the whole child. Their main focus is on children’s physical development and athletic skills, integrating these things into a well-rounded school day that offers kids opportunities to be active.

Physical education classes and participation on sports teams both provide knowledge and experience in different activities and address the social aspects of children's development. Recess, too, offers important opportunities for kids to be active, solve problems, and build skills, friendships, independence, and confidence. Physical activity also contributes to a greater sense of well-being, which has far-reaching benefits of its own.

It is essential to keep kids moving inside the classroom, as well. Studies have shown that information is solidified in the brain when the body moves. Why? Because exercise fuels the brain with oxygen, which helps make connections with the learned material. So next time your child needs to study for a test, maybe suggest that they get up and work out some dance moves while reviewing the material.