About the COVER
Group Sports
Team sports share a common goal: victory! Every player has a crucial role. No matter your strengths, a close-knit team will help you win. Teammates support, motivate, and encourage each other. Team sports make it easier to grow and gain selfconfidence. Evolving within a community builds relationships and breaks down barriers. Whether you play on a field or court, you will grow into your role as a teammate. Introverts can become leaders on the field. If you are still on the fence about playing a team sport, remind yourself that the benefits will be felt in your daily life. You will develop new skills, a more confident personality, and an improved capacity for listening and communicating. This is without mentioning the numerous health benefits! Group sports offer many benefits for children. These benefits include personal development, self-confidence, social skills, responsibility, communication, fair play, and unwavering determination. Playing a sport requires time and energy. Some people may think this would distract studentathletes from schoolwork. However, the opposite is true. Sports require memorization, repetition, and learning — skills directly relevant to class work. Also, the determination and goal-setting skills a sport teaches can be transferred to the classroom. As an adult, participation in team sports and recreational leagues diminishes as jobs, families, and housework pile up. However, research shows that playing team sports as an adult is just as beneficial, maybe even more so. Recreational leagues and team sports help maintain physical fitness, provide a social outlet, and foster self-esteem and mental health. Team sports are a fun way to combine exercise and social interaction as you work alongside your teammates toward a common goal. Another benefit includes having a set time, place, and game schedule. Sticking with your exercise routine is easier 4 Live & Play| 2024
when your teammates count on you to show up. Team sports are an excellent way to get out of the house, socialize, and make new friends. Finally, as part of a team, you have a built-in support system of teammates encouraging you to reach your fitness goals. Many older adults play more than the stereotypical retirement sports of golf, pickleball, and bocce ball. Seniors are swimming, cycling, rowing, and running competitively – even competing in duathlons and triathlons – and playing everything from tennis, volleyball, and softball to basketball and soccer. No matter the skill level, seniors can find a suitable activity that fits their budget. This activity can be adjusted to older bodies changing needs. According to research conducted at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Prevention Research Center, older adults can reap an array of rewards from physical activity, ranging from improved physical, emotional, and social health scores to a decreased risk of hospitalization. Deer Park Parks and Recreation offers many opportunities to play group sports regardless of skill level or age. Many of our programs offer learning a new sport. So SIGN UP! It’s never too late to try.
www.deerparktx.gov/parksandrec
