Girls in sports more successful in life. Chicken or egg?

[BC-lisa in venice]

I am writting grants this summer to attract some BIG money to my dd's synchro team. In the proposals we are siting study after study that show that girls who are involved in sports thru middle and high school are : less likely to be involved in drugs, crime, or other high risk behaviors. They get good grades, go on to college and are more likely to become high achievers in life. Girls in sports eat better and are less likely to have eating disorders EVEN in sports where weight is a very big deal like gymnastics and cheer/dance. Girls in sports have better self images and are less influenced by peer pressure and they have better relationships with other girls. having watched many of these girls grow up from middle school to college I can say that for the most part everything they are saying in these studies are dead on but is t really the sports or the kind of kids who are committed to them.

Last month I was unloading my car at 6 am at a highschool pool in Orange county. The parking lot was beginning to fill up with large SUV and minivans all unloading families with coolers and cameras, pop-ups and camp chairs. All of them contained at least one girl with the tale tail shellaced hair and theatrical make-up of a synchro swimmer. The cars had come from all over Southern California some driving an hour or more to get there at the crack of dawn and most would not go home until nearly nightfall. I remember thinking "well of course these girls do well in life, look at the commitment their entire families have to them". In those cars were of course parents and siblings but also aunts, uncles, grandparents and even friends. These kid's have moms who drive them for hours each and every week to practice for 11 months out of the year and spend entire weekends in the spring sitting on a pool deck. They have relatives who buy cookies and magazines and wrapping paper to fund the kid's travel. They have relatives and friends who sew suits and sequin head pieces and check the net everyday to see how they are doing at traveling meets. So is it really the sports or is it the families that make the difference?

lisa

PS our girls just returned from the national championships having place 8th in trio and 6th in team

[Lesley]

I beleive that family sports is incredibly motivating. But I don't necessarily think it's essential for many types of sports. Feeling like part of a team effort, participating, inclusion, successes also bolster participation levels. Some sports by their very nature, do require drivers and other adult involvement. But I know of plenty of kids (myself included), that did track and field and b'ball etc locally without the participation of parent and family. I got a sense of belonging and accomplishment, that kept me going.

I do think the reverse is true...parents and family that put road blocks in the way of a childs ability to participate is detrimental.

BTW love the pic...what a happy group!!!

[RedSands]

Lisa,

I think it depends on the situation.

Personally, DH and I took care of ourselves in terms of varsity sports. Our parents both worked a lot and we were eldests so we were always left to our own devices.

I walked to tennis lessons and there was a bus that brought us to our matches.

DH swears that if it weren't for his football coach, he would have been a trouble maker. He said that his coach was his surrogate father at the time. As for me, I know it helped build my competitive spirit and discipline.

So, parent involvement helps (I think it can also hurt). But, in general, sports are an amazing extension of camaraderie, competition, discipline and just overall health.

[Magnolia]

First, congrats to your team.

Next, I think it depends on the situation and family. I've seen some parents that push their kids way too much. And, I've seen some parents drop their kids off at practice and games and never participate and provide support. We had several boys on a baseball team that we would have to bring home simply because the parents wouldn't show up to pick them up by the time the game was over.

Having loving, supportive, and responsible parents (and/or family members) make a huge difference in the life of a child IMHO. But, it also depends on the motivations of the kid as well.