So is a Tesla…
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Kids Sporting Activities
- Thread starter mimico_polak
- Start date
But a tesla would suck in the middle of the lake......sails or not!
Oldest did fencing at the Dragon Fencing Academy. Younger two did Karate, then Tae Kwon Do.
I wanted them to go into Rugby, Football, Hockey, Baseball, Soccer, like I did, but they didn't have the interest.
Edit: If you do want them in martial arts or self defense, then it's best to get them into gymnastics while they're young and flexible.
I wanted them to go into Rugby, Football, Hockey, Baseball, Soccer, like I did, but they didn't have the interest.
Edit: If you do want them in martial arts or self defense, then it's best to get them into gymnastics while they're young and flexible.
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Mad Mike
Well-known member
Sailing is a great for kids, cheap, fun and while it’s technically a sport, I put it in the same class as darts, bowling and baseball as far as athleticism. As a kid I often sailed Lightnings, Norbergs, Sabots and Sunfishes from Jackson’s PT to Barrie.
Im a strong believer that team sports should be first priority, individual second. Team sports teach kids how to work in teams, leadership... soft skills that are hard to get from solo sports.
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Agree. I'd consider sailing more a skill than a sport. Now, fast boats and big wind require athleticism and get your heart rate up but not as much as proper cardio.
Martial arts are a good call (with the right instructor). Teaches discipline, humility and respect. With the wrong instructor, bleeping nightmare of ego-stroking.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
Maybe I don’t give weekend sailors enough credit... when I did it the most physically exerting work was carrying boxes of beer and wine from the parking lot to the dock.
I like martial arts too. Not the after school babysitting type, the kind that requires physical training, competitive drive, and the capacity to suck up the pain and discomfort that comes from a contact sport.
Dysfunctional team sports are a bummer. Work your butt off and sit on the bench. Coach's son who sucks is a first stringer. Team sports aren't best for all kids.
I know there are lots of those people. I am not one of them. There are much cheaper ways to go drinking than sitting near very expensive holes in the water.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
Dysfunctional anything is a bummer.
If you find your kid on a team with a dysfunctional coach, the solution is the same as it he has a dysfunctional tennis coach.
Sometimes you don't realize it until a few weeks into the season, and you have all the parents and kids, not just you and yours. You can walk, but what does that say about team?
One team I played on, played everyone regularly through the regular season, they went into the playoffs in first place.
Then played the seasoned veterans only in the playoffs, resulting in getting knocked out in the quarter finals.
Had other teams not even look at me, until I was playing for a rival and beating them.
Then all of a sudden, they were really interested. Told them to take a hike!
Another team, half the players were playing in two leagues. We'd show up to some football games with a team of 15.
We'd still win, but some of the other teams got the idea, that if they could disable enough of our players . . .
It was our first year in the new league, and eventually they kicked us out, saying Birchmount Stadium wasn't good enough to play in.
First year at 15, I played hockey in a league that was supposed to be randomly picked. There were team entries that made it in.
etc. etc.
One thing you might want to pick up as a kid is curling. It's a team sport.
Five pin bowling, probably isn't popular enough anymore.
p.s. I don't consider tennis a team sport.
Oh gosh.
My daughter, the oldest one, we tried soccer, she hated it. She mightve been too young.
Gymnastics, she liked it but it was 30-40 minutes away and she didn't LOVE it.
Swimming she wasn't too sure about it but we kept going until covid... luckily some kids with pools she's friends with would invite her once in a while and when camping she goes in the water so her confidence has increased but we need to keep that going.
She cycles a decent amount (she did 15km with me last year on one of our rides, as a 6-year old, it's alright)
She's been doing taekwon do since ever since they allowed her (so probably when she was 4 y old..) and now also does kickboxing on top of that.
We did some skiing 2 seasons ago, she REALLY liked it, she likes the speed. With covid closures well, that didnt happen and now we need new equipment.
We tried xcountry skiing and it was too much effort to her liking
She did canoe camp so got to try different watercrafts but wouldn't expect too much from it
She's more about individual than team efforts so we might want to get into that.
My son.
We did swimming up until covid. We need to restart that. He also got more comfortable playing in water over the past year thankfully
He could bicycle without training wheels at late 2 year-old and can do 5km at 3-4 yr old so we'll keep working on that, just gotta make sure there's an ice cream reward.
He loves running (he runs to the bus stop non-stop every morning... what did i get myself into)
We tried taekwon do camp but he's not crazy about it.
Skiing should be happening this winter if all goes well
He's got a lot of gymnastic natural traits that impress even my silver medalist acro (teen) neighbor so that might be something we want to tap into but he also has no fear so i feel like it might be a recipe for disaster/trap.
So try different things, try to see what scares them, what they're unsure of (maybes) and what puts smiles on their faces. The maybes you can push a bit to see if it turns into smiles..but gotta get them moving and doing something without being completely miserable lol.
My parents put me in a tiny bit of skating (i hated it) swimming, soccer, badminton, guitar. So weirdly even though i was more of a nerd growing up, i still was active to some extent which helped me pick up different sports during my adult life.
My daughter, the oldest one, we tried soccer, she hated it. She mightve been too young.
Gymnastics, she liked it but it was 30-40 minutes away and she didn't LOVE it.
