Benefits of youth sports and athletics

After School youth sports programs have many benefits.  There are many concerns too, namely safety.  Here we will discuss benefits and there are lots of upcoming posts about how to maximize both benefits and safety.

The Women's Sports Foundation have reports on the many advantages of sports participation that lead to fit and active lifestyles, mainly for girls, but includes positives for all youth and adults.  Here are just a few:

• Research shows that physical activity throughout the lifespan helps to reduce girls’ and women’s risk for Cardio Vascular Disease. A physically active lifestyle in youth and early adulthood can help prevent the emergence of chronic illness later in life.
• Physical activity cuts the risk of developing heart disease. It also significantly lowers the risk of dying from CVD and stroke (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Center, 1995; National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 1996).
• High school girls who play sports are more likely to do well in science (Hanson and Kraus, 1998, 1999).
• A longitudinal study of 22,696 high school students in 1,052 schools found that both female and male athletes had higher grades, higher educational aspirations and less school-related discipline problems than non-athletes (Fejgin, 1994).
• Girls who participate in sports are more likely to experience academic success and graduate from high school than those who do not play sports (Sabo, Melnick and Vanfossen, 1989).
• Regular participation in physical activity during childhood and adolescence helps control weight, build lean muscle and reduce fat (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1996).
• An increase in physical activity among children and adults would substantially reduce U.S. healthcare expenditures that are spent on treating obesity-related diseases (Colditz, 1999).
• One to three hours of exercise a week over a woman’s reproductive lifetime (the teens to about age 40) may bring a 20-30% reduction in the risk of breast cancer, and four or more hours of exercise a week can reduce the risk almost 60% (Bernstein, 1994).
• Physical activity is associated with delayed onset of smoking; in one study, highly active girls were less than half as likely as less active girls to start smoking cigarettes (Aaron et al, 1995).

And there are many many more benefits including those tied to confidence and positive self-image.  Visit the Women's Sports Foundation for more statistics.  

You can also join our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kipkix for more links and ongoing conversation.

There is a NEED for high quality after school sports program leaders.  If you've ever competed in a sport and you care about the safety and well being of students, owning your own program could be for you!  Visit our website at www.kipkix.com and take a look at the Requirements for Success to see if it's a good fit! 

Questions about your existing program or questions about how to start one?  Email your questions to kipkix@gmail.com.