A number of factors influence a young person’s decision to play sport and also to drop out. We do know that young people do not enjoy sport when: • There is an overemphasis on winning, by parents, coaches and others. • They don’t get enough playing time • They cannot play with their friends because of imposed grading systems • There is high praise for the best performers and little acknowledgement of others • They are made to feel uncomfortable • The coach is overly authoritarian. We all need to remember to keep the child’s best interests in mind and think about what they may want to achieve through their sport. Sydney Uni Sport & Fitness specially designs camps to keep every child engaged, entertained and happy. Through programs such as the Multisport Camp children of all backgrounds and ability develop a multitude of sporting skills in a fast-paced, ever changing environment – and there is sure to be an activity throughout the day that every child can succeed at. According to local mum, Karen, ”Hayley loves coming home and letting me know about the new sports that she tried that day. Her favourite sport last winter was Archery – I don’t think it mattered if she had hit the target or not, the main point was that she tried something new with her friends and the teachers made it fun”. We have also created special one day camps focusing on Fencing, Ultimate Frisbee, Martial Arts and Touch Football. These camps rotate around the seasons, expose children to new sports and give young minds a little longer to grasp a specific skill. ”James isn’t a sports fan,” said Mary. “He didn’t enjoy playing football when he was six, and he dropped out of tennis when he was seven – but he loved the Fencing Camp. He loved it so much that he has now participated in the Junior Fencing Short Course at Sydney University.” Sydney Uni Sport & Fitness provides a safe and fun environment for your children to develop their skills with the benefit of world-class facilities, experienced coaches and opportunities to be mentored by leading athletes in each sport.
Powering young bodies and minds Sydney Uni Sport & Fitness, in association with Sydney Markets, provides fresh fruit to all of our young campers – giving them the energy they need to get through the rigours of their day. But what about when they’re at home? Here are some tips and tricks to help you …
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Don’t stock sweets in the house Have nutritious foods available e.g., fruit in a bowl, yoghurt in the fridge, bananas in the freezer and homemade treats (in moderation) where you have control of the amount of sugar that has been added. If a special treat is warranted take the children out of the house to make it more of an event.
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Don’t raise a couch potato Limit ’screen time’ (TV, computers and video games) to two hours or less per day. Make sure you also follow this rule. Exposure to different foods Children avoid unfamiliar foods, not just healthy ones. Keep putting asparagus on the plate, and don’t get angry when he/she doesn’t touch it for two months. You want to breed familiarity, which will lead to experimentation. They’ll become fans without resentment, because it was their decision.
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Don’t demonise food Don’t really talk about what is healthy; just provide healthy foods. Kids learn by watching you, not from lectures about saturated fat. Don’t withhold dessert until the vegetables are gone; you’re teaching them that ice cream is the prize, and they can avoid green beans whenever you’re not around. Most importantly, never go to extremes and say “no fast food” and so on; that’s likely to push them into the things you’ve forbidden.
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Don’t talk diets While it seems harmless to say, “You need to cut down on lollies to get back in shape” this introduces the defeating notion of ’going on a diet’. They need to view eating well and maintaining a healthy weight as ‘something they’ll be doing for their whole life’ not just as a destination they can aim for now and then.
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