Swimming she wasn't too sure about it but we kept going until covid... luckily some kids with pools she's friends with would invite her once in a while and when camping she goes in the water so her confidence has increased but we need to keep that going.
She cycles a decent amount (she did 15km with me last year on one of our rides, as a 6-year old, it's alright)
She's been doing taekwon do since ever since they allowed her (so probably when she was 4 y old..) and now also does kickboxing on top of that.
We did some skiing 2 seasons ago, she REALLY liked it, she likes the speed. With covid closures well, that didnt happen and now we need new equipment.
We tried xcountry skiing and it was too much effort to her liking
She did canoe camp so got to try different watercrafts but wouldn't expect too much from it
She's more about individual than team efforts so we might want to get into that.
My son.
We did swimming up until covid. We need to restart that. He also got more comfortable playing in water over the past year thankfully
He could bicycle without training wheels at late 2 year-old and can do 5km at 3-4 yr old so we'll keep working on that, just gotta make sure there's an ice cream reward.
He loves running (he runs to the bus stop non-stop every morning... what did i get myself into)
We tried taekwon do camp but he's not crazy about it.
Skiing should be happening this winter if all goes well
He's got a lot of gymnastic natural traits that impress even my silver medalist acro (teen) neighbor so that might be something we want to tap into but he also has no fear so i feel like it might be a recipe for disaster/trap.
So try different things, try to see what scares them, what they're unsure of (maybes) and what puts smiles on their faces. The maybes you can push a bit to see if it turns into smiles..but gotta get them moving and doing something without being completely miserable lol.
My parents put me in a tiny bit of skating (i hated it) swimming, soccer, badminton, guitar. So weirdly even though i was more of a nerd growing up, i still was active to some extent which helped me pick up different sports during my adult life.
I was excited that ski stuff still fit the monsters last year. Douggie f'd the season so we got out very little. Of course, it doesn't fit this year so need to spend another small fortune on stuff. Little one has ridiculously tiny feet so they don't fit into used boots from older kid. I was hoping to just buy one pair of boots every year and the little kid perpetually has used stuff. That strategy is not working well.
Check out the store decathlon, their stuff is affordable. The type of stuff i would buy for kids as they outgrow them year after year lol
I might even consider replacing my 10-year-old skis!
Mad Mike
Well-known member
I was involved with kids sports as a coach and executive for almost 30 years - after 10 years you think you've seen everything but your haven't - parents keep inventing interesting situations. The most bizarre I can remember are in hockey:
- Markham Minor soccer house league - championship game U10 girls. Coach changed player jerseys at 1/2 time to trick fair playing time accounting. The opposing coach picked up on the trick, kept track of playing time by player name, and presented to the convener (the one counting shifts) with 8 min remaining. The cheating team had to sit their top 6 and goalie for the rest of the game. Lost a 2 goal lead and the game.
- Burlington Eagles AAA parents fight in a drunken argument after a tournament game, one parent loses a finger (bitten off).
- 1st place Barrie Colts PeeWee A team down 2-0 to 4th place team in playoffs. 6 of their lesser players are sicked out for the next 3 games (they lost 3-2)
The good news is it's slowly getting better. Leagues are aware of these things, as are most clubs and have a proactive approach to selecting and developing coaches that can do more, be fair . In competitive sports, boundary restrictions kept clubs in Fifedoms, execs were volunteers, often looking to advantage themselves or their kids through the influence they had inside the club. Few had skilled business or people leaders in the driver seat, the ones that did generally did better. That's changing -- kids/families have more choices today, coaches more vetting and training as well.
don't make your kids do what you like , if they really want to try something and you can afford the time and equipment investment give it a go.
mine did soccer, competitive dance , swimming , baseball, skiing , scouts and guides ( ok not sport but they liked it) . while I was a competitive sailor , neither took formal lessons.
When I raced offshore and internationally it was a sport, as a foredeck guy (pointy end) on a big boat it was 5,000 calories a day, for days on end. Now my racing ( since I own the boat) is athletisim to not fall off , its sport but not a workout. It is cerebral.
Now grown they both still ski ( live west where skiing is good) , have a love of paddleboards and kayaks and canoes ( scouting and guides) and have become really enamoured with cycling.
I have just started skeet shooting which is a sport. apparently. gun weights 8lbs so there is that.
mine did soccer, competitive dance , swimming , baseball, skiing , scouts and guides ( ok not sport but they liked it) . while I was a competitive sailor , neither took formal lessons.
When I raced offshore and internationally it was a sport, as a foredeck guy (pointy end) on a big boat it was 5,000 calories a day, for days on end. Now my racing ( since I own the boat) is athletisim to not fall off , its sport but not a workout. It is cerebral.
Now grown they both still ski ( live west where skiing is good) , have a love of paddleboards and kayaks and canoes ( scouting and guides) and have become really enamoured with cycling.
I have just started skeet shooting which is a sport. apparently. gun weights 8lbs so there is that.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Highly appreciate it.
Both my wife and I do not come from families where sports were important and the only thing my parents pushed was swimming lessons (to compete with the kid next door).
Both my wife and I do not come from families where sports were important and the only thing my parents pushed was swimming lessons (to compete with the kid next door).
Most parents just need to learn how to say no. It has nothing to do with finding something else. Common sense has gone out the window.
Say "no" and then what? Let kid stare into a wall?
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