Around 30 million kids and adolescents participate in organized sports each year in the United States. Playing sports is great for kids for many reasons. Physical activity is vital for kids' overall development and well-being. Sports also teach things like teamwork, discipline, and leadership. However, participation in sports does open kids up to injury. Parents spend anywhere from $500 to $3,000 per child per year on sporting events and activities. This expense (along with associated medical expenses from injuries) can unnecessarily burden families on a tight budget. In this article, we’ll cover how families can utilize free resources, coupons, and savings deals to keep their kids on the field affordably.
The first way to stay safe is to go to the doctor before ever stepping out onto the field or up onto the diving board. Pre-season physicals let doctors thoroughly examine kids and find any possible issues or conditions that would make playing that sport unsafe for that particular young athlete. After the doctor gives the OK, there are still important steps to take to stay safe. One is to make sure to always warm up before practices and games and cool down afterward. Walking, stretching, and light jogging are great warm-ups and cool-down exercises. When stretching, never bounce, as that causes injuries to muscles. Never play when sick or in pain: Pain is the body's way of saying something is wrong. Only play on clean, well-maintained fields. Wet or broken playing surfaces lead to injuries. And always wear proper protective equipment and well-fitting footwear.
Eating and drinking are important parts of self-care and can help athletes to ensure peak performance. Good nutrition and hydration can also help young athletes prevent injuries. For example, dehydration fatigues the muscles, so a dehydrated athlete will not play at the top of their performance capability. Dehydration is also dangerous. Stories about student athletes passing out due to dehydration hit the news media each year. Drinking a lot of water is usually enough to stay hydrated, but if you're exercising or playing for long periods in the heat, sports drinks can help keep sodium and other minerals stabilized in the body. Similarly, eating well is important. Good nutrition helps keeps athletes from tiring out before the game or practice ends. It's important to eat enough calories to fuel workouts and games, and it's also important that those calories contain enough carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats. Eating disorders are sometimes developed by young athletes. Any athlete who finds themselves restricting certain foods or having other food-related issues needs to speak to an adult or health professional as soon as possible.
Playing sports can be a great way to manage stress. However, athletes can face unique stresses related to their favorite sports, like the pressure to win (either from adults in their lives or themselves) and the need to balance athletics with schoolwork and other responsibilities. They also may struggle with the same issues as their peers. But athletes tend to be less likely to get help with their mental health when they need it. For instance, statistics show that about a third of all college students experiencing mental health symptoms seek treatment, but only about 10% of college athletes try to get help. It's important to identify feelings of stress, burnout, anxiety, or depression as well as symptoms of eating disorders, and it's crucial to reach out and get help when you need it. There's no more shame in needing treatment for anxiety than there is in needing treatment for a sprained ankle. It's also important not to try to self-medicate through alcohol or recreational drugs. Some young athletes also try to medicate by using performance-enhancing drugs, which can get them kicked out of their sports as well as leave them with lifelong health consequences.
For many young athletes, the camaraderie and friendship of their teammates is a major part of their enjoyment of the sport. It also provides lifetime benefits. One 2009 study by the University of Kansas found that high school students who played a sport graduated at higher rates and did better academically than students who didn't participate in organized sports. Even adults say sports helped them have successful lives! Working with a group toward a common goal is a vital life skill. Some kids struggle with being good teammates, but like with all aspects of sports, it's possible to get better with practice.