Sports Banquet Reflection/Prayer

We just got back from our daughters sports banquet. Despite being long at 2.5 hrs the program was paced well and paid appropriate honors to all the athletes and coaches who all volunteer their time for the children. It was long for our 6 yr. old who fell asleep about half way through but she was excited earlier on when she received a medal for her participation on the K-2 coed basketball team. What a smile!

One part of the program I’d like to share is a Sportsman’s prayer that started the night. To me it really helped me remember what the sports program should be for and what it can teach the athletes. I hope you enjoy this slightly adapted copy of the prayer:

We gather tonight to reflect upon the talents you have given us and that we have enjoyed through our sports program. We ask you to continue to bless our principle, teachers, coaches, and all our family and friends as they guide us in developing these talents.

Help us lord to remember that it is our responsibility to use the divine gifts you have given us. Teach us what it means to be “real winners in your eyes”…

Real winners have learned to always do their best.

Real winners have learned not to quit.

Real winners have learned not to blame others.

Real winners have respect for their friends, their coaches, and themselves…

Real winners have learned that God is the one who gave them their abilities.

Sunday Morning Shout Out

Source: http://www.hotforsecurity.com/blog/london-olympics-forbidden-items-weaponry-and-wi-fi-2881.html

I have always loved the Olympics. I remember looking forward to them as a kid and imitating the athletes just like my girls are doing now. Not only a sports event, it is an age old, cultural phenomenon, introducing and opening the doors of other cultures to participants and viewers.

Yet faster than Michael Phelps in the pool, they will now be over.  If you revel in the pomp, circumstance, and cultural aspects of the games like I do, there are ways in which you can impart lots of lessons about the Olympics.  First off, teach them what the Olympic are all about. The book Olympics, by Elizabeth Kennedy explains the Olympic’s origins; discusses both the winter and summer Olympics; goes behind the scenes to look at the preparations that go into the Olympics; examines the athletes’ experiences; and explores the meaning of Olympic symbols, rituals, and competition and winning.

Secondly, help your child get to know more about the host country.  Let them google information about England. Short of being there, such websites as ‘Time for Kids’ and the BBC news can give children a first- hand feel for England and the Olympic events. . Not only will they learn about the games, they will learn from an English person’s point of view. Perhaps your child would also enjoy learning about them through the Time for Kids website. Familiar to many kids who receive the print edition in school, its Olympic site delves into all aspect of the Olympics that a young reader might be interested in exploring, from gymnast hopefuls and BMX cycling to information about London and statistics on the games. Another way you can bring home the Olympic feeling is through Olympic inspired arts and crafts.  Such websites as activityvillage.co.uk offer fun and user friendly craft, game, and party ideas for young Olympic fans. Lastly, consider having your own Olympic games. From family swimming events to relay races, everyone  can get into the spirit of the games, by doing physical activities together. Putting an Olympic spin on it will just make it more fun!

Sunday Morning Shout Out

Faster than you can say spring break is over, the school year will be done. With final exams, state assessments, more advanced reading and math, final projects, concerts, plays, and field trips, the end of the school year possesses its own challenges and rewards. As our children headed back to school this week, here are some thoughts that partially spill over from an earlier segment on spring cleaning your school year. These are tips for making the last two months of school shine, building on what your children receive from you at home.

Where your school routines remain fraught with chaos, build calm. There is nothing worse than starting the day in a frazzled way. Anything that can be done ahead of time to make the morning easier is a sure way to make for a better morning. When homework is done at night and reviewed by you, make it your child’s responsibility to see that it goes in their backpack.  Many organizational experts (e.g., Jennifer Fordbery) talk about a launching spot for bags and school supplies. Have your child have their work done, ready, and in this place the night before, to prevent early morning scavenger hunts for homework, bags, etc.

Children can also help make their lunches ahead of time. If they take a lunch, have them empty their lunch bag when they come home if applicable.  They can also wipe it out. This would be a good time for them to put tomorrow’s snack in the bag. You can gather their thoughts on what sounds good for a sandwich.  (I know mothers and fathers who make and freeze mass quantities of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at once to make things easier.) They may even find it fun to help you make them or at least of part of lunch making is done, for tired moms and dads for later.  If they buy a lunch, make sure their lunch money is out for the next day. Or prepay for their lunch with your school’s cafeteria. With lunch preparation done the night before, there is more time for calmness, encouragement, and kindness in the morning, a fine, motivating replacement for grumpiness and the mad dash to get out the door.

Along these same lines, try not to pass your stress onto your children.  We are the first and original tone setters in our home.  A wise, serene, yes serene, mother of six I spoke to told me that her technique is the “cocktail party” technique. She said that when she set the right tone for her busy home, like the host or hostess who does this right, the “party” turns out well.  Where serious stress is an issue, do what you need to do to be well. Seek the family, friend, or professional help that you need.  You are your children’s anchor, ship, and rescue boat. If your boat is sinking like the Titanic, SOS (save one’s ship) and fix yourself for the sake of your family!

