Written by AJ Condon
The importance of playing sports as a kid is high when looking at the benefits children gain from them. Life lessons, staying active and even meeting new friends are all takeaways that kids of all ages can get from playing sports.
Refr Sports is looking to change the referee market and make it easier for sports coordinators and referees to schedule the needed refs. In turn, fewer games and matches will see postponements or even cancellations which will allow kids to benefit the most from sports.
The life lessons that young athletes can learn in sports are endless, but that’s not to say it’s the only way to learn them. In almost every sport, kids are on teams which can require athletes of different backgrounds to come together and play as a unit.
Kids will quickly learn the importance of building relationships, working together as well as learning about different cultures. All three of these lessons and skills are important not just in sports, but also later in life when they start looking for their first part-time job or even their career.
Inside a team, more commonly the older you get, there are a few athletes that take a leadership role. Becoming a captain can be a huge responsibility and teach you hard lessons such as being a role model, holding teammates accountable, and helping your fellow teammates become the best athlete and people they can be.
The exciting part about playing sports is anyone can learn those lessons regardless of captainship. Being on a team is about learning from one another and being able to grow as a unit. Seeing that there are positives to take away in all situations, whether you’re winning a championship, or finishing up a winless season.
When scheduling problems occur, and referees either don’t show up or aren’t scheduled correctly, it takes away from the kid's ability to learn these important lessons.
Another important part of playing youth sports is the ability to keep kids active as much as possible. The CDC recommends that kids should be active for at least 60 minutes every single day. An hour doesn’t seem like much, but when there are so many distractions that kids have these days, it’s easy for them to miss out on their fitness.
Playing sports allows kids to get their recommended physical activity through practices, weight lifting, and games or matches. After sitting in a classroom for seven to eight hours a day, after-school sports can be an easy way for kids to knock out their 60 minutes of activity before dinner time.
Outside of the lessons to be learned, and the physical benefits of playing sports, it also gives kids the opportunity to meet new people who can become life-long friends.
There are plenty of ways for kids to make friends and memories that will last a lifetime, but playing sports can be an easy way to find those friends. By playing sports it gives them the opportunity to build relationships and spend more and more time with their friends, or even make new ones.
It also allows them to have healthy competition with each other while trying to better the team as a whole. They’ll work hard together and bond over experiences in practice and games. When playing for a team, forces kids to cooperate with one another and teaches them to be less selfish.
Though the referee problem doesn’t take away bonding experiences in practices and training, it won’t allow kids to put what they learn on the field.
With Refr Sports, cancellations and postponements will become fewer and fewer as sports coordinators find it easier to get the necessary refs on site.
