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National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion |
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Promoting Better Health
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Many young people are not able to participate in youth sports and recreation programs because they have no means, or no safe means, of getting to the programs from home or school and getting home afterwards. Sports and recreation program directors cite this transportation problem as one of the most critical barriers to youth participation in their programs. Transportation difficulties affect a wide variety of young people, including those who live in low-income, urban communities and those who live in rural areas, as well as those who are part of single-parent families and those who have two parents who work. This barrier should be overcome to make sports and recreation programs accessible for all of our young people. Community recreation programs have attempted to address the transportation problem in a number of ways, including
Strategy 7: Enable youth sports and recreation programs to provide coaches and recreation program staff with the training they need to offer developmentally appropriate, safe, and enjoyable physical activity experiences for young people.The quality of any youth sports and recreation experience depends on the competence and supportiveness of its adult program leaders, particularly the coaches. Approximately 2.5 million adults generously volunteer their time each year as coaches of youth sports teams. The commitment of these individuals provides a vital source of support for our young people. However, many coaches have no formal education in coaching techniques, first aid, injury prevention, or emergency care.17 A variety of excellent sport-specific training programs and standards for coaches, as well as National Standards for Athletic Coaches,33 are available. Training for coaches
should emphasize teaching young people not only about sports skills and
lifetime physical activity, but also about responsibility, leadership,
nonviolent conflict resolution, sportsmanship, integrity, and cooperation.
It is important that all youth coaches be offered and encouraged to take
formal educational courses offered by local recreation departments or
sports-specific organizations. Better-trained coaches will enhance
enjoyment of the team sports experience for young people, increase
retention rates among participants, and help to reduce sports-related
injuries. |