Improve your family time. If your family time is less than you want it to be, it is never too late to start making more time for each other. Make it a goal to eat dinner together at least a few times a week. One recent article titled “Family Dinners: Do They Really Matter“explores the benefits and points out that experts say that families that eat together are happier, healthier, more cohesive, and even more successful. Such families are more in tune with one another.  Children feel a greater sense of personal worth and place within their family.

Another thing you can do is play a game or read a book together.  From picture books with little ones to reading popular books like the Harry Potter series or The Hunger Games with older children, reading can be a great way to connect with your family. Lastly, get outside and get active! Exercise is such a fun and healthy way to release end of the school year stress and steam.  Like the school year, time will just keep ticking by. Make the most of it!

First Steps

From the time I took my first steps, my parents have been trying to find the physical activity that was the perfect fit for me. It started with baby swim classes, the progressed to toddler soccer and dance. As I got older, I went through bike riding, gymnastics, roller blading, tennis, hiking, street hockey, basketball, softball, and yoga. My parents bought me roller blades, bicycles, tennis rackets, hockey sticks, softball gloves, and a basketball hoop. Some of these pursuits were more successful than others, but I spent four or five years of my life hating gymnastics and softball. None of these physical activities really seemed to stick, and I dabbled rather than excelled.

Eventually, by tenth grade, I decided that I wanted to play an organized sport again, and so I tried out for the school volleyball team. After a week of grueling try-outs, I was one of two girls who did not end up making the team. While that rejection felt terrible, I look back and still feel proud of myself for the effort I put into something that was entirely out of my comfort zone. After my volleyball rejection, I joined the marching band color guard, which involved learning marching and flag twirling, and I had found my physical activity passion.

Of course, all good things come to an end, and when I moved from high school to college I left color guard behind. In college, I tried to keep up my promises to go to the gym, with varying degrees of success. I used the college pool exactly one time: to take my swim test. I swam in the lake my school was located on about five times. As part of my degree requirement, I had to take two credits of PE, so I took Self-Defense and Advanced Self-Defense, but that only kept me active two nights a week for two semesters.

Graduate school saw an even greater decline in the amount of physical activity I participated in. The university gym had a membership fee for the cardio room, which was the only room I had ever really taken advantage of anyways. I reasoned that I couldn’t afford the monthly fee, and for a while I kept myself moving one day a week with a free lunchtime Zumba class, which I really enjoyed.

So what’s the point of my rather drawn-out history of my own physical activity (or lack thereof)? I guess it’s that with physical activity, the first steps aren’t necessarily the hardest. What’s difficult is making the commitment every day to do something that gets you moving. You don’t have to be an Olympic swimmer to swim laps in the pool, and you don’t have to be Michael Jordan to get a basketball and shoot some hoops with your family. As someone who has tried a plethora of physical activities both through school gym classes and parental involvement, I know that finding a physical activity that feels less like work and more like fun can be really difficult, but the important thing is that you keep looking and you keep trying.

A frisbee is a great investment in getting kids moving! (Image Credit:http://www.dipity.com/tickr/Flickr_frisbee/)

Sometimes, it’s the most unconventional activities that get me the most active. Messing around outside with some old badminton rackets, playing a game of croquet, or playing with those velcro mitts and tennis balls make physical activity fun. So rather than committing time to sweating it out in the gym, during the nice weather it’s sometimes better to just shut down your laptop, put on some shorts, and head outside to find what old goodies you have laying around.

We all know exercise is good for us and great for our kids, so let’s start making commitments to move a little more every day.

Working and Working Out

Everyone has things that they willingly put on the back burner when they have a lot of work to do. For me, the first thing that’s sacrificed for the sake of school work is exercising. During high school, I had the built-in PE class for two or three periods a week to keep me in shape. After school, I participated in the marching band and spent hours marching around twirling a flag for color guard. During my undergrad, I tried to go to the gym. I only made it up the hill occasionally, though. The two semesters that I spent the most time in the gym was when I took my two required PE courses.

Fast forward to grad school, and I seem to rarely have “time” to work out. If you’ve read my previous blog post about my ridiculously wide-open schedule for the semester, you might be rolling your eyes here. What you don’t understand is that when I’m at home, there’s always the potential that I’ll get work done. Taking deliberate time out to go to the gym means that I won’t accomplish any work during that time. Of course, my logic is skewed. Instead of working on my presentation I watch an entire season of Downton Abbey. I take an afternoon nap out of boredom rather than necessity.

Pumping iron can also help pump up your brain power! (Image Credit:http://blogs.babble.com/strollerderby/2010/11/26/strength-training-and-child-health/)

So I’ve made myself a promise: I’m going to start going to the gym. Well, it doesn’t have to be the gym. But I am making a commitment to move each day. Saturday, I did pilates at home. Sunday, I went ice skating and realized that your skates should be so tight you can’t feel your foot. Today, I hit up a free Zumba class at my university gym. Sure, my muscles are sore. I didn’t have as much free time to get work done as I normally do. But you know what? I’m going to get the work that I need to finished by the time it’s due. Making physical activity one of my  priorities will hopefully help me be a better student. There have been plenty of studies testifying to that fact, after all.

Do you prioritize working out? Do you have a hard time working physical activity into your schedule? What are some of your favorite things to get the blood pumping?