Wednesday 1 February 2012

Some What Sentimental...

Did you know that in the United States February 1st is “National Girls and Women in Sports Day?” Drawing upon my own experiences in sport and more specifically, field hockey, all the women in my family have taken part. I and my two sisters have all played at the university level and after having played briefly in Holland as a girl, my mother picked up a stick 40 years later to play for the same club where I scored my first goal and never looked back. Initially brought on as an unsuspecting volunteer parent, my father took an umpiring and a coaching course and proceeded to contribute to the development of women’s field hockey for the next decade. I can recall spending weekend after weekend being shuttled all over the Lower Mainland in our family’s minivan as the five of us took part in a sport that, for better or for worse, forced us all to be together. Admittedly, there were times when the sport also came between us as I would refuse to accept the “coaching tips” that my father felt necessary to share and although she may never admit it, I have a feeling that my youngest sister has more than once felt the pressure of the relative success of two older siblings. I could write a book on the ways that sport has changed my life and essentially, I have my mother to thank for that. Had she not seen the advertisement in our local paper for a U12 team perhaps I never would have played. I was not particularly coordinated growing up (think gazelle…) and never played soccer or t-ball as so many of my peers did. In an interesting reversal of sorts I am now coaching my mother and several of her friends whose daughters have played for years. Now that their evenings and weekends are no longer taken up by piano lessons, hockey games and dance recitals, they are taking the opportunity to play on the same fields where they have so many times stood on the sidelines. I am proud of these women who are not afraid to try something new and willing to be coached by somebody 20 years their junior. Stepping onto the field is like entering another dimension, where the pandemonium of life takes a time-out and all of its trivialities are immaterial. Many of the women that I coach have rearranged their daily lives to attend the skills sessions and I have often been told that it is the one night in their week that they can take a break from the chaos of family. Creating opportunities for youth to enjoy sport is just as important as creating opportunities for middle-aged women and often they are the ones facing the greatest barriers to participation. Several studies demonstrate the benefits of physical activity amongst women approaching middle-age, some of which include a lower risk of coronary heart disease, a decrease in depressive symptoms, and even a decrease in the effects of menopause. Overwhelmingly there is a focus upon sport for youth, and not to take away from its importance, but there must be more of an effort to get older women involved in sport. Incidentally, they are one of the fastest growing populations in Canada.  The Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Sport (CAAWS) has highlighted that one of their areas of focus in the next four years will include women between the ages of 55 and 70 – I will take it upon myself to contribute to this the best that I can. Happy National Girls and Women in Sports Day…