Promoting Perseverance: How Sports Promotes Essential Life Habits

The prospect of working with a group of adolescent boys from an urban, inner-city neighborhood in an after-school sport education program may be a daunting task for some but for others it can be a motivating challenge.  After all, the last thing most middle grade-aged students want to do after a regular day of school is to join a program with an emphasis on more learning.  However, well-structured programs in an after-school setting that cater to the interest of adolescent males hold promise in changing current negative trends and outcomes that are often associated with this group as they move through their formative years and into adulthood. 

A few of the attributes most commonly associated with urban, inner-city, “at-risk” or “underserved” youth is that they are: 

§  Selfish

§  Hyperactive

§  Disengaged

This past Tuesday, the DE after-school program showed me that these attributes may be present at times but can be overcome and remodeled to produce young men who deserve ‘different’ marks from their observers. 

In a public school gymnasium located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, eight young boys, participating in an after-school basketball-based, physical education program, showed me this transformation is possible. 

The young boys started the Tuesday afternoon session exhibiting many of the characteristics presented above.  Their actions showed a clear lack of focus and cooperativeness as they engaged in actions solely thinking about themselves and how they could enjoy a few hours of basketball inside the confines of an inside gymnasium. 

Soon, after settling the boys down and providing some purpose, through a discussion and several physical activity tasks, a majority of the boys began to display a sense of understanding behind the theme and word of the day (perseverance).  Many of them became attentive and focused rather than merely actors in a physical space where their attitude normally centered on having a ball and running around with it in an effort to see it through an orange circle ten feet in the air. 

During a group discussion following physical activity the boys respectfully engaged in a discussion that centered on the word perseverance.  They collaboratively worked through the definition and provided their own insights into what they believed and understood the word to mean.  They then went on to talk through the concept of perseverance in relation to being on a basketball team. 

Later that night, ironically, the Los Angeles Lakers first round draft pick, Julius Randle, went down with a broken leg that could keep him sidelined for the remainder of his rookie season with the team.  This real example for the young boys will allow them to track and follow how an individual on a team perseveres through a difficult time. 

Young people need new challenges and obstacles.  Equally as important as the challenges and obstacles is the support and systems (i.e. programming) in place to help them through the process and allow them to see and experience that success is possible if one perseveres and stays focused.  

Monitoring Physical Activity: Pediatrician Commitment and Guidance

Pediatricians have an all-important, professional responsibility to provide solutions for the prevention and treatment of diseases in children.  This responsibility, nonetheless, should be shared.  Physical activity (PA) is an integral component to the well-being of children and needs to be promoted at home, in the community and at school (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2006).  Working with parents and community organizations in a greater capacity, with a particular emphasis on education, pediatricians can build upon their commitment to have a stronger impact on not only their profession but also on the health and well-being of the nation’s children. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) should be applauded for their continued research and recommendations to prevent and treat diseases in children, such as their recommendation for children to watch no more than 2 hours of quality television programming per day (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2001).  However, with the advancement of new biotechnologies, pediatricians can and should do more on the education and prevention side of getting more children active and engaged in physical activity. 

One strategy for accomplishing this is for pediatricians to make a commitment to informing parents about physical activity opportunities for their children.  Opportunities could include recreational and sport clubs in the local community, community-based organizations offering physical activity programming and resources such as videos and books that children can engage to improve physical activity knowledge.  Partnering with the community and making information available in their offices can have a collaborative impact.  For the pediatrician they will be accomplishing their professional objective of providing solutions to improve the health of the patient while all stakeholders will be impacted economically and altruistically.   

Another way that pediatricians can assist and commit is by monitoring their patients’ physical activity levels through the use of accelerometers, a biotechnology monitoring device that tracks physical activity.  Many of these devices are relatively inexpensive and provide a great means for parents and children to become physically active together.  The integration of technology and physical activity can work together, in this instance, rather than competing against one another for a child’s time.  Coupled with the resources in the community, these devices can help pediatricians and parents track where, when, why and how children are engaging in healthy, active behaviors.  This information can then lead to better informed decisions, recommendations and ultimately policies to improve the health and well-being of the youth population. 

Pediatricians, parents and community organizations all have an equal stake in the health and well-being of children.  This stake can be maximized to reach its full value and potential if all three work together to create solutions and opportunities for young people to engage in physical activity.  The advent of new technology makes partnership between these three respective groups feasible and attractive.  Accelerometers and other physical activity tracking and monitoring devices can help inform and educate on physical activity trends so that solutions can be created to get children more engaged in activity.  The physical, social, intellectual and emotional well-being of our children is important and all of us can do our part to help.