I Hate Sports!
By Karen Holt

Does the thought of participating in a team sport make you groan?

You’re not the first kid to be turned off by sports. Every year, 20 million kids sign up for competitive sports. But according to the National Alliance for Youth Sports, about 70 percent quit playing by age 13, never to play them again. Why? Because they’re not having any fun.

If this sounds like you, read on. You just might change your mind about the sports scene when you approach it from a different angle.

Make sure time is on your side

If you joined a team in the past and it wasn’t what it was cracked up to be, maybe it just wasn’t your moment. Even Michael Jordan was the victim of poor timing. As a high school sophomore, he was cut from the school’s varsity basketball team. But by the next season, having grown four inches and having improved in skill, he was a perfect fit for the team.

Some sports have to grow on you. When 9-year-old David of Silver Spring, Maryland tried soccer at age 6, he really hated it. “I couldn’t dribble well, and I didn’t think I’d ever want to play soccer again.”  When he started fourth grade this fall, he decided to give soccer another chance at recess. “Soccer is awesome, and I’m getting really good at it now,” he says. David recently joined a local soccer program.

Give the sport you rejected another look. Try playing the game again casually with some friends at recess or after school. You may enjoy it now that you’re older, understand the game better and have the coordination and focus to be successful at it.

Shop for another sport

Just because you didn’t like one team sport, doesn’t mean that another won’t work for you. Figure out your sports style. Do you like high-energy activities, or do you like a more moderate pace? Are you aggressive or laid-back? Are you well coordinated? Graceful? Able to run fast? You may have to try a few sports before you find one that clicks with your style. If you got bored standing in the outfield, maybe faster-paced basketball is the better choice, for instance. If your hand-eye coordination isn’t great, skip baseball and take a look at soccer.

Do you like a particular sport, but the pressure to win stresses you out? Talk to your parents about non-competitive leagues. Your local YMCA or other organizations may have programs that keep the pressure off while focusing on fun and skill building.

In most leagues, all members have to work together in a coordinated effort. The success of the team depends on everyone joining forces and cooperating with each other. But if you thrive in the limelight, perhaps you’d enjoy a team where your personal prowess shines through. Consider a sport where individual performance gets factored into the team score, like swimming, gymnastics, tennis, bowling, track or wrestling. While you’re contributing to the group, success depends more on individual effort.

Go it alone

Bottom line, sports should be fun. If you really can’t stomach practice schedules and team dynamics, consider a solo sport. That’s what Tony Hawk did. When he was a kid, he tried swimming and baseball, but didn’t really find his niche until he tried skateboarding. By 14 he went pro. By 16, Tony Hawk was the best skateboarder in the world. He enjoyed the fact that he didn’t have to rely on others for his success.

Talk to your parents about your strengths and interests. Then check out what your school, local recreation department or boys and girls club have to offer. Dance, skating, golf, martial arts, biking, running, yoga and horseback riding are great exercise and build strength and endurance. If you like a little more edge, look at skateboarding, mountain biking, snowboarding, rock climbing or surfing. When you find an activity that’s fun, go for it and keep striving for your personal best.

You don’t have to sit on the sidelines or be frustrated by sports. Keep an open mind, and you’re sure to find ways to get your game on and have a blast.